O's rally from five down to tie, but fall short, 8-7 to Yankees
On a day their starting pitcher put them in a five-run hole, the Orioles battled back to tie the game, only to see New York break the tie with a homer in the seventh. New York beat the Birds 8-7 Sunday becoming the first team this season to sweep three straight from the Orioles at Camden Yards.
Robinson Cano's solo homer in the seventh off Jamie Walker broke a 7-all tie. He hit a 425-foot shot to center for his 12th homer. Cano had four hits including two doubles and his big home run.
New York has now won six of eight to improve to 70-60. The O's have lost 5 of their last 6 games and were swept three straight for the 4th time this season.
O's starter Daniel Cabrera gave up 7 runs and 9 hits over just 3 2/3. He has allowed six runs or more in five of his last eight starts and his ERA is 8.02 since the All-Star game.
Edwar Ramirez got the win in relief, Walker took the loss. Mariano Rivera got his second save of the series and 31st of the year.
Cano's 425-foot blast to center off Walker gave New York an 8-7 lead in the seventh. It was his 12th homer of the season.
Brian Roberts greeted reliever Ramirez with a two-run homer in the 5th to tie the game, 7-7. His 9th of the year traveled 395 feet. The O's scored five unanswered runs to tie the game.
The O's scored three in the 4th with the help of two Yankees' errors to trail 7-5. Aubrey Huff plated one run with an RBI double, Kevin Millar added a sac fly and another scored on an error.
The Yankees added three runs in the fourth for a 7-2 edge. Jason Giambi's sac fly made it 5-2 and Xavier Nady's two-run double gave New York the 7-2 lead. Cabrera allowed seven runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings.
New York scored four in the second to take a 4-2 lead. Cano's RBI double produced the first Yankees' run, and later, Johnny Damon's three-run homer made it a 4-2 game. It was his 9th homer of the season and the 25th of his career vs. Baltimore.
The O's took a 2-0 lead on back-to-back homers in the last of the first. Melvin Mora hit his 22nd of the season and it traveled 362 feet to left field and gives him 96 RBI. Aubrey Huff followed with number 28 which traveled 400-feet to right-center. That's 13 more homers than he hit all of last year.
NYY 8-15-3
Balt 7-14-0
Postgame Notes
This was the first time the O's were swept three straight at home this season.....It's New York's first three-game sweep in Baltimore since May of 2004.....The O's were swept three straight on the road earlier at Oakland, Tampa and Toronto......The O's have lost 5 of 6 games and fall to 16-20 since the All-Star break and 7-8 this year vs. New York.
Ramon Hernandez came on as a pinch-hitter in the 7th and singled to extend his hitting streak to a new career-high 14 games....Brian Roberts went 3-5 with a two-run homer and extends his batting streak to 10 games....During the streak he is hitting .409.....Roberts, the AL leader in doubles, has just one in his last 13 games......Melvin Mora hit a solo homer in the first and has hit 7 homers with 30 RBI over his last 21 games....Since the All-Star break, Mora is batting .393-11-48.
For just the second time in 144 career starts, Daniel Cabrera failed to strike out a batter.....He allowed seven runs in 3 2/3 and has given up six runs or more in five of his last eight games and 8 times on the season......He is 2-3, 8.02 in the second half......Jamie Walker gave up a homer to Robinson Cano in the 7th and has allowed 7 homers to left-handed batters this year after giving up just two in 111 at bats vs. lefty hitters in 2007.
Mariano Rivera pitched in every game in the series, working three straight days for just the second time this year.......He pitched 3.2 innings this weekend without giving up a run or hit as the O's went 0-11 at bat against him......The Orioles stranded 13 runners and went 2-12 with runners in scoring position......The Birds fall a season-high seven games under .500.
At 4 hours and one minute this was the O's longest nine-inning game of the year, surpassing a contest that lasted 3:48 July 6 vs. Texas.....The O's have six stolen bases in six games after picking up just 3 in the previous 31 contests......Jay Payton had three hits for the second game in a row......Dennis Sarfate has pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings since his move back to the bullpen.......the O's fall to 19-22 in one-run games.
