O's beat Toronto 2-1 in game shortened by rain
For the second night in a row, the game at Camden Yards has ended before nine innings were completed. The Orioles beat Toronto 2-1 Saturday in a game shortened to six innings and one batter by rain.
Lyle Overbay led off the top of the 7th with a double when play was halted by the rain at 8:53 p.m. After a delay of an hour and a half the contest was called off and the game is official.
The O's ended their 10-game losing streak, thier longest losing skid since the Birds lost 12 in a row from August 14-28, 2004. It's the Orioles' first win since a 2-0 victory over Toronto on September 16th.
The O's are now 68-92 and can tie last year's win total of 69 with a victory in the season finale on Sunday afternoon.
Winning pitcher Brian Bass gave up just one run on three hits in six innings. John Parrish took the loss, allowing two runs over five innings.
Brandon Fahey's sac fly in the 4th scored Ramon Hernandez who had doubled as the O's took a 2-1 lead.
Fahey led off the O's 3rd with a double and scored on Melvin Mora's single to tie the game, 1-1. It's Mora's 103rd RBI.
Brad Wilkerson's solo homer in the second gave Toronto a 1-0 lead. He hit his 4th of the year 392 feet to right-center field.
Tor 1-4-0
Bal 2-10-0
Postgame Notes
Aubrey Huff and Nick Markakis did not play....They both have 48 doubles and need two on Sunday to give the O's the first trio in Major League history with 50 doubles......Huff has not had a double in 12 games and Markakis has just one in the last nine games......Going into Sunday, Huff has the O's lead in hits on the season with 182 while Brian Roberts has 181 and Markakis 179......Roberts, batting .297, could get to .300 with a 3-4 day on Sunday.
Alex Cintron went 2-3 in the game and now has 6 hits his last 14 at bats.....Melvin Mora went 2-3, producing his 103rd RBI, one off his career high.........Oscar Salazar went 2-3 and is batting .341 over his last 13 games......The O's left 9 runners on base in six innings.
In his last two starts, Bass has allowed just three runs and three hits in 10 2/3 innings......When he started September 17th vs. Toronto, Bass allowed five runs in 4 1/3......O's starters have recorded quality starts in 6 of the last 10 games and 8 of the past 14.
The O's ended a 9-game losing streak in one-run games......They had been 2-19 in the last 21 one-run games.....They are 21-29 in one-run decisions on the season....the Birds improve to 37-42 at home, 6-11 vs. Toronto and 5-19 in September.
Steve Melewski's Live GameBlog From Camden Yards
Bass is Out
Lance Cormier came on to pitch in the 7th. Brian Bass had an excellent six-inning outing allowing just one run. It's the longest he has pitched in his four Baltimore starts.
Bass' line: 6IP, 3H, 1R-ER, 0BB, 4K, 1 HR......77 pitches, 54 strikes.
His ERA in five games, four starts with the Birds, is 4.71.
Bass Man
Brian Bass is having an impressive start with a three-hitter through five innings. It's his longest start of the four he's made with the O's. Previously he's hit a bit of a wall at about the 70-pitch mark. Right now he's at 61 pitches. If nothing else, he's showing he might be someone to contend for a middle relief spot next March. After not allowing a hit in his last start and now this, he's at least taking advantage of his opportunity. Not all O's pitchers have done that this year.
Mora RBI Note
Melvin Mora's RBI single in the third gives him 103 RBI on the season, one off his career high of 104 set in 2004 with the O's. He has had 55 RBI since the All-Star break.
Guthrie Activated
The Orioles tonight officially activated Jeremy Guthrie off the DL so he can make tomorrow's start. Guthrie has not pitched since August 29th vs. Tampa. He's been out with a right shoulder impingment, but cleared by the doctors to pitch Sunday. He threw a three-inning simulated game here this past Wednesday.
We Are Playing!
It probably comes as a suprise to many, but tonight's game is underway. The drenching rains of this afternoon are gone. Hopefully for good with two more games to get in. Despite this afternoon's rain, there is baseball tonight here in Baltimore. Tonight's first pitch was at 7:07pm and it's 73 degrees.
