Birds blow 6-0 lead, fall 11-6 to Tampa, Rays complete 4-game sweep
A good start, but poor ending for the Orioles on Wednesday night. After the Birds took a 6-0 lead in the second, Tampa scored 11 unanswered runs to win, 11-6. Tampa completes a four-game sweep and reduces its magic number to win the AL East to one.
The Orioles have now lost nine straight games to fall 24 games under .500. The Orioles finish the season with a 3-15 record vs. Tampa and have lost 12 straight vs. the Rays.
O's pitchers walked eight batters on the night, three with the bases loaded to force in runs.
Akinori Iwamura had 3 RBI as Tampa won its 96th game and improved to 41-23 since the All-Star game. Tampa can clinch the Eastern Division crown with a win at 1:00 p.m. Thursday at Detroit.
The Orioles are now 4-18 in September and 6-28 over the past 34 games.
O's pitching allowed four walks and a hit batter as Tampa scored four runs in the 8th on just one hit to lead 11-6. Dioner Navarro had a two-run single.
Iwamura's two-run triple in the 6th made it 7-6 Tampa and gave the Rays their first lead of the night, after falling behind 6-0 in the second inning.
Tampa scored five times in the 4th to pull within 6-5. Two walks and a hit batter helped fuel the rally which included RBI singles by Eric Hinske and Jason Bartlett.
The struggling Orioles' offense exploded for five runs in the first inning to lead Tampa, 5-0. The first six batters all had hits in the inning which began with singles by Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis and Adam Jones to load the bases.
Aubrey Huff's RBI single made it 1-0 and Oscar Salazar's single to left made it a 2-0 game. Luke Scott then ripped a three-run double to left center to snap an 0-20 drought and make it 5-0. The O's added one in the second on a Markakis RBI single for a 6-0 edge.
TB 11-8-0
Bal 6-12-2
Postgame Notes
This was the 9th time this season the Orioles have blown a lead of four or more runs and lost.....That leads the Majors according to Elias Sports........It's the first time the O's were swept in a four-game series since August 23-26, 2007 by Minnesota.
In 2006 and 2007, Tampa won a total of 13 games vs. the Orioles, going 13-24....This year the Rays won 15 with a mark of 15-3.....They have won 12 straight over the Orioles.
The Rays have won 34 series this year, the most in the Majors and have lost just 4 of their last 43.....This is Tampa's tenth sweep of the season.....Rays now have 96 wins, 30 more than last year..........Tampa has been in first place the past 69 days.
The Orioles five-run first inning was their biggest opening-inning since they got seven off Mike Mussina and the Yankees on May 20th......Nick Markakis double in the 6th was his 48th of the season...He had gone seven games without a double.......Aubrey Huff's RBI single in the first gave him a career-high, 108 RBI......Huff has just 4 hits in his last 29 at bats.....Luke Scott's three-run double in the first snapped an 0-20 stretch......Markakis needs one more walk to join Albert Belle as the only O's to both walk and score at least 100 times in the same season.....Markakis recorded his Major League leading 17th outfield assist in the 8th.
Steve Melewski's Live GameBlog From Camden Yards
The Ten Run Rule
Tampa has now scored 11 runs. This is the 20th time this season the O's have allowed ten runs or more. It has happened 8 times in the last 25 games and 17 times in the past 74 contests.
Tonight's Starters
Liz's line: 5IP, 5H, 5R, 4ER, 3BB, 5K..................95 pitches
Jackson's line: 5 1/3IP, 10H, 6R-ER, 2BB, 3K....111 pitches
O's starters came into tonight with quality starts in four of the last six and 6 of the past 10 games.
O's Offense Tonight
Innings 1 & 2: Six runs on eight hits, 8-12 at bat
Innings 3-5: No runs on one hit, 1-9 at bat
Chasing Fifty
51 - Brian Roberts
48 - Nick Markakis
48 - Aubrey Huff
Nick Markakis just came up with his 48th double of the year in the last of the 5th. Now he and Huff need two doubles each for the O's to become the first team ever in the Majors to have three players with 50 or more doubles.
Also About the Big Inning
The O's five-run first was their biggest first inning since they scored seven off Mike Mussina and the Yankees on May 20th. The most runs they have scored in one inning on the season is 8 runs. They did that twice, most recently on 8-14 at Cleveland in the top of the 8th.
The Big First Inning
The O's took a 5-0 lead in the first inning tonight as the first six batters all reached with hits. That classifies as a big inning when you consider that the O's have scored two runs or less in 12 of the last 20 games and have had six hits or less in 10 of the last 19 contests. During the inning, Aubrey Huff snapped a 1-17 slump with an RBI single. It was his 108th RBI, a new career high, surpassing the 107 he had with Tampa in 2003. Also Luke Scott's three-run double snapped an 0-20 slump he had been in. The O's had been averaging 3.6 runs per game in September and tonight got five in the first.
Play Ball
Tonight's final game of this four-game series is underway at the Yard. A Rays win tonight and Boston loss would give Tampa its first-ever AL East title. Tonight's first pitch was at 7:07pm and it's 73 degrees.
Guthrie Is Ready
Jeremy Guthrie threw about 50 pitches today in a simiulated game, said he felt good and pronounced himself fit and ready to start Sunday's season finale here at Camden Yards. After Guthrie threw today, skipper Dave Trembley confirmed he will start this Sunday's game vs. Toronto.
