Huff hits Grand Slam, O's hit four homers, beat Tribe, 14-3
Aubrey Huff's 4th career Grand Slam not only put him over 100 RBI for the season, but it helped the Orioles snap an 8-game losing streak. The Orioles beat Cleveland, 14-3 Monday in the opener of a four-game series. The O's hit four homers on the night.
The O's came to bat in the 6th down 3-2 but plated seven runs. Huff's blast capped the scoring and gave him 31 homers and 102 RBI as the Birds won for the first time since August 27th.
Winning pitcher Garrett Olson gave up three runs over six innings as he improved to 9-7. Losing pitcher Fausto Carmona gave up seven runs in 5 1/3.
The O's win slowed a Tribe club that had won 11 of its last 12 road games and 14 of its last 20 games overall.
The O's added two homers and five runs in the 8th to lead 14-3. Adam Jones hit a three-run homer and Ramon Hernandez added a two-run shot, both off Brendan Donnelly.
Huff's 4th career Grand Slam capped the O's 7-run 6th that gave the O's a 9-3 lead. Oscar Salazar's two-run pinch-hit single gave Baltimore a 4-3 edge and Jones' RBI single made it 5-3 before Huff's blast cleared the bases. His 31st homer upped his RBI total to 102 on the season.
Luke Scott's solo homer onto Eutaw Street brought the O's within 3-2 in the last of the fourth. His 22nd homer traveled 415 feet to right.
The Indians took a 3-1 lead with a two-run fourth that featured an Asdrubal Cabrera RBI single and a sac fly from Franklin Gutierrez.
The O's tied it, 1-1, in the second. Huff led off with a single and advanced to third on a Hernandez single. Huff scored on a Scott grounder.
The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the second on a Cabrera RBI double. It scored Shin-Soo Choo, who also had doubled.
Clev 3-11-2
Balt 14-11-0
Postgame Notes
Stuff About Huff
Aubrey Huff went 3-5 with two singles and his 4th career Grand Slam. He's now batting .316. It was his 31st homer of the year and gave him 102 RBI. He had 107 in 2003 and 104 in 2004 with Tampa. He now has 16 more homers than the 15 he hit last year.
Huff is batting .516 (16-31) during an 8-game batting streak with 3 homers and 11 RBI. Over his last 24 games he has 9 homers and 29 RBI. He has 9 multi-hit games over his last 13 games and is batting .480 during that time.
Huff's three previous Slams:
8-14-07 at NYY vs. Jeff Karstens
7-26-05 vs. Boston's Chad Bradford
7-22-05 vs. Baltimore's Bruce Chen
Slump Breaker
On September first, Adam Jones homered at Fenway Park in his first at bat after coming off the DL. But coming into tonight he did not have a hit since. He took care of that with a three-hit night featuring a three-run homer in the 8th. His double in the third snapped an 0-16 stretch.
Guthrie Scratched Again
This time it doesn't have anything to do with a tired arm, but Jeremy Guthrie will not start tomorrow vs. Cleveland due to the flu. He has been pushed back to Saturday. Liz will now start tomorrow, Waters Wednesday and Brian Bass on Thursday vs. Cleveland. The weekend starters vs. Minnesota will be Cabrera Friday, Guthrie Saturday and Olson on Sunday. Dave Trembley also said after the game he expects Melvin Mora to start on Tuesday.
Final Notes
The O's scored 10 or more runs for the 15th time tonight and are 14-1 in those games....It's their most runs since scoring 16 August 17th at Detroit and the four homers they hit is the most since that night when the O's hit five......The O's homered for the cycle for the second time this year, they also did it July 28th at Yankee Stadium.
Luke Scott's 415-foot homer in the 4th inning traveled onto Eutaw Street and hit the warehouse on a bounce.....It was the 19th time in OPACY history the O's hit a homer onto Eutaw Street and second time for Scott.....It was his 22nd homer of the season and 50th of his career.....Scott had been just 4-22 over his last seven games before going 2-5 tonight.
Brian Roberts did score two runs, but went 0-3 and is 2-17 over his last six games.....Oscar Salazar's two-run single in the 6th snapped a 1-14 slump.....the O's had scored just 17 runs the past six games before getting 14 tonight.
Garrett Olson recorded his 6th quality start in 23 outings and just the second by an Orioles' pitcher in the last 17 games.....Cleveland's Shin-Soo Choo went 2-4 and is batting .500 during a 12-game hitting streak and .400 over his last 28 games.
The O's are 1-5 in September, 3-2 vs. Cleveland, 18-30 since the All-Star game and 34-33 now at home.
Steve Melewski's Live GameBlog From Camden Yards
Homering For The Cycle
*Luke Scott solo shot in 4th
*Ramon Hernandez two-run shot in 8th
*Adam Jones three-run shot in 8th
*Aubrey Huff Grand Slam in 6th
O's Offense:
Tonight: 14 runs, 4 homers
Previous six games: 17 runs, 3 homers
Tonight's Attendance
Is only 11,181.
