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09-06-2006, 09:18 AM
Kris Benson can't catch a break, the hitting has gone south, guys left on scoring position.......blah, blah, blah.
(But, Nick the Stick rocks! :thumbsup: )
Angels 5, Orioles 2
Angels HR drives off O's in 10th
Kennedy's 3-run shot ends it; Benson goes 8
By Jeff Zrebiec
Sun Reporter
Originally published September 6, 2006
Anaheim, Calif. // The Orioles walked a dangerous line all night, leaving 14 runners on, including eight in scoring position.
They finally paid for it in the 10th inning when Adam Kennedy's three-run homer off Julio Manon sent the Orioles to a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels last night before 43,658 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.
Manon had allowed a leadoff single to Garret Anderson and then a bunt single by Reggie Willits. Kennedy had tried bunting on the first pitch, but swung away on an 0-1 pitch and sent a drive soaring over the right-field wall.
In the top of the 10th, David Newhan was thrown out at the plate by Angels left fielder Chone Figgins, trying to score on Brian Roberts ' single.
The Angels had a chance to win the game in the ninth, loading the bases against Orioles closer Chris Ray . But Ray got Orlando Cabrera on a shallow fly to left-center and the dangerous Vladimir Guerrero on a groundout to first. As it turned out, it was just delaying the inevitable.
Kris Benson got a no-decision, pitching eight strong innings allowing two earned runs on nine hits. With two men on and the game tied in the eighth, first baseman Kevin Millar made a diving stop on Kennedy's grounder and flipped to Benson for the final out.
The Orioles ended a 23-inning scoreless streak - and more importantly, tied the game - in the seventh inning on Nick Markakis ' two-out RBI single. With men on first and third and the Orioles trailing 1-0, Markakis hit a hard grounder off John Lackey that bounced off converted first baseman Howie Kendrick's glove and then past a diving Kennedy, trickling into right field.
Before the single by Markakis, who was named the American League Rookie of the Month for August earlier in the day, the Orioles (61-77) had runners on scoring position in five of the previous six innings against Lackey and failed to score. They had a chance to take the lead later in the top of the seventh, but shortstop Miguel Tejada grounded out with runners on the corners.
The game tied at 1, the Angels immediately regained the lead, scoring a run in the seventh on catcher Jose Molina's sacrifice fly. Markakis' throw from short right field was on line, but not in time to get Kendrick, who started the inning with a single and then moved to third on Kennedy's hit.
Benson then loaded the bases by walking Figgins and Maicer Izturis, but catcher Ramon Hernandez threw behind Izturis and picked him off at first base to get Benson out of it.
That loomed large when the Orioles tied the game at 2 in the top of the eighth. Jay Gibbons hit a leadoff double off Scot Shields. Pinch runner Jeff Fiorentino moved to third on Newhan's infield single and scored when Hernandez hit a sacrifice fly to deep center.
Going into last night the Orioles hadn't scored since the first inning on Sunday in Oakland, a 17-inning scoreless stretch. :eek:
They've had opportunities, but an inability to drive in runners in scoring position, particularly with less than two outs, has killed them on this nine-game road trip.
In Monday's 1-0 loss to the Angels, the Orioles had runners on the corners with one out in the fifth and Hernandez hit into a double play. An inning later, the Orioles couldn't budge Brandon Fahey from second after the left fielder got there on pitcher Jered Weaver's throwing error with one out.
Last night, they were up to their old tricks early, failing to score runners from third with key two-out hits. Tejada, who entered the day as the A.L. leader in hits, struck out, leaving Melvin Mora at third in the first inning. Fahey followed suit in the second, grounding out to second with runners on the corners to end the frame.
In the fifth, the Orioles put runners on first and second, but Mora bounced into an inning-ending double play, extending the Orioles' scoreless stretch to 22 innings. Through five innings, the Orioles left five runners on base, four of them in scoring position. :banghead:
Benson, who has been a hard-luck pitcher all season, could have used the support. The veteran right-hander, who did miss a couple of starts in early August because tendinitis sent him to the disabled list, entered last night with one win since June 28, a span of nine starts.