Steve Melewski's Live GameBlog From Camden Yards
Delmarva Rehabbers
Chris Ray pitched a scoreless 7th today with two strikeouts for Delmarva at Hagerstown. Greg Aquino pitched a scoreless 8th with one strikeout. Hagerstown beat the Shorebirds 4-2.
Another Homer Note
Jamie Walker has now allowed 7 homers this year vs. left-handed batters after Cano's homer to break the 7-7 tie in the 7th. He has given up 9 homers on the year in 31 1/3 innings.
B-Rob Note
His two-run homer in the 5th tied the game at seven. It's his 9th of the year and first since August 3rd. Roberts has hit 7 as a lefty batter and 2 from the right side. It's his first homer of the year vs. New York and 11th in his career vs. the Yankees.
Cabrera's Line
Cabrera today: 3 2/3 IP, 9H, 7R-ER, 3BB, 0K, 1 HP, 1 HR.
He threw 95 pitches, just 49 strikes. It was the just the second time in his career (144 starts) that he failed to strike out a single batter. It also happened July 25, 2004 vs. Minnesota. His ERA goes from 4.98 to 5.24. It's the 8th time he has allowed 6 runs or more.
Where Was the Hook ???
With Daniel Cabrera laboring from the first pitch to his last, Dave Trembley let him face two batters too many today. Cabrera had been terrible through three, giving up six hits and came out for the fourth. He gave up a hit, an out, a hit and hit A-Rod with a pitch to load them up. I don't know why he wasn't pulled then, when maybe someone out of the pen could have come in and gotten a double play ball or popup or something. But Cabrera was allowed to face Giambi whose rocket to deep center missed a Grand Slam by a few feet. He still stayed in to face Nady, who predictably ripped a two-run double to left for a 7-2 lead.
I don't get it, did the skipper suddenly expect 95 MPH fastballs on the black, which he hasn't been able to do all year. Or a solid curve which he couldn't throw for strikes all day. I'm sure Trembley was concerned about blowing up his bullpen with a game and a suspended game to be played tomorrow. But while hoping beyond hope that Cabrera would get out of yet another jam, once again the tall righty has buried his club with a deficit probably too much too overcome.
Oh Daniel !
He's infuriating O's fans again today. Right after the club got some momentum and a lead with back-to-back homers in the first, he gave up four in the second. So much for that lead. In the top of the third he was late covering the bag on a grounder to first base. It should have been a 1-2-3 inning but he then had to pitch around a second and third, two out jam. How can Cabrera still be late covering first base this late in his career and this many times. That is mind boggling.
Make Yourself Comfortable
We are going to be here a while today. The first two innings took one hour to play.
Homer Note
The O's hit back to back solo homers in the first by Mora and Huff. It's the 5th time this year they've produced back-to-back homers and four times they've done it vs. the Yankees. Mora hit a 1-0 pitch, 362-feet for number 22. Huff hit a 3-2 pitch, 400-feet for number 28. The O's hit one homer in the first two games of this series, then blast two in the first inning today. With 22, Mora has hit 8 more than all of last year and is now five off his career high. Huff now has hit 13 more than last year. His career high is 34 homers in 2003 with Tampa.
Going for Four
Daniel Cabrera is looking for his fourth win this season vs. the Yankees. If he gets it, he'll be the first Orioles' pitcher to beat New York four times in one season since Mike Flanagan in 1978. Others pitchers to do it are - Steve Barber (4-2 in 1961 and 4-1 in 1964), Mike Cuellar (4-1 in 1970), Pat Dobson (4-2 in 1971), Ross Grimsley (4-1 in 1976) and Mike Flanagan (4-0 in 1978). As you can see, Flanagan is the only one to do it without a loss. Coming into today, Cabrera is 3-0, 3.15 in three starts this year vs. NY.
Play Ball
Sunday's game is underway at the Yard. The O's need a win to avoid being swept three straight at home for the first time this year. Today's first pitch wat at 1:36 pm and it's 90 degrees. Check back during today's game for the latest news and updates.
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 Ivan Rodriguez
P Darrel Rasner
Orioles
2B Brian Roberts
RF Nick Markakis
3B Melvin Mora
DH Aubrey Huff
1B Kevin Millar
LF Lou Montanez
CF Jay Payton
C Guillermo Quiroz
SS Juan Castro
P Daniel Cabrera
Trembley's Talk
Among the nuggets revealed today when manager Dave Trembley met with reporters was this fact - Adam Loewen will be in Baltimore from September 8-15 to begin his life as a hitter.