Olson's Night
It went pretty well as he recorded his first quality start since August first vs. Seattle which is also when he picked up his last win.
Olson's line: 6IP, 8H, 3R-ER, 3BB, 6K.....105 pitches.
Huff's Slam
Aubrey Huff's Grand Slam in the 6th came on a 2-0 pitch and went 415 feet. It was his 31st homer of the year and upped his RBI count to 102. Third time in his career he has topped 100. It's his 4th career Slam and the 11th allowed by Cleveland this year, that leads the Majors. Huff is the third Bird to hit a Slam on the season following Adam Jones and Jay Payton.
Pitching Notes
Alfredo Simon became the 26th different pitcher used by the Birds this year, one off last year's record number of 27 in 2007......The O's have just one quality start the past 16 games, that was by Chris Waters, August 25, vs. Chicago......Dennis Sarfate, since moving back to the bullpen, has an ERA of just 1.42, allowing 2 ER in 12 2/3 innings.....Chris Tillman is the organization's Pitcher of the Month for August.
Luke Longball Note
Luke Scott's 22nd homer of the year was a Eutaw Street blast. It came on an 0-1 pitch and sailed 415 feet way over the scoreboard in right and one hopped the warehouse. It's the 48th Eutaw Street homer in OPACY's history, 19th by an Oriole and second time Scott has done it. It's the 8th Eutaw Street blast of the year, that's the most ever. It tops the 7 that landed there in 1996.
You Try to Avoid This List
There are six teams already eliminated from winning their divisions - the Orioles, A's, Mariners, Nationals, Reds and Pirates.
It's Game Time
Tonight's game is underway, it's the start of a four-game, O's-Tribe series. The O's are trying to avoid their first nine-game losing streak since August 22-30, 2007. The last time the club lost ten in a row was August 14-28, 2004. Tonight's first pitch was at 7:07 pm and it's 82 degrees. Check back during the game for news and notes live from the Yard.
Johnson to DL
We pretty much knew he wasn't going to pitch again this year and today the O's placed RHP Jim Johnson on the 15-day DL, retroactive to September first with right shoulder impingement syndrome. Johnson went 2-4, 2.23 this season in 54 games.
Starting Lineups
Indians
CF Franklin Gutierrez
2B Jamey Carroll
LF Ben Francisco
DH Jhonny Peralta
C Victor Martinez
RF Shin-Soo Choo
1B Ryan Garko
3B Andy Marte
SS Asdrubal Cabrera
P Fausto Carmona
Orioles
2B Brian Roberts
CF Adam Jones
RF Nick Markakis
3B Aubrey Huff
C Ramon Hernandez
LF Luke Scott
1B Kevin Millar
DH Lou Montanez
SS Brandon Fahey
P Garrett Olson
Loewen's Life as a Hitter
Adam Loewen was back at Camden Yards today to start his life as a hitter and position player. He's working individually with Terry Crowley for about a week before he heads to instructional league in Florida for more work later this month.
"Today we just hit in the cage and came up with a stance that's comfortable for me." Loewen said. "Pretty much starting from scratch."
He said he spent an hour with Crowley, half the time just talking the other half working in the cage.
"I won't be great from the start," Loewen said. "Crow just said to work on one swing, eventually I'll develop an approach and style as to what kind of hitter I'll be."
Loewen is excited to start this new phase of his pro career.
"I'm excited that I'm healthy, my arm feels great. I look forward to not having any more problems with my arm."
Loewen said at some point he might seek out Rick Ankiel for advice since the St. Louis Cards player has already made the transition from pitcher to position player.
"Eventually that would be an important conversation to have. It would help to see how he made the transition and what he went through. The best thing for me is I want to do this and I think I can do it. I have confidence in myself that this is realistic."
Audio: Adam Loewen discusses his conversion from pitcher to hitter
Trembley's Talk
Dave Trembley said today that closer George Sherrill will pitch a simulated game to live hitters here on Wednesday.
"Sherrill says he feels good and has thrown all his pitches. If he throws good on Wednesday then a couple days after that we might be able to activate him," Trembley said.
Trembley said he didn't think the club would call up any players from Bowie now that the Baysox season is over.
He said he did expect Daniel Cabrera to make his next start. Matt Albers is with the club to throw a side session that got rained out when he was with Aberdeen over the weekend.
The skipper was asked if there are players he wants to take a look at the rest of this season.
"It's pretty obvious Montanez will get some at bats. He's got a ways to go in the outfield. Some wanted to know why he wasn't in there right away when he got here, but if he's going to help us in the future he's going to have to play the outfield adequately."
Trembley said Ramon Hernandez may play some at first base to keep his bat in the lineup now that three catchers are here. He took infield today at first base.
Trembley said it may be hard to evaluate some players in September, but young guys already here like Garrett Olson and Radhames Liz continue to get evaluated as the club tries to decided whether they are starters or relievers in the future.
A Happy Huff
Aubrey Huff is still smiling, and why not, at the birth of his son Jayce Aubrey Huff over the weekend.
