For the Orioles, so much for the momentum they might have taken from Tuesday's nine-run down comeback win vs. Boston.

Since that win, they have lost two games and picked up just 11 hits and a team average of .157 in those two contests.

Tonight, the O's play at Anaheim at 10:05 p.m. in game two of a four-game series. David Hernandez (1-2, 4.19) is set to pitch for the Orioles against LA's Ervin Santana (1-3, 7.47).

John Lackey picked up his 7th career win vs. the Birds, allowing just four hits over eight innings. He is now 3-3, 4.70.

The O's are now 1-6 in West Coast games on the year and 11-24 in road games this season, with four losses in a row.

Overall, the Birds have lost two in a row, four of five games and seven of their last ten contests. Over a longer stretch, they are 10-8 in the last 18 games.

Several O's players bats have cooled. Aubrey Huff is 2 for 17, Brian Roberts is 2 for 27 and Adam Jones is 1 for 11. Ty Wigginton went 0 for 2 last night as his ten-game hit streak ended. Wigginton hit .472 during the streak.

The Angels are now 3-0 on the year vs. the O's and have won 15 of their last 20 home games vs. Baltimore. They have won four in a row vs. the Orioles.

LA has won seven of its last nine and the Angels are 14-5 over the last 19 games. They are 8-3 in their last 11 home contests.

Abreu had driven in 31 runs the last 30 games while Juan Rivera has homered nine times in 23 games.

The first-place Angels are 34-22 since May 1st.

O's organizational leaders:
Batting Average:
.372 - Oscar Salazar, Norf
.360 - David Anderson, GCL O's
.350 - Blake Davis, Aberdeen

Homers:
14 - Brandon Waring, Fred
10 - Brandon Snyder, Norf
10 - Oscar Salazar, Norf

RBI:
54 - Brandon Snyder, Norf
51 - Brandon Waring, Fred
43 - Oscar Salazar, Norf

Stolen Bases:
26 - Justin Christian, Norf
25 - Matt Angle, Fred
21 - Xavier Avery, Delm
21 - Jonathon Tucker, Bowie

The O's will have Hobgood go through a throwing progression where he starts with long toss, advances to throw bullpen sessions, then throws batting practice to hitters and eventually works in a simulated game.

Then, sometime around July 20th, he'll be ready to take the mound for the first time as a pro.

"We need to see how he progresses and we'll do what is best for him," O's Director of Player Development, David Stockstill said. "We have a plan for him, those plans could change depending upon how he does."

Meanwhile, the O's third and sixth-round picks from the June draft have joined the Aberdeen IronBirds and their pro careers are underway.

Third-round pick Tyler Townsend is 2 for 12 with 8 strikeouts in four games with the IronBirds. The 21-year-old Townsend is expected to play mostly first base at Aberdeen.

This past season at Florida International, he batted .426-24-77. Townsend is from Lewes, Delaware and played at Cape Henlopen High School.

Sixth-round selection Justin Dalles, a catcher from the University of South Carolina, is 0 for 8 in his first two games with Aberdeen.

Dalles, from Lake Worth, Florida, was a second-team all SEC pick this past season. He is expected to get plenty of starts behind the plate for the IronBirds.
___________________________________________________________________

Last night, Bowie lefty Brian Matusz pitched a four-hit shutout in game one of a doubleheader as the Baysox beat Akron, 3-0. He gave up just four hits in the seven-inning game.

Matusz is now 3-0, 0.49 in three Bowie starts. In 18 1/3 innings he has given up just one earned run with 21 strikeouts.

In 14 starts this year between Frederick and Bowie, Matusz is 7-2, 1.80.

Here is the amazing stat with Matusz. Dating four starts back when he was with Frederick he has allowed just one earned run over his last 41 1/3 innings for an ERA of 0.22.

It all began when he finished a start on May 20th vs. Lynchburg with three scoreless frames.

Matusz's streak:

May 20 - Lynchburg at Fred, ends game with 3IP, 0 runs
May 26 - Fred at Wilmington, 7IP, 0 runs
May 31 - Fred at Salem, 7IP, 0 runs
June 5 - Salem at Fred, 6IP, 0 runs
June 17 - Reading at Bowie, 6IP, 1 run, 0 earned runs
June 27 - Bowie at Altoona, 5 1/3IP, 1 run, 1 earned run
July 2 - Akron at Bowie, 7IP, 0 runs

On June 11th, Matusz pitched four shutout innings at Lynchburg, but the game was then rained out and the stats from that contest do not count. The O's had Matusz skip one start after his June 17 outing vs. Reading.

In Wednesday's loss to Boston, the last 24 O's batters in a row were retired. So since yesterday's 4th inning, the O's have just 5 hits in 56 at bats for a .089 average.

Angels starter John Lackey was giving up a batting average of .375 this year vs. left-handed hitters. The O's lefty batters went just 3 for 19 vs. Lackey tonight.

Brian Fuentes needed just 8 pitches in the 9th to record his American League leading 23rd save. The Angels had allowed 18 runs in their previous two games.

Jeremy Guthrie gave up five runs over seven innings to take the loss and is 6-8, 5.20 on the year. Guthrie has given up five runs or more six times this season.

