Brian Roberts picks up three hits and Brian Burres gets his 7th win as O's beat Boston, 7-3
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Brian Roberts had three hits and scored twice, while Melvin Mora and Brandon Fahey had 2 RBI in the Orioles' 7-3 win over Boston Friday. The result ended the Orioles' five-game losing streak and Boston's five-game home win streak.
Five different O's drove in runs to back the pitching of Brian Burres, who improved to 7-5, giving up three runs and six hits over 6 1/3. Boston loaded the bases in the 9th inning, but George Sherrill struck out Kevin Youkilis to record his 28th save.
Losing pitcher Clay Buchholz, who no-hit the Orioles last September, allowed four runs over five innings and is now 2-4.
Mora's sac fly in the 9th gave the Orioles a 7-3 lead. It scored Adam Jones who singled and was his second RBI of the game.
Fahey's two-run single in the 8th extended the O's lead to 6-3. Manny Delcarmen hit a batter and walked two ahead of Fahey's clutch, two-out hit.
The Orioles moved ahead 4-3, scoring twice in the fifth. Brian Roberts plated a run with his third hit, an RBI triple, then he scored the O's 4th run on an Aubrey Huff sac fly.
Boston scored once in the fourth to take a 3-2 lead. After Jason Varitek singled, Brandon Moss came up with a double that left runners on second and third. Julio Lugo's groundout scored one and put Boston in the lead.
The Red Sox tied the game at 2-2 in the second. Mike Lowell led off with a single and went to third on Sean Casey's double. Moss singled in one run and Lugo's groundout scored the second run.
Two batters into this game, the Orioles had a 1-0 lead. Roberts led off with a double to left and stole third base. Then Adam Jones hit a sac fly to center for a 1-0 lead. After Clay Buchholz issued back to back walks, Melvin Mora's RBI single made it 2-0.
Mora hesitated on his drive that hit the left-field wall and was thrown out trying for second base.
Balt 7-7-1
Bost 3-8-1
Postgame Notes
B-Rob Set Tone
Brian Roberts imprint was all over this win as he goes 3-5 with a single, double and triple. He helped the O's get the early lead, starting the game with a double. Then, with the the O's down one in the 5th he ties the game with a triple and gives the O's the lead, scoring the go-ahead run. Roberts was just 6-26 coming into this game. He's now batting .295.
Final Notes
A pair of 17-game hitting streaks ended. Nick Markakis went 0-2 with three walks ending his long streak and Boston's Dustin Pedroia went 0-3 with two walks, ending his. The first four batters in the Sox lineup tonight were held to a combined 2-16 at bat. Boston, which had won five of seven games, falls to 34-10 at home and is now just 9-11 since June 20th.
Adam Jones, who batted second tonight, extended his batting streak to five games with a ninth-inning single. Over his last 14 games, Jones is batting .393. Aubrey Huff plated a run with a sac fly and has driven in 27 runs his last 27 games. Luke Scott went 0-3 and is in a 3-31 slump while Ramon Hernandez went 0-3 and has just 1 hit in his last 19 at bats.
George Sherrill, who picked up his 28th save, had suffered three blown saves his previous five games and gave up 6ER over his previous 4 1/3 innings before tonight. The Orioles are now 5-5 this season vs. Boston, 2-2 at Fenway Park. The Birds improve to 4-6 in July and 16-22 in games vs. the AL East.
Steve Melewski's Live GameBlog
Burres and Hitting Streaks
Brian Burres was very solid tonight. Quite different from when he gave up 12 hits over four innings vs. the Sox on June first.
Burres tonight: 6.1IP, 6H, 3R-ER, 3BB, 2K........100 pitches.
Through seven, the O's lead 4-3 and neither Markakis or Pedroia have a hit. Both have 17-game hitting streaks on the line. Neither are assured of batting again. Pedroia is 0-3 with a walk, while Markakis is 0-2 with two walks.
Also, Brian Roberts grounded out in the 7th and still needs a homer to hit for the cycle.
Hitting For The Cycle
It's only happened three times in the history of the Orioles since they came to Baltimore in 1954. Brian Roberts tonight is 3-3 with a double, single and triple. If he gets his 8th homer tonight he'll join Brooks Robinson (7-15-60), Cal Ripken (5-6-84) and Aubrey Huff (6-29-07) as Orioles that have hit for the cycle.
Minor League Notes
At Triple-A Norfolk Mike McCoy is batting .419 during a 12-game hitting streak. Matt Wieters now has a ten-game batting streak at Double-A Bowie and is hitting .412-3-6 during that streak. Frederick's Brandon Snyder is hitting .391 during an 11-game streak. Snyder has 3 homers and 12 RBI during the streak.
This year's 6th-round draft pick, Richard Zagone pitched five scoreless innings and got the win last night as Aberdeen beat Auburn, 10-1. Zagone is out of the University of Missouri. Also, IF Paco Figueroa is beginning a rehab assignment tonight with Aberdeen.
