Twenty one runs were scored in Sunday afternoon’s home stand finale at Camden Yards, but at the end of the day the O’s Sunday woes continued as they completed a long nine innings one run short of a win.

Get Out of Jail Free

Orioles starting pitcher Radhamas Liz wiggled out of a potentially disastrous first inning. The first two Rangers batters hit singles up the middle. Josh Hamilton grounded into what should have been an easy double play but Orioles 1B Kevin Millar had trouble picking up the ball. The Orioles had to settle for one out. Board game inventor Milton Bradley then walked to load the bases. Bradley took three walks today. Yes, he did pass go and collect 200 dollars each time.

Liz ended the inning with a strike out and a ground out, somehow escaping the first without allowing a run.

The Orioles manufactured a run the old fashioned way in the bottom half of the first. Brian Roberts stole second and third base. He came home on an Aubrey Huff sacrifice fly.

Kevin Millar used his lighting fast speed to leg out a double in the second inning. He scored on an Adam Jones single. The Orioles were up 2-0 after two innings.

MASN, We Have A Problem

Texas answered with a run in the third inning. Rick Dempsey and Sunday jinx Jim Hunter were too busy talking to a NASA astronaut to discuss the game, so I can’t recall exactly how this happened, but at one point the TV screen said the Rangers had a run with no outs. And I would trust MASN with my life, so I believe that this run did, in fact, occur.

The Rangers tied the game with two runs in the third inning, but the Orioles took the lead back with Brian Roberts’ leadoff home run in the third. Shortly thereafter, the announcers broke the news that George Sherrill will be joining the entire Red Sox roster as a 2008 All Star. Congratulations to Sherrill, a former independent leaguer who, at 31 and in his first year as closer, took the long road to stardom.

Don’t Mess With Texas

The Rangers had a big fourth inning. Liz had already thrown a 1001 pitches when he served a home run to David Murphy that looked like a birthday present. Future “where are they now” feature Adam Loewen came on to relieve Liz just before his arm fell off. Loewen got the final out of the inning, but the Rangers were up 6-3.

Loewen recorded two more outs before injuring himself for the umpteenth time. How can a 6’4” athlete be so fragile? The brittle former first round pick was replaced by Fernando Cabrera.

Orioles Capitalize on Errors

Nick Markakis and Aubrey Huff reached in the fifth inning with singles. It looked like the Rangers were going to get a double play to end the inning when Ramon Hernandez hit a weak tapper to the mound, but Texas SP Kevin Millwood threw the ball past 2B Ian Kinsler, allowing Markakis to score. Huff then scored on a Luke Scott ground out. The O’s clawed back into the game, down 6-5 after five long innings.

Narcotics Monotonous

Josh Hamilton worked a walk in the eighth inning. Hey, did you know Josh Hamilton had a crippling drug addiction? Seriously, I know it’s a big human interest story and all, but at some point announcers need to stop discussing this guy’s checkered past. Rick Dempsey wouldn’t like it if his domestic abuse jokes were brought up every time he was in the booth (check out Dempsey’s remarks here: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2864805).

Ian Kinsler came home on a sacrifice fly, adding an insurance run for Texas. Another run scored when Kevin Millar couldn’t scoop a Freddie Bynum throw from second base. George Sherrill came in and gave up a bases loaded walk for another run. German Duran blooped a single that split Adam Jones and Markakis in the outfield and two more Rangers scored. The Rangers ran away with an 11-5 lead after seven and a half innings.

Sugar, We’re Going Down

But the Orioles weren’t ready to give up just yet. In the eighth, Nick Markakis smashed the ball to right center field, a three RBI shot that scored Freddie Bynum and Brian Roberts.

Kevin Millar hit a leadoff home run in the ninth inning to close the gap further. Jay Payton and Adam Jones went down swinging, but pinch hitter Melvin Mora clubbed another homerun. The Orioles were down by one with one out left in the game. Brian Roberts had a chance to be the hero, but he went down swinging.

So, there you have it. The fans looking for a free ticket went home unhappy as the Orioles dropped their 13^th straight Sunday contest. I listened to black cat Jim Hunter and domestic abuse humorist Rick Dempsey for an excruciating three hours and fifty minutes, so you didn’t have to.

Score: 10-11 Texas

Record: 44-43, 11GB

Next Game: @ Toronto. 7:07 Tues. Cabrera (6-4, 4.34 ERA) vs. McGowan (6-7, 4.36 ERA)

(Photo: Mr. Monopoly, Courtesy Hasbro)

Topics: Mr. Monopoly , Nick Markakis , Josh Hamilton