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O's score big early, beat Texas, 10-4
STATS: By Inning | Box | Matchup | O's Stats | Rangers Stats
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Freddie Bynum, a late addition to the O's lineup, tied his career high with 3 RBI, and Jeremy Guthrie picked up his 5th win as the O's beat Texas, 10-4. The Orioles scored three in the second inning and four in the third to lead 8-1.
O's second baseman Brian Roberts was ill and a late scratch from the lineup. Bynum replaced him atop the O's batting order. Adam Jones and Brandon Fahey added 2 RBI as the O's improved to 3-2 on this homestand.
Guthrie, now 5-7, gave up four runs over 6 1/3 and losing pitcher Vincente Padilla, a ten-game winner, was tagged for eight runs over just 2 2/3 innings.
The bottom of the O's order, Millar, Jones and Fahey combined to go 6-11 with three doubles, six runs and 5 RBI.
The Orioles scored four runs in the third to knock Texas starter Padilla out of the game. Luke Scott doubled and scored on Millar's RBI single. Jones plated a run on a groundout for a 6-1 lead and Bynum's two-run single to center made it an 8-1 game.
Five different Orioles knocked in runs in the game's first three innings as Padilla allowed eight runs in just 2 2/3 innings.
Milton Bradley's two-run single in the Rangers' three-run seventh pulled Texas to within 8-4.
Fahey's two-run double in the second gave the Orioles a 3-1 lead. It scored Millar who walked and Jones who singled. Nick Markakis came up with a two-out, RBI single to score Fahey for a 4-1 O's edge.
The Orioles tied the game 1-1 in the last of the first. Markakis doubled to right and scored on an Aubrey Huff single. It's his 22nd RBI over his last 21 games.
The Rangers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. With two outs, Josh Hamilton walked then scored on Milton Bradley's double to left center. It's his 52nd RBI of the season.
Tex 4-9-0
Balt 10-12-0
Postgame Notes
Fahey Doubles Up
Brandon Fahey, who has been back with the Orioles a week, came through with a two-run double in the second and he doubled and scored in the third. He went 2-4 today and is 4-13 on this homestand with three doubles and four RBI.
Millar Delivers
In a 2-19 slump entering the game, Kevin Millar drew a 13-pitch walk to help start the Orioles' three-run second inning. On the day he was 2-3 with a double, an RBI and scored two runs.
Bynum's Suprise Start
Freddie Bynum said Brian Roberts tipped him off that he wasn't feeling well and Bynum might have to start today. He did and was 1-5 with a two-run single and three RBI batting leadoff. He found out for certain he was starting a little over an hour before game time. His 3 RBI tied his career high previously set on 4-16-07 vs. Tampa.
Final Notes
The Orioles have scored 34 runs in the five games of this homestand.......The O's are now 44-41 and tie the Yankees for third, actually moving one percentage point ahead of New York........This is the 5th time the O's have scored ten or more in a game, the season high is 12 runs, May 20th at Yankee Stadium.........the Orioles are 9-3 over the last 12 home games and are 25-14 on the season at home.....the Birds are 12-8 over the last 20 games.
Saturday's scheduled Texas starter, Eric Hurley, has been scratched from the start with a hamstring injury. Righty Scott Feldman (2-3, 4.38) will start in his place.
Nick Markakis went 2-5, extending his batting streak to 12 games during which he is hitting .348.......Adam Jones extended his streak to eight games, going 2-4. He is batting .469 (15-32) during his hitting streak.....Aubrey Huff knocked in the O's first run and has 22 RBI his last 21 games........the Orioles had a season-high tying six doubles today and have 93 doubles the last 39 games.....Brian Roberts missed the game due to the flu but Dave Trembley indicated he would probably play Saturday.
Key Quotes
Dave Trembley on the win
"We got production from the bottom of the lineup......That helped roll the lineup over and we didn't miss too many pitches today, but the game was established with Guthrie.......He put shutdown innings up there after we scored.........We hit with men on base.....Brian Roberts has the flu, kind of like I have, there are a few of us under the weather.....He wasn't 100 percent yesterday, I expect he'll be a lot better tomorrow."
Freddie Bynum on getting the start
"You have to play hard every day.......I've been thinking too much, so I just cleared my mind and played ball........I was feeling good at the plate.........B-Rob had told me to be ready since he was feeling under the weather and I was ready."