Copyright © 2006, The Baltimore Sun
(But, Nick the Stick rocks! :thumbsup: )
Angels 5, Orioles 2
Angels HR drives off O's in 10th
Kennedy's 3-run shot ends it; Benson goes 8
By Jeff Zrebiec
Sun Reporter
Originally published September 6, 2006
Anaheim, Calif. // The Orioles walked a dangerous line all night, leaving 14 runners on, including eight in scoring position.
They finally paid for it in the 10th inning when Adam Kennedy's three-run homer off Julio Manon sent the Orioles to a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels last night before 43,658 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.
Manon had allowed a leadoff single to Garret Anderson and then a bunt single by Reggie Willits. Kennedy had tried bunting on the first pitch, but swung away on an 0-1 pitch and sent a drive soaring over the right-field wall.
In the top of the 10th, David Newhan was thrown out at the plate by Angels left fielder Chone Figgins, trying to score on Brian Roberts ' single.
The Angels had a chance to win the game in the ninth, loading the bases against Orioles closer Chris Ray . But Ray got Orlando Cabrera on a shallow fly to left-center and the dangerous Vladimir Guerrero on a groundout to first. As it turned out, it was just delaying the inevitable.
Kris Benson got a no-decision, pitching eight strong innings allowing two earned runs on nine hits. With two men on and the game tied in the eighth, first baseman Kevin Millar made a diving stop on Kennedy's grounder and flipped to Benson for the final out.
The Orioles ended a 23-inning scoreless streak - and more importantly, tied the game - in the seventh inning on Nick Markakis ' two-out RBI single. With men on first and third and the Orioles trailing 1-0, Markakis hit a hard grounder off John Lackey that bounced off converted first baseman Howie Kendrick's glove and then past a diving Kennedy, trickling into right field.
Before the single by Markakis, who was named the American League Rookie of the Month for August earlier in the day, the Orioles (61-77) had runners on scoring position in five of the previous six innings against Lackey and failed to score. They had a chance to take the lead later in the top of the seventh, but shortstop Miguel Tejada grounded out with runners on the corners.
The game tied at 1, the Angels immediately regained the lead, scoring a run in the seventh on catcher Jose Molina's sacrifice fly. Markakis' throw from short right field was on line, but not in time to get Kendrick, who started the inning with a single and then moved to third on Kennedy's hit.
Benson then loaded the bases by walking Figgins and Maicer Izturis, but catcher Ramon Hernandez threw behind Izturis and picked him off at first base to get Benson out of it.
That loomed large when the Orioles tied the game at 2 in the top of the eighth. Jay Gibbons hit a leadoff double off Scot Shields. Pinch runner Jeff Fiorentino moved to third on Newhan's infield single and scored when Hernandez hit a sacrifice fly to deep center.
Going into last night the Orioles hadn't scored since the first inning on Sunday in Oakland, a 17-inning scoreless stretch. :eek:
They've had opportunities, but an inability to drive in runners in scoring position, particularly with less than two outs, has killed them on this nine-game road trip.
In Monday's 1-0 loss to the Angels, the Orioles had runners on the corners with one out in the fifth and Hernandez hit into a double play. An inning later, the Orioles couldn't budge Brandon Fahey from second after the left fielder got there on pitcher Jered Weaver's throwing error with one out.
Last night, they were up to their old tricks early, failing to score runners from third with key two-out hits. Tejada, who entered the day as the A.L. leader in hits, struck out, leaving Melvin Mora at third in the first inning. Fahey followed suit in the second, grounding out to second with runners on the corners to end the frame.
In the fifth, the Orioles put runners on first and second, but Mora bounced into an inning-ending double play, extending the Orioles' scoreless stretch to 22 innings. Through five innings, the Orioles left five runners on base, four of them in scoring position. :banghead:
Benson, who has been a hard-luck pitcher all season, could have used the support. The veteran right-hander, who did miss a couple of starts in early August because tendinitis sent him to the disabled list, entered last night with one win since June 28, a span of nine starts.
Copyright © 2006, The Baltimore Sun