Guthrie, after allowing two homers tonight, has given up 19 on the season in 98 2/3 innings. Last year he gave up 24 on the year in 190 2/3 frames.

Bobby Abreu came up with his 14th career two-homer game. He tied his season high with 4 RBI. Abreu, who now has 31 RBI his last 30 games, now needs three homers for 250 in his career.

The Angels have won 8 of their last 11 home games. They are 19-7 at home vs. the Birds since 2004. The Angels are now 34-22 since the beginning of May.

Aubrey Huff went 1 for 4 with a single. He is now 2 for 28 in his career vs. Lackey. Huff is 2 for 17 his last four games. Brian Roberts was 0 for 4 and is now 2 for 27 his last seven games.

Robert Andino's single in the third extended his batting streak to seven games. He is 7 for 23 during the streak. Ty Wigginton was 0 for 2 with a walk, snapping his ten-game hit streak.

Luke Scott's solo homer in the 7th was his second homer in two days and his 16th of the year. Scott has hit 11 homers in his last 30 games.

The O's have lost seven of ten to fall to nine games under .500.

They are now 5-14 in games vs. the AL West, 11-24 in road games and 35-44 on the year.

Abreu hit a solo homer in the 4th and a three-run shot in the 5th. He tied his season-high with 4 RBI and produced his 14th career two-homer game.

Losing pitcher Jeremy Guthrie falls to 6-8, 5.20. He gave nine hits and five runs over seven innings, throwing 112 pitches.

Guthrie has allowed five runs or more six times this season. He has given up 19 homers on the year.

Winning pitcher John Lackey gave up just four hits over eight innings and is now 3-3. Brian Fuentes pitched the 9th to pick up his 23rd save.

The O's scored on a Matt Wieters RBI single in the 5th and Luke Scott's solo homer in the 6th. It's Scott's 16th home run.

The Orioles have lost seven of ten games. They are just 3-11 in their last 14 games in Anaheim.

The Angels improve to 3-0 on the season vs. the Orioles and they are 14-5 in their past 19 games.

Balt.....2-5-1
LAA....5-11-0

Matusz gave up just four hits with two walks and six strikeouts. He is now 3-0, 0.49 in three Baysox starts. In 18 1/3 innings he has given up just 1ER with six walks and 21 strikeouts.

In 14 starts on the year between Frederick and Bowie, Matusz is 7-2, 1.80 with 96 strikeouts in 85 innings.

Here is the amazing Matusz stat. Dating back to his last four starts with Frederick, Matusz has alllowed just one earned run over his last 41 1/3 innings. That's an ERA of 0.22.

The good news was that Tides' starter Jake Arrieta gave up just one run and five hits over seven innings. He has allowed just 2ER over his last two starts and his ERA is now 2.92.

Frederick got great pitching tonight in a 2-0 win over Potomac as Nate Nery and Pat Egan teamed on a one-hitter. A fourth-inning infield single was the only hit Potomac picked up. Nery went six and Egan the final three frames. On the not great side, Billy Rowell went 0 for 4 as his average dipped to .229.

Guthrie is 2-0, 3.00 over his last two starts, with wins over Philadelphia and Washington.

Guthrie has struggled early in his starts. Of the 56 runs he has allowed all year, 28 have come in the first two innings of his starts.

Guthrie went 2-3, 5.76 in five June starts. In six road starts this year, he is 2-3, 6.96.

Guthrie 2008: 2ER or less 17 of 30 starts, .242 batting ave.
Guthrie 2009: 2ER or less 3 of 16 starts, .273 batting ave.

Guthrie vs. LAA:
2008: 1-0, 2.57, one start
Career: 1-1, 3.47, 4 games, 3 starts (23 1/3IP, 10H, 17K)

Guthrie has allowed just 10 hits in 80 at bats in his career vs. the Angels for an opponent average of just .125.

RHP John Lackey (2-3, 5.06) tonight will make his 10th start of this season, his 3rd at home and the 11th of his career vs. the Orioles.

After pitching to an ERA of 6.50 in spring training, Lackey went on the DL April 5th with a strained right forearm and missed the first 33 games of this season. He did not make his first start until May 16th.

Lackey, who has recorded four quality starts among his eight outings, is coming off a very good performance last Saturday at Arizona. He did not get a decision, but he allowed just five hits over seven innings and the one run he gave up was unearned.

Lackey by month, 2009:
May: 1-1, 6.05, four starts
June: 1-2, 4.50, five starts

Right-handed batters hit only .239 with one homer off Lackey while lefties are hitting a robust .375 with five homers off the 30-year-old righty. The Angels are 4-5 when he starts.

In 2007, Lackey's ERA of 3.01 was the best in the American League. He became the first Angel since Frank Tanana in 1977 to win the ERA title.

A 12-game winner last year, Lackey is 0-2, 5.28, in two home starts in 2009.

Lackey vs. Orioles:
2009 and 2008: No appearances
Career: 6-3, 3.46, ten starts (67 2/3IP, 71H, 16B, 53K)

O's hitters, career vs. Lackey:
Huff: 2-25
Jones: 0-2
Markakis: 5-17
Mora: 4-22
Roberts: 7-24
Scott: 1-2, HR
Wigginton: 1-9
Zaun: 4-18

A player not listed has not batted vs. Lackey.

