Miller throwing error scores winning run, Sox beat O's 5-4 in 9th
The O's blew a 4-0 lead in the 7th and lost 5-4 to Boston on Wednesday afternoon. The winning run scored when pitcher Jim Miller fielded a bunt and threw past third base, allowing Alex Cora to score for the walk-off win.
Boston came up in the 7th trailing 4-0 but scored twice in the 7th and 8th to tie it. Cora led off the last of the 9th with a single and went to second on Coco Crisp's bunt single. Jacoby Ellsbury then dropped a bunt toward third. Miller fielded it and threw past third allowing the winning run to score.
The O's went 0-6 and gave up 60 runs on this road trip. They have lost 11 of 12 and 13 of the last 15 games.
The late-inning meltdown wasted three scoreless innings each by Lance Cormier and Dennis Sarfate.
Boston has won 8 of 10 and 18 of 26 games. They end the season with a 12-6 record vs. the Orioles, including a 7-2 mark in Boston.
A two-run triple by Mark Kotsay in the last of the 8th tied the game, 4-4. It scored David Ortiz who walked and Dustin Pedroia who had doubled. Miller struck out Jason Bay and Jason Varitek with a man on third and one out to end the inning and keep the game tied.
Boston got two runs in the seventh to trail 4-2. Pedroia hit a solo homer and later in the frame Crisp drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the second run. Rocky Cherry got Jacoby Ellsbury to pop out with the sacks full to preserve the two-run lead.
The O's added three runs in the fourth to lead 4-0. Aubrey Huff led the inning with a single and Oscar Salazar walked. Luke Scott's RBI double made it a 2-0 game and a Lou Montanez RBI groundout gave the O's a 3-0 lead. Guillermo Quiroz then came up with a clutch, two-out, RBI single for a 4-0 edge.
The O's took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Brian Roberts led off with his AL-leading 47th double. Nick Markakis then hit a fly ball to deep center, the ball went off the glove of Coco Crisp for an error and Roberts scored for a 1-0 lead.
Balt 4-5-1
Bos 5-9-1
Postgame Notes
The O's were winless, 0-6 on this road trip and were outscored 60-26.....O's pitching allowed 77 hits and 46 walks on the trip......After Lance Cormier and Dennis Sarfate combined for six innings of shutout, three-hit ball, the O's pen gave up 5 runs over the last 2 plus innings.
Dustin Pedroia went 3-4 with a homer today and in this series went 8-13 with two homers, two doubles and 8 RBI.....Boston outscored the O's 26-10 in this series....The Sox won the season series 12-6, same mark as they had vs. the Orioles last season.
Aubrey Huff continued his hot hitting with a 2-4 day and he was robbed of a homer by Jacoby Ellsbury in right in the 5th inning.....Huff is now 13-26 during a 7-game hitting streak.....Over his last 12 games, Huff is batting .467-3-11......He has 8 multi-hit games in his last 12 contests..........Nick Markakis went 0-4 snapping his four-game batting streak.
The O's were poised to hand Daisuke Matsuzaka just his third loss of the year and first since July 28th, until Boston's late rally took him off the hook for the loss......He did allow four or more runs for just the 5th time all season.......After the O's took a 4-0 lead in the fourth, they had just one more hit the rest of the game.....From the 5th on, O's batters went just 1-15......the O's team ERA on this road trip was 10.43.
Steve Melewski's Live GameBlog
Jamie Walker's Struggles
Over his last seven games he has pitched 6 2/3 allowing 12 hits and 9 ER for an ERA of 12.15 over that time. He has been scored on in six of his last seven outings. He has allowed four homers in his last 4 1/3 innings counting the one he allowed today. Walker is one of the nicest and gutsiest performers on this team. He would go out and pitch with his left arm hanging down to his knee, but his struggles right now may force the O's to not use him in any close-game situations. It's pretty much reached that point.
