Guthrie wins his 9th, O's pound Rangers 9-1
Jeremy Guthrie won for the third straight start as the Orioles pounded the Texas Rangers, 9-1, Friday. Guthrie gave up just one run and five hits over seven innings in improving to 9-8. He is 3-0, 1.21 over his past three starts.
Four Orioles combined to knock in all nine runs. Kevin Millar homered twice with 3 RBI while Ramon Hernandez, Brian Roberts and Juan Castro each had 2 RBI.
The Orioles had 15 hits and six Birds had two or more hits.
Guthrie has allowed exactly one earned run in three straight starts and in 7 of his last 12 outings. He has given up 2 ER or less in 15 starts on the year.
The Orioles, now 30-23 at home, have won 7 of their last 11 games.
Luke Scott tripled and scored his third run of the game on a Ramon Hernandez single as the O's added to their lead in the 6th, moving ahead 8-1. Hernandez added an RBI single in the 8th for the 9-1 final margin.
The O's added two runs in the fifth for a 7-1 lead. Millar led off the inning with a solo shot, his second homer of the game. Later Castro's RBI single scored Baltimore's 7th run.
Texas got on the board when number nine hitter, Travis Metcalf, hit a solo homer in the 5th to make it a 5-1 O's lead.
Millar's two-run homer in the third gave the O's a 5-0 lead. He hit his 17th, matching last year's total. Aubrey Huff scored on the homer. He singled to lead off the third, extending his hitting streak to 16 games.
The Orioles took a 3-0 lead in the second. Singles by Luke Scott and Jay Payton sandwiched around Hernandez getting hit by a pitch loaded the bases with no outs. Castro followed with a sac fly to center for a 1-0 lead. Brian Roberts followed with a two-run double down the right-field line for a 3-0 edge. It was his AL-leading 41st double.
Tex 1-6-0
Balt 9-15-0
Millar goes yard twice
Kevin Millar struggled in the series against the Angels, but he looked just fine back at the Yard. Millar went deep twice tonight, giving him 18 on the season.
Final Notes
After getting a win in just three of his first 16 starts this season, Guthrie has now won 6 of his last 9 starts......He is 3-0, 1.21 over his last three.......He is 7-2, 2.92 over his last 13 starts since June 1st.........Tonight was his team-high, 17th quality start........He has given up 2 ER or less now 15 times on the season.
Aubrey Huff went 2-4 with a double and two runs scored.....He is batting .422 (27-64) during his 16-game hitting streak, which is one shy of his career-best.....Brian Roberts extended his batting streak to ten games with a two-run double in the second. It was his AL-leading 41st two-bagger and Robert is batting .310 during his hitting streak.....Melvin Mora had two hits and is 10-25 during a six-game batting streak......the Orioles have scored 61 runs over the last ten games.
Kevin Millar's two-homer game was his third of this season, he also hit a pair on May 27th vs. the Yankees and July 25th vs. the Angels.....Millar now has 18 homers, one more than he had all of last year........
The O's are now 25-13 in series-opening games and 10-11 since the All-Star break.......They are now 48-25 when scoring four runs or more....The O's have won 7 of their last 11......Texas has lost three in a row, scoring a total of four runs.....the Rangers have lost just 6 of their last 29 series.
Steve Melewski's Live GameBlog From Camden Yards
Luke and Lou
Lou Montanez gets in the game, going into left for Luke Scott at the start of the 7th. Scott has gone 2-3 with a triple and three runs scored. Scott is now 6-10 over his last three games.
Two-Homer Game
Kevin Millar's second homer of the night gives the O's a 6-1 lead in the 5th. It's his third, two-homer game of the year. He did it May 27 vs. New York and July 25 vs. LA. On July 23rd, 2004 he had a three-homer game vs. the Yankees. This is his 18th of the season, now surpassing last year's total.
His two-run shot in the third came off Mendoza on a 1-1 pitch and went 360 feet.
His solo in the 5th came off Nippert on a 1-0 pitch and traveled 380 feet.
Streaking and Homering
Aubrey Huff's single in the third extends his hitting streak to 16 games. He is 26-61 (.426) during the streak. His career long streak is 17 games from August 23-September 10, 2002. Kevin Millar's two-run homer followed Huff's single. It's his 17th, matching his total from last year. It's his 4th homer in the last 13 games.
Guthrie Solid Early
Jeremy Guthrie has now thrown 11 straight shutout innings and has a 3-0 lead after two and a half tonight. He's allowed 3 hits through three on 42 pitches. Not a high number vs. a good hitting Texas team.
Not Starting Tonight
Texas has quite a lineup, but not starting tonight are Milton Bradley, the AL's leading hitter at .320 and Ian Kinsler, who is 7th in batting at .313, and leads the league in runs and hits. Bradley has missed 8 of the last 9 games with a strained left quad.
The First Pitch
Of the game was thrown at 7:06pm and we are underway, Friday night baseball at the Yard. Check back here often tonight for news and updates from the Yard both here and with Roch Kubatko's blog as well.
