Highlighting MASN's unique position as the home of two MLB teams, booth will feature combined talent for May and June inter-league "Battles of the Beltway" between the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles

2008 Beltway Series begins tonight as the Nats visit the O's at 7:00pm on MASN, MASN2, & MASN HD

MASN, the television home of both the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles, will produce an unprecedented mixed talent broadcast during upcoming inter-league play between the Nationals and the Orioles. The first Battle of the Beltway of the 2008 season begins on Friday, May 16 live from Oriole Park at 7:05 pm. The second inter-league series takes place June 27, 28, 29 at Nationals Park. All six of the games will also be available on MASN's new high-definition channel, MASN HD.

For this weekend's series, the Washington Nationals talent team featuring Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton and veteran play-by-play announcer Bob Carpenter will join the Orioles booth, which includes nationally-renowned play-by-play announcer Gary Thorne and Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer. Nationals' sideline reporter Debbi Taylor will join the Orioles' Amber Theoharis throughout the game with insights and interviews from both teams.

"The Nationals are always excited about inter-league play with our Beltway rivals," said Nationals President Stan Kasten. "I believe our fans will appreciate hearing a different perspective during MASN's broadcasts of both series."

The pre and post game shows, Nats Xtra and O's Xtra will be produced separately.

Inter-league play resumes between the two teams on June 27, 28 and 29 at Nationals Park. For that series, Jim Hunter and Buck Martinez will join Don Sutton and Bob Carpenter in the Nationals booth. Martinez played and coached in the American League for 31 years and hosts the nationally-broadcast show "Baseball this Morning" on XM Radio. Again, Amber Theoharis will jointly cover sideline reporting with Debbi Taylor.

"It is fun, it is unique, and it highlights two of MASN's best features: the network's coverage of two MLB teams and our all-star caliber broadcast talent," said MASN spokesman Todd Webster. "Few fans get to have a Hall of Fame pitcher analyzing their team's ballgames. This weekend, Nats and O's fans will get two Hall of Famers."

With every available Nationals and Orioles game throughout the season, pre and post game shows before and after every game, eighty games in high definition and one of the best talent teams in all of baseball, MASN provides maximum access to both the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles.

]]> 2008-05-17T03:56:38Z 2008-05-16T05:57:58Z tag:masnsports.com,2008://3.950 2008-05-16T05:57:58Z

Garrett Olson improved to 3-0 and George Sherrill picked up his 16th save as the O's beat the Nationals, 5-3, in front of 29,266 at Camden Yards.

The Birds have won three in a row and six of seven in improving to 22-19.

Luke Scott's solo homer in the 4th tied the game at three and the O's went ahead 5-3 in the 5th on a Melvin Mora rbi double and Kevin Millar rbi single.

The O's ended a four-game losing streak vs. the Nats.

Game two of this series is Saturday night at 7:05pm.

OLSON IMPROVES TO 3-0 AS O'S BEAT NATS, 5-3

On a night when Garrett Olson didn't seem to have his "A" game, a couple of young O's relievers did have their top stuff, as the Orioles beat Washington, 5-3, Friday night to start a three-game series.

Olson, now 3-0, allowed three runs on nine hits in five innings. He threw 70 pitches as his ERA increased from 2.95 to 3.47.

After the O's got the 5-3 lead, the bullpen made sure it stood up.

Matt Albers pitched two scoreless innings and Jim Johnson one, as the young guns combined to fan six over three innings.

George Sherrill picked up his 16th save.

The O's improved to 22-19 with their third win in a row and 6th in 7 games. They are 3-0 on this homestand and now 13-6 at home this season. The Nationals fall to 18-25.

Ryan Zimmerman's two-run single in the first put the Nats ahead. The O's scored twice in the third on a Nick Markakis RBI and an error to tie it, 2-2.

After Washington went back ahead, Luke Scott's solo HR in the 4th tied it at 3. It was his third homer of the year and second in three games.

The O's scored twice in the 5th for a 5-3 lead. Brian Roberts led off with a triple and a Melvin Mora double gave the O's their first lead of the night, at 4-3. Later in the frame, Kevin Millar's RBI single made it a 5-3 contest.

Wash 3-11-1
Balt 5-9-0

POST-GAME NOTES

THE SHUTDOWN RELIEF

The O's bullpen was dominant tonight with four innings of shut down relief. Albers pitched two scoreless with three strikeouts. Johnson faned three in the 8th and Sherrill got three quick outs on 8 pitches in the 9th to record his 16th save to tie for the league lead.

The pen tonight: 4ip, 2h, 0r, 1b. 6k.

MORA PLAYS HURT

Melvin Mora said after the game his injured right shoulder was still hurting but that he hoped to play again tomorrow. He played well tonight. His rbi double in the 4th gave the O's their first lead of the night at 4-3. He also had a solid night in the field and made a very nice play on Christian Guzman's grounder to deep third in the 5th.

LUUUUKKKEEEE !

Luke Scott, after not hitting a homer in over a month, now has two in three games and three on the season. His blast in the 4th tied the game at three and went 385 feet to right center. It came on a 1-1 pitch from Shawn Hill.

ROBERTS AND JONES

Brian Roberts went 2-4 with a triple and scored two runs. He now has a five-game hitting streak and is 7-17 with six runs scored during the streak. His average is up to .271.

Adam Jones went 2-3 with a pair of singles and now has 5 hits in his last 9 at bats over three games. He is now batting .245.

FINAL NOTES

The Orioles ended a four-game losing streak vs. the Nats.........Jones picked up his 8th multi-hit game.........the O's are now 19-5 when scoring four runs or more.........The Birds have scored 33 runs in winning six of seven games.............the Nats fall to 8-14 in road games.......Nick Markakis doubled in the 8th, snapping a 1-16 slide........the O's improve to 80-114 all time in interleague games.....the attendance was 29,266 bringing the season total to 435,707 for 19 dates.

KEY QUOTES

Dave Trembley on Olson

"Olson learned how to pitch tonight without his best stuff. I don't know if he could have done that last year. From the first hitter he didn't have good velocity or finish on his pitches, but he competed. He put a zero up after we scored. It's a real credit to him what he did for five innings."

Dave Trembley on Jim Johnson

"I didn't want to go to him. But he's hot and he's on a roll right now, it's that simple. Put him in there."

Matt Albers on the bullpen effort

"Top to bottom the pen is doing well. We just want to keep it up. We want to stay confident and stay with our game."

Olson on winning without his best stuff

"You're going to have your A game maybe 10 or fewer times out of 30 starts a year. So there's a big chunk of games where you have to battle and find it. I felt good in the bullpen but went out there and it just wasn't there."

Melvin Mora on his injured shoulder

"It hurts now, it's sore. I played today, I can play tomorrow."

Steve Melewski's live GameBlog

O'S LEADING AFTER SEVEN

The O's still lead, 5-3, now after seven innings. Matt Albers has pitched two scoreless in relief and is still on in the 8th.

Tonight's attendance is 29,266 but there were a lot of no shows tonight due to the weather. This might be the coldest night of the year at the park.

OLSON'S NIGHT IS DONE

Olson is lifted after five innings. It's the shortest of his four starts this year. He made a great defensive play that ended the top of the 5th, catching Lastings Milledge's hot liner back to the box with two men on for the third out.

Olson tonight: 5ip, 9h, 3r-er, 0b, 3k........70 pitches.

Matt Albers comes on to start the 6th.

O'S GET THEIR FIRST LEAD

O's 5 Nats 3.....end of 5th

Brian Roberts led off the last of the 5th with a triple to right. Melvin Mora followed with a double to the gap in right center for his 22nd RBI and the O's first lead tonight, 4-3.

Roberts is 2-3 with two runs scored. He now has a five-game hit streak during which he is 7-16 and his average is up to .273.

Later in the inning, a Kevin Millar rbi single made it 5-3, he got thrown out trying to advace to second on the throw home.

O's have scored five runs on 7 hits in the last three innings.

LUKE GOES LONG

O's 3 Nats 3.....end of four

Luke Scott's solo homer, in the last of the 4th, ties the game, 3-3. It's his third homer of the year and second in three games. Scott hit a 1-1 pitch from Shawn Hill 385 feet to right center.

Adam Jones is 2-2 tonight and now has five hits his last 8 at bats.

Nats 3 O's 2.....middle of 4th

Three straight singles by Boone, Milledge and Flores loades the bases with no outs for the Nats in the 4th. Olson got Wily Mo Pena on a called third strike, Elijah Dukes hit a sac fly to left for a 3-2 lead and Felipe Lopez lined to center.

Pretty good job by Olson mimizing that damage, but he has allowed three runs on eight hits already. That was exactly what he allowed in 5.1 ip in his last start, last Saturday, in KC.