Sarfate's Day
He pitched three shutout innings with no walks and five strikeouts. That was probably his most dominating performance of the season. The Sox could not catch up to his mid 90's fastballs. He threw free and easy and didn't try to muscle up at all. Hopefully he can repeat that and remember how well he threw without seemingly trying to throw hard.
Dice-K Out
Matsuzaka's line: 6IP, 4H, 4R, 3ER, 4BB, 7K.....119 pitches.
His two losses this year have come on June 21 vs. St. Louis and July 28th vs. the Angels. This is just the 5th time this year he has allowed 4 runs or more.
O's Pitching Retires The Side in Order:
First five games of road trip: 5 times total
Today through six innings: 3 times
Huff's Hitting
Aubrey Huff is 1-3 so far today with a single in the 4th that extended his latest hitting streak to seven games. Huff is 12-25 (.480) during that streak. Over his last 12 games he is batting (.455) 20-44. Huff has 67 RBI his last 73 games and began today leading the AL in extra-base hits and total bases, he is second in doubles, 3rd in slugging, 5th in RBI, 6th in homers and 8th in batting average.
I Don't Understand
Lance Cormier pitched great for three innings and has been taken out. He has thrown only 32 pitches, 23 for strikes. He was rolling. I know he could not pitch 6 or 7 innings, but another one was certainly not out of the question. Why go to the pen even an inning sooner than you need to ? Fourteen times this year, that's 14 times, Cormier has thrown more than 32 pitches in an outing. Unless there's something we don't know about, there seemed to be no reason he comes out after just three.
Cormier's line: 3IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 1K......32 pitches, 23 strikes.
Playoff Opener Tonight
The Bowie Baysox (84-58) host the Akron Aeros (80-62) tonight at 7:05pm in game one of their best of 5 playoff series. Jason Berken (12-4, 3.58) pitches vs. Akron LHP Scott Lewis (6-2, 2.33) tonight. Berken made six starts vs. Akron this year, going 2-2, 1.71. Lewis made 3 starts vs. Bowie, going 2-0, 5.02. Bowie will host games one and two tonight and Thursday and, will host game five, if necessary, on Sunday. Bowie was 45-26 at home this year, but lost the season series vs. Akron, 13-11.
Working the Count
Matsuzaka has thrown a whopping total of 51 pitches in the first two innings. He threw 28 in the first and 23 in fanning the side around a walk in the second. Give the O's hitters some credit for fouling off some good pitches and getting deep in counts. At this rate he won't make it past five or six frames.
First-Inning Pitches:
Cormier - 10
Matsuzaka - 28
Game Time
The final game of this series and road trip is now underway at Boston. The O's need a win to avoid an 0-6 road trip. The O's pitching a bullpen game vs. Dice-K doesn't seem like a fair fight. Maybe the O's will be the reverse lock and win it today. Check back during today's game right here for the latest notes, news and updates.
Trembley's Talk
Dave Trembley told reporters in Boston today that Lance Cormier would pitch a maximum of three innings today. He said it's not likely that he would use a pitcher today who had pitched last night.
George Sherrill threw today and Trembley said he looked good. He will throw again Friday and would not be activated until Sunday at the very earliest. Jim Johnson's MRI on his shoulder will take place Friday in Baltimore.
Trembley is just giving Adam Jones a day off since he missed so much time. The skipper was asked about all the pitching injuries that have hit his club.
"I don't feel snakebitten," Trembley said. "It happens and you move on."
Starting Lineups
Orioles (stats vs. Matsuzaka)
2B Brian Roberts (5-10)
CF Jay Payton (1-8)
RF Nick Markakis (0-6, 5BB)
3B Aubrey Huff (1-8)
1B Oscar Salazar (0-0)
DH Luke Scott (1-3, rbi)
LF Lou Montanez (0-0)
SS Alex Cintron (0-0)
C Guillermo Quiroz (0-3)
P Lance Cormier
Red Sox
RF Jacoby Ellsbury
3B Jed Lowrie
DH David Ortiz
2B Dustin Pedroia
1B Mark Kotsay
LF Jason Bay
C Jason Varitek
SS Alex Cora
CF Coco Crisp
P Daisuke Matsuzaka
Game Preview
Orioles (63-75) at Boston (81-57)
After posting wins by 7-4 and 14-2 scores over the Orioles, the Boston Red Sox go for a three-game sweep of the Birds today at Fenway Park. The Orioles are winless, 0-5, on this road trip that ends today.