After an amazing two game stretch that saw the O's come from nine runs down to win one night, then blow a four-run lead in the 9th to lose the next day, the Orioles begin a two-city, West Coast trip tonight.

The Birds play the Angels in Anaheim tonight at 10:05 p.m. to start a four-game series and seven-game road trip that will also take them to Seattle.

Pitching Matchups:
Tonight, 10:05p - Jeremy Guthrie (6-7, 5.11) v. John Lackey (2-3, 5.06)
Fri, 10:05p - David Hernandez (1-2, 4.19) v. Ervin Santana (1-3, 7.47)
Sat, 9:05p - Jason Berken (1-5, 6.44) v. Matt Palmer (7-1, 5.16)
Sun, 3:35p - Rich Hill (3-2, 7.08) vs. Joe Saunders (8-5, 4.24)

The O's went 3 and 3 on their last road trip and are 11-23 on the road this season. The Orioles went 1-5 on an earlier West Coast trip to Seattle and Oakland.

The Birds are just 5-13 in games vs. the AL West this season.

Over the last 23 games, the Orioles team ERA is 4.21. Over the last 25 games, the bullpen ERA is 3.46.

The Angels just lost the last two games of their series with Texas as the Rangers moved to just a ½ game back of LA for the AL West lead.

Like the Orioles, the Angels suffered a bitter loss on Wednesday. They trailed Texas 7-1, but scored three in the 7th and 9th to tie the game. But then, Hank Blalock hit a walk-off, two-run homer in the last of the 9th to give Texas a 9-7 win.

Before losing the past two days, LA had won six in a row. The Angels are 13-5 over the last 18 games and went 17-9 in June.

They have done so, despite a team ERA of 4.74 that is 12th in the AL and despite the fact that the Angels have put eight pitchers on the DL this year. They have had to use 12 different starting pitchers, the most in baseball.

The Angels have allowed nine runs in two straight games and they have done that 15 times this year - tied with Cleveland for the AL lead.

The Angels team batting of .278 leads the AL and they are 6th in the league in runs scored and 11th in homers.

The Angels, who have had a winning record in 17 of the last 18 months, have 420 wins since the start of the 2005 - that leads all of Major League baseball. LA won the AL West in 2007 and 2008.

Last year, the Angels were 6-3 vs. the Orioles and they won both games vs. the Birds in a two-game series in Baltimore on April 28 and 29. The O's are just 4-15 in their last 19 games at Anaheim, dating to August of 2005. The O's have not won a series at Anaheim since August of 2004.

Tonight, LA opens a ten-game homestand. The Angels are 20-15 at home this season.

O's hitters, 2009 vs. Angels:
Andino: 0-0
Huff: 2-8, RBI
Jones: 4-8, HR, RBI
Markakis: 3-8, RBI
Mora: 3-6, 2 RBI
Pie: 0-3
Reimold: 0-0
Roberts: 2-8
Salazar: 0-0
Scott: 0-5
Wieters: 0-0
Wigginton: 1-8, RBI
Zaun: 0-4

This is not a fire Dave Trembley article.

Any talk about firing the skipper at this point is crazy talk. As for next year and beyond, whether Trembley will be here will be determined by one man only and Andy MacPhail hasn't weighed in on this topic yet.

No, this is about one Trembley decision in one game.

Yesterday, he made the wrong one.

Heading to the 9th, Brad Bergesen had retired 15 of 17 batters - one reached on a single, the other, an error. In the 7th, he rolled through the middle of the Boston order. In the 8th he was so un-nerved by Brian Roberts' error, that he got the next two batters out on pop ups.

He was dominating the hottest team in baseball on four hits.

And the skipper took him out.

Of course Jim Johnson and George Sherrill should have been able to hold a four-run lead. But I feel Bergesen would have held the lead and didn't need any help.

Since when is 103 pitches too many.

The minute Bergesen was pulled, I bet things perked up in the Boston dugout. "Look, they took the kid out," one player might have said, realizing their chance for a comeback just got better.

This was not just another game in 162. This was a chance to make a statement vs. the hottest club in the game, maybe the best in the game. An AL East powerhouse. In a span of two days, the O's were poised to beat Boston's two best pitchers.

Talk about taking momentum on the road. I still feel sick that Bergesen didn't get that win.

Trembley made the move a lot of managers probably would have made. He just didn't need to make it.

Now, Johnson and Sherrill may not be available tonight, certainly Sherrill won't. Sherrill had thrown 25 tough pitches the night before and it was no surprise the more he threw yesterday, the less effective he became.

It was a remarkable two back-to-back games. Too bad we didn't get the result we wanted.

O's closer George Sherrill had allowed just 1ER over his last 21 innings, before giving up two runs in the 9th today. He had converted his last 13 save chances before today. Sherrill is 17 for 20 in saves on the year.

O's starter Brad Bergesen wound up with a no decision. Over eight innings he allowed just four hits and one run. He lowered his ERA for the season to 3.53. Over his last seven starts, Bergesen is 4-0, 2.06 (12ER over 52 1/3IP).

