O's pen allows six late runs, O's fall to Yankees, 9-4
For at least this night, the Orioles missed their closer George Sherrill.
With Sherrill on the DL and Jim Johnson held back to pitch the 9th, the Orioles were unable to hold on to an 8th-inning lead and lost 9-4 to the Yankees in front of 43,543 Friday night.
Normally, Johnson would get the call with the club leading by one in the 8th. But Jamie Walker came in with a 4-3 Orioles' lead. He gave up a leadoff single to Bobby Abreu and a double to Alex Rodriguez and both would eventually score to put New York in front.
New York made it a late blowout, scoring four in the 9th as Fernando Cabrera gave up a three-run homer vs. Cody Ransom and a solo shot to Xavier Nady.
Neither starter factored in the decision. Radhames Liz gave up three runs and nine hits over 4 2/3. Mike Mussina allowed four runs in six innings and has an ERA of 8.49 in three starts vs. the Orioles this year.
The Yankees improved to 68-60 and won on the road for just the third time in ten games. The Orioles are 1-3 on this homestand and have lost 4 of 6 games.
New York scored twice in the 8th to take a 5-4 lead. Abreu led off with a single and went to third on an Rodriguez double. After Jason Giambi popped up, Kam Mickolio replaced Jamie Walker. His wild pitch scored a run to tie the game, 4-4. Xavier Nady's RBI single gave New York a 5-4 lead.
The O's pushed across a run in the 6th to gain a 4-3 lead. Kevin Millar doubled and advanced to third on a Luke Scott single. Ramon Hernandez hit a deep sac fly to left for a 4-3 edge.
In the Yankees' 5th, Robinson Cano and Jose Molina hit back-to-back homers to tie the game, 3-3. Both came on 0-1 pitches. Cano's 425-foot blast traveled onto Eutaw Street.
Hernandez hit a solo homer to left in the 4th as the Orioles took a 3-1 lead. His second in two games and 14th of the season traveled 368 feet.
Aubrey Huff came up with his second RBI single of the night as the O's took a 2-1 lead in the third. It scored Nick Markakis, who had singled with one out.
The O's tied the game at one in the last of the first. Brian Roberts led off with a single and stole second. With two outs, he scored on Huff's single. Huff's 88th RBI tied it, 1-1.
The Yankees took a 1-0 lead in the first. Johnny Damon led off with a double to right and advanced to third on Derek Jeter's bloop single to center. He scored on Abreu's RBI single to right. It's his 82nd RBI.
NYY 9-16-0
Balt 4-9-1
Postgame Notes
The Pen Blowup
The O's bullpen allowed six runs over the last two innings to turn a possible 4-3 win into a Yankee late runaway, 9-4. In the last two innings, Jamie Walker, Kam Mickolio, Alberto Castillo and Fernando Cabrera all got in and all failed to stem the tide. New York went 7-14 at bat over those last two innings with 2 doubles, 2 homers and 5 RBI. In the 9th, all four runs scored after two were out and none on. Bobby Abreu and A-Rod both went 2-2 in the last two frames.
Eutaw Street
Robinson Cano's 425-foot blast to right in the 5th landed onto Eutaw Street. It's the 5th opponent homer this year to land there and 3rd by the Yankees. Cano's bomb off Radhames Liz landed onto the roof of Boog's BBQ. It's the 7th ball to land on Eutaw Street this year as Nick Markakis and Luke Scott have hit shots there as well.
Final Notes
Ramon Hernandez had a solo homer and two RBI night.....He hit his 14th of the year in the 4th and extended his hitting streak to 12 games....He is batting .306 with 11 RBI during the streak.....Brian Roberts went 1-4, extending his streak to 8 games......He is hitting .412 during that streak.....Roberts has scored 24 runs his last 23 games......Aubrey Huff went 2-3 with 2 RBI to snap an 0-9 run.......Huff has 16 RBI his last 12 games.....Over his last 63 games, Huff is hitting .359-18-58.......Kevin Millar went 2-4 with a double and is batting .352 vs. the Yankees this season.
The O's are now 26-16 in series-opening games......Baltimore used a season-high seven pitchers tonight.........Nick Markakis came up with his 14th outfield assist of the season which leads the American League.
Mike Mussina did not get a decision and is 0-2, 8.49 in three starts this year vs. the Orioles......Bobby Abreu tied his career-high with five hits.....He also had five on August 8, 1999 for Philadelphia vs. Arizona......New York hit back-to-back homers twice in the game and have done it nine times this season.......Derek Jeter picked up his 2,500th career hit in the first inning joining Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth as the only three players to record 2,500 or more hits as a Yankee......Mariano Rivera picked up his 29th save in 30 chances.
Orioles' pitchers Chris Ray and Greg Aquino made rehab appearances with Aberdeen tonight.........Ray threw a scoreless inning giving up two hits.....Aquino worked a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.......Bowie beat Binghamton tonight 7-1 to clinch an Eastern League playoff berth for the first time since 1997......Jeff Nettles hit his 23rd homer and Jason Berken pitched 7 shutout innings for his 12th win.
