Guthrie pitches the O's past the Angels, 4-3
Programming Note: Saturday's Orioles at Angels game can be found on Fox as part of their nationally televised game of the week. Check your listings to find your local Fox affiliate.
Jeremy Guthrie pitched seven solid innings to get his first win of the season as the O's beat the Angels 4-3. Guthrie allowed just two runs on three hits and is now 1-3.
Nick Markakis homered and knocked in two. Melvin Mora went 2-3 with two RBI.
Losing pitcher Jered Weaver allowed four runs over seven innings.
The Birds are now 16-13 and improve to 8-2 in one-run games.
GUTHRIE PITCHES THE O'S PAST THE ANGELS, 4-3
Jeremy Guthrie pitched seven very strong innings as the Orioles beat the LA Angels, 4-3, to start the season's longest road trip off on a winning note.
It's Guthrie's first win of the season and ended his personal 15-start winless streak. His last win came on July 27, 2007 vs. the Yankees. Tonight he allowed just two runs on three hits, all singles. He walked two and fanned six in improving to 1-3 4.06.
George Sherrill allowed a run in the last of the ninth, but got out of a jam to record his 11th save.
The O's, who had lost four of five, improve to 16-13 and 6-7 in road contests. They are now 8-2 in one-run contests.
Nick Markakis and Melvin Mora had two RBI each as the O's improved to 13-3 when they score four or more runs.
Dave Trembley shook up his lineup tonight, moving five players to different spots in the order. Markakis, who batted second, hit a first-inning solo homer and later added a double and RBI groundout.
Mora, who batted third, went 2-3 with a walk and stolen base.
Mora and Markakis knocked in runs in the third as the O's scored twice to break a 1-1 tie. Brian Roberts went 0-5, ending his 11-game hitting streak.
The Angels, who had won six of nine games, fall to 18-13.
POST-GAME NOTES
LINEUP CHANGES
Markakis hit second, Mora third, Huff fourth, Ramon fifth and Millar sixth. The shake up worked for two of them as Markakis came up with his 4th two-RBI game and Mora his 5th. Markakis, who entered in a 3-24 slide, had just one RBI in his previous seven games. With a homer and double, this was the first game on the season where Nick had more than one extra-base hit.
DEFENSE, DEFENSE
The O's played error-free ball and several players, including Roberts, Mora and Jones made big defensive plays. They are all big in a close game. Luis Hernandez made a nice play on Vladdy Guerrero's hi chopper to short in the 8th. Adam Jones made a diving catch in center in the 6th on which he seemed to injure his left wrist. He stayed in the game and hopefully, will be fine.
THE NUMBER ONE STAR
It had to be Guthrie edging out Mora and Markakis. He never got discouraged with the lack of offense he's been dealing with and tonight recorded his 5th quality outing in seven starts. The Angels began the night tied for first in the league in batting average, but they went just 3-24 vs. Guthrie. He gave up two singles in the first and just one more after that. His last win was July 27 of last season, 16 starts ago.
THE NERVOUS NINTH
Was your heart pounding in the last of the 9th ??? George Sherrill allowed two singles to start the frame and then Aybar hit a grouder to third, Mora threw home but the runner, Torii Hunter was safe. After a sac bunt, the Angels has second and third with just one out, down now 4-3.
Sherrill then got pinch-hitter Juan Rivera to pop to Millar at first. Then he intentionally walked Chone Figgins to load them up. Then Reggie Willits popped up a curve ball, Roberts caught it and Sherrill got out of it with two big-time outs.
The O's are 8-2 in one-run games, this might have been the toughest to pull out.
FINAL NOTES
Brian Roberts went 0-5 with two strikeouts, ending his 11-game hitting streak.........Aubrey Huff's double in the 9th extends his batting steak to six.........Vladimir Guerrero went 0-4 and is now 7-40 his last 12 games...........Jered Weaver entered with 0 runs allowed in 14 career IP vs. the O's, but this time allowed four runs over seven innings.....The Angels are now 12-7 since their 6-6 start..............O's improve to 8-3 vs. AL West teams............Chone Figgins, who hit .538 vs. the O's last year, went 0-3 with two walks and a run scored...........Saturday's game will be televised by Fox and starts at 3:40 pm eastern time.
Steve Melewski's live GameBlog
PITCHING CHANGE
Guthrie is out after his 109-pitch outing. Chad Bradford comes on in the 8th.
Guthrie's line: 7ip, 3h, 2r-er, 2b, 6k......109 pitches, 70 strikes.