Good Start
Once again the Orioles bounce back. They score two in the first at Fenway. That's impressive after a string of brutal losses, a couple of walk off losses at that. Brian Roberts set the tone with the leadoff double and the AL all-star team could use him, but that's another story. Again tonight the O's showed some heart.
Now Melvin Mora did a good job to hit that ball off the wall, scoring a run, but it was a little embarrasing when he got thrown out at second base. Hard to figure what he saw on that play, but it should have been an easy double, but he slowed up rounding first base for some reason. He was out even though Manny Ramirez throw didn't go directly to the bag at second and they needed a middle man in the 7-6-4 out.
Starting Lineups
Orioles
2B Brian Roberts
CF Adam Jones
RF Nick Markakis
DH Aubrey Huff
3B Melvin Mora
1B Kevin Milar
LF Luke Scott
C Ramon Hernandez
SS Brandon Fahey
P Brian Burres
Red Sox
CF Jacoby Ellsbury
2B Dustin Pedroia
1B Kevin Youkilis
LF Manny Ramirez
3B Mike Lowell
DH Sean Casey
C Jason Varitek
RF Brandon Moss
SS Julio Lugo
P Clay Buchholz
Game Preview
Orioles (44-46) at Boston (55-39)
If you're out to break a losing streak, you probably wouldn't head to Fenway Park to do it, but that's what lies ahead for the Orioles right now. The O's look to snap a five-game slide tonight at Fenway, where the Red Sox are 34-10 this season.
The O's got swept in Toronto, and their last four losses have all come by one-run. The Orioles have lost their last seven one-run decisions. The Birds lost by scores of 7-6, 9-8 and 6-5 in Toronto.
Aubrey Huff had two hits and Melvin Mora 2 RBI Thursday, but Toronto scored twice in the 8th and 9th innings to come from three runs down and beat the Orioles, 6-5.
The Orioles are 3-6 in July and have lost 9 of their last 13 contests.
The Red Sox are coming off a three-game sweep of Minnesota and are a game and a half out of first in the AL East. The Red Sox pounded out 23 hits in an 18-5 win Wednesday to complete the sweep of the Twins.
Despite that sweep, Boston is just 9-10 since June 20th.
But the Red Sox are one of baseball's best home teams. They have won five straight at Fenway, are 34-10 at home on the season and are 12-2 in home series.
The Orioles are 4-5 vs. Boston this year, including a 1-2 mark at Fenway Park.
Pitching Match-Up
LHP Brian Burres (6-5, 5.07) tonight makes his 17th start of the season, his 8th on the road and the third of his career vs. Boston.
Burres did not get a decision as he allowed three runs over 5 2/3 last Saturday at home vs. Texas. Burres has gone seven consecutive starts without recording a quality start.
The Orioles are 8-8 when Burres starts this season. In his seven road starts, he is 2-3, 3.98.
Burres, who has given up 113 hits in 92 1/3 innings on the season, pitched to an ERA of 7.27 in five June starts.
He got hammered in a loss vs. Boston on June first, giving up 12 hits and seven runs, all earned, in just four innings in that start. Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell homered that evening as Boston had 12 hits in 21 at bats against Burres.
In his career vs. Boston, nine games, two starts, Burres is 1-1, 5.79 over 18 2/3 innings.
RHP Clay Buchholz (2-3, 5.53) tonight makes his 9th start of the season and his first in the Major Leagues since May 12 vs. Minnesota. Buchholz has been pitching at Triple-A since then.
With Pawtucket of the International League, he was 4-2, 2.47. He pitched to an ERA of 0.88 in June in Triple-A. In his last start with the Pawsox, July 5th, he allowed 5 runs in 5 innings vs. Lehigh Valley.
Buchholz pitched a no-hitter, in a 10-0 win over the Orioles last September 1st at Fenway Park. He walked three and fanned nine, throwing 115 pitches in just his second career start. He became the 3rd pitcher since 1900 to throw a no-hitter in his first or second career start.
In is last two starts for Boston this year, back in May, he went 0-2, 12.96, giving up 12ER over 8 1/3 innings. The Red Sox are just 2-6 when he has started this year.
Buchholz, the 42nd pick in the 2005 draft, allows a batting average of just .226 to left-handed hitters but it's .354 vs. right-handed hitters. In three home starts in 2008, he is 2-0, 1.04 while his road ERA is 8.64.
In 12 career innings against the O's he has allowed just one hit and no runs.
Orioles Current Hitting Streaks
Markakis: 17 games at .397-2-18. Markakis has 9 doubles the last 17 games.
Mora: 5 games at 7-16 with a HR and 6 RBI
Jones: 4 games at 6-17 with 5 RBI
Huff: 4 games at 7-14 with a HR and 4 RBI
Slumping Orioles
Bynum: 2-27
Hernandez: 1-16
Millar: 1-13
Scott: 3-28
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