O's 2 Nats 2......end of third

Jones and Roberts singled in the third and a walk to Mora loaded them up for Markakis with one out. Nick hit a ground ball to third, it was a chance for a double play. But Mora's hard slide into second forced 2B Felipe Lopez to throw wildly past first base and two runs scored on that play. Markakis was credited wiht one RBI, his 19th. One run was unearned as the O's tie it 2-2 after three.

Three-inning totals

Wash 2-5-1
Balt 2-3-1

NATS STRIKE FIRST

Ryan Zimmerman's two-run single gives Washington a 2-0 lead after a half inning. The first three batters reached vs. Olson as Felipe Lopez led off with a single and went to third on Christian Guzman's double.

Olson got out of it after that but some balls were hit hard in that top of the first. He threw 23 pitches in that frame.

INTERLEAGUE PLAY IS UNDERWAY

The O's and Nats have begun their three-game series at Camden Yards. Two injured O's in Melvin Mora and Ramon Hernandez, have returned to the lineup.

First pitch was at 7:07pm and it's 62 degrees at first pitch.

PREVIEW NOTES

Both teams enter the series playing pretty good ball. The Birds just swept a two-game series from Boston, in the process knocking the Sox out of first place. The Nationals beat the Mets 1-0 Thursday and took three of four in that series.

After 5-4 and 6-3 wins over the Red Sox, the O's have won five of their last six, are 21-19 overall and 12-6 in home games.

The O's used two solid starting pitching efforts, key homers from Luke Scott and Jay Payton and two saves from George Sherrill to knock off the Sox.

The Orioles are 79-114 since interleague play began in 1997, a winning percentage of .409 which is the worst among AL teams and ahead of only Pittsburgh's .377 percentage in all of the majors. The O's were 6-12 last season in interleague play and that included their 2-4 mark vs. the Nationals.

The Nats, after winning the first three games of the season, fell to 4-12 on April 17th. But they are 14-12 since that point and have won their past two games. They are 7-7 in May and 8-13 in road games.

THE PITCHERS

Lefty Garrett Olson (2-0 2.95) makes his 4th start of the season since his recall from Norfolk. Olson has allowed 16 hits in 18.1 IP with seven walks and 15 strikeouts.

He got the win last Saturday at Kansas City when he gave up three runs and eight hits in 5.1 innings.

The 24-year-old has been tough early in his three starts this season. In the first two innings, opponents are 2-19 vs. Olson. He's also been solid when in trouble, giving up just 1 hit in 11 opponent at bats with runners in scoring position.

Olson has never pitched vs. Washington.

Righty Shawn Hill (0-0 3.56) will make his 6th start for the Nats. He pitched well in getting another no-decision Sunday vs. Florida. He gave up just five hits and two runs in seven innings with no walks and three strikeouts.

In two road starts this season, the Ontario native is 0-0 6.10 (7er - 10.1ip).

Hill has retired the side in order in the first inning of all five of his starts this year, opponents going 0-15. But, in the second and third innings, he gives up an average of .366 (15-41).

In 30 career starts, Hill is 6-10 4.36. The 27-year-old Hill was drafted in the sixth round by Montreal in 2000.

PRE-GAME NOTES FROM CAMDEN YARDS

TONIGHT'S ORIOLES LINEUP

2B Brian Roberts (.265-3-15)
3B Melvin Mora (.252-5-21)
RF Nick Markakis (.261-7-18)
DH Aubrey Huff (.262-6-23)
1B Kevin Millar (.230-5-20)
LF Luke Scott (.271-2-13)
C Ramon Hernandez (.215-3-17)
CF Adam Jones (.235-2-11)
SS Freddie Bynum (.318-0-0)
P Garrett Olson (2-0 2.95)

Dave Trembley said he feels Hernandez is just about at 100 percent after dealing with an injured left wrist that has forced him to miss four straight games. He was not as convinced about Mora and his injured left shoulder. He told reporters to write him in the lineup "in pencil" to see if he comes thru pre-game warm ups fine and can play.

WALKER STAYING CONFIDENT

Despite the fact he has allowed 17 hits in 11 innings this year and despite the fact that left-handed batters are hitting .394 against him in 2008, veteran reliever Jamie Walker remains confident.

"I'm still confident, you gotta have that swagger and that's what I tell the younger guys down there. You've got to keep a good attitude and just go out and battle."

How does he analyze his struggles this year vs. lefty hitters ?

"You beat yourself up. You try to forget because I'll be out there almost every day. I've got to simplify things and regroup. The worst thing is feeling bad for yourself, because that hitter won't feel bad for you."

He said his release point has been off on a couple of pitches and he has looked at his mechanics to fix that.

JOHNSON ADJUSTING JUST FINE

After spending his entire career as a starting pitcher, righty Jim Johnson is adapting to life as a reliever. With stats of 0-1 and an ERA of 1.19, he certainly has made the transition well. American League hitters are batting just .145 off Johnson.

But does he have any concern about being used too much and how is his arm handling life in the pen ?

"I just have to monitor how I feel. I did talk to Dave Trembley in Oakland and asked for a day or two off and he did that and he was pretty cautious about using me in Kansas City. He told me what days to be ready for, so he's been good about letting me know."

Dave Trembley says Johnson has improved his delivery this year and he has better life on his fastball.

"For a guy who has never pitched out of the pen before he has shown the ability to pitch back to back days. He has shown the ability to come in, in the middle of an inning. He hasn't shown any fear or lack of poise. When someone is hot, you keep going to them, within reason.

"I pitched him three days in a row there then gave him three days off. Tuesday night he threw 30 pitches, so Wednesday, with a day game, I wasn't going to use him."

DAVE TREMBLEY'S PRE-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE

The skipper could not figure out why the O's have been so bad in interleague play. They are just 79-114 all-time in interleague games.

"I think it's just part of the game. Sometimes you face teams that are hot at that time. It's just the bounce of the ball and part of the game. Sometimes I don't have adequate answers for things that happen in this game."

Trembley was asked about the club taking momentum from the Boston series.

"We got contributions from a lot of guys vs. Boston. We kept our poise when we were behind. There's a real sense with our team that we will compete the entire game and have a chance to win. That's been our approach. There's a belief you get when you've done it before."

Trembley was asked his reaction to the O's magic video.

"I was asked to take part and I politely declined. It goes along with these guys, they are having a good time and having fun. They are doing some things to try and get the fans back into it, presenting the image of trying to get closer to the fans.........I think its neat that they could tie in the history of the club. It's a good marketing ploy or scheme and a nice gesture on our players part to recognize the people that have been here before and what they did that was very special."

GOOD STARTING PITCHING

The Orioles starting pitching has been mostly solid and a big reason that a club with very inconsistent offense has a winning record after 40 games.

O's starters have pitched to an ERA of 4.43 this year. That doesn't sound too good, but take away starts by Steve Trachsel and Adam Loewen and the ERA is a very good 3.70.

Trachsel-Loewen combined: 2-5 7.15 ERA quality starts 3 of 11 chances.

Rest of starters: 12-9 3.70 quality starts 19 of 30 chances

Albers, Burres, Cabrera, Guthrie and Olson are the other five to have made a start. Of the current five-man rotation, the O's have four starters pitching well. Teams can usually have winning records with only three going well, but with the O's lacking in offense, the four going well have led this team to 21 wins in 40 games.

LONGBALL THE KEY TO RECENT WINNING

The O's endured a five-game losing streak on their recent road trip. Since then they are 5-1. They are scoring more during the winning run and some big home runs have been a huge key.

During losing streak: .241 average, 2.8 runs per game, 2 homers
During 5-1 stretch: .250 average, 4.7 runs per game, 6 homers

NOT SO MUCH IN A PINCH

O's pinch-hitters are just 3-24 this year, for an average of .125. They have just three singles, two RBI and eight strikeouts. Jay Payton is 3-11 as a pinch-hitter while all others have gone 0-13 at bat.

O'S HITTERS LAST YEAR VS. WASHINGTON

Ramon Hernandez: 2-7
Aubrey Huff: 7-17, 2 rbi
Nick Markakis: 9-30, rbi
Kevin Millar: 4-14, rbi
Melvin Mora: 6-21, 2 HR, 5 rbi
Jay Payton: 10-22, 7 rbi
Brian Roberts: 7-28, rbi
Luke Scott: 5-19, HR, rbi

Bergmann pitched 7 solid innings of 3-hit ball, striking out 9 en route to the 1-0 win.

Felipe Lopez hit the game winning sac fly in the 8th to score Jesus Flores, who doubled to lead-off the inning. Flores went 1-2, 2 BB.

The defense, which made 2 errors, saved the day for the Nationals. Willie Harris' diving catch with a runner on first in the bottom of the 9th prevented the runner from advancing. After Carlos Beltran stole second and advanced to third on Flores' throwing error, Carlos Delgado lined into a 3-5 game ending double play.

The Nationals begin interleague play tomorrow with a 3-game series in Baltimore.