He lowered his ERA to 4.06
GUTHRIE WANTS IT
O's 4 LAA 2........end of seven
Turns out Guthrie pitches pretty well with a lead. Who knew ? He's pitching a 3-hitter tonight and has had four 1-2-3 frames. He has 109 pitches but I wouldn't have a problem with him coming out for the 8th.
O's are 9-0 this year when leading after seven and 10-0 with lead after eight.
THAT LEADOFF WALK THING
O's 4 LAA 2.............end of six
Guthrie has walked just two, but both were leadoff walks that scored. This one should not have though. With a man on first and one out in the 6th, Casey Kotchman hit a comebacker to Guthrie. Should have been an easy 1-6-3 DP. But the ball popped out of Guthrie's mitt and he got just the runner at first.
Given a fourth out (not really) of course Torii Hunter hit a seeing-eye single to center to score a run and make it 4-2.
Moments later, Hunter embarrased the O's when he stole second while Guthrie had the ball on the mound. Neither the pitcher or middle infielders reacted as Hunter just ran for second and slid in. He could have gone in standing. That brought Dave Trembley to the top of the dugout steps. Guthrie then got Garrett Anderson to ground out on a nice play by Millar. Inning finally over, O's up by two.
TWO OUT RALLY
O's 4 LAA 1............middle of 5th
With two out and none on in the 5th, Markakis doubled to left, his second hit. Then Mora waited on a curve ball and sliced it into left center for an RBI hit and 4-1 lead.
It's Mora's fifth 2-RBI game and he now has 16 on the year.
GUTHRIE, O'S STILL LEADING
O's 3 LAA 1.......end of four
Guthrie pitching a 2-hitter thru four. He hit a batter in the fourth, but has retired 10 of the last 11 hitters as the O's maintain a two-run lead. He has thrown 61 pitches to date.
THE BOTTOM OF THE ORDER COMES THRU
O's 3 LAA 1...........middle of third
The O's used a bloop and a bunt to take a 3-1 lead. Jay Payton walked leading off the third, and nine hitter Luis Hernandez blooped a hit over shortstop. A grounder advanced the runners and Markakis groundout scored Payton for 2-1.
Then Melvin Mora bunted one in the air, but it fell to the grass about halfway up the third base line, for an RBI bunt hit.
Again, great to see Guthrie get a lead to work with.
MACPHAIL SAYS
The O's president, Andy MacPhail, was on the MASN telecast during the second inning. Among his comments, he said Adam Loewen would see Dr. Andrews this Monday. He said all the tests on Loewen have come back fine so far.
He said what most pleased him to this point was seeing the Birds among the league leaders in comeback wins, saying the team showed "grit and character."
He said for now the O's need the extra arm and thus, the 13-pitcher staff.
He was asked about the O's crazy schedule, but said every team complains about its schedule.
LEADOFF WALK
O's 1 LAA 1...........end of one
They say the leadoff walk almost always comes around to score. It seems that way when an O's hurler is out there. Guthrie gave one up in the first to Chone Figgins, who promptly stole second. Two outs later he was still there, but Casey Kotchman singled to right for his 20th RBI and the 1-1 tie.
NICK THE STICK DELIVERS
O's 1 LAA 0.......middle of first
Jeremy Guthrie will actually take the mound tonight with a lead. Markakis, moved up to second in the order, hit a booming solo homer just to the left of center field in the first. It's his 5th homer of the season and first since April 23rd at Seattle.
PLAY BALL ON THE COAST
Hey, it's the weekend, so we're all ready to stay up late watching the O's. They have begun tonight's game vs. the Angels. A big ten-game road trip is underway. Check back here during the game as I update the scoring and chime in with some notes, stats and commentary as well.
PRE GAME NOTES
Maybe the O's will find some offense on the coast to coast flight. In losing the last two days vs. Tampa they scored just three runs on ten hits, hitting .164 (10-61) in those games. They have scored two runs or less 9 times on the season and are 0-9. When they score four runs or more, the Orioles record is 12-3.
The Birds were 3-7 vs. the LAA last year and have lost the season series four years in a row. They are just 5-14 the past four seasons at Angel Stadium.
The Angels are 18-12 and tied for first in the AL West with Oakland, after losing to the A's, 15-8 last night. The clubs split a four-game series.
LA's 18 wins is its most ever in April, and, since starting the year 6-6, the Angels are 12-6. They have won six of their last nine and are 2-2 on a 7-game homestand. They are 8-7 in home games.
Since 2005, the only major-league team with more wins than the Angels, is the New York Yankees.
