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06-09-2006, 09:04 AM
Last night's game vs. the Jays. From Roch Kubatko at the Baltimore Sun. Young Adam Loewen had his 2nd start, and will definitely get another start.
Sparky's out of his slump! :thumbsup:
Orioles 7, Blue Jays 5
Standing still, O's slip past Blue Jays
Hit batsman, walk and wild pitch fuel rally in 8th inning
By Roch Kubatko
sun Reporter
Originally published June 9, 2006
The rookie left fielder didn't move out of the way of a split-fingered fastball. The second baseman, emerging from his slump, didn't swing at the last pitch he saw.
The Orioles accomplished a lot in the eighth inning last night by doing very little. Some players let the game come to them. The opponent's mistakes will do the same.
Toronto reliever Justin Speier hit Brandon Fahey on the left shin to force in the tying run, and Brian Roberts walked with the bases loaded as part of a unique rally that gave the Orioles a 7-5 victory over the Blue Jays before 17,637 at Camden Yards.
The last run scored when Speier's replacement, Scott Downs, threw a wild pitch with Melvin Mora batting.
"You don't see it that often, but we've had enough balls bounce the other way against us the entire season," Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo said. "At least the hitters put themselves in position to fight off some pitches and give themselves a chance to have something like that happen."
By creeping back at the end, the Orioles (28-33) avoided falling seven games below .500 for the first time this year as they headed to Minnesota last night to begin a three-city road trip.
They trailed 5-4 in the eighth when Ramon Hernandez doubled and Kevin Millar walked with none out. Corey Patterson bunted into a force, and Speier replaced left-hander Scott Schoeneweis. Javy Lopez singled to load the bases, and Fahey was hit after falling behind 0-2.
"I didn't move my back leg," said Fahey, who made another start in the outfield. "I thought [the pitch] was going to go in the dirt and it sailed."
Nick Markakis bounced into a force at home before Roberts worked the count full, fouled off some tough pitches and drew the walk.
"Anytime you've got the bases loaded, the pressure's certainly on the other guy," said Roberts, who has five hits in the past two games after an 0-for-19 stretch. "You've got to make him throw strikes."
Sitting in the dugout before the game, Perlozzo was asked what he hoped to get from rookie starter Adam Loewen. He went for the obvious response, figuring a shutout would be nice. But he couldn't stop there, not if he was allowed to craft the outcome.
"Maybe 98 pitches," Perlozzo said.
He didn't specify which inning.
Making his second major league start, with no assurances that another one was coming, Loewen again had trouble putting away hitters early and left in the sixth with the bases loaded and a 3-2 lead. Reliever Todd Williams allowed all three inherited runners to score.
Loewen needed 47 pitches to get through the first two innings, but threw 12 each in the third, fourth and fifth. He was gone after his 13th pitch in the sixth inning, his count at 96. All 11 hits off him in 5 1/3 innings were singles.
"The nerves are gone and I'm allowing myself to pitch the way I'm capable of," he said. "Hopefully things get better each time out."
Perlozzo said after the game that Loewen had earned another start. "I don't see how you can say no," he said.
Loewen threw 23 pitches in the first inning, stranding two runners by inducing a ground ball from Shea Hillenbrand. But consecutive two-out singles by Reed Johnson and Alex Rios in the second gave Toronto a 2-0 lead.
The Orioles tied it in the third on Mora's run-scoring single with two outs and Miguel Tejada 's infield hit.
The comeback, modest by most standards, looked huge against Roy Halladay, who was 11-4 with a 2.97 ERA lifetime against the Orioles. He hasn't lost in 10 consecutive starts this year.
Losing 5-3 in the sixth, the Orioles scratched out another run on two Toronto errors and a fielder's choice grounder from Fahey. Halladay was removed after the inning, his shortest outing in more than a month.
As for Loewen, he recorded one more out than his first start against the New York Yankees, when he allowed four runs (three earned) and six hits. He threw 102 pitches that afternoon.
"I felt the same both times," he said. "I was a little more nervous against the Yankees, but I reached past it and focused on the things I need to do to be successful."
