Huff homers twice as O's begin road trip with 8-5 win at Milwaukee
Aubrey Huff had two homers among his four hits and the O's bullpen pitched seven shutout innings as the Orioles beat Milwaukee, 8-5, in the first game of a nine-game road trip.
George Sherrill came on in the last of the 9th, and the first three batters reached to load the bases. He then got a strikeout and double play to end the game without a run scoring.
The Orioles have now won four in a row, six of seven and are 12-5 over their last 17 games. They are four games over .500 for the first time since they were 24-20 on May 20th.
Oriole pitchers combined to walk 11 men tonight, but still won the game. Out of the pen, Lance Cormier, Dennis Sarfate, Jamie Walker, Chad Bradford and George Sherrill combined to allow just 3 hits over seven innings. Cormier got the win and Sherrill earned his 25th save. Starter Radhames Liz gave up five runs in two plus innings.
The Orioles scored four runs in the first inning and never trailed as they improved to 8-2 this season in interleague play.
Huff led off the O's fourth with a solo homer that gave the O's a 7-5 lead. His solo shot in the 8th made it an 8-5 game. Huff has three homers the last two games, five in the last five games and 14 on the season.
Prince Fielder's two-run homer in the third cut the O's lead to 6-5 and knocked Radhames Liz out of the game. He allowed five runs in two innings tonight.
The O's scored twice in the second to gain a 6-2 lead and knock Milwaukee starter Jeff Suppan out of the game. Huff and Ramon Hernandez had RBI singles in the inning. Craig Counsell's RBI single in the second pulled Milwaukee within 6-3.
The Orioles took a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis led off with singles, and Melvin Mora's RBI single made it 1-0. With one out, Suppan's two-base throwing error scored a second run. Luke Scott made it 3-0 on a sac fly. Adam Jones added a two-out, RBI single for a 4-0 edge.
In the last of the first, JJ Hardy's two-run homer cut the O's lead to 4-2. His 5th homer scored Craig Counsell, who had walked.
Balt 8-13-0
Milw 5-7-1
Postgame Notes
Huff Homers Twice
Aubrey Huff continued his red-hot hitting with a four-hit, two-homer night. He had an RBI single in the 2nd, solo homer in the 4th, double in the 6th and solo homer in the 8th after he had lined out in the first inning.
It's the third time this year he had four hits and the seventh time in his career that he's had a two-homer game. He last did it on August 21, 2006 for Houston at Cincinnati.
Huff now has three homers the past two nights and five homers in the last five games. Huff hit 15 homers (in 550 at bats) ALL last season. Tonight he hit numbers 13 and 14 in 2008.
Huff is batting .480 (12-25) during his six-game hitting streak and, over his last 10 games, he's batting .476 (20-42) with 5 homers and 11 RBI. He has seven multi-hit games in his last 10 contests.
Sherrill Kept His Poise
If he was ever going to lose his poise, this would have been it. He allowed a swinging bunt hit that stayed fair along the first-base line to Ryan Braun to start the 9th; then walked two in a row. Staring at a bases-loaded, no out situation, he faced pinch-hitter Bill Hall. He got ahead 0-2 on two sliders, then elevated a fastball and struck him out. Seconds later he got Gabe Kapler to ground into a double-play. He goes from potential disaster to save in the span of a few seconds and pitches.
Sherrill has now pitched in six of the last seven games. Dave Trembley said after the game that he might use Chad Bradford in a save situation on Saturday. The O's at this point can't ask any more out of Sherrill, and he could probably use two or three consecutive days off at this point.
Love All The Offense
The Orioles have 47 hits the last four games. They have had ten hits or more in four straight and six of the last seven games. They have done that 10 times in June and are 9-1 in those games. The O's have scored 100 runs in June now and are averaging 5.6 runs per game this month.
Final Notes
Brian Roberts had three hits and is batting .371 (13-35) during his eight-game batting streak......The Orioles have now homered in seven consecutive games, hitting 14 homers in the 7 contests........The O's scored seven runs on 11 hits in the first four innings and had just one run on 2 hits the last five innings......Freddie Bynum went 0-5 with 3 strikeouts and has just 1 hit his last 18 at bats........The O's would tie their season-high of five games over .500 with a win on Saturday....The Orioles were 6-12 vs. the NL last year and are 8-2 this season.......The Brewers four-game winning streak ended and they lost for just the 6th time in the last 19 games......Prince Fielder and JJ Hardy hit two-run homers for the Brewers, who have homered 12 times the last 5 games and 40 times their past 20 contests.