TONIGHT'S O'S LINEUP
2B Brian Roberts
RF Nick Markakis
3B Melvin Mora
DH Aubrey Huff
C Ramon Hernandez
1B Kevin Millar
CF Adam Jones
LF Jay Payton
SS Luis Hernandez
P Jeremy Guthrie
Dave Trembley has finally decided to shake up the lineup, dropping Millar, moving Markakis to second, Huff to cleanup. Markakis will hit second for the second time this year, Mora third for the first time, Huff third time at cleanup, Ramon first time at fifth Millar batting sixth for the first time.
I like Markakis in a run-producing spot, but I'm sure Trembley wants to see Roberts get on and Markakis get to see some fastballs. I think he had to do something and this certainly doesn't have to be long-term, unless of course, it works.
I'm not with the club but guessing Luke Scott is still sick. He sure sounded like it yesterday before the game.
Roberts and Markakis are 0-5 vs. Weaver, while Ramon is 1-5 and Huff 0-3. Millar is 2-6 and Mora 2-3 off Weaver.
TODAY'S ROSTER MOVE
The O's today placed RHP Randor Bierd on the 15-day DL retroactive to April 30 with a right shoulder impingement. They have selected the contract of RHP Lance Cormier from AAA Norfolk.
Cormier, 27, is 1-1 with an ERA of 0.96 (2er in 18.2ip) with 12 strikeouts in nine games with the Tides. He is 14-18 5.98 over parts of four major-league seasons with Arizona and Atlanta.
Bierd was 0-1 2.03 in nine games with the O's this season.
The club also announced that Freddie Bynum will begin a rehab assignment tonight with AA Bowie.
THE PITCHERS
Righty Jeremy Guthrie (0-3 4.34) will make his 7th start this evening. He has lost back to back starts vs. Seattle and Chicago, giving up 6er over 12.2 innings.
He has made quality starts (3er or less, 6ip or more) in four of his six outings this year and has pitched at least six innings four times. He can't seem to get much run support and the O's are 2-4 in his starts.
The gopher ball has been an issue as Guthrie has allowed four homers his last three starts and seven longballs in 2008.
He pitched well, without a win, vs. the Angels last year, going 0-1 2.81, giving up just seven hits in 16 ip. His career mark vs. the LAA is 0-1 3.86.
Jered Weaver, who has not given up a run in 14 career innings vs. the O's, is LA's starter in game one of the series. This season, the 25-year-old righty is 2-3 4.21 in six starts, covering 36.1 innings.
In his start last Sunday, he was the winning pitcher vs. Detroit, giving up just two runs, four hits in 6.1ip, throwing 108 pitches. In two home starts, he is 1-1 1.39. The Angels are 2-4 when he starts.
In 53 career starts, the 6-7 Weaver is 26-12 with an ERA of 3.43.
He did not face Baltimore last year, but was 2-0 0.00 in 2006. In 14 innings he gave up just nine hits while walking two with 10 strikeouts.
HITTING STREAKS
Brian Roberts: 11 games at .350 (14-40) with 2 HR and 6 rbi
Aubrey Huff: 5 games at .333 (6-18) with 2 HR and 3 rbi
Adam Jones: 4 games at .385 (5-13) with a 2B, 3B, HR and 2 rbi
The longest hitting streak in the AL this year is 14 games by Micheal Young of Texas and Boston's Dustin Pedroia. Young's streak ended last night.
SLUMPING O'S
Kevin Millar: 2-11 vs. Tampa, 4-32
Melvin Mora: 1-11 vs. Tampa
Luke Scott: 1-13 and 3-31 since April 19th when he was at .386
Nick Markakis: 1-9 and 3-24
Jay Payton: 0-13
SAY THIS QUIETLY
Angels slugger Vladimir Guerrero is in a slump. He is just 7-36 (.194) over his last 11 games. He has just two RBI over his last 15 games.
Last season, Guerrero hit .341-3-16 vs. the Orioles and is a .353 career hitter vs. Baltimore pitching.
MORE GUTHRIE
Did you realize this guy has gone 15 starts without a win. He went 0-2 in his last nine starts of 2007 and is 0-3 this season in six starts. While he struggled late last year, he does have 7 quality starts during that stretch. His last win was July 27, 2007 vs. the Yankees............He was great last season in May and his ERA of 1.78 for the month was third best in the AL............Tonight he makes his 34th career start...........In his three losses this year, the O's have scored a total of five runs.......Last season, his ERA of 3.70 was 13th best in the league.
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