Starting Lineups
Rangers
2B Ramon Vazquez
LF Frank Catalanotto
SS Micheal Young
CF Josh Hamilton
RF Marlon Byrd
DH Brandon Boggs
C Gerald Laird
1B Chris Davis
SS Travis Metcalf
P Luis Mendoza
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 Jeremy Guthrie
Trembley's Talk
Dave Trembley told reporters today that Chris Waters, not Dennis Sarfate, will start this Sunday vs. Texas. Sarfate's next start is just being pushed back one day, to Monday. Next week at Cleveland, the O's will pitch in order Sarfate, Olson, Guthrie and Cabrera.
Trembley was asked about the possibility of more deals or moves this month.
"We are doing what Andy said we are going to do. We are going with younger players and we are going to give guys an opportunity. I don't have a problem with any of it. It was great to see what Waters and Montanez did. It gives the organizationa shot in the arm."
Trembley said he was not sure who will fill Bradford's role, he will see how players do over the next few games.
Trembley said Adam Jones will remain on crutches for about three weeks and then will get another CT scan. Not until then will the club have any idea if he can play again this season.
Game Preview
Texas (60-56) at Orioles (54-59)
After starting the second half winning just 3 of 10 games, the O's have won 6 of their last 10 games and hope to take some of that momentum into a home series with Texas beginning Friday night at Camden Yards.
The O's completed a 5-4 road trip with Wednesday's 9-4 loss to the Angels. Garrett Olson allowed six runs in just 2 2/3 while Lou Montanez homered in his first Major League at bat and Nick Markakis added a three-run shot.
The O's are home for just three games before they go back on the road to Cleveland and Detroit. They are 29-23 at home on the season.
The Birds are 24-13 in series opening games. They are 2-4 vs. Texas, including a 1-2 mark at Camden Yards.
Aubrey Huff begins play Friday riding a 15-game batting streak during which he is hitting .417-3-12. Huff has 42 RBI the last 49 games. Brian Roberts is hitting .316 during a nine-game streak and Alex Cintron is 6-13 during his five-game batting streak.
The O's scored 52 runs and hit 11 homers on the nine-game trip, hitting .301 as team with 99 hits on the road.
The Birds are 3-3 in August and 9-11 since the All-Star break.
Texas is coming off a four-game home series with the Yankees where each club won twice. The Rangers lost to New York 3-0 Thursday to wrap up a 6-5 homestand.
The Rangers are 53-40 since April 25th. They are 10-10 in the second half.
Like past Texas teams they are long on offense and short on pitching. Texas leads the Majors in runs, hits, extra-base hits, slugging and OPS. But its team ERA of 5.25 is the worst in the Majors and Texas starters have pitched to an ERA of 5.42, worst in the AL.
The Rangers have an amazing 23-12 record in one-run games and have won 12 of their last 14 contests decided by a single run.
Josh Hamilton is hitting .302-27-108 for Texas. He had 95 RBI at the All-Star break, the 5th most in Major League history at the break.
Pitching Match-Up
RHP Jeremy Guthrie (8-8, 3.35) tonight makes his 25th start of the season, his 12th at home and his second this year vs. the Texas Rangers.
Guthrie is coming off a complete-game, four-hitter in a win at Seattle on Saturday night. He allowed just two hits after the first frame in throwing 106 pitches. It was his first-ever complete game in his 51st career start. He retired 26 of the last 28 batters he faced.
Over his last two starts, Guthrie is 2-0, 1.17 (2 ER - 15.1 IP). After getting a win in just 3 of his first 16 starts, he has won 5 of his last 8 outings. Guthrie has recorded a team-high, 16 quality starts.
Since June first, he is 6-2, 3.06 over 12 starts. On the year he has allowed 2 ER or less 14 times. He has allowed exactly one earned run in his last two starts and in six of his last 11.
In 11 home starts at Camden Yards, Guthrie is 3-4, 3.69. The Orioles are 12-12 when he starts this year.
Guthrie gives up an average of .246 vs. left-handed batters and .234 vs. righties. With runners in scoring position, opponents hit .243 off him.
Guthrie vs. Texas:
2008: 1-0, 5.69, one start (WP July 4 vs. Texas, 6 1/3IP, 8H, 4R-ER, 116 pitches)
2007: 0-0, 4.50, one start
Career: 1-0, 5.52 in four games, two starts, covering 14 2/3
RHP Luis Mendoza (3-4, 7.00) tonight will make his 10th start of the year for Texas, his 5th on the road and the second of his career vs. the Orioles.
Mendoza allowed four runs over seven innings Sunday and got the win vs. Toronto. But over his last three starts is 1-1, 8.27. In 45 innings on the season, he has allowed 62 hits.
The 24-year-old from Veracruz, Mexico, has made six appearances, four starts on the road, and is 1-2, 7.45. The Rangers are 3-6 when he starts.
Right-handed batters hit .284 vs. Mendoza, lefties bat .347 and he gives up an average of .379 when pitching with runners in scoring position.
He has made just one career start vs. the Birds and beat Baltimore last September 21st. In that game he pitched five innings and gave up one run on four hits in a 3-2 Texas victory.
How O's Hitters Fared - The Just Concluded Road Trip:
Castro: 3-23/1/4
Cintron: 4-10
Hernandez: 6-22/1/3
Huff: 14-35/2/9
Markakis: 14-36/1/9
Millar: 11-36/2/6
Montanez: 2-4/1/1
Mora: 11-33/0/7
Payton: 4-20/0/3
Quiroz: 1-10/0/1
Roberts: 12-38/1/1
Scott: 8-32/1/2
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