Steve Melewski's Live GameBlog From Camden Yards
Final Numbers
Guthrie's line: 6 1/3IP, 8H, 4R-ER, 2BB, 6K........116 pitches.
Bukvich allowed two runs charged to Guthrie to score. Kind of decieving final line for how well he really pitched. Must have tired some in the 7th and finished with 116 pitches.
With the Yankees loss today, the O's would move into third by one percentage point with a win today.
The Last Third
Excellent production today from the O's 7-9 hitters, Millar, Jones and Fahey. They are a combined 4-8 with two doubles, five runs scored and four RBI. Millar has an RBI, so does Jones and Fahey has two doubles and two RBI. Fahey and Bynum have combined for 4 RBI.
Padilla Update
The Rangers report one reason Vincente Padilla left today's game was due to a bruised thumb. X-rays were negative. That and he gave up eight runs over 2 2/3 which bruised his ERA.
Guthrie Solid Again
What's amazing about Jeremy Guthrie is how he consistently cranks out solid starts, no matter what the O's do on offense. O's don't score, he pitches well, O's get 8 runs for him today, he pitches the same. He is consistently good and the clear O's ace. And they got him when Cleveland gave up on him. Today, one run over five vs. the club that leads the league in runs.
Padilla Pounded
Vincente Padilla got scored on in each of the three innings he pitched today and lasted just 2 2/3, his shortest start of the year. He allowed a season-high 8 runs and his ERA went from 4.13 to 4.70.
Padilla's line: 2 2/3IP, 9H, 8R-ER, 2BB, 0K.......74 pitches.
The O's have done a great job hitting all five starters they have faced on this homestand. The five combined allowed 39 hits and 30ER over 23 2/3 innings for an ERA of 11.41.
Clouds Moving In
It's getting much darker at the Yard and rain is apparently on the way. The radar outlook is not great. At least the O's got three in the second to lead 4-1. Brandon Fahey now has three extra-base hits and 3 RBI over his last four games.
Fourth of July Baseball Underway
Happy Fourth to everyone from Camden Yards, where today's game has begun. First pitch was at 4:36pm and it's 87 degrees.
A few minutes before we began some Army veterans from Walter Reed hospital were honored on the field for their service and the O's Jamie Walker and Chad Bradford greeted each with handshakes and hugs.
Starting Lineups
Rangers
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Micheal Young
CF Josh Hamilton
RF Milton Bradley
LF David Murphy
DH Frank Catalanotto
1B Chris Davis
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia
3B Ramon Vazquez
P Vincente Padilla
Orioles
SS Freddie Bynum
RF Nick Markakis
DH Aubrey Huff
C Ramon Hernandez
LF Luke Scott
3B Melvin Mora
1B Kevin Millar
CF Adam Jones
2B Brandon Fahey
P Jeremy Guthrie
Markakis is hitting .341 during his career-high, 11-game batting streak. Jones is batting .464 (13-28) during his seven-game streak. Hernandez is hitting .355 over his last 17 games. Mora is just 4 for 36 and Millar is 2-19 over his last five games.
Trembley's Talk
Dave Trembley, in his pregame talk with reporters on the 4th, today was asked about Adam Jones, who is batting .375 over his last 18 games. Is he considering moving Jones up in the order ?
"He's doing well where he's at, leave him there. The couple of times I''ve moved him, then he goes 0-4 and doesn't hit, that's my fault. If I leave him where he's at and he continues to have this success, let's live with it. The last few games his strike zone discipline has improved and his ability to hit the ball the other way has improved. I've been asked about his power. When he gets older the power will be there, but you learn to hit first and the power comes second."
Trembley said there may be times in the second half when he hits Jones second vs. left-handed pitchers.
Trembley today updated Chris Ray's status and told us Ray pitched a simulated game in Florida on Wednesday and has thrown 2 batting practice sessions.
"He is not close to pitching in any games whatsoever and he will continue his throwing program."
When reminded that Ray had hoped to be back sometime this year, Trembley said "That's Chris Ray's expectation, that's never been our expectation. If he joined this club before the season is over that's a bonus, but I would take more of a conservative approach and gear him to pitch in instructional league and be ready for spring training next year."
Trembley said Randor Bierd will continue to pitch in the minors on his rehab assignment and may stay there through the all-star break.