Huff said there have been a few nervous moments for him and his wife, Baubi, in recent weeks.
"She had some early contractions at about seven and half months and has been on bed rest for about a month. We kind of knew it could happen at any minute. I was on call when we were in Cleveland. We were lucky to get it through another three or four weeks, but he's perfectly healthy."
Huff said he always wanted to have a son.
"I hear everyone talking about how your life changes and I really didn't buy into it until it happened. I'm estactic, overjoyed, it's probably the happiest moment of my life."
He said he was home from the last road trip for two hours when his wife said it's time to go to the hospital.
"I guess he was waiting for me to get home."
Game Preview
Cleveland (69-72) at Orioles (63-78)
It was just three weeks ago. The Orioles were only three games under .500. They had just completed a 4-3 road trip to Cleveland and Detroit by scoring 60 runs in 7 contests. Then, they looked forward to a strong finish and a possible run at a .500 record.
A lot has changed since. The O's starting pitching went south as injuries mounted and the offense, putting up amazing numbers, began to slow a bit. Now the O's have lost 8 in a row and 13 of 14 and are 2-15 over the last 17 games.
Tonight the O's look to snap the losing skid hosting Cleveland to start a four-game series.
During the 8 consecutive losses, the team ERA is 9.77 and O's pitching has walked 63 batters. And over the last six contests, the O's have scored just 17 runs total and hit only .207 as a team. Melvin Mora has missed the last seven games with a hamstring injury and Aubrey Huff has missed the last two after the birth of his baby son.
The Indians took two of three at KC over the weekend and are 14-6 over their last 20 games. Cleveland is 28-19 since the All-Star game and is 16-8 on the road since the break.
Shin-Soo Choo is the Tribe's hottest hitter right now. He is batting .500-3-9 during an 11-game hitting streak and is batting .396 over his last 27 games. Grady Sizemore is the only player in the Majors who already has 30 homers and 30 stolen bases.
Cleveland was 41-53 at the All-Star break, its worst mark at that point since 1992. But now the Tribe is playing good ball. Cleveland is 17-10 on the season vs. the AL East.
Pitching Match-Up
LHP Garrett Olson (8-7, 6.53) tonight makes his 23rd start of the season, his 10th at home and his second this season vs. Cleveland.
Olson has allowed 11ER over 7 1/3 his last two starts, and, over his last four starts, is 0-2 11.81 (21ER - 16IP).
Olson, the 48th pick overall in the 2005 draft, is trying to battle through struggles that has left him with a second-half record of 2-3, 8.12 in 8 starts. In nine home starts on the season, he is 4-1, 5.19.
Olson, whose last win came August first vs. Seattle, has just six quality starts on the season and the O's are 10-12 when he takes the mound.
Olson got a no decision in his only previous career start vs. Cleveland. On August 12th at Cleveland, he gave up 5 runs, 4 earned, along with 9 hits over 6 innings.
RHP Fausto Carmona (8-5, 4.51) tonight makes his 19th start of this year, his 8th on the road and his second of the season against the O's.
Carmona has won three consecutive starts, going 3-0, 3.57. In seven road starts, he is 3-1, 3.66.
Carmona missed about two months, from late May to late July, with a strained hip. On the year he has pitched 101 2/3 innings and has given up just four home runs.
Carmona before DL: 4-2, 3.10, 10 starts
Since return from DL: 4-3, 6.39 in 8 starts
Carmona went 19-8, 3.06 last season and finished 4th in the AL Cy Young voting. Carmona, the Tribe's Minor League pitcher of the year in 2003, had an ERA of 2.26 in the second-half in 2007, the best in the Majors.
Right-handed batters hit just .218 off him but lefties bat .290 vs. Carmona. The Indians are 10-8 when he starts in 2008.
Carmona vs. Baltimore:
2008: 0-0, 9.95, one start (August 11th, 6 1/3IP, 6H, 7R-ER)
2007: 2-0, 0.59, two starts (1 ER - 15 1/3 IP)
Career: 2-2, 4.91, six games, four starts
They Won't See Lee
This is the second time this season the O's are playing a Monday through Thursday 4-game series with Cleveland. It's also the second time that Tribe ace Cliff Lee will have pitched the Sunday game the day before and will miss pitching vs. Baltimore. Eight games vs. Cleveland and none vs. Lee. Lee was the winning pitcher Sunday at KC and is now 21-2, 2.28. Over his last 11 starts he is 10-0, 1.84. He has 30 percent of the Indians' wins on the year.
O's Hitters, 2008 vs. Cleveland:
Castro: 2-11, 2 RBI
Cintron: 2-5
Hernandez: 5-14, 2 RBI
Huff: 4-17, 2 HR, 5 RBI
Markakis: 9-17, 4 2B, 3B, 8 RBI
Millar: 4-17, 3 RBI
Montanez: 4-9, 2 RBI
Mora: 8-19, 3 RBI
Payton: 3-15, RBI
Roberts: 4-18, 3 RBI
Scott: 3-8
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