Post Game

Final Line Score
Nationals 1-4-2
Mets 0-5-0
WP-Bergmann (1-1)
LP Pelfrey (2-4)
Sv-Rauch (9)

Series Win
The Nationals take 3 of 4 from the Mets. They improve to 18-24 and are just 6 games out of first place in the NL East after today's win.

Interleague
The Nationals start interleague play Friday at Baltimore. Last season, the Nationals swept a 3-game series from the Orioles at Camden yards.

In Game Update's

D-Fence, D-Fence
Even though the Nationals made two errors, the defense was outstanding. Willie Harris made a ridiculous diving catch on a Ryan Church fly ball in the 9th to save, not only a run, but possibly the game. Harris had to run about 90 feet to make the diving catch. If he doesn't make it, the ball gets by him for extra bases and the Mets have runners on second and third at the least, maybe even score a run or Church has an inside the park walk-off homer.

The next play saved a run for sure. With a runner on third, 1-out and the infield playing in, Carlos Delgado hit a screaming liner to first that Aaron Boone caught. Carlos Beltran was moving off the base and Boone threw to Ryan Zimmerman for the final out of the game. These two plays and the 5-3-6 double play in the 8th will be on high light reels for a long time.

Nationals scoring, 8th inning
Mike Pelfrey lost his no-hitter in the 7th when Aaron Boone led-off the inning with a single. Two batters later Boone was thrown out at second, on a hit and run, when Austin Kearns swung thru the pitch. He got out of the inning without giving up a run.

Pelfrey, batting third in the bottom of the inning, was left to hit for himself and struckout. Maybe Willie Randolph regrets the decision. In the 8th, Pelfrey gave up a lead-off double to Jesus Flores. Pinch-hitter Willie Harris sacrificed Flores to third and he scored on Felipe Lopez's sac fly to give the Nats the 1-0 lead.

Veteran Move
With speedy Jose Reyes on first with no outs in the 8th, Aaron Boone and Cristian Guzman made a verteran play. Luis Castillo laid down a perfect bunt and was thrown out at first by Ryan Zimmerman. Reyes rounded the base and was headed for third. Guzman was ahead of Reyes by a stride, Boone threw to him and he tagged Reyes for the second out before he even made it to the base. It goes down as a 5-3-6 double play. Smart play by two veteran players.

Be like Mike
Mike Pelfrey lost his no-no in the 7th, the lead in the 8th and quite possibly the game. Felipe Lopez's RBI sac fly was the only run he gave up and he stands to get the loss. He was nearly flawless in the first 6 innings, allowing just 3 walks. His line for the day.
7 2/3 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 BB, 4 K. 100 pitches, 60 for strikes.

Brilliant
Jason Bergmann made the most out of his second chance. He tossed 7 scoreless innings of 3-hit ball, strukout 9, including the last 4 he faced, and walked two. Bergmann did an excellent job of mixing up his fastball with his breaking pitches. Here is his line.
7 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 9 K. 103 pitches, 67 for strikes.

Pitcher's thru 6 innings
Mike Pelfrey's no-hitter is in tact after 6 innings. There has never been a no-hitter in the history of the Mets franchise, over 7000 games. Pelfrey has allowed only 3 base runners, all via walks. Only 3 balls have been hit hard and David wright's leaping catch of Rob Mackowiak's liner in the 3rd has kept the n-no safe. Pelfrey have thrown 79 pitches, 48 for strikes.

Jason Bergmann has yielded just 3, two by Luis Castillo. Only one was hit hard. The other two were a bunt single and a bloop that Austin Kearns just missed. Bergmann has struckout 6 and walked 2. He's thrown 89 pitches, 57 for strikes. Bergmann started throwing predominantly fastballs, but has been mixing it up with off-speed pitches.

Friends and Glovers
Ryan Zimmerman and David Wright both play third base. They are also very good friends and love to compete. Both are very solid at the hot corner and today it shows.

In the third, David Wright snared a bullett off the bat of Rob Mackowiak that would've gone into the corner for extra bases. Wright got off the ground about 10 feet to make the catch. OK, maybe 2 feet, but it was a great catch.

Ryan Zimmerman, who we've seen make great plays on a regular basis, fielded a 1-hop seed from Ramon Castro for a routine out to end the 4th.

I'm sure the two will talk about their plays after the game and we'll be talking about both of them for years to come.

Unhappy Camper
Mets manager Willie Randolph can't be to happy with Luis Castillo. Playing his first game of the series, Castillo was on first with 2-out and David Wright batting. Wright hit a fly ball to right that Austin Kearns dropped for an error. Had Castillo been running hard, he would've scored. He didn't and the game remains scoreless after 3.

Pitcher's thru 3 innings
Mike Pelfrey retired the first 7 Nationals in order before walking Jesus Flores. Jason Bergmann, trying to move Flores over, struckout on his third bunt attempt. Felipe Lopez walked, but Cristian Guzman grounded out and stranded both runners. He's thrown 45 pitches, 23 in the 3rd inning alone.

Jason Bergmann has given up a two singles and a walk and almost gave up a run on Austin Kearns' error. With a Luis Castillo on first, David Wright lifted a fly to right and Kearns had the ball hit the heel of his glove and drop in. Castillo wasn't running hard and had to stop at 3rd. Bergmann got Carlos Beltran to line out to Kerans on the next pitch to get out of the inning. Bergamann has thrown 42 pitches and 28 of those have been fastballs.

Roster Moves
The Nationals placed Nick Johnson on the 15-day DL today with a torn tendon sheath in his right wrist. He is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with the unjury.

Dmitri Young will likely be reinstated from the 15-day DL tomorrow and be with the team in Baltimore as Inter-League plays begins with the Orioles.

With Jason Bergmann being recalled from Triple-A Columbus and starting today, the Nationals optioned Chris Schroder to Triple-A Columbus.

Starting Line-Up's

Nationals
2B Felipe Lopez
SS Cristian Guzman
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Aaron Boone
CF Lastings Milledge
RF Austin Kearns
LF Rob Mackowiak
C Jesus Flores
P Jason Bergmann

Mets
SS Jose Reyes
2B Luis Castillo
3B David Wright
CF Carlos Beltran
RF Ryan Church
1B Carlos Delgado
C Ramon Castro
LF Marlon Anderson
P Mike Pelfrey

Game Preview
Nationals (17-24) at New York (20-18)
Jason Bergmann, called up from Triple-A on Tuesday, gets the starts today as the Nationals look to take 3 of 4 from the Mets.

Since Monday night's 5th inning, when the Nationals scored three runs, they are 8-24 (.333) with runners in scoring position.

Ryan Zimmerman has homered in 2 straight games and has an 8-game road hitting streak, going 14-37 (.378), 3 2B, 4 HR and 8 RBI.

With a loss, the Mets will lose their first series at Shea Stadium this season.

Pitching Match-Up
RHP Jason Bergmann (0-1, 11.68) needs to make the most out of his second chance. He was sent to Triple-A Columbus on April 12 after two ineffective starts and a less than stellar relief appearance.

Bergmann had pitched well in his two starts, but couldn't avoid the big inning. In his start on April 9, he pitched 4 scoreless innings before giving up 7 runs on 6 hits in the 5th. Things were just as bad in his first start of the season. Bergmann allowed 1-run through 5 innings before giving up 6 runs in the 6th. Manny Acta sent him to the bullpen to work on his mechanics, but that didn't work out either. He gave up 4 runs in 2 innings.

Maybe facing the Mets is what Bergmann needs. In 3 career starts, he is 1-1, 3.57 and 1-0, at Shea Stadium.

Keep an eye on how Bergmann does against Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran. Reyes is 3-9 (.333), with a 3B, HR, 2 RBI and Beltran 5-11 (.455), 2B, 3B, HR, 2 RBI career vs. the righty.

RHP Mike Pelfrey (2-3, 4.86), making his 7th start of the year, is looking to snap a 3-game losing and 4-game winless streak. He started the season winning his first two games, but has struggled since. In the 3 losses, Pelfrey has been touched for 12 earned runs in 16 1/3 innings. Since his last win, the Mets are 0-4 in his 4 starts.

His last win came against the Nationals on April 15. He threw 7 scoreless innings of 5-hit ball in the Mets 6-0 win. In that game, Pelfrey got out of a bases loaded 1-out jam in the 3rd by getting Ryan Zimmerman to pop out to second and striking out Nick johnson.

Pelfrey is 2-1, 4.30 in 5 career starts vs. Washington, but the Nationals have a .295 batting average against him.

Watch how Pelfrey pitches to Austin Kearns. Kearns is 5-14 (.357), HR, 4 RBI in his career vs. him.

The O's scored two in the 6th to pull within 3-2. Payton had a 5-RBI day.

The Birds improve to 21-19 with their 5th win in the last six games. They are 4-1 this season in games vs. the Red Sox and Yankees.