The O's are now 3-3 in extra innings while Boston is 4-2.

Today's attendance was 29,391. The three-game series drew 97,908 and the six-game homestand attracted 207,813 fans for an average of 34,635.

Luke Scott hit a solo homer in the second inning, his 15th. It was his first homer in 15 games, but Scott has hit 10 homers over the last 28 games. He is 7 for 13 in his career vs. Josh Beckett.

Felix Pie extended his hit streak to five games with a first-inning, RBI single. He is 7 for 16 during the streak.

Brian Roberts' stolen base in the first was the O's first since June 21 at Philadelphia.

Boston's Jason Bay, the AL RBI leader, today went 0 for 5 with five strikeouts vs. three different pitchers. In the series, he was 0 for 15 with 9 strikeouts. His five K's today is a career high and one off Boston's record of six in one game set by Cecil Cooper on 6-14-74.

The O's fall to 1-6 on the year vs. Boston and have lost 13 of the last 15 between the teams. A win today would have given the O's their first series win over the Sox since they took two in a row from Boston last May.

Ty Wigginton's solo homer in the 4th extended his hitting streak to ten games. During the streak, he is 17 for 38 with three homers and 7 RBI.

Brad Bergesen - did you have enough left to pitch the ninth? "I don't know about that, I mean, I would always like to go back out there and if I did I was going to battle. But, you know, skip made the right decision, George and JJ have been stellar all year long. Those are the two guys you are going to go with."

Brad Bergesen - on his 8th-inning conversation with Trembley "Skip came out and he asked me if I was tired or needed to come out, or whatever, he asked me if I wanted to get this hitter. I told him I wanted this guy at the time."

Ty Wigginton on Bergesen: "Bergy has been outstanding it seems ever since the day he got here. He's fun to play defense behind and it's a shame he could not come out with a W."

George Sheriill - have to move on past this: "There is no reason to dwell on it. Just make the bad ones few and far between."

George Sherill - was it tough to come back after 25 tough pitches last night?: "No, no, not at all. That's my job to do it over and over again. There is no excuse for it, we just couldn't do it."

Down to their last out, the Sox tied the game in the 9th and won it 6-5 in 11 innings over the Orioles, in front of 29,391 on Wednesday afternoon.

Jacoby Ellsbury led off the 11th vs. Danys Baez with a double and, after reaching third on a fly out, he scored on a Julio Lugo single to left past a drawn-in infield. That broke the 5-5 tie.

The Red Sox scored four in the top of the ninth to tie the game. Dave Trembley elected to take Brad Bergesen out after eight innings and 103 pitches with a 5-1 lead.

Boston pitchers combined to retire the last 24 O's hitters in a row as Baltimore did not have a hit after the fourth inning.

The O's failed to win their first series vs. Boston since taking two in a rwo from the Sox last May 13-14.

On the mound, the O's Bergesen out pitched Josh Beckett. In eight innings, Bergesen allowed just four hits on one run with no walks and six strikeouts.

Over his last seven starts, Bergesen is 4-0, 2.06.

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the first on a Felix Pie RBI single. Luke Scott's solo homer in the second made it 2-0. It's Scott's 15th homer and his 10th in the last 28 games.

After Dustin Pedroia's RBI double made it 2-1 in the top of the third, the O's went up 4-1 in the last of the frame on a Nick Markakis two-run double.

Ty Wigginton's solo homer in the 4th made it a 5-1 lead and extended his batting streak to ten games.

The Orioles complete this homestand going 3-3. They begin a seven-game, West Coast road trip at Los Angeles Thursday night.

Bost.....6-10-0
Balt......5-6-1

*For a while it seemed like Luke Scott hit one homer per night. Today's solo homer by Scott in the 2nd was his 15th of the year. He had gone 14 games without a homer. He now has 10 homers in his last 28 games.

*An O's win today would give the Orioles the series, two wins to one. Boston has won six straight series. Their last series defeat was when they lost two of three vs. Texas June 5-7.

*Ty Wigginton hit a solo homer in the fourth. That extended his batting streak to ten games. He is 1 for 3 today and 17 for 37 during the hit streak.

*After last night, Oscar Salazar is now 5 for 7 this season when batting with runners in scoring position. He is 9 for 19 as a pinch hitter in his O's career.

*The last time the O's won a series vs. Boston was when the O's swept a two-game set at Camden Yards vs. the Sox last May 13-14.

The game will be played July 15 at 7:05 p.m. in Trenton, New Jersey.

Abreu is one of the Baysox most consistent players this season. He leads the team in games (76), hits (85), doubles (18), RBI (26) and batting average (.296). Abreu played five different positions for the Baysox this year, and hit .306 in June with 12 doubles.

Both 24-man rosters consist of at least three players from each of the Eastern League's 12 teams. At least one position player and one pitcher from each team were selected by fans through online and stadium balloting. The remaining selections were made through voting by league media, managers and officials.

Bergesen has allowed 2ER or less in five of his last six starts and the Orioles are 5-1 in those games. Friday, Bergesen got the win vs. the Nationals, allowing just one run and four hits in six innings.