Starting Lineups
Blue Jays
2B Joe Inglett
3B Jose Bautista
DH Adam Lind
1B Lyle Overbay
CF Vernon Wells
LF Kevin Mench
RF Travis Snider
C Gregg Zaun
SS John McDonald
P John Parrish
Orioles
RF Jay Payton
LF Lou Montanez
DH Melvin Mora
3B Oscar Salazar
CF Adam Jones
C Ramon Hernandez
1B Kevin Millar
SS Alex Cintron
2B Brandon Fahey
P Brian Bass
Trembley's Talk
Dave Trembley in his pregame press conference with reporters today was asked if he had talked with Aubrey Huff and Nick Markakis about not starting since they are both just two doubles away from the 50 mark.
"I didn't ask anyone about whether they were going to play or wanted to play, I just wrote the lineup."
Kevin Millar has not played much recently, Trembley said Millar is not banged up, he just wants to get Lou Montanez and Oscar Salazar at bats and that Millar understood that.
Trembley talked about the orginazational meetings the club will have in Florida from October 5th through the 9th.
"What you do at those meeting is you listen a lot and give input when it's asked of you. You convey your philosophy and ideas. That's the direction I'll take when we go there."
Game Preview
Toronto (85-75) at Orioles (67-92)
The Orioles have just two games left in this 2008 season and need to win both to match last season's win total of 69 victories. The O's host Toronto in game two of the season-ending series tonight.
The Blue Jays won a 3-0, rain-shortened game last night. The contest was called with Toronto batting in the top of the seventh. Winning pitcher Scott Richmond gave up just four hits, all singles, over six frames.
Curtis Thigpen hit his first Major League homer and Scott Rolen added an RBI double for the Jays, who are 11-5 vs. the O's this season and 50-36 since Cito Gaston took over as skipper June 20th.
The Orioles have lost ten straight games, their longest streak since dropping 12 in a row in August of 2004. A loss tonight would mean the O's would end this year losing 11 of its last 12 series and tying the other one. Baltimore's last win in a series was in mid August vs. Detroit.
The Orioles are 36-42 at home and 15-36 since August first.
Pitching Match-Up
RHP Brian Bass (3-4, 5.08) tonight makes his 49th appearance of this season, his 4th as a starter and his second start of the season vs. the Jays.
Bass will be making his 5th appearance with the O's since they acquired him
September 5th in a trade with Minnesota. In three O's starts, he is 0-0, 5.40 in 13 1/3 innings. He did allow a hit in his last start, Monday vs. Tampa. He pitched 4 2/3, allowing two runs, both earned, on four walks and five hits.
Right-handed hitters hit .316 off Bass and lefties bat .250. He has been solid in the first innings of his starts, allowing just one hit in 11 opponent at bats.
Bass did not get a decision in a September 17th start vs. Toronto when he gave up five runs in 4 1/3. In two outings this season vs. the Jays, he is 0-0, 7.11 in 6 1/3 innings.
Bass was drafted by Kansas City in round six of the 2000 draft. He was with the Twins the past two seasons before his trade to the Orioles.
LHP John Parrish (1-0, 4.10) tonight makes his 13th outing of the season and his 6th as a starter. He has pitched twice this year vs. his former Orioles team.
Parrish has given up just one run in his last 6 2/3, all in relief. In his five starts on the year, he is 1-0, 5.40, while Toronto is 5-0 in those games.
Parrish made a start vs. the O's on July 10th and pitched in relief on September 16 vs. the Orioles. In those games, he is 0-0, 3.60, allowing four runs and nine hits over ten innings.
The O's drafted the lefty in round 25 in 1996. He pitched in Baltimore in parts of 2000-01 and again from 2003-05 and last year. The Orioles traded him to Seattle last August and he was signed as a free agent by Toronto in January.
O's Hitters Recently:
Castro: 9-50 and 2 RBI his last 16 games
Hernandez: 7-34 his last 10 games
Huff: 3-23 at bat, but 35 RBI over his last 41 games
Jones: 6-20 over six games
Markakis: Batting .267 in September, 1 2B his last 9 games
Millar: 3-10 at bat
Mora: Batting .372-12-54 since All-Star break
Quiroz: 3-24
Roberts: Batting .333 over 16 games
Scott: Is 1-26 at bat
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