Copyright © 2006, The Baltimore Sun
Sparky's out of his slump! :thumbsup:
Orioles 7, Blue Jays 5
Standing still, O's slip past Blue Jays
Hit batsman, walk and wild pitch fuel rally in 8th inning
By Roch Kubatko
sun Reporter
Originally published June 9, 2006
The rookie left fielder didn't move out of the way of a split-fingered fastball. The second baseman, emerging from his slump, didn't swing at the last pitch he saw.
The Orioles accomplished a lot in the eighth inning last night by doing very little. Some players let the game come to them. The opponent's mistakes will do the same.
Toronto reliever Justin Speier hit Brandon Fahey on the left shin to force in the tying run, and Brian Roberts walked with the bases loaded as part of a unique rally that gave the Orioles a 7-5 victory over the Blue Jays before 17,637 at Camden Yards.
The last run scored when Speier's replacement, Scott Downs, threw a wild pitch with Melvin Mora batting.
"You don't see it that often, but we've had enough balls bounce the other way against us the entire season," Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo said. "At least the hitters put themselves in position to fight off some pitches and give themselves a chance to have something like that happen."
By creeping back at the end, the Orioles (28-33) avoided falling seven games below .500 for the first time this year as they headed to Minnesota last night to begin a three-city road trip.
They trailed 5-4 in the eighth when Ramon Hernandez doubled and Kevin Millar walked with none out. Corey Patterson bunted into a force, and Speier replaced left-hander Scott Schoeneweis. Javy Lopez singled to load the bases, and Fahey was hit after falling behind 0-2.
"I didn't move my back leg," said Fahey, who made another start in the outfield. "I thought [the pitch] was going to go in the dirt and it sailed."
Nick Markakis bounced into a force at home before Roberts worked the count full, fouled off some tough pitches and drew the walk.
"Anytime you've got the bases loaded, the pressure's certainly on the other guy," said Roberts, who has five hits in the past two games after an 0-for-19 stretch. "You've got to make him throw strikes."
Sitting in the dugout before the game, Perlozzo was asked what he hoped to get from rookie starter Adam Loewen. He went for the obvious response, figuring a shutout would be nice. But he couldn't stop there, not if he was allowed to craft the outcome.
"Maybe 98 pitches," Perlozzo said.
He didn't specify which inning.
Making his second major league start, with no assurances that another one was coming, Loewen again had trouble putting away hitters early and left in the sixth with the bases loaded and a 3-2 lead. Reliever Todd Williams allowed all three inherited runners to score.
Loewen needed 47 pitches to get through the first two innings, but threw 12 each in the third, fourth and fifth. He was gone after his 13th pitch in the sixth inning, his count at 96. All 11 hits off him in 5 1/3 innings were singles.
"The nerves are gone and I'm allowing myself to pitch the way I'm capable of," he said. "Hopefully things get better each time out."
Perlozzo said after the game that Loewen had earned another start. "I don't see how you can say no," he said.
Loewen threw 23 pitches in the first inning, stranding two runners by inducing a ground ball from Shea Hillenbrand. But consecutive two-out singles by Reed Johnson and Alex Rios in the second gave Toronto a 2-0 lead.
The Orioles tied it in the third on Mora's run-scoring single with two outs and Miguel Tejada 's infield hit.
The comeback, modest by most standards, looked huge against Roy Halladay, who was 11-4 with a 2.97 ERA lifetime against the Orioles. He hasn't lost in 10 consecutive starts this year.
Losing 5-3 in the sixth, the Orioles scratched out another run on two Toronto errors and a fielder's choice grounder from Fahey. Halladay was removed after the inning, his shortest outing in more than a month.
As for Loewen, he recorded one more out than his first start against the New York Yankees, when he allowed four runs (three earned) and six hits. He threw 102 pitches that afternoon.
"I felt the same both times," he said. "I was a little more nervous against the Yankees, but I reached past it and focused on the things I need to do to be successful."
Copyright © 2006, The Baltimore Sun