The last Sox three-game sweep of the O's at Fenway was in August of 2006.
Dustin Pedroia had 5 RBI and David Ortiz 4 as the Sox banged out 20 hits in handing the Orioles their worst loss of the year on Tuesday night. Winning pitcher Jon Lester improved to 6-0, 2.81 lifetime vs. Baltimore.
The O's will use Lance Cormier as a spot starter today as Jeremy Guthrie will miss one turn with a tired arm.
O's starters have pitched a total of 21 1/3 innings on this road trip, to an ERA of 14.35. O's pitching has allowed 55 runs, 68 hits and 43 walks so far on the trip.
The O's have lost 10 of 11 and 12 of their last 14 contests.
Pitching Match-Up
RHP Lance Cormier (2-3, 4.61) is expected to make his first Orioles' start of this season, replacing Jeremy Guthrie, who will be skipped once in the rotation due to a tired arm. Cormier has made 35 appearances this season, all in relief.
He has not pitched as well lately. His ERA was 3.00 in the first half and is 7.40 in 14 games since the All-Star break. His ERA was 8.49 in July and 6.60 in August.
The 28-year-old from Lafayette, Louisiana, has made 23 career starts in the Majors for Arizona and Atlanta. In those outings he is 5-14, 6.55. In nine starts in 2007 for Atlanta, he was 2-6, 6.85.
Cormier, a fourth-round draft pick by Arizona in 2002, has been scored on in 10 of his last 14 games.
Cormier has pitched a total of 7 innings in four games this season vs. Boston and is 0-1, 6.43.
RHP Daisuka Matsuzaka (16-2, 2.82) today makes his 25th start of the year, his 14th at home and his third of the season vs. the Orioles.
Matsuzaka is a pitcher on a roll. In August, he went 5-0, 2.25 in six starts. Last Friday he pitched 8 shutout innings, allowing just two hits, vs. the White Sox. In 8 second-half starts, he is 6-1, 3.10.
Pitches 1-25: .257 batting average against
Pitches 26-50: .140 batting average against
Matsuzaka can be tough to hit but he has walked 80 in 140 2/3, making him a rare excellent pitcher who walks a lot. He seems to pitch around batters to get a matchup he likes better at times. In 20 2/3 career innings vs. the Orioles, he's walked 17.
In 13 home starts in 2008, he is 9-2, 2.93. The Red Sox have an amazing 20-4 record when he starts.
Matsuzaka vs. Baltimore:
2008: 2-0, 1.64, two starts, 11 IP, 10 walks
2007: 0-1, 8.38, two starts
Career: 2-1, 4.79, four starts, 20 2/3 IP, 17 walks
O's Current Hot Hitters:
Hernandez: Is 5-11, 2 RBI his last four games......8 RBI in 11 games
Huff: During six-game hitting streak batting, .500-2-7, is 19-41 at bat
Markakis: Is 7-14 the last 4 games with 3 doubles and 2 RBI
Montanez: Is 6-15 over 5 games with 5 runs
Mora: Batting .423-8-32 over his last 24 games
Payton: Batting .382 over his last 9 games
Roberts: Hitting .296 over 13 contests
Sarfate should have started the 7th. Walker was a bad managerial move. He gets crushed by left handers and his soft lefty pitches plays into the right hand hitters who had trouble add with our righties.
I also thought that Adam Jones gave up on the ball to centerfield (tirple). It may have been a difficult catch but defintely he slowed down on the chase.