Arrieta has another short outing as O's lose series finale with Dodgers

The Orioles' momentum in this series came to a screeching halt today in the top of the fifth inning at Camden Yards. Working with a 4-1 lead, O's starter Jake Arrieta loaded the bases on a pair of four-pitch walks and a hit batter. The Dodgers turned that into a four-run inning to take a 5-4 lead on their way to a sweep-avoiding 7-4 victory. Arrieta's inconsistency was on display as he needed just 23 pitches in the first two innings, then threw 37 in the third, followed by a 1-2-3 fourth and the fifth, where this game unraveled for him and the Orioles. His final line today was four-plus innings with two hits, five runs (all earned) five walks and six strikeouts. He threw 91 pitches and is now 1-1 with an ERA of 6.63. The Dodgers went just 2-for-12 at bat against him, but the lack of command and the walks were the difference. He has now gone five, five, five and four innings over his first four outings. Arrieta has walked 16 over 19 innings for the year. The Orioles took a 3-0 lead in the first inning on a Nick Markakis RBI single and a two-run single by J.J. Hardy off Dodgers starter Stephen Fife. Adam Jones hit a solo homer in the third, his third of the year and the lead grew to 4-1. But it didn't last. Chris Davis went 3-for-4 today and went 7-for-11 in this series with two doubles, a homer and an RBI. He is now batting .403 with 10 hits in his past 19 at-bats. With the win, Los Angeles ended a six-game losing streak and improved to 8-10. The Orioles had won three in a row, four of five and seven of 10 before this loss. They are now 10-8 overall, 5-4 at home and 4-2 on this homestand. Today's game drew 41,265 and the three-day series drew 113,324 fans to Camden Yards where the Orioles host Toronto Monday night to begin a three-game series.