Tuesday, April 14, 2009

O's Win a Thriller in Extra Innings

The Orioles sent nine men to the plate in the tenth inning, scoring four times, and George Sherrill held on as the Birds defeated the Rangers 7-5.

O's starter Alfredo Simon allowed three solo homers in 1 1/3 innings before being pulled due to "elbow discomfort"...his status is uncertain. The O's bullpen then went the distance, allowing no runs through the next seven frames. Dennis Sarfate, Chris Ray, Jamie Walker and Jim Johnson combined to pitch 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball, allowing just five hits and two walks while striking out seven.

Meanwhile, the O's had tied the game at three thanks to an RBI single from Adam Jones and solo shots from Aubrey Huff (his first of the season) and Luke Scott. The game stayed knotted at three from the fifth inning until the top of the tenth...

With one out and Brian Roberts on first, Adam Jones hit his first home run of the season, a monster shot to center field. Three batters later, Luke Scott's 2-run double put the O's ahead 7-3. Could the bullpen hold on?

George Sherrill came on in the non-save situation (he was pretty much the only reliever left; it was his game to win or lose) and again kept O's fans hoping they wouldn't suffer a heart attack before the game was over...Sherrill allowed singles to the first four batters he faced before recording an out, and the final two outs came on towering fly balls to the warning track...scary stuff!

The O's have now won their first three series of the season, and once again have a chance to sweep...Mark Hendrickson takes the mound tomorrow night, and he needs to pitch deep into the game, as Danys Baez and Brian Bass are the only two relievers who didn't see action tonight...Go O's!

O' Yeah...
  • The Birds are now 1-0 in extra innings, and 2-0 in the new road jerseys
  • With Toronto's loss, the O's (6-2) are in first place in the A.L. East
  • Adam Jones and Luke Scott both had 3 RBIs in the game
  • Brian Roberts went 3-for-5 and leads the team with a .441 average

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