O's Use the Long Ball to Take Down Tigers

The Orioles defeated the Detroit Tigers last night, 7-4.

The Birds homered four times in the game. Luke Scott smacked two dingers, while Aubrey Huff and Melvin Mora settled for one a piece.

Mora homered in Thursday's 6-5 loss to the Tigers...looks like his bat is heating up. That was a tough loss to swallow...I couldn't blog about it, but baserunning mistakes cost the O's the game. They made it exciting in the ninth, but still lost...is there such a thing as too much rest?

The O's evened up the series last night, and even put runs on the board for Jeremy Guthrie (6-7). It certainly wasn't Guthrie's best performance; he went six innings and allowed a career-high 12 hits. He walked two and struck out five. Guthrie started the seventh, but after two singles was pulled for reliever Chad Bradford. Bradford got out of the inning which kept Guthrie as the pitcher of record. The bullpen was superb; they allowed only two hits through three innings...closer George Sherrill picked up his 29th save.

The O's play game three of this four-game series later tonight...Daniel Cabrera (6-5) takes the mound as the Birds try to start a winning streak at home...

(photos courtesy of MLB.com)

Sherrill's All-Star Performance

O! What a game! The American League won for the twelfth consecutive year, beating the National League 4-3 in 15 innings.

It looked as if the Orioles wouldn't even be recognized in the game this year, but a few breaks went our way (O's fans, not the AL) and George Sherrill was finally summoned from the bullpen in the twelfth inning. With the bases loaded and two out, Sherrill threw three pitches, all for strikes, and escaped the inning unscathed. He pitched two more scoreless innings (allowing just one hit) before being replaced by Scott Kazmir, who was credited with the win.

Thank God for an ineffective offense. The AL had the bases loaded with none out in the tenth inning and were unable to get a run (I had hoped as much; I needed an Oriole in the All-Star game). It wasn't until a sacrifice fly in the 15th inning that the AL squad finally won the game.

Sherrill blew my mind, not the game, this time. He pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, and looked fresh and confident. As much as I wanted an Oriole in the game, I certainly didn't want Sherrill to blow it. He'll be remembered for that bases loaded strikeout... (MVP!) Tip your (flat-billed) cap to George Sherrill...he deserves it.

The break was fun, but it's time to get back to business...one more day off until the O's start an 11-game homestand on Thursday...see you soon!

(photos courtesy of MLB.com)

Fourteen and counting...

The Orioles finished the first half losers in Boston, as they dropped another series and another Sunday game to the Red Sox, 2-1.

On Saturday, the Orioles were humiliated 12-1...sure glad I missed that one. Sunday's game was better, but the end result was the same: the O's are struggling. They've lost seven of eight and have now lost fourteen straight Sunday games (which has to set some sort of a record).

Daniel Cabrera minimized the damage but was pulled after just 4.1 innings...he gave up just two runs but walked six batters. The bullpen actually looked incredible, holding Boston's potent lineup to just one hit through the final frames.

Unfortunately, the bats couldn't get anything going. For the second straight game, the Birds were held to just one run. They had plenty of chances to score, but stranded runners all day before finally breaking through for a run in the ninth. Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon looked vulnerable, and the O's had the tying run at third with two outs...time for some Oriole Magic?

Melvin Mora had his chances earlier, but this was a big one...he grounded out to end the game. He finished 0 for 5 and left 11 men on base...

With the win, the Red Sox took sole possession of first place, while the O's are now dead last in the division. Maybe a few days rest will help...