Over his last six starts, Bergesen is 4-0, 2.23.

Right-handed hitters bat .274 against him and lefties hit .245. In eight starts at home, Bergesen is 5-1, 3.10 and the Orioles are 7-1 in those eight games.

Bergesen's last loss was May 19th at Yankee Stadium.

RHP Josh Beckett (9-3, 3.48) today makes his 16th start of this season, his 9th on the road, his 2nd of the year vs. Baltimore and the 11th of his career vs. the O's.

Beckett has not allowed a run in three of his last four starts. On June 9, he pitched six shutout innings vs. the Yankees. On June 20, he pitched a complete-game, five-hit shutout vs. Atlanta. Six days later he blanked the Braves on six hits over seven innings.

Right-handed batters hit only .217 vs. Beckett, while lefties bat .253 vs. him. The Sox are 11-4 when he is the starting pitcher.

In eight road starts, Beckett is 5-3, 4.03.

In his career, he is 98-65, 3.48 in 208 career starts. He was a 20-game winner two years ago, going 20-7, 3.27 in 2007.

Since pitching to a record of 2-2 and ERA of 7.22 in April, Beckett is 7-1, 1.94 in ten starts in May and June (15 ER in 69 2/3IP).

Beckett vs. Baltimore:
2009: 1-0, 4.50, one start (6IP, 6H, 4R, 3ER on April 18)
Career at Camden Yards: 4-1, 2.98, six starts
Career vs. Baltimore: 5-2, 3.80, 10 starts (66 1/3IP, 14B, 61K)

Dave Trembley said he would not start Jones today because he is still sore.

But Jones said "nothing" when asked today what is hurting.

"If it was up to me, I'd be playing," Jones said.

Jones banged his head and neck into the center field wall in his effort to catch a Kevin Youkilis two-run homer in the first inning last night. Jones did catch the ball, but his glove came off his hand and fell over the wall.

Jones said that was the second time he hit an outfield wall that hard. The first was in Triple-A with Tacoma in a game one time.

"I'll be in there today," Jones insisted with reporters about today's game.

Not sure how he knows that, but it's clear that Adam Jones is ready to play after that collision last night.

In the clubhouse, about 90 minutes before today's game, Hernandez had not yet heard the news about Koji and how it might impact him.

"They haven't told me anything yet. I'm just getting ready for my next start. They are kind of quiet about that stuff. I'll just take it as is and be prepared for my start vs. Anaheim."

But now Hernandez might be able to settle into the O's rotation for while.

"Yeah, it would be great for me to get comfortable, knowing I'll have some starts."

Hernandez, a 16th-round pick in 2005, is 1-2, 4.19 in four games, three starts in two stints with the O's this year.

"Coming up that first time, you really don't know what to expect. I feel like I've kind of held my own. There are things I can improve on. Things I need to get better at," Hernandez said.

He said he'd like to throw more fastball strikes to the inside and outside of the plate.

Having other young guys in the rotation, players he knows well, has been a plus for Hernandez.

"Playing with Jason Berken and Brad Bergesen since high A ball and Bergy since I was in Aberdeen, it's real easy to talk with them. Especially seeing Bergy have this success I can pick his brain to get some help."

If the O's tell Hernandez he will be in the rotation for the next two months, will that help him be successful?

"Not really, you just have to be prepared and ready for that next start. If I get a couple in a row, I'll be ready."

Click here for Roch Kubatko's story on Koji's injury.

The Orioles pulled off the greatest comeback in team history Tuesday night in an 11-10 win over Boston. Today the clubs play the third and deciding game of this series at 1:35 p.m.

Brad Bergesen (5-2, 3.76) is on the mound for Baltimore and Josh Beckett (9-3, 3.48) will pitch for Boston.

The Orioles trailed the Red Sox 10-1 heading to the last of the 7th on Tuesday, but then the O's scored five runs each in the 7th and 8th to come from nine runs down to win, 11-10.

Here are more stats and notes from the historic O's win:

*According to ESPN, it was the biggest comeback by a last-place team to beat a first-place team in Major League history.

*After getting shutout on Monday, the Birds had scored just one run on nine hits in the first 15 innings of this series, before erupting for 10 runs on 13 hits over the 7th and 8th innings to rally for a victory.

*O's hitters were 3 for 20 at bat in the first six innings Tuesday. In innings seven and eight, the Orioles were 13 for 18 at bat with three doubles and one homer.

*It's the second time in five games they produced 11 runs on 16 hits. They picked up those totals in last Friday's 11-1 win over Washington.

*The O's team average rose from .271 to .274 after the 16-hit attack.

*Six O's had multi-hit games and three drove in two runs or more.

*The Boston bullpen allowed 13 hits and 10 runs (all earned) in four innings of work. The O's put up those numbers vs. a Boston bullpen that entered with an ERA of 2.89 that is the best of any pen in the Major Leagues.

*Felix Pie entered the game in the third inning and went 2 for 4 with a triple and 2 RBI. It's his first 2 RBI game of the year. Pie also threw a runner out at the plate in the 8th inning. Pie is now 6 for 12 during a four-game batting streak.

