Bullpen Fails to Hold Late-Inning Lead : Rays 10, Orioles 5
By Marc Carig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 13, 2008
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 11 -- Reprinted from yesterday's late editions
The Baltimore Orioles arrived here before dawn, bleary-eyed after a long, fruitless day at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Tex. They had just absorbed a momentum-killing double-header sweep by the Texas Rangers, seeing their six-game winning streak evaporate in a cloud of missed opportunities.
The Orioles were a team officially facing their first dose of adversity this season. And on Friday the Tampa Bay Rays ensured that there would be no relief.
After a stellar start to the season, the Orioles' bullpen surrendered a three-run lead during what devolved into a 10-5 thrashing by the Rays in front of 12,146 at Tropicana Field.
Rays first baseman Carlos Peña drove in six runs, hitting a game-tying three-run homer in the seventh inning, his second shot of the game. Then, he drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning off reliever Dennis Sarfate to give the Rays the go-ahead run, completing a stunning bullpen implosion.
The Orioles' relief corps entered the game with an American League-leading 0.93 ERA in nine games this season. But after inheriting a 5-2 lead, Sarfate, Jamie Walker and Greg Aquino surrendered eight runs over the last 1 2/3 innings.
"I started the fire and it got a little ignited, but I blame myself for that one," said Walker, who surrendered Peña's homer.
"I take full blame. If I make a good pitch location, I'm 1-2-3 and we're out. We're winning, we're partying."
For a while, it looked as if the Orioles were ready to celebrate.
Baltimore scored three unearned runs after the Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett threw away what would have been the final out of the first inning, with the biggest blow coming on a two-run double by left fielder Luke Scott. Brian Roberts and Ramón Hernández each collected RBI to push the Orioles' lead to 5-2.
But the Orioles missed a chance to put the game away when Aubrey Huff popped out with the bases loaded in the seventh inning, "They got the hit in that situation and we didn't," Orioles Manager Dave Trembley said.
"If Huff would have hit one there, it would have broke the game wide open and then I wouldn't have had to bring Walker in the game. It didn't happen. That's baseball."
Still, right-hander Jeremy Guthrie pitched into the seventh inning, scattering eight hits while allowing just two runs, good enough to put his team in position to win. For the first time in his three starts, he left the game with the lead, after 6 1/3 innings.
But after Guthrie got Jason Bartlett to fly out leading off the seventh, Trembley summoned Walker to face a row of three Rays lefties.
"That's exactly where we wanted to be," said Guthrie, who expected to be pulled in that spot.
But Akinora Iwamura reached on an infield single and Carl Crawford blooped another single into short center, the 1,000th hit of his career. Then Peña followed with his heroics, tying the game at 5 after golfing Walker's 76 mph curve ball about 10-rows deep into the seats in right field.
Sarfate entered the game after Walker failed to retire a batter. But he struggled badly with his control, walking four while allowing three runs, including the game-winner.
"I wouldn't say they beat me," said Sarfate, who hadn't allowed a run in four appearances before Friday.
"I beat myself. That's a game we should have one. It's just one of those things. I wasn't go the whole year without having a bad outing. It's early on, we've got to live with it and tomorrow's a new day."
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