Clubhouse Audio: Jeremy Guthrie talks about his simulated game with the media
Starting Lineups
Rays
2B Akinori Iwamura
CF BJ Upton
1B Carlos Pena
3B Evan Longoria
DH Cliff Floyd
C Dioner Navarro
RF Gabe Gross
LF Eric Hinski
SS Jason Bartlett
P Edwin Jackson
Orioles
2B Brian Roberts
RF Nick Markakis
CF Adam Jones
3B Aubrey Huff
1B Oscar Salazar
DH Luke Scott
C Ramon Hernandez
LF Lou Montanez
SS Juan Castro
P Radhames Liz
Trembley's Talk
O's manager Dave Trembley told reporters before tonight's game that Jeremy Guthrie will start the season finale here on Sunday. Chris Waters will start Friday and Saturday's starter has not yet been announced.
Trembley said Jim Miller will probably not pitch anymore this year due to that painful bruise under his right arm. Dennis Sarfate will have surgery to repair his injured clavicle on September 30th. Melvin Mora is out of the lineup again and told team trainers his leg doesn't feel sound enough for him to play. Daniel Cabrera will see a doctor in Miami to get a second opinion on his elbow. He will leave the team on Saturday.
Trembley had plenty of praise for Guthrie for working hard to get himself back to pitch in a game.
"After his simulated game today I walked to the mound and shook his hand and said 'I want to thank you for all the hard work that you had to do to get to this point.' He could have banked it, but that's not the type person Guthrie is. He's the kind of guy I want, someone who wants to compete for all 162 games. I want people who want to help erase the bad feelings that existed around here along time in September. I want winners and Guthrie is a winner for me. We need to surround ourselves with more guys like that."
Huff Happy for Rays
Only Carl Crawford has played more games with Tampa Bay than Aubrey Huff.
Huff, an Oriole now and likely to be named Most Valuable Oriole for this year this Sunday, spent most of five seasons with Tampa until he was traded to Houston at the 2006 All-Star break. So he can appreciate his former teams' current success after all that losing.
"I'm happy for the guys I've played with like Rocco, CC (Carl Crawford), Kazmir and those guys. It's good to see them do this. If we aren't going to be there, I'd love to see them go all the way. They've got a team that can do it. Hard to argue with best record in the best division in the American League."
Huff said he didn't realize their starting pitching would be this good.
"If they did we can do it. The Rays just stockpiled all that young talent over the years and the Garza trade was one of the best of the off-season......Joe Maddon is tremendous, a great manager. He's very calm, easy to talk to. He's like an older player and a calming presence that is important for a young team."
Huff is still the all-time Rays leader in doubles, homers and RBI.
Game Preview
Tampa Bay (95-62) at Orioles (67-90)
While the Orioles struggle in the season's final weeks, with just four wins in 21 games in September, the Tampa Bay Rays are going through a different experience. If Tampa wins tonight and Boston losses, the Rays will clinch the AL East title for the first time ever.
Tampa swept a doubleheader in Baltimore last night by scores of 5-2 and 7-5. In game two, Tampa entered the 8th down 5-1, but scored six runs to come back and post its 95th victory. The Rays won just 66 games last season.
The Orioles' offense has not been nearly as productive in September as it was for most of the second-half. The O's have scored just 16 runs the last seven games and 48 over the past 15 contests.
The Birds are just 3-14 vs. Tampa this year with 11 losses in a row. Tampa is 6-2 at Camden Yards and 8-1 at home vs. the Orioles.
The O's have hit the 90-loss mark for the third year in a row and sixth time in the past eight seasons.
With 95 wins, the Rays have now passed the 1991 Braves (94-68) for most wins by a club one year after suffering the most losses in all of the Majors.
Pitching Match-Up
RHP Radhames Liz (6-6, 6.69) tonight will make his 17th start, his 10th at home and the second of his career vs. Tampa Bay.
Liz, who pitched eight shutout innings two starts ago vs. Minnesota, is 1-1, 1.88 over his last two starts, providing a little confidence for him and a little hope for his future in the rotation.
Liz, who has allowed 93 hits in 79 1/3 innings, gives up a batting average of .275 to right-handed hitters and .319 vs. lefties. The Orioles are 8-8 when he starts.
In nine home starts, Liz is 4-3, 5.04. His ERA in road games is 9.51.
Liz has made one career start vs. Tampa, back on September 5th of last season. In just 1 2/3 innings he gave up four runs and six hits for a one-start ERA of 21.60.
RHP Edwin Jackson (12-11, 4.19) tonight will make his 31st start of this season, his 16th on the road and his second of the year vs. the Orioles.
Jackson pitched well and got the win Wednesday in his last start vs. Minnesota. In 7 2/3, he gave up just one run on seven hits. In his three previous starts he went 0-3, 10.95, with two losses vs. the Yankees and one against Boston.
Jackson pitches 1-25: opponent AVG of .304
Jackson pitches 26-50: opponent AVG of .251
Jackson pitched to an ERA of 3.93 in the first half and it's 4.64 in the second-half. In 15 road starts he is 6-5, 3.86. The Rays are 16-14 when he starts this season.
Jackson vs. Baltimore:
2008: 1-0, 5.40, one start (May 24th.....5IP, 4H, 3R-ER)
2007: 0-1, 16.20, one start
Career: 1-1, 7.50, four games, two starts (12IP, 10ER)
O's Offense Hits a Snag
The O's have scored just 16 runs the last seven games with just one homer in that time...They have scored two runs or less in 6 of 9 and 12 of the last 20 games...After batting .307 in August and scoring 6.3 runs a game, the team average is just .237 in September with 3.6 runs per game.
Leave a comment