Daniel Cabrera got the win and George Sherrill his 15th save. Cabrera has pitched to an ERA of 2.50 over his last seven starts.

The Birds are off Thursday and host Washington to begin a three-game series, Friday at 7:05 pm.

PAYTON'S SLAM GIVES O'S 6-3 WIN AND TWO-GAME SWEEP

Jay Payton's 4th career Grand Slam gave the Orioles a 6-3 win over Boston Wednesday afternoon, in front of 28,939 at Camden Yards. It came in the last off the 7th off Hideki Okajima and turned a 3-2 deficit into a 6-3 lead.

The Sox got the first two outs of the 7th before a Freddie Bynum infield single started the rally. Craig Hansen then came on and gave up a hit and walk to set the stage for Payton. His last Slam came July 30, 2005 vs. Detroit.

For the second day in a row, the O's fell behind 3-0. Jason Varitek and Mike Lowell hit solo shots as the Sox led 3-0 after five and a half.

The O's pulled within 3-2 in the 6th on a Payton RBI groundout and a Nick Markakis RBI single.

Daniel Cabrera got the win, despite allowing a season-high 10 hits and three runs in seven innings.

The O's are now 21-19 and have won five of their last six. The Sox have lost four straight road games and fall to 24-19.

The O's are off Thursday and host Washington for a three-game series beginning Friday at 7:05pm.

Bost 3-12-0
Balt 6-8-0

POST-GAME NOTES

THE COMEBACK KIDS

The O's went to the last of the 6th down 3-0 and Jon Lester was working on a two-hitter. But they picked up two runs in the 6th and got four on Payton's Slam in the 7th. They have come from behind to win in 11 of their 21 victories, including twice in this series.

They scored six runs on six hits in the 6th and 7th innings. The O's improve to 6-13 when trailing after six innings and Boston falls to 15-4 when leading after six.

PAYTON POWER

Jay Payton's Slam was the 4th of his career and first by an Oriole since Scott Moore hit one of Boston's Dice-K on September 6, 2007. It came on an 0-1 pitch and went 362-feet into the left-field stands. Payton had 5 RBI on the game. His career high is seven and he is now 9 RBI shy of 500 for his career.

SWEEPING THE SOX

It was just a two-game series, but the Birds swept. The first time they have posted back to back Camden Yards wins over Boston since July 7-10, 2005. Only once last year did they post back to back wins over the Sox.

THEY IMPROVED THAT STAT

When Payton came to bat in the 7th, the O's as a team this year were batting .185 (5-27) with the bases loaded. Payton however was 1-1 and now make that 2-2 with 6 RBI. He is the only player on the team with more than one hit this year with the sacks full.

D-CAB GOT IT DONE

Cabrera produced a quality start, his 7th in a row, vs the AL's best hitting team. Even though he gave up ten hits the Birds turned three double plays behind him. He threw 103 pitches and is now 4-1 with an ERA of 3.58. His ERA over his last seven starts is 2.50. The O's are 7-1 when Cabrera starts this season.

FINAL NOTES

Since starting the year at 15-7, Boston is 9-12.....The Sox are now 1-9 this year in AL East road games........O's improve to 12-6 at home and are now 18-5 when scoring four runs or more............Five of the last six O's homers have scored either 3 or 4 runs.........Cabrera was 1-9 with a career ERA of 7.84 vs. Boston before today........the O's turned a season-best 4 DP's in the win.......George Sherrill threw 13 pitches in picking up his 15th save.........Boston has lost four in a row on the road and is 10-14 overall in road contests. The Orioles are now 4-1 this year vs. Boston and the Yankees.

KEY QUOTES

Dave Trembley on the win and sweep

"We got behind but didn't give in or give up. Cabrera kept battling and we made good plays behind him. Great for our team and great for Orioles fans..........What this says is our guys are ready to play, we know we have to earn it."

Dave Trembley on his team at the 40-game point

"The strengths of our club are pitching and catching the ball. We've improved. We work counts well at the plate now. Probably the best part of our club is that the guys have fun playing and they're not intimidated. They really don't think they should take a back seat. We're going for it, everygame."

Jay Payton on the Slam

"That was nice, I feel like I've been swinging decent, so it was nice to get a big one today. The crowd was great, we dominated the crowd today so that's good for the fans.....That's probably the first time I had a lefty come in to face me, but he's been throwing great, but he left a pitch over the middle."

Jay Payton on why he didn't take a curtain call

"No one was really egging me on in the dugout, I wasn't sure if they were still just celebrating the home run. Daniel took it for me, he deserves it he's been pitching great this year."

Steve Melewski's live GameBlog

GRAND SLAM FOR THE LEAD !!!!

Jay Payton's 4th career Grand Slam gets the Yard rocking as the O's take a 6-3 lead on Boston. It was his first Slam since 7-30-05 vs. Detroit and the O's first this year.

The bottom of the 7th started quietly with reliever Javier Lopez getting two quick outs. Then Freddie Bynum picked up an infield single to second base and Craig Hansen came on to pitch. He gave up a single to Quiroz and walked Roberts. Then Hideki Okajima came on to face Payton.

On an 0-1 pitch, Payton hit his 3rd homer of the season, the Slam went 362 feet down the left-field line.

Matt Albers pitching for the O's in the top of the 8th.

O'S BATTLE BACK

The O's get two in the 6th to now trail, 3-2. Quiroz led off with a single to center and Roberts hit a double to right center, sending him to third. One run scored on a Jay Payton ground out and another on a Nick Markakis single to center.

The rally ended when Lester fanned Huff and Millar back to back.

Six-inning totals:

Bost 3-10-0
Balt 2-5-0

ATTENDANCE

Today's attendance is 28.939. The two-date series draws 67,707. There seemed to be more intensity in the park last night, there usually is more at a night game. The Sox fans seem more vocal today, probably because their team is winning. So far, anyway.

ANOTHER ONE

Sox 3 O's 0.....middle of six

Mike Lowell's solo HR with two outs in the 6th extends Boston's lead to 3-0. It was his 4th, came on a 3-2 pitch and traveled 366 feet to left center. The Sox, with the AL's best offense, have 10 hits today already. They also now have 19 homers their last 13 contests.

A LONG BALL

Bost 2 O's 0......middle of 5th

Jason Varitek hit a solo HR to center in the 5th as Boston now leads, 2-0. It was his 4th homer of the year and traveled 395 feet. Varitek also hit one to the wall in center in the second that Adam Jones caught.

Two pitches before his homer he took a very close pitch that easily could have been called strike three. It's the 7th homer allowed by Cabrera on the season. He has allowed already a season-high 8 hits thru 5ip.

THAT HURT !

Manny Ramirez just came up with the play of the game so far. With one out and runners on first and second in the O's 4th, Millar hit a liner to deep left that looked headed over Manny's head to score at least one run. Manny leaped near the warning track and made a great catch. Aubrey Huff had already passed second base, had to retouch and was doubled off first.

A game turning play Manny was on the right end of this time.

STILL 1-0 BOSTON

Bost 1 O's 0......end of three

Jon Lester is having his way with the Birds, with a one-hitter thru three and that one hit was a bunt single by Adam Jones. The rest of the outs have been on very routine plays so far.

Cabrera has allowed one run on four hits. The O's have already turned two DP's behind him.

Three-inning pitch counts:

Cabrera 39
Lester 34

SOX SCORE FIRST

Jacoby Ellsbury led off with an infield hit to short. Freddie Bynum took one step back to field the ball and it cost him the out. Ellsbury quickly stole second and scored on Dustin Pedroia's single to center. Cabrera then got David Ortiz to hit into a double play and Manny grounded to short.

Boston is 20-7 this year when scoring first, but lost last night when it got three in the first.

UNDERWAY IN BALTIMORE

Game two of the O's-Boston series is underway. Is there anyway today's game can be as dramatic and exciting as last night's ??? That seems doubtful.

We'll see if Daniel Cabrera continues his roll today vs. a Sox team that has owned him in his career. The Sox play without JD Drew, while the O's are still missing Melvin Mora and Ramon Hernandez.

First pitch was at 3:07pm and it's 82 degrees.

The Sox have lost three in a row and four of five games. Since starting the season at 15-7, they are 9-11. Boston is 4-5 on a ten-game road trip that ends today and the Sox are just 1-8 this year in AL East parks.

The Orioles, who are 11-6 at home this year, have won four of their last five. A win today would move the Birds back to two games over .500 for the first time since May 3rd.

The O's got 11 hits off losing pitcher Josh Beckett last night in a 5-4 win over Boston, that lifted the club's record in one-run games, to 10-5. Luke Scott's three-run homer in the third gave the O's, who were down 3-0 after one inning, a 5-3 lead. Jeremy Guthrie got the win while Jim Johnson and George Sherrill got some huge outs in the final innings.