Steve Melewski's Live GameBlog From Camden Yards
Moose Is Out
Mike Mussina will not get a win vs. the Orioles tonight. He could get another loss. Veras is pitching in the 7th.
Mussina tonight: 6IP, 9H, 4R-ER, 0B, 3K, 1 HR.......110 pitches.
Mussina this year vs. O's: 11 2/3 IP, 22H, 11ER, 3 HR.........8.49 ERA
Tonight's Attendance
Is 43,543. It leaves the O's 31,851 shy of 100 million in franchise history. So the 100th million fan should arrive here sometime on Saturday night.
Liz is Out
He made the big mistake of giving up back-to-back homers to the 8th and 9th hitters. That sure muddies his final line and he won't get a decision tonight.
Liz line: 4 2/3 IP, 9H, 3R-ER, 1B, 4K, 2 HR.....83 pitches.
Sarfate got the final out of the top of the fifth.
Ramon's Longball
Ramon Hernandez hit a line drive homer to left that traveled 368 feet in the 4th inning for a 3-1 lead. He has now homered in back to back games and has 14 on the season. He had just 9 for the O's last year. It's his 6th homer since the All-Star break and extended his current hitting streak to 12 games.
Liz Looks Good
Radhames is doing a nice job through three innings. He just ended the third with a nice strikeout-throwout double play with A-Rod at bat. He gave up a first-inning run (what O's pitcher doesn't) but has settled down since. He has used all his pitches, even working in a few changeups.
He showed something when he got out of that first inning jam where the first three batters reached. It had the makings of a four or five-run inning, but he got A-Rod to hit into a double play and he fanned Giambi on a 96-MPH heater. On the down side, he has thrown 59 pitches already.
This Date in O's History
On this date, August 22nd, in 2006, Nick Markakis became the first O's rookie to hit three homers in one game. He hit three solo shots in the O's 6-3 win at Camden Yards vs. Minnesota. He went deep in the first, third and fifth innings. He became the 14th different O's player to hit three in one game. No one has done it for the club since.
B-Rob Note
Brian Roberts, a .476 career hitter off Mike Mussina, singled to left on the first pitch he saw tonight. That extends his current hitting streak to 8 games and he is 14-31 now during this streak. Roberts doubles have slowed a bit as he has just one over the last ten games. He still leads the AL with 45, four ahead of Ian Kinsler.
By the way, Derek Jeter's bloop single in the first was his 2,500th hit. He becomes the 88th player all-time and 6th active to have that many hits. He now has 18 hits his last 31 at bats.
Friday Night Baseball is Underway
The first pitch of tonight's O's-Yankees game was thrown at 7:06pm and it's 80 degrees. The weekend series is underway. Check back often tonight for news and updates live from Camden Yards.
Starting Lineups
Yankees
CF Johnny Damon
SS Derek Jeter
RF Bobby Abreu
3B Alex Rodriguez
1B Jason Giambi
LF Xavier Nady
DH Hideki Matsui
2B Robinson Cano
C Jose Molina
P Mike Mussina
Orioles
2B Brian Roberts
RF Nick Markakis
3B Melvin Mora
DH Aubrey Huff
1B Kevin Millar
LF Luke Scott
C Ramon Hernandez
CF Jay Payton
SS Juan Castro
P Radhames Liz
Trembley's Talk
Dave Trembley gave reporters today his pitching rotation for the Chicago series, saying Chris Waters will start Monday and Radhames Liz will start Wednesday. He listed Tuesday's starter as TBA and said it would be someone not currently here with the club.
Trembley said Adam Jones would take batting practice today and probably will tomorrow as well. While the progress Jones is making is solid, Trembley said he is not close to playing in a game yet.
"He's got some time yet, this will be the first time he's hitting on the field. He's got to take infield and run the bases. He will probably take part in a simulated game next week. He's not going to be activated in the next 3-5 days. We are going to take the conservative approach with him."
Trembley said Chris Ray would pitch an inning at Aberdeen tonight and will come to Camden Yards tomorrow, not of course to be activated, but to continue his workouts here on Saturday.
Trembley talked about the inconsistency of the O's starting pitching right now.
"It has tested my patience. A lot of credit goes to our players. A lot of times we've scored runs but our pitchers have given them right back. Still we've kept the right approach and battled. But it can mentally wear on you and our players for the most part have shown a good sense of composure. We're still in the process of evaluating what we have. What players do now figures into possibly where you fit into the grand scheme of things for 2009."
The Orioles have had a lot of success vs. Mike Mussina the past couple of years. Here's Trembley talking about the keys for his club when facing Mussina.
Clubhouse Audio: Dave Trembley
Game Preview
New York Yankees (67-60) at Orioles (61-65)
After taking the final game of a three-game series with Boston on Wednesday night, the Orioles' current homestand continues tonight with the New York Yankees in town to begin a three-game series.
The Orioles lost two of three to the Red Sox, but over longer stretches have won 5 of 8, 7 of 13 and are 13-10 over their last 23 games.
The Orioles lead the Majors with a team average of .319 in August. The Birds have scored 57 runs over the last 7 games, 101 over 13, and lead the American League with 207 runs scored (6.3 per game) since the All-Star break.