Steve Melewski's Live GameBlog
More On Huff
Huff's solo homer in the 8th gave the O's an 8-5 lead and was Huff's second homer of the game. It's his first two-homer game as an Oriole. He has four hits in the game. He did that twice earlier this year with four hits April 8 at Texas and June 10 at Boston.
With two homers tonight, Huff has hit five in his last five games over 20 at bats. He also homered last night vs. Houston. This is his 7th career two-homer game and first since August 21, 2006 for Houston at Cincinnati.
A Night For The Offense
With seven runs on 12 hits through six at bats tonight, you can't complain about the O's on offense tonight. Well, they have left nine on base, but seven runs, come on.
Brian Roberts has three hits and has extended his hitting streak to eight games. Aubrey Huff has a single, double and homer. He has homered four times in the last five games. The O's entered tonight averaging 5.47 runs per game in June. The Birds now have ten or more hits in four straight games, in six of the last seven and in 10 games in June.
Second Guessing The Skipper
When Liz walked Ryan Braun leading off the third I know I wasn't the only one screaming for Liz to be removed from the game. Dave Trembley gambled and left him in one more hitter and it cost him two runs as Fielder hammered it. What a shockingly bad performance tonight by Radhames. He looked like he had little focus or intensity and he certainly had no command from the first pitch to his last tonight.
Liz tonight: 2IP, 4H, 5R-ER, 4BB, 2K, 2 HR.
He threw 53 pitches, 28 balls and 25 strikes. Enough said.
Liz's Start
Radhames Liz must be making O's fans watching everywhere tonight a nervous wreck. He just looks way off his game, you almost feel fortutnate he has given up only three runs in two innings. His team has scored six for him, he needs to get his act together real fast. The Brewer big guns are coming up in the last of the third. I'm no pitching expert here, but his body language and expressions just don't give me confidence right now. He still has time to get it together, but Trembley can't let him get into too much more trouble tonight. Unless, of course, the O's add 3 or 4 more runs in the third.
No Soup For You
Jeff Suppan entered tonight with a career Miller Park record of 16-3, 2.85 in 30 starts there. But he won't get that 17th win tonight, as he was knocked out in the second inning. This ends Milwaukee's run of seven straight quality starts and 18 in their last 22 games. O's hitters went 7-12 at bat tonight vs. Suppan.
Suppan's line: 1.2IP, 7H, 6R, 3ER, 2BB, 1K.......55 pitches.
The Road Trip Is Underway
The O's and Brewers are underway at Miller Park in the first game of this series and road trip. This trip may tell us a lot about this O's club which has been so solid to this point. Two hot clubs are matching up this weekend. Milwaukee is 13-5 over its last 18. The Orioles are 11-5 over their last 16. Play Ball!
Starting Lineups
Orioles
2B Brian Roberts
RF Nick Markakis
3B Melvin Mora
1B Aubrey Huff
C Ramon Hernandez
LF Luke Scott
CF Adam Jones
SS Freddie Bynum
P Radhames Liz
Brewers
2B Craig Counsell
SS JJ Hardy
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Russell Branyan
CF Gabe Kapler
C Jeff Kendall
P Jeff Suppan
The O's look to go four games over .500 for the first time since May 20 when they were 24-20. The O's are 7-2 vs. the NL this season and were 6-12 in interleague games last season. The Orioles and Milwaukee met once before in interleague action as the O's took 2 of 3 in Baltimore in 2003. Milwaukee has won its last four games vs. AL teams by a combined score of 24-13.
Game Preview
Orioles (37-34) at Milwaukee (39-33)
After a homestand that featured comeback victories, walk-off wins, key home runs and five wins in six games, the Orioles begin a nine-game road trip tonight in Milwaukee.
The O's hit three homers in Thursday's 7-5 win over Houston, capping the 5-1 run vs. Pittsburgh and the Astros. At 37-34, the Orioles are three games over .500 for the first time since May 21st.
For years, the Orioles struggled in interleague play, but this season they have won all three of their interleague series with a record of 7-2 vs. NL teams.
The Orioles have won three in a row, 5 of 6, 9 of 13 and are 11-5 over their last 16 games. The Orioles are 11-6 in June after going 8-18 last June.