*Luke Scott had two doubles in a game for the first time all year and the doubles came during the rally in the 7th and 8th innings.

*The O's bullpen gave up just one earned run in 5 2/3 innings of work and has pitched to an ERA of 1.35 on this homestand. The pen ERA is 3.08 over the last 25 games.

*Oscar Salazar hit the Orioles' first pinch-hit homer since Juan Castro had one last July 30th at New York. Salazar's last homer was vs. Minnesota on 9-14-08. Salazar is 4 for 9 as a pinch hitter this year and 9 for 20 as a pinch hitter in his O's career.

*The O's entered the game leading the AL in batting with runners in scoring position at .292 and the Birds went 7 for 11 in the comeback win with RISP.

*Brian Roberts RBI single in the 8th snapped his 0 for 18 stretch.

*As a team the O's are batting .311 over the last 17 games with 93 runs scored.

*The Orioles are 8-2 in their last ten one-run games and are now 10-8 on the year in those contests.

*The O's ended an 8-game losing streak vs. Boston and are now 10-6 at home vs. AL East foes, but just 1-11 on the road.

*Nick Markakis, whose two-run double put the O's ahead 11-10 in the 8th, is now batting .440 (11 for 25) over his last six games and is batting .355 (22 for 62) over his last 15 games.

The nine-run comeback is the biggest in Orioles' history. The previous best also was against Boston and also resulted in an 11-10 O's win. Baltimore rallied from eight runs down at Boston on September 2, 1956 to post the 11-10 win that night.

According to ESPN, it was the biggest comeback by a last-place team to beat a first-place team in Major League history.

The O's scored ten runs on 13 hits over the 7th and 8th frames. Five different Orioles had hits in each inning, including Nick Markakis, Nolan Reimold, Luke Scott (two doubles), Oscar Salazar and Matt Wieters.

The O's went 16 for 38 at bat in the game and went 7 for 11 with runners in scoring position. Markakis' two-run double off Boston closer Jonathon Papelbon put the O's ahead 11-10. Markakis had been 0 for 7 with four strikeouts vs. Papelbon in his career until that huge double.

Papelbon suffered his first-ever blown save vs. Baltimore. He entered 20 for 20 in save chances and with a career ERA of 0.39 vs. the Birds. He has five more saves vs. Baltimore than he has vs. any other team.

The O's bullpen allowed just one earned run in 5 2/3 innings tonight and has worked to an ERA of 1.35 on this homestand. Mark Hendrickson got the win and George Sherrill his 17th save.

Sherrill has allowed just one earned run over his last 21 innings and has lowered his ERA in that time from 5.06 to 1.99.

The O's won for just the third time in eight games and are 3-2 on this homestand that ends Wednesday afternoon. They are now 24-19 at home, 11-17 vs. the AL East and 10-8 in one-run games.

The Birds were 0-5 on the year vs. Boston and had lost 12 of 13 vs. the Sox until this comeback win.

Boston starter John Smoltz pitched four innings at the start and did not return after the one hour, 11-minute rain delay. In four frames, he gave up three hits and one run, throwing 52 pitches.

Over the last five games, Boston starters have worked to an ERA of 0.90 (3ER in 30IP).

Boston falls to 47-30 on the year, 19-8 since May 31st and 21-9 vs. AL East opponents.

George Sherrill on getting the last out: "I said 'Thank God it's over. You know one-run saves are tough. It shows you what kind of guys we have in here. You defintely don't want to lose that one......After the rain delay it was a mixed crowd, some of our fans had taken off. But there were some loud ones there, it was really exciting."

Nick Markakis on the comeback win: "It felt great. That's why we play nine innings. We were down early all game, our pitchers kept us in the game there and we swung the bats well. Baseball is nine innings. We play hard all nine innings and we had some great at bats late in the game."

Nick Markakis on beating Boston: "Whether is was the Red Sox or anyone else, it's definetly big. It's big vs. a team in our division. Now we come out tomorrow and look for another win."

Nick Markakis on his two-run double vs. Papelbon: "Against a guy like that, one of the best closers in the game, I just went out there and tried to relax. Hit the ball where it's pitched. I got one middle away over the plate and ended up putting a good swing on it. it split the gap there and we scored two, it was big and felt good."

Nick Markakis - was there a hit or moment you felt the O's could pull it off?: "I feel with this team, no matter what inning we're in or how many runs we are down, we showed it tonight. It was a great team win."

Brian Roberts on the win: "It was certainly one of the most exciting wins. When you can put together a comeback like that against that kind of team and that kind of bullpen. They've got the best bullpen in baseball, I think. The guys never gave at bats away and everyone kept grinding."

Brian Roberts on the feeling in the dugout: "You could certainly feel the momentum going out way, but we still had work to do. Guys just really had good at bats, even if they didn't get hits. Wiggy had a real nice piece of hitting to get a run in. You could feel it going but we had'nt won anything until Nick put that swing on it."

Brian Roberts on scoring ten unanswered runs: "We're a good offensive team and have been. We went through some struggles and everybody kind of was writing us off. But we have some good Major League hitters on this team and some new young Major League hitters. It shows we can score with anybody and we score off anybody."