Melvin Mora, who knocked in four runs in Wednesday's win over Boston, is batting .513 over his last nine games and is hitting .411-10-47 in the second-half. Luke Scott is hitting .429 over 13 games. Brian Roberts is batting .433 during a seven-game batting streak. Aubrey Huff has 56 RBI his last 62 games.
The Yankees come to Baltimore after suffering their worst loss of the year last night, 14-3 at Toronto. They trailed 10-0 after four innings and allowed 21 hits. Their previous worst loss was a 12-2 defeat vs. the Orioles May 20th.
New York's run of making the playoffs every year since 1995 is in jeopardy. The Yankees trail first-place Tampa by 10 ½ games and are 6 games out in the Wild Card race.
New York has lost 10 of 16 games and has won just 1 of its last 7 series, going 1-4-2 in that stretch. The Yankees are 29-33 on the road, but have lost 7 of their last 9 road contests.
The Orioles have won 3 of 4 series against the Yankees this season and are 7-5 vs. New York with a 4-2 record at Camden Yards. Since the start of last season, the O's are 16-14 vs. the Yankees.
Pitching Match-Up
RHP Radhames Liz (4-3, 7.47) has been recalled from Triple-A to make his 11th Major League start of this season tonight
, his 6th at home and the first of his career vs. the Yankees.
Liz was first recalled from Norfolk on June 2nd and after making ten O's starts was sent back to Triple-A on July 27th.
He pitched well on his return to the Tides, going 2-2, 2.67 in four starts. In 27 innings he walked just 7 and fanned 27. Over his last two Triple-A starts he gave up just 1 ER over 14 innings. Overall this season with Norfolk, he is 3-7, 3.62 in 15 starts.
Over his last three Baltimore starts, Liz was 1-2, 11.20 as he gave up 17ER in just 13 2/3 including 5 homers. Liz walked 32 in 47 innings with the Orioles.
In five home starts, he was 2-2, 6.59. He has not faced the Yankees this year, but in two relief appearances in 2007, gave up just one run and three hits in 4 1/3 vs. New York.
RHP Mike Mussina (16-7, 3.35) tonight makes his 27th start of the season, his 10th on the road, his 3rd this year vs. the Orioles and the 529th of his career.
Mussina is tied for second in the AL in wins, is 11th in ERA and 22nd in strikeouts.
Mussina has taken two losses this year vs. the Orioles, going 0-2, 11.12. He got knocked out in the first inning May 20th in a loss vs. Baltimore and gave up 6 six runs in 5 innings in another defeat on July 28th.
However, he is having an excellent season and in seven second-half starts, is 5-1, 2.74. In that time, he has given up just 5 walks in 46 innings. The Yankees are 17-9 when Mussina starts.
Notice the big disparity between Mussina success and struggles pitching against right-handed batters vs. lefties.
Mussina vs. LHB: .224 average, .292 slugging, two homers
Mussina vs. RHB: .324 average, .528 slugging, 12 homers
Mussina has also struggled in the first inning of his starts, giving up 19 runs and a .349 batting average in the opening inning.
The five-time All-Star was taken with the 20th pick of round one by the Orioles in 1990 and pitched with the club from 1991-2000. But since 2006, Mussina is just 1-4 vs. his former team.
Mussina is 266-151, 3.69 in 528 starts in his career.
Mussina vs. Baltimore:
2008: 0-2, 11.12, two starts (5 2/3IP. 13H, 13R, 7ER, 2 HR)
2007: 1-1, 6.75, three starts
Career: 10-8, 4.78, 25 starts, 139 1/3 innings
These O's Hit Well vs. Mussina:
Brian Roberts: .476-0-3 (20-42, 7 doubles)
Kevin Milar: .439-3-11 (18-41, 3 doubles)
Alex Cintron: .400-0-1 (4-10, 2 doubles)
Luke Scott: .333-0-0 (1-3)
Melvin Mora: .326-1-6 (15-46)
Nick Markakis: .313-0-2 (5-16, 3 doubles)
Aubrey Huff: .308-1-6 (16-52, 3 doubles)
Ramon Hernandez: .286-1-6 (6-21, 2 doubles)
Orioles Hitters, 2008 vs. NYY:
Castro: .222-1-2 (2-9)
Cintron: .333-0-1 (2-6)
Hernandez: .343-2-5 (12-35)
Huff: .357-3-15 (15-42)
Markakis: .319-1-4 (15-47)
Millar: .340-6-9 (17-50)
Montanez: (0-0)
Mora: .255-2-9 (12-47)
Payton: .385-0-2 (5-13)
Quiroz: .111-0-0 (1-9)
Roberts: .234-0-2 (11-47)
Scott: .163-2-4 (7-43)
Minor League Moves
RHP Brian Parker - Delmarva to Frederick
OF Robbie Widlansky - Aberdeen to Delmarva
RHP Hank Wiliiamson - Aberdeen to Delmarva
IF Greg Miclat - Gulf Coast League to Aberdeen
RHP Oliver Drake - Bluefield to Aberdeen
Leave a comment