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07-04-2006, 08:56 AM
HOLY MOLY!!
Eric Bedard was amazing last night!!! This guy is making good on the promise he showed in the beginning. He's been consistently good lately. He 2-hit the White Sox!!! :hail:
Corey Patterson, Miggy, Nick Markakis......good stuff. :thumbsup:
WELL DONE, GUYS!!! :cheer:
Orioles 8, White Sox 1
Bedard keeps rolling
Left-hander stymies White Sox, wins his fourth straight
By Jeff Zrebiec
Sun Reporter
Originally published July 4, 2006
CHICAGO // When manager Sam Perlozzo met with his team before last night's game against the Chicago White Sox, he reminded the Orioles of the opportunity at hand. For the next four days, the Orioles would face the reigning world champions and the team with the second-best record in the major leagues.
Perlozzo stressed only positives, ignoring the fact that the standings - not to mention the Orioles' dismal road record - suggest that this series will be a huge mismatch.
"Go out and play well and make a statement," Perlozzo said he told his team. Before a sellout crowd of 38,829 at U.S. Cellular Field, Erik Bedard seized the moment, allowing one run and two hits over eight innings as the Orioles routed the White Sox, 8-1.
Winning his fourth straight start, Bedard (9-6) held the highest-scoring team in the American League to a home run and a single by Jermaine Dye, overmatching every other White Sox hitter. He struck out All-Star sluggers Paul Konerko and Jim Thome a combined three times. Overall, Bedard struck out seven and walked one, retiring the last 13 batters he faced before leaving after the eighth.
"He pitched really good the first half last year, but I don't think he's had the stuff that he's had now," said Perlozzo, whose team won for just the 11th time in the past 34 road games. "He was in total command against an outstanding offensive ballclub."
With the left-hander's pitch count at 102, Perlozzo wanted to send Bedard out there for the ninth, but when he asked the pitcher how he felt, Bedard said, "I am done." Kurt Birkins came on to pitch a perfect ninth, striking out Thome to end the game.
In his past four outings, Bedard has pitched a total of 29 innings, allowing just four runs (1.24 ERA), and 12 hits and walking only six. His ERA has dropped from 5.69 to 4.44 during that span. Dye's second-inning home run, which gave the White Sox a 1-0 lead, broke Bedard's streak of 17 scoreless innings.
"That's what you are supposed to do. You give up runs and you come back and battle," Bedard said. "I am just throwing strikes and getting ahead of hitters. I have a lot of confidence."
With Bedard setting down the White Sox (53-29) at a rapid pace, the Orioles (39-45) broke the game open with a four-run sixth inning, capitalizing on three errors from the uncharacteristically sloppy White Sox, who paid for their poor defense in more ways than on the scoreboard.
Second baseman Tadahito Iguchi suffered a mild sprain of his left ankle and could miss the rest of the series after a hard collision with Dye in right field.
With the Orioles leading 6-1, Miguel Tejada and Corey Patterson hit bases-empty home runs to right field off reliever Brandon McCarthy in the seventh, providing the exclamation point.
It was Tejada's 17th home run of the season but his first since June 13. Patterson's 10th homer of the season was a particularly rewarding one, as the center fielder was booed at every opportunity by the Chicago crowd, which obviously remembered his struggles last season with the Cubs.
The Orioles pounded White Sox starter Freddy Garcia for 10 hits and six runs (four earned) over six innings. Continuing his offensive surge, rookie Nick Markakis was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and has 14 hits in his past 22 at-bats.
"We've got our work cut out for us the next three days," Perlozzo said. "If you think you are going to go through this ballclub very easily, you've got another thing coming. The guys battled hard tonight and played well."
For the Orioles, the only downer of the night came when catcher Ramon Hernandez was hit in the right knee by a foul tip in the fifth. He was removed from the game in favor of the also banged-up Javy Lopez in the eighth. Perlozzo was hoping to get Hernandez the day off this afternoon anyway, so he could pair Rodrigo Lopez with his preferred catcher, Javy Lopez .
"I am a little sore," Hernandez said. "Every time I got up and then got down, it got really painful. I couldn't do it anymore."
Hernandez raved about Bedard's ability to consistently spot his fastball on both sides of the plate while mixing in his off-speed pitch, including his changeup. That's the pitch that has enabled the usually laborious pitcher to work quicker and cut down on his pitch count.
"His pitch count has been really good since he's come up with [the changeup] and been able to throw it for strikes," Perlozzo said. "For some reason, his breaking ball has come with it. He locates. His success is because he locates the pitches he throws."
From his vantage point at second base, Brian Roberts said Bedard has just gotten "better and better" over his past four starts.
"We all know what's there," Roberts said. "Every single one of us on this team, everyone on other teams, knows what he's capable of. It's just a matter of consistently doing it."