Trailing 10-1 going to the last of the 7th, the Orioles scored five runs in the 7th and 8th innings to stun the first-place Red Sox, 11-10.

The comeback was completed when Nick Markakis ripped a two-run double to left center off Jon Papelbon in the 8th for the 11-10 lead. Papelbon suffered his first-ever blown save vs. the Orioles after going 20 for 20 in save chances against Baltimore.

The previous biggest rally was from an eight-run deficit on September 2, 1956 when the O's rallied to win at Boston by the same score of tonight, 11 to 10.

The O's scored five runs on seven hits in the 7th. Luke Scott had an RBI double and then Oscar Salazar's pinch hit three-run homer off Justin Masterson made the score 10-5. Later in the frame, a Felix Pie RBI single cut the deficit to 10-6.

In the 8th, Nolan Reimold singled, Scott doubled and Salazar had an infield single to load the bases with none out. Matt Wieters plated a run with a single to left. Takashi Saito came on and yielded a Ty Wigginton sac fly and Brian Roberts RBI single that made the score 10-9.

Papelbon came in and struck out Pie with runners on the corners. Markakis came up with two out and ripped his two-run double to left center scoring two runs for the lead.

The O's scored ten runs on 13 hits in the two innings.

George Sherrill struck out AL RBI leader Jason Bay with two on and two out in the ninth to end the game and record his 17th save.

And so a game that lasted three hours and 27 minutes and was halted in the 5th inning by a rain delay of one hour and 11 minutes, was over and the biggest comeback win in Baltimore Orioles history was complete as midnight approached.

The O's went 7 for 11 with runners in scoring position in snapping an eight-game losing streak vs. Boston.

Boston.....10-16-0
Balt.........11-16-1

His first of the year traveled 384 feet to left center.

It was the Orioles first pinch hit homer since Juan Castro hit one vs. New York last July 30th.

Smoltz tonight: 4IP, 3H, 1R-ER, 1B, 2K.......52 pitches, 34 strikes

Play resumed at 9:48 pm with Melvin Mora grounding out on the first pitch. The rain delay lasted one hour and 11 minutes.

Boston still leading 9-1.

By the way, if this game never gets resumed, tonight is wiped out and the Sox would lose the 9-1 lead. They would start over with a fresh game. No one is expecting that to happen though with this game three outs away from becoming official.

Hill's line: 3 1/3IP, 9H, 9R, 7ER, 3B, 3K, 2 HR........95 pitches, 56 strikes.

The Sox went 9 for 20 at bat vs. Hill tonight with five extra base hits, three doubles and two homers.

Hill was also rocked in his last start vs. Florida.

Hill's last two starts: 8IP, 17H, 15R, 13ER, 4 HR.....ERA of 14.62.

Hill allowed just one homer over 33 innings in his first seven starts. Now he has given up four in eight frames these past two starts.

Meanwhile, some dark clouds are over head. Could a rain delay make this even worse?

Jones left the game for precautionary reasons, they just announced in the press box and say he is day to day. He hit that wall pretty hard trying to catch a Kevin Youkilis homer in the top of the first.

The Red Sox have stolen two bases easily so far tonight. The pitchers just need to give Matt Wieters more help than he has been getting. Boston's running on the bases in this series has to be a little embarrasing to the home team at this point.

One thing about the Red Sox. They will play hard, every play, every day. Every pitch, every at bat. It's up to the O's to match that intensity.

So far, the hot dog race just got the biggest cheer of the night.

Hopefully the O's will warm up to the task and start doing something to garner their own cheers as this game goes on.

Jones left the game for precautionary reasons, they just announced in the press box and say he is day to day. He hit that wall pretty hard trying to catch a Kevin Youkilis homer in the top of the first.

The Red Sox have stolen two bases easily so far tonight. The pitchers just need to give Matt Wieters more help than he has been getting. Boston's running on the bases in this series has to be a little embarrasing to the home team at this point.

One thing about the Red Sox. They will play hard, every play, every day. Every pitch, every at bat. It's up to the O's to match that intensity.

So far, the hot dog race just got the biggest cheer of the night.

Hopefully the O's will warm up to the task and start doing something to garner their own cheers as this game goes on.

Hill, who is a Boston native, has certainly had an up and down year for the Orioles. He had a start where he pitched seven shutout innings vs. Seattle and another when he allowed just two runs to the Phillies.

He's also had two starts where he gave up six earned runs and another when he did not make it out of the first inning.

Hill took the loss in his last start, Thursday at Florida. In 4 1/3 innings he allowed eight hits and six runs (all earned).

Right-handed batters are hitting .283 against him while lefties hit only .185 vs. Hill. In two home starts, he is 0-0, 12.27 (10ER in 7 1/3IP).

RHP John Smoltz (0-1, 9.00) tonight makes his second Major League start of this season and the 4th of his career vs. the Orioles.

Smoltz, who signed with Boston as a free agent in January, is coming back from right shoulder surgery in June of last year. He returned to a big league mound for the first time since his surgery last Thusday at Washington.

He gave up four runs in the first inning vs. the Nats and went on to take the loss. For the game he pitched five innings, allowing seven hits and five runs. The 42-year-old Smoltz threw 92 pitches.

