O's Avoid the Sweep

The O's avoided their first home sweep of the season last night as they defeated the visiting Red Sox 6-3.

Jeremy Guthrie (2-6) pitched another great game but once again had to settle for a no-decision. Guthrie went 6 1/3 innings, giving up two runs off eight hits, walking one and striking out five. He also gave up Manny's 502nd career home run in the sixth.

The O's scored first, taking a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning. Aubrey Huff had an RBI double, followed by an RBI single from Kevin Millar.

The Red Sox were able to score single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, taking a 3-2 lead. Boston elected to go to the bullpen in the eighth, and brought in relief pitcher Hideki Okajima to preserve the lead...big mistake! What a game to be at...the back-and-forth chants from both teams' fans was incredible, and the home team ended up on top.

The O's broke through with a four-run inning, highlighted by Adam Jones' two-out, three-run double.

"I was just in the right spot in the right time," said Jones, who is 3-for-5 with nine RBIs with the bases loaded. "I like hitting with men on base. I like RBIs. [After] coming up through the Minors, I just have to be more patient and be selective and get a good pitch. He threw one right down the middle and I took it. It wasn't me that was under pressure. It was him." (courtesy of MLB.com)

The Birds took a 6-3 lead, and George Sherrill pitched a scoreless ninth to give the O's the win, snapping their four game losing streak. The Birds are now 3-3 against Boston this season.

I never posted the results from Sunday afternoon's game: the O's lost 9-4. Brian Burres was knocked out early, allowing seven runs through four innings. Steve Trachsel, now resigned to the bullpen, pitched the final five frames, allowing just two runs. Trachsel will not start a game for the foreseeable future, and the O's called up starter Radhames Liz from Triple-A Norfolk to start today against Minnesota.

The O's went 3-4 on this home series, and now play their next nine on the road against Minnesota, Toronto and Boston. The team is still in last place, with a 27-29 record.

(photos courtesy of MLB.com)