TODAY'S PITCHERS

Daniel Cabrera (3-1 3.54) today makes his 9th start of the season and 4th at home, facing Boston. Cabrera is just 1-9 with an ERA of 7.84 in his career vs. Boston.

But have the Sox faced this Cabrera? He is pitching better than at any time in his career and is coming off a complete-game, three-hitter at Kansas City last Thursday. Cabrera walked just one, fanned seven and threw 114 pitches in posting his 5th career complete game.

The 26-year-old righty has put together six straight quality starts and in that time is 3-1 with an ERA of 2.28. To put it into perspective, Cabrera gave up 10er in his first two starts and has given up just 11er over his last six. He has allowed 2er or less in five of his last six starts.

In three home starts in 2008, Cabrera is 1-0 6.75. His road ERA is 2.17 this season.

In 2007, Cabrera went 0-3 4.96 vs. Boston and he does have the terrible career numbers vs. Boston mentioned above of 1-9 7.84 in 49.1 career innings vs. the Bosox.

Lefty Jon Lester (2-2 4.06) today makes his 10th start of the season for Boston. His last time out he did not get a decision, Friday at Minnesota. He gave up five runs and eight hits in 5.1 ip.

Over his last three starts, Lester is 1-0 1.86.

The 24-year-old Lester was a 2nd round pick by Boston in 2002. His career record, in 35 starts, is 13-4 4.52.

Last season vs. the O's he was 2-0 1.38. In three career starts vs. Baltimore, he is 3-0 3.00 (6er - 18ip).

PRE-GAME NOTES FROM CAMDEN YARDS

TODAY'S ORIOLES LINEUP

2B Brian Roberts
LF Jay Payton
RF Nick Markakis
3B Aubrey Huff
1B Kevin Millar
DH Luke Scott
CF Adam Jones
SS Freddie Bynum
C Guillermo Quiroz
P Daniel Cabrera

This was changed about an hour before today's game when Ramon Hernandez was scratched after taking batting practice. He told reporters before BP his injured left wrist was still bothering him some. Ramon was listed batting sixth in the original lineup.

Before today's game lefty reliever George Sherrill talked with reporters about his success this year as a closer, last night's big win over the Red Sox and other topics including how the O's clubhouse is a lot different from that of his former team, Seattle.

Sherrill recorded his 14th save in 16 chances in Tuesday's win over Boston.

DAVE TREMBLEY'S PRE-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE

The skipper revealed today that righty Jim Hoey, who has been on the DL with right shoulder inflammation since March 21, will be out for the year. Trembley said Hoey recently had arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder.

The 25-year-old Hoey, the O's 13th round pick in 2003, pitched for the big club last year and was 3-4, with an ERA of 7.30 in 23 appearances.

"I'm glad they got it taken care of," Trembley said. "He's another power arm in our organization. He's still very young, so let's get him ready for next year. I'm sure it's better for Jim because he was feeling discomfort and he wasn't able to get loose. When he comes back he may be better."

Trembley said pitcher Rocky Cherry, also placed on the DL in March with a right shoulder strain, will pitch one inning for Bowie tonight and another inning on Friday.

Melvin Mora, with his injured sholder, is not in today's lineup, but Trembley said the injury is not serious. Ramon Hernandez is in today's lineup, pending how his injured left wrist feels after going thru batting practice.

Trembley was asked if he was suprised how well Jim Johnson has adapted to his bullpen role after 120 of his 131 minor league outings came as a starter.

"His arm is resilient, his work ethic is off the charts. His makeup is very good and he's come up with a sinker. His delivery is improved and his command is far better than we've ever seen. Jim has matured as fast as anyone I've ever seen. When he walks by you this year he looks like a man, not a kid."

RED SOX ROSTER MOVE TODAY

The Sox today recalled OF Jonathon Van Every from AAA Pawtucket and placed P Clay Buchholz on the 15-day DL retro to May 13. He has a broken nail on his right middle finger. Van Every will be making his major league debut when he starts today in CF batting ninth. In 40 games at AAA, he was batting .287--6--20.

PITCHING PROBABLES FOR THIS WEEKEND VS. WASHINGTON

Fri 7:05p: Garrett Olson (2-0 2.95) vs. RHP Shawn Hill (0-0 3.56)
Sat 7:05p: Brian Burres (3-4 3.59) vs. LHP Odalis Perez (1-3 3.71)
Sun 1:35p: Jeremy Guthrie (2-3 4.18) vs. LHP John Lannan (3-4 3.74)

HOW SOME SOX HITTERS HAVE FARED VS. CABRERA

David Ortiz: 4-17, 8 walks
Manny Ramirez: 2-10
Alex Cora: 11-20, HR, .550 average
Jason Varitek: 3-15, 9 strikeouts
Mike Lowell: 5-10, HR

TRYING TO REVERSE THE SOX DOMINATION

The Red Sox won the season series last year, 12-6 and in 2006 by a 15-3 margin. Boston is now 32-10 vs. the O's since September 3, 2005 and the Sox have won 16 of their last 22 at Camden Yards. Last night's win was just a start, but since the start of last season the O's are 11-10 vs. the Yankees. Now they need to make similar progress vs. Boston. If not win the season series, that may be asking a lot, just make it much closer than these last two years. This year's club just seems to not be intimidated by the Sox success and that in itself is a big step.

LUUUUUKKKKKEEEE DELIVERS THE BIG HOMER, THEN TALKS

Those were not boos, but Luuukkkkkeeee chanting when he hit that huge three-run jack on Tuesday. Luke, who went 4-22 during the road trip, went 3-4 vs. Boston.

He was asked what it felt like rounding the bases after such a big homer.

"That feeling, there's nothing like it. It's the greatest high you can ever have, it's really special. It's what makes this game so worth it, moments like that. Words can't describe it. The only way you can describe it is if you live it, it's unbelievable."

Scott said his first Red Sox-Orioles game was special.

"It was incredible, it was like when the Yankees were here. A lot of energy, a lot of people in the stands, some chanting, some fighting going on. It was a really fun atmosphere to play in."

I asked Luke if his slump at bat recently had anything to do with his illness.

"It was more just a slump, even if I had been in better health. I just felt terrible at the plate. Being weak didn't help, but it was more mental than physical in my opinion. The day off yesterday was really big, getting a chance to sleep in. Coming out today and in BP I could notice a difference how the ball was coming off my bat."

MOST OPPONENT HOMERS AT CAMDEN YARDS

Alex Rodriguez 21
Mo Vaughn 16
Manny Ramirez 15

MOST RBI ALL-TIME VS. THE ORIOLES

Harmon Killebrew 170
Carl Yastrzemski 170
Al Kaline 158
Manny Ramirez 144

SOME FINAL NOTES

Adam Jones went 2-4, with two singles last night. It was his 6th multi-hit game of this season and first since April 28 at Chicago... O's are now 17-5 when scoring four runs or more... Birds have ten hits or more now four times in the last six games... O's are 7-7 vs. the AL East while Boston is 8-10... The Red Sox are 2-5 on Wednesdays this year, their most losses of any day of the week... O's are now 14-0 when leading after eight frames... Kevin Millar needs two more homers for 150 in his career... Luke Scott had just one hit his previous 12 at bats before Tuesday's three-hit game... It was his third 3-hit game of the season... O's pitching has allowed just one HR the past five games... Boston has been successful on 24 of its last 25 stolen base attempts since April 20... in all-time results, the Red Sox lead the O's 467 wins to 401.

]]> 2008-05-15T02:34:11Z 2008-05-14T04:19:28Z tag:masnsports.com,2008://3.938 2008-05-14T04:19:28Z

The O's bullpen got some huge late outs as Jiim Johnson got out of a bases-loaded jam in the 7th and George Sherrill got five outs to record his 14th save.

The O's beat Josh Beckett who allowed a season-high 11 hits and five runs in 5.2 ip. Jeremy Guthrie got the win.

Daniel Cabrera faces Jon Lester Wednesday at 3:05 to wrap up the two-game set.

SCOTT THREE-RUN HOMER LEADS O'S PAST BOSTON, 5-4

Luke Scott hit a three-run homer off Josh Beckett and the O's got some key outs late from their bullpen to beat the Red Sox, 5-4 Tuesday night, in front of 38,768 at Camden Yards.

The O's beat Beckett, as he allowed a season-high 11 hits and five runs in 5.2 ip, falling to 4-3.

Boston took a 3-0 lead in the first on three hits and two O's errors.

Jay Payton's RBI single in the second made it 3-1 and the O's rocked Beckett with a four-run third. Kevin Millar singled in a run before Scott's blast over the right-field scoreboard made it 5-3.

Jim Johnson pitched out of a bases-loaded, no out jam in the 7th getting Manny Ramirez to hit into a double play. George Sherrill got a save, including getting two key outs in the 8th to end a Sox rally.

