Late Rally Lifts O's

The Orioles scored six runs in the eighth inning and beat the Blue Jays 6-5 last night in Toronto.

O's starter Brian Burres didn't have his best stuff, and left the game in the fifth inning with his team down 3-0. Burres pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs off five hits, while walking three and striking out just one. The Blue Jays added another run in the sixth inning, taking a 4-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Toronto starter Shaun Marcum silenced the O's bats. Marcum left in the eighth after giving up a lead-off double to Brian Roberts, and that's when the O's came to life. Nick Markakis immediately followed with an RBI single, followed by a 2-run shot from Melvin Mora. Kevin Millar's solo shot tied the game, and after Luke Scott reached on an error, Adam Jones belted a 2-run home run to give the Birds a 6-4 lead.

O's reliever Chad Bradford had a shaky outing in the bottom of the inning, but managed to escape with the O's lead intact. Closer George Sherrill struck out two in the ninth and recorded his 21st save.

Nick Markakis may not have homered, but he certainly seems to be finding his groove at the plate. Markakis went 4-for-4 on the night, with two doubles, a walk, a run and an RBI. Millar now leads the O's with 11 home runs, and Mora now leads the club with 33 RBIs.

"The guys just believe they're going to get it done. I keep saying it, and I know it probably seems like a broken record, but there's a tremendous sense of purpose when we play. When we're behind, we're not going to give it away. We're going to keep fighting," said O's skipper Dave Trembley (courtesy of MLB.com).

I certainly don't mind hearing it over and over; the O's have amazed me throughout the season. How many times have I said that? It seemed as if all was lost last night...down four runs in the eighth and the offense sputtering, and then suddenly the Birds hit three home runs in the inning to take the lead. What a difference from last season...the O's have the most 1-run wins in baseball (14) and are second in the league in come-from-behind victories when trailing by two runs (13, second to Philadelphia's 14).

The best part (besides the win, of course) was that ex-Oriole Armando Benitez was charged with a blown save and the loss. It's always sweeter when the O's can beat a former teammate.

The O's (30-30) are back at .500 and are now in fourth in the AL East. Jeremy Guthrie (2-6) looks for his third win of the season this afternoon; he faces A.J. Burnett (5-5).