Gut-check time for Britton (updated)

By Roch Kubatko

Orioles

April 26, 2011, 4:46pm

Comments

Say this for Zach Britton: The kid doesn't pitch like he's scared. Britton loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth on a single, double and four-pitch walk. Adrian Gonzalez stepped to the plate. Britton had a crisis on his young hands. Rather than buckle, he got ahead, 1-2, and retired Gonzalez on a bouncer to second baseman Brian Roberts, who flipped to Robert Andino for the force. Britton has thrown 84 pitches, 51 for strikes. Derrek Lee is 2-for-3 tonight, with singles to left and right field, to raise his average to .228. I guess he'll keep hitting third. Vladimir Guerrero and Matt Wieters also have singled twice. The Orioles need to tack on some runs. They have nine hits and are batting with one out in the fifth. If they led the Red Sox hang around...well...it might end poorly. Instant update: Adam Jones produced his second sacrifice fly. Orioles 3, Red Sox 1. This is the 28th time in club history that a player has two sacrifice flies in the same game. Yes, someone is keeping track.