O’s Top ‘Stros in 10

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June 19, 8:08 AM

by Pete Sabatini, Baltimore O's Examiner

 

 

On Wednesday night Jeremy Guthrie poured in the performance of the season.  You can ask for no more from the righty who gave up only 3 hits in 8 innings while striking out 8 batters. 

The one run Guthrie surrendered was a Lance Berkman Eutaw St. blast in the 7th, the slugger’s 20^th of the season, that you can hardly call a blemish on Guthrie’s sparkling gem. 

This will serve as exhibit A when anyone points to the young pitcher’s woeful record because yet again he unjustly did not receive the win for his efforts.  Bradford was the recipient of Wednesday’s ‘w’ for his 2 hit, 2 inning, work in the 9^th and 10^th with the score 1-1.  That is, until the tenth.

Brian Moehler had a strong 1 run outing of his own going through 6 1/3, and the middle relief cobbled together 3 innings of shutout baseball.  Houston closer Jose Valverde was summoned in the 10^th looking for his 5^th win of the season (that’s right, 2 more than Guthrie). 

Melvin Mora, with 1 out, stroked a single to put the go-ahead run on base.  Mora then broke for second, pulling Tejada, who was 0 for 4 on the night, out of position to cover the bag, as Huff sent a short liner through the vacant shortstop hole and into left, allowing Mora to reach third.  Millar then stepped up, and on a 2-1 count, laced a game-winning single right back up the middle at Valverde.

The closer gave Millar the credit saying, “It was the same as last night -- I threw my best pitch. All of my pitches are working. My split-finger, my cutter is working. This guy was hitting good today -- nothing you can do about that."

After Luke Scott’s homerun in the 7th, the scoring should never have stopped there.  The O’s proceeded to load the bases with 1 out, but Nick Markakis struck out with his bat on his shoulder and Mora hit a weak grounder for an out. 

But, as Guthrie said after the game, “You just want to win. If the team wins, that's what's most important to me.”

Score: 2-1 Orioles (10), (Box Score)

Next Game: Houston 7:05pm Thurs., Burres (5-5) vs. Chacon (2-2)

Record: 36-34, 7.5GB

(AP Photo)

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