Loewen will get some one on one instruction and some BP with Terry Crowley before he heads for more hitting work in the instructional league.
Trembley said Danys Baez and Troy Patton could also take part in instructional league and each could pitch in a game before it ends. Instructional League workouts and games take place in Sarasota starting September 17 and run to about October 20th.
Trembley said Adam Jones is doing fine after some BP sessions and but still has other drills and on-field work he must do before playing in a game. He won't be activated before September first at the earliest.
Trembley said again today that Matt Wieters will not be a September callup. But, after six weeks off, is likely to play in the Arizona Fall League to catch more advanced pitchers and continue to work on his catching skills.
Game Preview
New York Yankees (69-60) at Orioles (61-67)
The New York Yankees have won the first two games of this weekend series in Baltimore. However, no team has swept three straight from the O's at Camden Yards this year. The teams play game three of the series this afternoon at 1:35 p.m.
Jason Giambi homered with 3 RBI and Carl Pavano won in his first Major League start since April of 2007, 5-3, Saturday night. Jay Payton had three hits while Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis each had RBI for the Orioles.
The O's surging offense has slowed a bit in recent games. After the O's hit .343 and averaged 8.6 runs per game on their recent road trip, the club is batting .248 and scoring 4.6 per game so far on this homestand.
The O's are 1-4 on the homestand, but they are 13-12 over the last 25 games. The Birds are 16-19 since the All-Star break.
New York has now won 2 in a row and 5 of 7 games. The Yankees are 19-15 in the second-half and are 47-15 when they score first.
The O's and New York have split 14 meetings this year, including splitting the eight games they've played at Camden Yards.
Pitching Match-Up
RHP Daniel Cabrera (8-8, 4.98) today makes his 28th start of the season, his 12th at Camden Yards and his 4th vs. New York.
Since he pitched six shutout innings vs. Texas recently, Cabrera has allowed 9ER in 10 innings over his last two starts.
Cabrera consistently has problems in the first inning. He has allowed 28 runs in the first and a batting average of .397 this season.
Cabrera, who has an ERA of 6.24 since June first, is 2-3, 7.15 in 7 starts since the All-Star game. The Orioles are 14-12 when he starts this season.
Cabrera has recorded 13 quality starts on the season, but just 2 over his last 9 outings. In 11 home starts, Cabrera is 4-2, 5.79.
Cabrera vs. New York:
2008: 3-0, 3.15, three starts
2007: 1-3, 6.67, five starts
Career: 6-6, 4.56, 16 starts over 92 2/3
RHP Darrel Rasner (5-9, 4.93) today makes his 18th start of 2008, his 10th on the road and his 4th of the season vs. the Orioles.
Rasner pitched very well Tuesday vs. Toronto, but did not get a decision. He pitched 6 2/3 and gave up three hits and one run. In five starts in the second-half, Rasner is 0-2, 4.83. He has not recorded a win since July 12th.
The 27-year-old allows an average of .315 vs. right-handed batters and .271 vs. lefties. The Yankees are 7-10 when he starts.
On the season he has allowed 114 hits in 98 2/3. In nine road starts, Rasner is 2-6, 5.37.
New York picked up Rasner on waivers from Washington before the 2006 season.
In three starts this year vs. Baltimore, he is 1-2, 2.37 in 19 innings. In 5 career starts vs. the O's, Rasner is 1-4, 5.26.
O's Hitters, 2008, Batting with Bases Loaded:
Cintron: 1.000, 2-2, 2B, 3 RBI
Payton: .636, 7-11, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 16 RBI
Roberts: .600, 3-5, 5 RBI
Mora: .429, 6-14, 1 2B, 13 RBI
Markakis: .375, 3-8, 1 3B, 10 RBI
Quiroz: .333, 1-3, 2 RBI
Jones: .286, 4-14, 3 2B, 1 HR, 14 RBI
Huff: .267, 4-15, 2 2B, 12 RBI
Millar: .250, 3-12, 9 RBI
Hernandez: .167, 2-12, 8 RBI
Scott: .111, 1-9, 3 RBI
Castro: 0-1
Montanez: 0-1
Leave a comment