Slumping Orioles Done In Again By Stagnant Offense
Royals 4, Orioles 3
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jason Berken delivers against the Kansas City Royals in the second inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, July 28, 2009, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
(Gail Burton - AP)
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Wednesday, July 29, 2009
BALTIMORE, July 28 -- Three batters into an outing that was going to help determine whether he would make his next start for the Orioles or the Class AAA Norfolk Tides, Jason Berken had already put his team in a two-run hole.
The Kansas City Royals' Billy Butler, who seemed incapable of making an out at that point, slammed a two-run homer, putting Berken into all-too familiar territory. However, showing the poise and perseverance that has led to the Orioles' sticking with the rookie right-hander even though his statistics suggest that they shouldn't, Berken allowed nothing else over six solid innings.
His bid at getting his second victory was halted in the eighth inning when Jim Johnson surrendered a game-tying homer to Willie Bloomquist. The Orioles then lost the game in the 11th when John Buck connected for a two-out single off Danys Baez as the Royals prevailed, 4-3, in front of an announced 21,545 at Camden Yards on Tuesday night.
Mark Teahen, who led off the 11th by reaching on a swinging bunt that stayed just inside the first base line, scored from second on Buck's hit when right fielder Nick Markakis's throw bounced off the pitcher's mound and bounded behind home plate.
Joakim Soria then pitched a scoreless bottom of the 11th to finalize five scoreless innings from the Royals' normally vulnerable bullpen. The Royals won back-to-back games for the first time since July 4-6, when they won three in a row .
In falling to a season-high 15 games under .500 and losing for the ninth time in 11 games after the all-star break, the Orioles (42-57) went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position and are 3 for 18 in such situations in the first two games of the series. Matt Wieters had a career-high four hits and Adam Jones hit a two-run homer, but the rest of the game was filled with frustration for an offense that remains buried in a slump. The Orioles stranded 11 base runners.
They broke a tie at 2 in the bottom of the sixth. Rookie Nolan Reimold led off the inning with a single, the 24th time in 42 plate appearances after the all-star break that he has reached base. Wieters then scored him with a two-out, broken-bat base hit over the head of leaping second baseman Alberto Callaspo.
Tuesday marked the second day of the Orioles' pitching tryout to see who will stay and who will go. Rookie Chris Tillman will be summoned from Class AAA to make his major league debut Wednesday.