Smoltz made six minor league rehab starts before Thursday's outing, going 1-1, 2.63 over 27 1/3 innings.

Smoltz pitched twenty years (1988-2008) with Atlanta. His career record is 210-148, 3.27 in 3,400 innings, making 467 starts.

He is the only pitcher in Major League history with more than 200 wins and 150 career saves. He and Dennis Eckersley are the only two pitchers ever to record both a 20-win season and a 50-save season.

Smoltz is an 8-time all-star. He won the Cy Young award in 1996, going 24-8, 2.94. He is 16th on the all-time strikeouts list with 3,016.

In his career, Smoltz has made six appearances and three starts vs. the Orioles. He is 1-1, 4.37 with three saves. In 22 2/3, he has allowed 23 hits with three walks and 19 strikeouts.

Coming into tonight's game, Boston has won eight in a row and 12 of the last 13 against the O's.

"I don't know how many we've won in a row or whatever. We're just trying to come out and play good ball. If we do that, pitch well and play good D, we have a good chance of winning."

Pedroia is 10 for 21 with 5 RBI this year vs. Baltimore pitching and is a career .322 hitter vs. the O's.

Lowell, who had just one at bat over the weekend vs. Atlanta, is batting .282-10-41 on the year.

"We need him to win, especially his presence and everything," Pedroia said. "Hopefully when the time is up the DL, I know the all-star break will help, he'll get that thing rested and get back to normal."

Jeff Bailey was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket to take Lowell's roster spot and is in tonight's starting lineup, batting ninth at first base.

O's catcher Matt Wieters has been compared to Boston's Jason Varitek since the day he walked on to the Georgia Tech campus, where Varitek once put up amazing numbers.

Varitek was a three-time All-American at Tech and was named Baseball America's college Player of the Year in 1993. Wieters put up his big numbers at Tech from 2005 to 2007.

"He would come back to Tech for baseball banquets and other events. He's definitely a guy you can learn from and just see his baseball knowledge and draw from it however you can," Wieters said.

Tonight, Wieters will enter the box and see, not only Varitek catching, but someone he admires a lot on the mound, in John Smoltz. Smoltz's first season in pro baseball was 1986, the year Wieters was born.

"Growing up the Braves were on TV every night," Wieters said. "Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz I watched those three throw for it seems like ten years. It will be exciting to stand in the box against him."

Tonight, Wieters will try to get that bat heated up again. He has just two hits over his last 16 at bats.

"Baseball prepares you for that. You won't go four for four every game. You will have good stretches and bad stretches. You just want to make the good ones last as long as possible. I hope to catch a hot streak here and go with it.

"It's constantly not trying to do too much. You are only going to get one or two pitches to hit hard an at bat, so you just try to keep your normal swing and try and stay simple with it."

After getting shutdown by nemesis Jon Lester Monday night, tonight the O's face future Hall of Famer John Smoltz in game two of their three game series vs. first-place Boston.

The clubs meet at Camden Yards at 7:05 p.m. with Rich Hill (3-2, 6.03) pitching vs. Smoltz (0-1, 9.00) as the 42-year-old right hander makes his second Major League start of the season.

Lester pitched another gem vs. the Birds, limiting Baltimore to just five singles in seven innings as the Sox won 4-0 last night. Lester, now 7-6, has pitched 14 shutout innings over two starts vs. the O's on the year.

J.D. Drew led the Boston offense vs. Jason Berken with a two-run homer and triple and he scored twice. The Red Sox have scored just 10 runs in the last four games, but they have won three of them.

Boston has won eight in a row over the Orioles, scoring 60 runs in those games.

Boston is 5-0 on the season vs. the Orioles and has won 12 of the last 13 between these teams dating to last July 12th. Since the start of the 2005 season, Boston is 54-23 vs. the O's.

The Sox own a record of 81-48 all-time vs. the Birds at Camden Yards and have won 22 of the last 31 games between these teams at the Yard.

Boston has homered in 25 of its last 30 games, hitting 38 total in that time.

A win tonight and the Red Sox would have won seven series in a row. Boston is 11-3 in its last 14 road games.

The O's have lost two in a row and five of seven games. The Orioles are 23-19 at home on the year and are 6-3 in their last nine home contests.

The O's are 10-17 vs. AL East opponents, including a mark of 9-6 at home vs. division rivals.

The O's bullpen recorded four shutout innings last night and the Birds' pen has worked to an ERA of 3.18 over the last 25 games.

Ty Wigginton had two hits last night and now has a nine-game batting streak. During the streak, Wigginton is hitting .471 (16 for 34) with two homers and 5 RBI.

Red Sox batters, 2009 vs. Orioles:
Baldelli: 0-2/0/1
Bay: 2-17/1/3
Drew: 6-14/2/3
Ellsbury: 9-23/0/2
Green: 3-17/0/2
Kotsay: 2-4/0/0
Kottaras: 0-3/0/0
Lowell: 6-15/0/5
Lugo: 0-0
Ortiz: 5-21/0/3
Pedroia: 10-21/0/5
Varitek: 6-15/1/3
Youkilis: 7-18/1/5