Now they begin this three-city trip facing another hot team. Milwaukee just concluded a three-game sweep of Toronto and the Brewers have won four in a row and 13 of 18. Milwaukee is 19-9 since May 20th.
This will be the Birds first visit to Milwaukee since September 28, 1997 when the Brewers were an American League team.
Recently, the Brewers have used a combination of excellent starting pitching and power hitting to win. Their starters have recorded a quality start in 18 of the last 22 games and in that time are 13-4, 2.87.
Milwaukee, third in the NL in homers, has hit 10 in the last 4 games and 38 over its last 19 contests. The Brewers, who are a season-high six games over .500, are 4-5 this year and 76-87 all-time in interleague play.
Milwaukee is 23-12 at home, and the Orioles are 15-22 on the road.
Pitching Match-Up
RHP Radhames Liz (1-0, 4.32) tonight makes his 4th start of this season, his 3rd on the road, the 8th of his career and his first start ever vs. Milwaukee.
In his last start, Saturday at home vs. Pittsburgh, he did not get a decision, as he allowed four runs and four hits over 6 1/3 innings. He gave up two homers vs. Pittsburgh.
The 24-year-old Liz was recalled from Triple-A on June 2nd. With Norfolk, he was 1-5, 4.05 in 11 starts with 58 strikeouts in 60 innings. He pitched to an ERA of 2.39 in his last five Triple-A starts.
In the first three innings of his starts this season, opponent batters hit just .161 vs. Liz. He gives up an average of .222 vs. right-handed batters and just .160 vs. lefty hitters.
In two road starts in 2008, Liz is 1-0, 3.48. In his two-year O's career, he has made 12 appearances, 7 starts, and is 1-2, 5.88.
RHP Jeff Suppan (4-4, 3.68) tonight makes his 15th start of the season, his 7th at home and the 9th of his career vs. the Orioles.
Suppan has been pitching well recently. He has an ERA of 2.19 over his last two starts and is 2-1, 1.91 over his last five starts (7ER, 33IP). In six home games on the season, Suppan is 2-0, 1.67. In 30 career starts at Miller Park, Suppan is 16-3, 2.85.
The Brewers are Suppan's 6th Major League team. He has also pitched for Boston, Arizona, Kansas City, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. In 349 career starts, he is 122-117, 4.57.
Milwaukee is 8-6 when he starts. Right-handed batters hit .301 off him and lefties bat .246 vs. Suppan, who was a Red Sox second-round draft pick in 1993.
In eight career starts vs. the Orioles, he is 3-3, 4.86 in 50 innings. His last start against the Orioles was on September 22, 2003 when he was with Boston.
Orioles Hitters, 2008 With Runners In Scoring Position
Alex Cintron: .500 (3-6)
Melvin Mora: .356 (21-59)
Jay Payton: .333 (10-30)
Ramon Hernandez: .327 (16-49)
Brian Roberts: .292 (14-48)
Kevin Millar: .282 (22-78)
Aubrey Huff: .267 (16-60)
Oscar Salazar: .250 (1-4)
Guillermo Quiroz: .231 (3-13)
Nick Markakis: .224 (15-67)
Adam Jones: .220 (13-59)
Luke Scott: .195 (8-41)
Freddie Bynum: .190 (4-21)
Orioles Hitters, Career Numbers vs. Suppan
Aubrey Huff: 7-16, HR
Melvin Mora: 3-7, HR
Freddie Bynum: 2-4, 2 2B
Brian Roberts: 1-9
Ramon Hernandez: 1-12
Luke Scott: 0-5
The One-Run Success
While the Orioles lead the Major Leagues with 17 one-run wins (a 17-10 record), Milwaukee leas the Majors in best one-run win percentage at .714. The Brewers are 15-6 on the season in one-run games.
Hernandez And Huff With Hot Bats
Somewhat quietly, Ramon Hernandez's bat has heated up. He is 4-9 during a three-game hitting streak and is batting .429 (9-21) over his last seven games with a homer, two doubles and 3 RBI. The stretch has raised his average from .217 to .239.
Aubrey Huff is 8-20 with three homers during his five-game batting streak. Over the last nine games, Huff is batting .432 (16-37) with three homers and 8 RBI. Huff has six multi-hit games in his last 9 contests.
Brian Roberts is batting .333 during his seven-game hitting streak and has 10 doubles and a .354 average over his last 15 games.
Leave a comment