Winning pitcher Jeremy Guthrie improved to 2-3. He gave up 2er on 8 hits over 6 frames. He fanned seven and threw 115 pitches.

The O's improve to 20-19 while Boston, losing for the four time in five games, is 24-18.

In the final game of this series, Wednesday at 3:05pm, Daniel Cabrera faces Jon Lester.

POST-GAME NOTES

A LOT OF STARS TONIGHT

It took a lot to win this game. Jermey Guthrie showing poise after his defense failed him in the first. Luke Scott hitting his first homer in over a month and maybe the Orioles biggest homer so far this year. Jim Johnson wins an epic 10-pitch duel with Manny Ramirez. George Sherrill has to get not three, but five outs on 23 pitches for his 14th save. The crowd rocked for both teams at times. It might have been one of the best games to watch in years at this park. Of course that comes from an Orioles fan perspective.

GUTHRIE WAS GUTTY

Whether it was the right decision to send Guthrie out for the 7th inning after he had thrown 107 tough pitches is debatable. But I love the fact he wanted the ball in that spot and said they'd have to take it out of his hand before he would leave. That's the bulldog mentality of an ace.

After giving up three hits in the first, he gave up just three more in the second thru sixth to keep the O's in the lead.

ANOTHER EARL WEAVER SPECIAL

Three run homers are like an interception for a TD in football. They can be game-changing swings and tonight's blast off Luke Scott's bat was. It gave the O's the lead they would not give up and got Camden rocking. Scott went just 4-22 on the road trip and this might get his bat back to life as well.

Four of the last five O's homers have been three-run shots after they didn't have any thru the team's first 32 homers this season.

BEATING BECKETT

Before tonight, Beckett was 4-0 with an ERA of 2.05 in four Camden Yards starts. But he allowed a season-high 11 hits and it ties for the second most allowed in his career. He also gave up 11 on August 3, 2006 vs. Cleveland. His career high is 13 hits allowed at Yankee Stadium on August 29, 2007.

He entered with a batting average against of .204 but tonight the O's went 11-27 vs. him for an average of .407.

ESTABLISHING CRED

This win gives the O's more credibility. They are now 3-1 this season vs. the Yankees and Red Sox and need to show those clubs they will not be their whipping boys anymore. It doesn't mean there's any chaning of the guard in the AL East and you can't overhype this one win, but it sure seemed like it meant a lot.

KEY QUOTES

Trembley on the win

"Guthrie epitomizes what tonight was all about, he was very mentally tough and showed his grit.........Everyone learned a bit more about the Baltimore Orioles tonight........Johnson pounded the strike zone and kept pounding it, that was the key play of the game........We brought Sherrill in the 8th because you have to do what you have to do to win."

Kevin Millar on the win

"Man this team really competes, to come back vs. Josh Beckett. No one got down after the first inning......Johnson has been unbelievable he has a lot of confidence.....The bullpen is a big difference in our club this year......We won the game right there, Johnson vs. Manny."

Jim Johnson on his 10-pitch battle with Manny Ramirez

"I got him out on a two-seamer that ran in on him a little bit. That's why he's a good hitter, he spoils good pitches, you can't get frustrated having a long at bat like that."

Luke Scott on the feeling after he hit his three-run HR

"That feeling, there is nothing like it. It's the greatest high you can ever have. It's what makes this game so worth it, moments like that. Words can't describe it. The only way you can describe it is if you live it, it's unbelievable."

Steve Melewski's live GameBlog

INJURY UPDATE

ANOTHER STRANGE STAT

With that blast by Luke Scott, the O's now have four three-run HR's this season. Boston has just two.

LUUUUKKKKKEEE GOES DEEP, CAMDEN ROCKS

O's 5 Sox 3....end of third

Luke Scott just picked a nice time for his second Orioles homer. His three-run shot over the scoreboard in right gives the O's a 5-3 lead on Beckett. Scott hit a 1-0 pitch for his blast, his first homer since April 8th vs. Texas.

Roberts and Bynum singled to start the third. Then Beckett got Markakis and Huff to strike out and almost got out of the inning. But Kevin Millar ripped a single to left to make it 3-2 before Scott's big fly.

This ties Beckett's season high for runs allowed. He gave up five in 4.2 ip on April 6 vs. Toronto.

Tonight's crowd may be the biggest of the year since opening day.

GETTING CLOSER

Bost 3 O's 2......end of three

The O's

PAYTON AND O'S GET ONE BACK

Bost 3 O's 1.......end of two

With two outs in the second, the O's got three straight singles to get on the board. Jay Payton's rbi single made it 3-1 Boston. Payton is now 9-22 in his career vs. Beckett and was not in the lineup until Mora's pre-game injury.

SOX STRIKE FIRST

Bost 3 O's 0............middle of first

The Sox take an early lead with the help of two costly O's errors. Crisp led off with a single and one out later David Ortiz looped one into left, just fair and it went for a double, putting runners on second and third.

Manny Ramirez singled on a 3-2 pitch for a 1-0 lead. Runners on first and third. Then Mike Lowell hit a shoulder high hopper to third that had the look of an inning-ending double play and Huff, a late replacement at third for the injured Mora, booted it for a 2-0 lead.

Later in the inning, Kevin Millar let a JD Drew grounder go thru his legs for an error scoring a third run. The Sox got about 5 outs there. With Beckett going, is this game over already ? What a terrible start by the Orioles.

PLAY BALL !!!!

Game one of the brief two-game series with the Red Sox is underway. Here's a strange stat. Boston is just 1-7 this year in AL East road games. They are 8-9 overall vs. the East.

First pitch was thrown by Jeremy Guthrie at 7:06pm and its 75 degrees.

Boston outscored the Birds 102-69 last season as David Ortiz hit .344-5-17 vs. Baltimore pitching.

The O's have been good at home so far this year, winning 10 of 16 games.

Though they were shutout in their most recent game, the Orioles offense started to pick up in Kansas City as the O's won 3 of 4 there to complete a 4-6 road trip.

The Red Sox come to Baltimore after losing three of four in Minnesota, dropping their record to 24-17. With Tampa winning again Monday, the Rays are now just a half-game out of first. The O's are in third, 3.5 games back of Boston.

The Sox began the season with a record of 15-7, but are 9-10 since. The Sox have been tremendous on offense, leading the AL in runs, batting average, hits, extra-base hits and slugging. Their team batting average of .294 leads the major leagues. As of Monday, no other AL team had an average better than .266

Over their last 11 games, Boston is hitting .335 as a team with 73 runs, 36 doubles and 17 homers. They scored five runs or more ten straight games until they got just three last night at Minnesota. They have scored eight runs or more eight times this season.

The Red Sox are 4-4 on their current 10-game road trip and are 10-12 in road games this season.

PRE-GAME NOTES FROM CAMDEN YARDS

O'S LINEUP CHANGE

Melvin Mora took a ball off his shoulder in pre-game drills and has been scratched from the lineup tonight. Freddie Bynum moves up where Mora was due to hit, second in the order. Jay Payton will enter the lineup and bat 8th with Quiroz dropped to ninth.

TONIGHT'S LINEUPS

The Orioles

2B Brian Roberts (.257-3-15)
3B Melvin Mora (.252-5-21)
RF Nick Markakis (.267-7-17)
DH Aubrey Huff (.262-6-23)
1B Kevin Millar (.234-5-19)
LF Luke Scott (.264-1-10)
CF Adam Jones (.223-2-11)
C Guillermo Quiroz (.194-1-3)
SS Freddie Bynum (.313-0-0)
P Jeremy Guthrie (1-3 4.32)

The Red Sox

CF Coco Crisp (.314-2-10)
2B Dustin Pedroia (.304-1-20)
DH David Ortiz (.240-7-29)
LF Manny Ramirez (.304-8-26)
3B Mike Lowell (.278-3-9)
1B Kevin Youkilis (.322-8-30)
RF JD Drew (.301-3-17)
C Jason Varitek (.252-3-14)
SS Alex Cora (.727-0-0)
P Josh Beckett (4-2 3.70)

INJURY UPDATE

As you can see above, Brian Roberts is back in the starting lineup. Dave Trembley said he's been bothered by sore knees lately in addition to his foot injury. Tonight he will try to hit his way out of a 6-34 slump.

Catcher Ramon Hernandez is not starting tonight. He got an injection yesterday for his sprained left wrist and will not swing a bat today. He could catch in an emergency. He is listed as day to day.

Ramon told reporters he should be fine in a couple of days and that it bothers him more at bat than catching. He said he first started feeling pain about two weeks ago. He had an MRI yesterday that came thru fine.

ROTATION UPDATE

The Orioles are, for a short time, going to go with a four-man rotation, that does not include Steve Trachsel. After Daniel Cabrera starts tomorrow, this weekend vs. the Nationals the O's will pitch in order Olson, Burres and Guthrie Sunday.

