Orioles Lose Game, Series to Sox

June 12, 10:20 PMBaltimore O's ExaminerPete Sabatini

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The last game of the O’s nine game road trip featured Jeremy Guthrie versus Jon Lester at Fenway Park.  The rubber match is the second of three games to start an hour early so the Sox nation can catch the Lakers-Celtics tip off live from the West Coast.  Because everyone knows that the first period of a basketball game is must see television.

 In the second inning, Millar took a foul ball hard off of his knee and had to leave the game during his first at bat.  Oscar Salazar stepped in to fill his role in the clean up spot.  Why not? He was hitting 1.000 on the year before today (1 for 1). 

 Early in the game, the O’s had trouble getting anything going against Lester.  Adam Jones worked a no out walk in the fifth only to get caught stealing during Jay Payton’s subsequent at bat.

Guthrie looked pretty strong through 4.1 innings, but surrendered a grand slam to Mike Lowell in the fifth.  The O’s walked the bases loaded, giving an intentional pass to Manny in the previous at bat.  Manny runs like he’s in a vat of pudding, so with one out and men on second and third, Trembley was looking for the double play.  Not a bad strategy, if it works.  Since it didn’t, Guthrie is pulled with two outs in the fourth, his shortest outing of the season.

Chad Bradford steps in to retire the only batter he had to face in the fifth, stranding one of the Sox’s 19^th century strong men, Kevin Youkilis, on third, where he seemed to be lingering all day.   

The Orioles get on the board in the top of the sixth, thanks to Salazar’s two out double that drives in Brian Roberts, who hit his own double and advanced to third on a Markakis ground out.  Huff hits the third double of the inning to drive in Salazar and make it a 5-2 game.  But Lester induces an Adam Jones pop up with Huff on third and Hernandez on first to squelch a potential rally. 

Continuing a strong performance, Youkilis hits a two run homer off of Sarfate in the seventh, once again putting a five run distance between the teams. 

Salazar then pulls a muscle legging out up the first base line.  He is replaced in the game by Freddie Bynum.  At the top of the eighth, Alex Cintron shifts to first base and Bynum takes over at short.  Cintron is thus the third Oriole of the day to play first.  Is Eddie Murray still hanging out around the broadcast booth?

JD Drew hit another two run dinger in the eighth, widening the Sox lead to 9-2.  After that, the deficit was too great for the O’s, who head back to Camden Yards for an interleague homestand.  First up, a reunion with utility man Chris Gomez.  No word on whether his former teammates will finally teach Gomez their secret handshake.   

So the birds finish a 5-4 road trip, taking two of three from Minnesota and Toronto and losing the last two of three in Boston.  The team currently stands at 32-33, eight behind the East-leading Red Sox.  They’ll face the Pirates and Astros at home, then travel to face the Brewers, Cubs, and Nationals. 

Jim Hunter and Rick Dempsey were insisting after today’s game that a winning road trip foreshadows a strong performance in the team’s next stretch, but how do you feel?   Was this a successful road trip?  The team seamed to have a chance to win most of their recent games, with today’s being the most one sided.  Where do you see the team’s record after interleague matchups?  Hopefully, the team can get some more strong pitching performances from their young arms and timely hits from the middle of the lineup, or we’ll be talking about trade deadline maneuvers by the All-Star break.

Score: 2-9 Red Sox, (Box Score)

Next Game: Pittsburgh 7:05pm, Burres vs. Dumatrait (3-3)

Record: 32-33, 8 GB

(Youkilis: AP Photo, Orioles: Getty Images)