BALTIMORE — Rookie Zach Britton kept waiting and waiting in the hopes that the finest start of his young career turned into his sixth victory.
It didn’t, which was about the Baltimore Orioles’ only regret on this night.
Britton was masterful in nine scoreless innings, but the Orioles didn’t win it until J.J. Hardy’s one-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 12th inning scored two runs and lifted the Orioles to a 2-1 victory in front of an announced 19,082 at Camden Yards.
The Mariners had taken the lead and broken a scoreless deadlock on Miguel Olivo’s two-out RBI single off Jim Johnson in the top of the 12th.
But the first three Orioles reached in the bottom of the inning with Derrek Lee hitting a single and Mariners closer Brandon League hitting consecutive batters in Vladimir Guerrero and Adam Jones to load the bases with no outs. Matt Wieters lined out on an outstanding play by shortstop Luis Rodriguez. But Hardy followed by grounding the ball through the drawn-in infield and into centerfield.
Pinch runner Jake Fox slid in ahead of center fielder Michael Saunders’s throw as Baltimore (17-19) celebrated its second walk-off victory over Seattle in three days and their first three-game sweep over the Mariners since May 24-26, 2005.
Britton allowed just three hits, walked none and struck out five. He retired the final 13 hitters that he faced in the 108-pitch gem, in which the 23-year-old never even allowed a runner to get beyond first base. He threw 76 of his 108 pitches for strikes in lowering his ERA to 2.42 through eight starts this season.
But he became the first Oriole starter to throw nine scoreless innings and get a no-decision since Mike Morgan did it on April 16, 1988.
That occurred because Mariners left-hander Jason Vargas was even more efficient and almost as dominant in matching Britton. He allowed seven hits, walked one and struck out four in his stellar 100-pitch performance, also over nine scoreless innings.
Baltimore entered 2-8 against left-handed starters this season despite adding right-handed hitters Lee, Guerrero, Hardy and Mark Reynolds this offseason.
The Orioles had chances early against Vargas, but were done in by the double-play ball. Brian Roberts led off the bottom of the first with a single, breaking an 0-for-26 and a 1-for-34 slump. However, he was erased on the next pitch when Nick Markakis, who returned to the lineup after missing Wednesay’s game with the flu, bounced into a double play.
Adam Jones got things started in the second inning with a one-out bunt single that made him 8-for-11 in the series against his former club. Wieters followed by lining a single down left-field line, putting runners on the corners. Hardy then hit a comebacker back to Vargas, who threw to second to start the inning-ending double play.
Vargas induced his third double play in the third inning when Roberts followed Robert Andino’s one-out single by hitting into one. Through four innings, Vargas had allowed four hits, but thrown only 38 pitches.
Hardy got the Orioles fifth hit with two outs in the fifth inning and he was stranded when Reynolds struck out, widening his slump to 0-for-16 with seven strikeouts.
Baltimore had another chance in the sixth when Andino hit a leadoff single and then advanced to second on a passed ball charged to Olivo. However, Vargas got Markakis to pop out in the infield and then Lee was retired on a swinging bunt right out in front of the plate.
In the seventh, Wieters lined a two-out single, but the inning ended with Hardy grounding into a fielder’s choice. Through seven, Vargas’s pitch count was just 78. In contrast, the Mariners’ reigning American League Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez needed 105 pitches to just get through five innings on Wednesday night.
They threatened again in the bottom of the eighth when Reynolds drew a five-pitch walk. Andino dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move pinch runner Felix Pie to second base. However, that’s where he stayed as Roberts grounded out and Markakis struck out looking.
Britton, who was coming off the shortest outing of his young career as he allowed three earned runs in 5 1 / 3 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays in his previous start, was cruising as well. His command an issue in recent starts, Britton pounded the strike zone early, throwing 22 of his first 28 pitches over the first two innings for strikes.
Through four innings, the young left-hander had allowed two hits, struck out two and thrown 41 of his 56 pitches for strikes.
The offensively-challenged Mariners had one-out singles against Britton in the second inning, the fourth and the fifth and each time the baserunner never even was able to reach second base. Luis Rodriguez tried after he reached on a fielder’s choice with two outs in the fifth inning and he was promptly thrown out stealing by Wieters.
That was the last time the Mariners would have a baserunner against Britton.
— The Baltimore Sun
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