Trembley was asked if Trachsel would work out of the bullpen.

"He's available out of the pen, but he's only done it one time (in his career). I'm not so sure I'm going to ask him to do that unless it's an emergency situation. After we get thru Sunday we may have another adjustment in our rotation."

That is expected to be the O's putting a right-hander, likely Trachsel, between Olson and Burres.

DAVE TREMBLEY'S PRE-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE

The skipper said when the O's go to Tampa May 23rd both Chris Ray and Adam Loewen will join the club and throw side sessions in front of pitching coach Rick Kranitz. After the O's see Loewen throw on the side they might send him on a rehab assignment. Ray, of course, remains a long way from re-joining the club.

O's minor league catching instructor Don Werner has joined the club this week. Werner will be the bullpen coach this Friday and Saturday and pen coach Alan Dunn will move into the dugout for those two games. Pitching coach Rick Kranitz will miss those days as his daugthter graduates from college.

Trembley was asked about Brian Roberts recent struggles. He batted just .152 on the road trip, dropping his average from .282 to .252.

"When he hits it hard they catch it right now. There's a lot of focus on him because of what he means to this club. He's had some aches and pains, his legs were sore, his knees were sore and his foot was bothering him. He may have started to press a little and swing at some pitches he should not have. But he's a proven player, one of the premier leadoff hitters in the game."

Trembley said Randor Bierd has not yet begun a throwing program. Bierd, on the DL since May 2 with right shoulder impingement, is going thru a strengthening program right now. He should start throwing soon.

Trembley was asked about the challenge of facing Josh Beckett.

"Let's hope it rains and we're ahead after five. Hope he's not on his A game, maybe A minus. We have to be at our best every pitch and not give away outs and at bats. Maybe we can get his pitch count up. You never know, he may not be at his best tonight, that's why it's a great game. Otherwise it could be a long night."

TONIGHT'S PITCHERS

Orioles righty Jeremy Guthrie tonight makes his 9th start of the season and 4th at home. He is 1-3 4.32 ERA despite producing five quality starts already.

Guthrie has not fared well in Camden Yards starts in 2008. In three home starts he is 0-1 4.91 and has allowed 4 homers in 18.1 innings. He gives up a batting average of .288 at home compared to just .215 in road outings.

In his last start, last Wednesday at Oakland, he gave up four runs in 5.2 ip. The Orioles are 3-5 when he starts.

Guthrie can sometimes start slowly and he gives up more hits in the first than any other inning. Opponents bat .343 (12-35) vs. the righty in the opening inning.

Most of Guthrie's career outings (3 of 4) came last season vs. Boston when he was 0-0 with an ERA of 2.41. His careers numbers vs. Boston: 0-0 2.61 ERA in 20.2 ip.

The 2003 World Series MVP, Josh Beckett tonight makes his 7th start of the season for Boston. He is 4-2 3.70 on the season. Beckett will turn 28 this Thursday.

In his last start, Thursday vs. Detroit, he allowed just one run on six hits in seven innings with no walks and eight strikeouts.

Beckett's 55 wins since the start of the 2005 is second best in the majors, back of only Brandon Webb, who has 56.

Beckett was the second pick overall in the 1999 draft by Florida and has made a name for himself somewhat on his post-season success. In 9 career post-season starts, he is 6-2 1.73.

Beckett has won his last two starts vs. the Orioles and is 4-1 2.95 in six career starts vs. Baltimore. He is unbeaten in four career Camden Yards starts, at 4-0 2.05 (7er - 30.2 ip). He has pitched at least eight innings in three of six career starts vs. the O's.

HOW SOME O'S HITTERS FARE VS. BECKETT

Jay Payton: 8-21
Nick Markakis: 6-17, HR
Aubrey Huff: 5-21, 7 K's
Brian Roberts: 5-17
Kevin Millar: 2-11
Melvin Mora: 4-13, HR
Ramon Hernandez: 6-23, 3 doubles

ORIOLES HITTERS ON THE ROAD TRIP

Bynum: 5-16
LHernandez: 6-24
RHernandez: 7-27, 3 rbi
Huff: 11-40, HR, 4 rbi
Jones: 3-32
Markakis: 9-37, 3 HR's, 6 rbi
Millar: 10-34, HR, 7 rbi
Mora: 12-38, 2 HR's, 7 rbi
Payton: 4-19
Quiroz: 1-9
Roberts: 6-34, 9 K's
Scott: 4-22, 2 rbi

MANNY AND YOUK

Manny Ramirez hit a two-run homer in the first inning Monday at Minnesota. He now has 498 career homers, needing just two to become the 24th member of the 500-homer club. He has hit just two homers in his last 20 games. He's been bothered lately by a sore right hamstring and didn't start Sunday, but was back in the lineup last night.

Manny career numbers vs. Baltimore:

180 games .312--31--144 with 34 doubles, 111 runs, .513 slugging.

Kevin Youkilis did not start last night, he was apparently just given a rest. But he is the Sox current hottest hitter with a 9-game batting streak during which he is batting .421 (16-38) with 11 runs, 5 doubles, 6 homers and 15 RBI. He has hit six homers in his last eight games.

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Odalis Perez wasn't perfect. He wasn't even sharp, but he did enough to get his first win of the season. Perez also helped himself by going 3-3 with 2 RBI at the plate.

Perez pitched 6 1/3 innings and gave up 4 runs on 11 hits and 2 walks. Two of the runs came off solo home runs, by Damon Easley and David Wright. Perez pitched out of jams in the first 3 innings and allowed only 1-run in each frame. He stranded 5 runners in those innings to give himself a chance.

The Nationals offense, 0-8 with runners in scoring position in the first 4 innings, broke a 3-3 tie with 3 runs in the 5th and 4 more in the 6th and went 5-10 with RISP from the 5th inning on. They only had 10 hits, but were aided by 7 walks and 2 errors.

Post Game

Line score
Nationals 10-10-0
Mets 4-12-2
WP-Perez (1-3)
LP-Figueroa (2-3)

Streak Buster
Odalis Perez ended his 8-game winless streak with his first win of the season and the Nationals end thier 3-game losing streak.

Offensive Stars
Perez: 3-3, 2 RBI, R
Flores: 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
Milledge: 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R, BB
Johnson: 1-3, RBI, 3 R, 2 BB
Mackowiak: 0-2, RBI, 2 R, 2 BB

Closing the Door
Chris Schroder and Saul Rivera threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. They surrendered 1 hit and 2 walks. Rivera entered the game in the 8th with 2-on and 2-out and walked a batter to load the bases. With David Wright at the plate and a chance to cut into the Nationals 10-4 lead. Wright grounded out to third to end the inning.

Mets lone bright spot
The only good that came from Mets pitching tonight was from the last three pitchers. Duaner Sanchez, Joe Smith and Billy Wagner retired the last 7 Nationals by strikeouts. Sanchez got Milledge looking to end the 7th. Smith struckout Kearns, Mackowiak and Flores in the 8th and Wagner got pinch-hitter Elijah Dukes, Lopez and Zimmerman in the 9th.

In Game Update's

What a relief
The Nationals bullpen made things a bit interesting in the 8th. After Chris Schroder gave up a 1-out single and a 2-out walk, Saul Rivera came in a walked Ryan Church to load the bases for David Wright. Wright, who homered earlier in the game, grounded out to end the inning. The way the bullpen has been pitching of late, I'm sure the Nationals, more specifically Odalis Perez, were wondering how the inning was going to end. It ended without any damage.

Mets Scoring, 7th inning
After giving up a 1-out, solo home run to David Wright and a single to Carlos Beltran, Manny Acta pulled Perez and brought in Chris Schroder, who was just called up from Triple-A Columbus. Schroder got out of the inning with 2 fly ball outs.

Perez gave up 4 runs on 11 hits in 6 1/3 innings. He went 3-3, 2 RBI at the plate.

Nationals Scoring, 6th inning
Odalis Perez added his second RBI single of the game, in a 4-run 6th inning. Perez is now 3-3 with 2 RBI and a sac bunt.

With Jorge Sosa pitching, Ryan Zimmerman got the inning started with a double to left. Nick Johnson followed with a walk and Lastings Milledge hit a 2-run double, that hit the top of the wall in left, giving the Nationals a 8-3 lead. After two outs, Sosa intentionally walked Jesus Flores to get to Perez. Perez got the last laugh and singled to center to score Milledge. Felipe Lopez scored Flores on a bloop single to left and the Nats now lead 10-3 after 6.

Perez thru 6 innings
Odalis Perez hasn't been completey sharp, but he's gotten timely outs. Perez has only retired the side in order once. He did have an inning, the 4th, where he only faced 3 batters, thanks to Jesus Flores throwing out Jose Reyes trying to steal second. Perez has given up 9 hits, but he's stranded 7 runners. Here is his line.
6 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. He's thrown 93 pitches, 61 for strikes.

