Saturday baseball: Boston at Orioles

Game Preview Boston (87-59) at Orioles (60-87) If it seems like the Orioles lose a lot of close games vs. Boston, well, they do. The Orioles are just 2-14 vs. the Sox this year. The clubs have played nine games decided by two runs or less and the O's are just 1-8 in those nine. Boston has won six in a row vs. the O's and over a longer stretch, is 21-3 over 24 games vs. Baltimore. Boston is 6-1 at Camden Yards this year and is 27-10 in its last 37 contests at Camden Yards. Tonight, the...
With Nolan Reimold now on the disabled list, the O's decided they could use another outfielder. They wanted to add Lou Montanez, if they could just get him to answer his phone. "I was coming out of a Salsa lesson. They were ringing my phone like crazy and I was in a Salsa lesson, working on my hips. When I got in my car I saw the messages," Montanez said. "They also contacted my agent who was in Greece on vacation. He had to contact someone else, it was like a 50 dollar phone call. ...
RHP David Hernandez (4-8, 5.40) tonight will make his 17th start of this season, his 9th at home and his 4th this year vs. Boston. To say the least, Hernandez has been hit hard lately by the home run ball. He has given up nine homers over 10 2/3 in his last three starts and allowed 12 homers over 26 innings in his past six starts. Hernandez, 2009 season: First 10 starts: 4-4, 3.81 Last six starts: 0-4, 9.00 Hernandez has allowed at least one gopher ball in nine straight starts, giving up...
We know Jon Lester won't shutout the Orioles tonight. He still may beat them. Brian Roberts led off the bottom of the first and ripped a double (his 53rd) in the gap in left center and scored on a Matt Wieters RBI single to center. In the second, Ty Wigginton homered off Lester for a 2-2 tie. In that first frame, the O's snapped Lester's current scoreless innings streak at 17. With two runs tonight vs. the lefty, they match their total of all year vs. Lester. In his first three starts...
Tonight's attendance - 39,285. Considering some of his recent outings, which included giving up four homers and six runs in 2 2/3 at Fenway Park, David Hernandez had a good one tonight. Nice bounce back effort and I'm sure the club is encouraged he got them to the 7th in a 3-3 tie. Hernandez's line: 6IP, 7H, 3R-ER, 3B, 1K, 1 HR.....93 pitches. He'd probably take back only one pitch - a hanging curve that Josh Reddick hit for a two-run homer in the second. He won't however, pick up...
The Red Sox scored three times in the 7th to break a 3-3 tie and went on to an 11-5 win over the Orioles, in front of 39,285 Saturday night at Camden Yards. Kevin Youkilis, J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell came up with RBI singles in the frame vs. the Birds Matt Albers and Alberto Castillo. The rally enabled Jon Lester to pick up yet another win vs. the Orioles. Lester, who pitched six innings and allowed three runs on 10 hits, is 4-0 this year in four starts vs. the Orioles. In 12 career starts,...
On a night his team lost 11-5, Dave Trembley saw some pitching he liked and some he didn't. "We were encouraged the way Hernandez threw. That was his best outing in a while. Albers had good numbers coming in, 1 for 7, vs. Pedroia. Youkilis, we were looking for a groundball there and didn't get it. Castillo has pitched well for us, much improved from the past, but he just didn't get outs. We had a potential double-play with McCrory on the mound, didn't get it and that opened the...
Late offense - Hard to remember that Saturday's game was actually tied 3-3 after six innings. The Red Sox scored the next eight runs to open an 11-3 lead before the Birds got some back in the last of the 9th. Boston tonight through six frames: three runs, seven hits. Boston offense, innings 7 - 9: eight runs on ten hits. When the Red Sox rallied for three runs in the 7th and five in the 8th, Jon Lester moved into position to beat the Orioles once again. The lefty pitched six innings...
Game Preview Boston (88-59) at Orioles (60-88) The Boston Red Sox, who have three series sweeps already this year vs. the Orioles, can add a fourth today when the clubs meet for the final time in 2009. Jason Berken (5-11, 6.08) pitches for the O's vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-5, 7.02) at 1:35 p.m. It's the final game of a seven-game homestand where the O's are 2-4. After today the O's have three home games left, three with Toronto to end the regular season. Boston sweeps vs. the O's,...
RHP Jason Berken (5-11, 6.08) today makes his 22nd start of this season, his 13th at home and his 4th of the year vs. Boston. Despite allowing five runs over 6 1/3 innings on Tuesday, Berken got the win vs. Tampa. He gave up four runs in the first, then settled down after that. Over his last five starts, Berken is 3-0, 4.23. Before this stretch, the 25-year-old righty had a record of 2-11, 6.72. Berken has struggled often in the first inning, giving up 25 of his 71 runs and a batting...
Luke Scott's two-run homer in the 4th inning today is his 24th this year, that's a new career high surpassing last season's total of 23 longballs. Last year he hit 23 in 475 at bats. Today, he got number 24 in his 408th at bat of the year. Last year, he hit just 5 of 23 homers off a lefty. This year he has hit 9 of 24 off lefties. Scott has hit 18 homers this year at home to six on the road. This was his third homer on the season vs. Red Sox pitching. While 24 is Scott's Major League...