AL Home Run Leaders
21 GSizemore, Clev
19 CQuentin, CWS
19 JHamilton, Tex
19 JDye, CWS
18 JGiamibi, NYY
17 AHuff O's
17 MBradley, Tex
17 ARodriguez, NYY
B-Rob Among League Leaders
Brian Roberts leads all American Leaguers in doubles with 31 and triples with 7. He is tied, with Ian Kinsler of Texas, for the league lead with 44 extra-base hits. Aubrey Huff is one back of that pair with 43. Roberts is 5th in steals with 22 and tied for 8th in total bases. Over his last 29 games he is batting .339 with 18 doubles and 13 RBI. And, he is 6-11 with three doubles in his career vs. today's Texas starter, Vincente Padilla.
Game Preview
Texas (44-42) at Baltimore (43-41)
As the Orioles welcome the Texas Rangers to town to start a three-game series, they also once again have to rebound from losing a lead and a game. For the third time in six games, the O's lost a lead on Thursday night.
Kansas City scored seven runs in the 6th inning to rally from four down and beat the Birds, 10-7, to even the four-game series. The Orioles have lost three of five games and are now 24-14 at home on the season. They are 2-2 on this homestand with three to play.
Aubrey Huff hit two homers and knocked in three runs in that game, his 8th career two-homer game. Huff is batting .407 with 8 homers and 21 RBI over his last 20 games.
The Orioles led 7-3 after five innings but produced just one hit over the last four innings.
The Rangers were off Thursday and come to Baltimore after winning two of three at Yankee Stadium, even though they lost the series finale there, 18-7 on Wednesday.
Texas has won 3 of 4 and 7 of 11 games. The Rangers, in third place and 7 ½ games out in the AL West, are 37-26 since April 25th.
While they lead the AL in runs scored and are second in team batting average and homers, the Rangers' team ERA of 4.91 in last in the American League.
Texas, which is 23-24 in road games, has won 14 of its last 20 series, losing just 4 with two ending in ties.
Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler is batting .323 and is among the league leaders in average, hits, EBH's and runs. Josh Hamilton has a Major League leading 82 RBI.
The Orioles went 1-2 in Texas in April.
Pitching Match-Up
RHP Jeremy Guthrie (4-7, 3.50) today makes his 19th start of the season, his 9th at home and and his first this season vs. the Texas Rangers.
Guthrie got a no decision last Sunday at Washington in a game the Orioles would lose in 12 innings. He allowed one run and four hits over seven innings, throwing 99 pitches.
Guthrie has recorded a quality start in 8 of his last 10 outings and in 13 starts on the season. He has allowed one earned run or less in three of his last five starts and has given up 2ER or less five times this year.
Right-handed batters hit just .223 off Guthrie and lefties hit .255 vs. him. His most troublesome inning has been the first, where he has allowed 10 runs on the season and an opponent batting average of .311.
The Orioles are 8-10 when he starts this year and in his seven losses the O's have scored a total of ten runs. In six June starts, he went 2-1, 3.23.
Guthrie vs. Texas
2008: 0 appearances
2007: 0-0, 4.50 in one start
Career: 0-0, 5.40 in three games, one start, covering 8 1/3 innings.
RHP Vincente Padilla (10-4, 4.13) today will make his 18th start of the year, his 11th on the road and his first this year vs. the Orioles.
Padilla, who is just five wins from his career high set in 2006, is 8-2, 3.81 over his last 12 starts. In ten road starts this season, he is 7-1, 4.22.
He took the loss his last time out, Saturday vs. Philadelphia. He gave up seven hits and seven runs, all earned, in six innings. He threw 101 pitches.
He has given up a lot of homers on the season, allowing 19 in 104 2/3 innings.
The 30-year-old had an ERA of 3.79 in April and it was 3.53 in May and 5.23 in June. The Rangers are 13-4 when he starts this season.
Padilla vs. Baltimore
2008: no appearances
2007: 0-1, 10.80, one start
Career: 2-3, 5.70 in five games, four starts
Career at Camden Yards: 1-3, 6.23 in four starts
Orioles Hitters, 2008 vs. Texas
Fahey: 0-3
Hernandez: 1-10, RBI
Huff: 5-10, 2B, 4 RBI
Jones: 4-12, 2 2B
Markakis: 3-8, RBI
Millar: 1-11, RBI
Mora: 2-8, 2B
Payton: 1-5, HR, 2 RBI
Quiroz: 1-3
Roberts: 2-12, 2B, RBI
Scott: 2-8, HR, 2 RBI
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