Copyright © 2006, The Baltimore Sun
Eric Bedard was amazing last night!!! This guy is making good on the promise he showed in the beginning. He's been consistently good lately. He 2-hit the White Sox!!! :hail:
Corey Patterson, Miggy, Nick Markakis......good stuff. :thumbsup:
WELL DONE, GUYS!!! :cheer:
Orioles 8, White Sox 1
Bedard keeps rolling
Left-hander stymies White Sox, wins his fourth straight
By Jeff Zrebiec
Sun Reporter
Originally published July 4, 2006
CHICAGO // When manager Sam Perlozzo met with his team before last night's game against the Chicago White Sox, he reminded the Orioles of the opportunity at hand. For the next four days, the Orioles would face the reigning world champions and the team with the second-best record in the major leagues.
Perlozzo stressed only positives, ignoring the fact that the standings - not to mention the Orioles' dismal road record - suggest that this series will be a huge mismatch.
"Go out and play well and make a statement," Perlozzo said he told his team. Before a sellout crowd of 38,829 at U.S. Cellular Field, Erik Bedard seized the moment, allowing one run and two hits over eight innings as the Orioles routed the White Sox, 8-1.
Winning his fourth straight start, Bedard (9-6) held the highest-scoring team in the American League to a home run and a single by Jermaine Dye, overmatching every other White Sox hitter. He struck out All-Star sluggers Paul Konerko and Jim Thome a combined three times. Overall, Bedard struck out seven and walked one, retiring the last 13 batters he faced before leaving after the eighth.
"He pitched really good the first half last year, but I don't think he's had the stuff that he's had now," said Perlozzo, whose team won for just the 11th time in the past 34 road games. "He was in total command against an outstanding offensive ballclub."
With the left-hander's pitch count at 102, Perlozzo wanted to send Bedard out there for the ninth, but when he asked the pitcher how he felt, Bedard said, "I am done." Kurt Birkins came on to pitch a perfect ninth, striking out Thome to end the game.
In his past four outings, Bedard has pitched a total of 29 innings, allowing just four runs (1.24 ERA), and 12 hits and walking only six. His ERA has dropped from 5.69 to 4.44 during that span. Dye's second-inning home run, which gave the White Sox a 1-0 lead, broke Bedard's streak of 17 scoreless innings.
"That's what you are supposed to do. You give up runs and you come back and battle," Bedard said. "I am just throwing strikes and getting ahead of hitters. I have a lot of confidence."
With Bedard setting down the White Sox (53-29) at a rapid pace, the Orioles (39-45) broke the game open with a four-run sixth inning, capitalizing on three errors from the uncharacteristically sloppy White Sox, who paid for their poor defense in more ways than on the scoreboard.
Second baseman Tadahito Iguchi suffered a mild sprain of his left ankle and could miss the rest of the series after a hard collision with Dye in right field.
With the Orioles leading 6-1, Miguel Tejada and Corey Patterson hit bases-empty home runs to right field off reliever Brandon McCarthy in the seventh, providing the exclamation point.
It was Tejada's 17th home run of the season but his first since June 13. Patterson's 10th homer of the season was a particularly rewarding one, as the center fielder was booed at every opportunity by the Chicago crowd, which obviously remembered his struggles last season with the Cubs.
The Orioles pounded White Sox starter Freddy Garcia for 10 hits and six runs (four earned) over six innings. Continuing his offensive surge, rookie Nick Markakis was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and has 14 hits in his past 22 at-bats.
"We've got our work cut out for us the next three days," Perlozzo said. "If you think you are going to go through this ballclub very easily, you've got another thing coming. The guys battled hard tonight and played well."
For the Orioles, the only downer of the night came when catcher Ramon Hernandez was hit in the right knee by a foul tip in the fifth. He was removed from the game in favor of the also banged-up Javy Lopez in the eighth. Perlozzo was hoping to get Hernandez the day off this afternoon anyway, so he could pair Rodrigo Lopez with his preferred catcher, Javy Lopez .
"I am a little sore," Hernandez said. "Every time I got up and then got down, it got really painful. I couldn't do it anymore."
Hernandez raved about Bedard's ability to consistently spot his fastball on both sides of the plate while mixing in his off-speed pitch, including his changeup. That's the pitch that has enabled the usually laborious pitcher to work quicker and cut down on his pitch count.
"His pitch count has been really good since he's come up with [the changeup] and been able to throw it for strikes," Perlozzo said. "For some reason, his breaking ball has come with it. He locates. His success is because he locates the pitches he throws."
From his vantage point at second base, Brian Roberts said Bedard has just gotten "better and better" over his past four starts.
"We all know what's there," Roberts said. "Every single one of us on this team, everyone on other teams, knows what he's capable of. It's just a matter of consistently doing it."
Copyright © 2006, The Baltimore Sun