Nationals Scoring, 5th inning
The Nationals finally got a hit with runners in scoring position. They started the night 0-8, but it all changed in the 5th.

Nick Johnson singled to lead-off the inning. 2-outs later Rob Mackowiak walked. Jesus Flores doubled down the left field line, on an 0-1 pitch, scoring both runners and giving the Nats the 5-3 advantage. Odalis Perez helped himself by singling to right to score Flores and the Nationals lead 6-3.

Go Figuer-oa
Nelson Figueroa was 2-0, 3.32 ERA at home coming into tonight's game. He also held the Nationals to 3 hits and 2 runs in 7 innings on April 17. This was not the same guy who took the mound this evening. The only time he retired the side in order was the first. After that, he was a mess and he was pulled after 5 innings. Here is his line.
5 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 4 K, 2 Hit batters and an error. He threw 108 pitches, 62 for strikes.

Nationals scoring, 4th inning
The Mets are doing everything they can to keep the Nationals in the game.

Rob Mackowiak walked to lead-off the 4th and Jesus Flores was hit by a pitch. After Odalis Perez sacrificed them to second and third, Felipe Lopez hit a grounder back to Nelson Figeuroa, who had plenty of time to get Mackowiak at the plate, but Figueroa threw wide of Brian Schneider at home and the Nats tied the game 3-3.

With a chance to add more, Cristian Guzman flew out and Ryan Zimmerman forced Lopez at second to end the inning.

O-fer
The Nationals are not helping themselves at the plate. So far tonight, thru 4 innings, the Nats are 0-8 with runners in scoring position. If they lose this game, they can look back at missed opportunities.

Thank you Jesus
Jesus Flores did what no other National has been able to do. At least thats what it seems like. Flores threw out speedy Jose Reyes trying to steal second. A great tag on the top of the head by Cristian Guzman nailed Reyes. The Nationals are now 6-40 trying to throw out runners.

Pitcher's thru 3 innings
Odalis Perez has given up at least 2 hits in each inning, but has gotten away with minimal damage. The Mets have 3-runs but could have more. They have left 5 men on base.

Nelson Figueroa has struggled since the 1st, but he too has gotten away with only given up 2-runs.
Here are their lines

Perez: 3 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, BB, 3 K, HR. 49 pitches, 35 strikes.

Figueroa: 3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, ER, 2 BB, 4 K, HB. 59 pitches.

Mets Scoring, 3rd inning
Damon Easley has struck again. His bloop single to right scored Moises Alou, who doubled with 1-out, to give the Mets the 3-2 lead after 3 innings.

Both Alou and Easley's hits fell into shallow right and the Nationals had Austin Kearns playing well off the line and shaded towards right center.

Nationals Scoring, 3rd inning
The Nationals had a chance to break the game open, but were only able to tie it.

Nick Johnson's bases loaded walk, with 1-out, forced in a run to tie the game 2-2. Lastings Milledge worked the count full, but struckout for the second out and Austin Kearns hit a fly ball to center that got caught up in the wind and Carlos Beltran made the easy catch to end the inning and the Nationals left the bases loaded.

Mets Scoring, 2nd inning
Damon Easley got the run back that the Mets gave away in the top of the inning. Easley hit his 1st home run of the season over the wall in center field and the Mets retook the lead after 2 innings.

The Mets looked like they may add more, but didn't. After Jose Reyes bunted for a hit and Ryan Church singled to right, David Wright hit a sharp grounder that went off Ryan Zimmerman and right to Cristian Guzman. Guzman threw Wright out to end the inning.

Nationals Scoring, 2nd inning
The Mets gave the Nationals and early gift and they are more than happy to take it. Nick Johnson hit a routine grounder to Carlos Delgado at first, but Delgado juggled it and his throw to Nelson Figueroa, who was covering the bag, pulled the pitcher off the base and Johnson was safe on the error. After a walk to Lastings Milledge, Austin Kearns hit a slow grounder to second, allowing both runners to advance. Rob Mackowiak hit a sac fly to deep center to tie the game 1-1 on the unearned run.

Mets Scoring, 1st inning
Odalis Perez got two quick outs before the Mets got things going. David Wright got a 2-out walk and stole second. Carlos Beltran singled past Ryan Zimmerman and New York is on the board, 1-0 in the 1st. Wright's stolen base didn't even get a throw from Jesus Flores because Wright got such a huge jump off Perez.

A bit odd
Mets pitcher Nelson Figueroa is doing something I've never seen before. He is pitching from the stretch to start the game. Starting pitchers typically use the wind-up with nobody on base, but Figueroa is pitching from the stretch. I don't believe he did this in his previous start against the Nationals, but if he feels comfortable doing it, who is to say he shouldn't? Let's keep an eye on this and see if Figueroa is successful with it.

Game Preview
Nationals (15-23) at New York (19-16)
Weather permitting, the Nationals look to end thier 3-game losing streak tonight as they take on the Mets at Shea Stadium.

Coming off a sweep at the hands of the Marlins, where they were outscored 23-7, the Nationals must get off on the right foot and get solid starting pitching.

Odalis Perez, who can't seem to get a win, faces Nelson Figueroa.

Pitching Match-Up
LHP Odalis Perez (0-3, 3.43) is still looking for his first win of the season and it's not because of his pitching. In his last four starts, all no decisions, Perez has given up 7 earned runs in 24 innings. While Perez is in the game, the Nationals have given him just 8 runs of support. If the Nationals could've scored more in Perez's games, he would have a .500 or better record.

Perez has made 8 starts this year and he's pitched at least 5 innings and given up 3 earned runs or less in 7 of them. The only game where he didn't go 5 was April 4 where he gave up 5 earned in 4 innings in a 5-4 loss at St.Louis.

This is Perez's second time facing the Mets this year. In the first meeting, a 6-0 loss, he gave up 2 runs on 6 hits in 6 innings. The runs came on a David Wright 2-run home run in the first inning. In his career vs. New York, Perez is 4-6, 3.93 in 17 games.

RHP Nelson Figueroa (2-2, 4.81) is coming off a 5-4 loss to the Dodgers. He gave up 5 earned runs on 8 hits, 4 walks and a home run in 5 innings. Figueroa, who hasn't won since April 27, is facing the Nationals for the second time this season. On April 17, Figueroa held the Nationals to 3 hits and 2 runs in 7 innings in the Mets 3-2 win in 14. The runs came on a Nick Johnson 2-run homer.

In his career vs. Washington, Figueroa is 1-1, 2.76 in 5 starts. The win was back in 2002 when the team was in Montreal. Figueroa is much better at Shea Stadium this season than on the road. At home he's 2-0, 3.32 vs 0-2, 7.50 on the road.

Roster Moves
After Sunday's game, the Nationals optioned reliever Mike O'Connor to Triple-A Columbus of the International League and recalled reliever Chris Schroder.

This is Schroder's second stint with the Nationals this season. He appeared in two games with the club between March 31 and April 16. He pitched 2 2/3 innings and gave up 1-run on 2 hits and a walk and struckout 1. In 10 games with Columbus, Schroder went 2-1 with three saves and a 1.26 ERA. He had 24 strikeouts and just six walks in 14 1/3 innings.

O'Connor, was 1-1 with a 13.00 ERA in five games (one start) with the Nationals this season. He began the season with Columbus, going 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA in four starts, before his contract was selected by the Nationals on April 24.

Inside the Numbers

Road Warriors
Since 2003, the Nationals are among the top teams with a winning record at Shea Stadium.

Brewers 13-8 .619
Marlins 28-19 .596
Phillies 28-22 .560
Nationals 27-22 .551

Late Inning Lead = Wins
The Mets are pretty much unbeatable when they are leading or tied at the end of the 7th inning. Here the best records in baseball this season.

Tigers 14-0
Mets 18-1
Royals 16-1
Reds 14-1
Angels 22-2

Top of the order to ya
The Nationals 1 & 2 spots rank in the Top 3 in the majors in batting average. Check out these numbers.

Dodgers .324 (97-299)
Rangers .307 (100-326)
Nationals .300 (95-317)

Taking a bite out of the Big Apple
Cristian Guzman loves to face Met pitching almost more than anyone else in baseball. Based on 100 at-bats, here are the Top 5 highest career batting averages against the Mets for active players.

Derek Jeter .381
Todd Helton .355
Guzman .350
Mark DeRosa .333
Alex Rodriguez .333

Delivery Man
Former National Ryan Church is driving in runs for his new team. Only a handful of players who switched teams in the offseason have more RBI than Church this year.

Josh Hamilton, Texas 39 (Reds)
Emil Brown, Oak 33 (Royals)
Carlos Quentin, CWS 29 (D-Backs)
Miguel Tejada, Hou 28 (Orioles)
Church 26

Brian Bannister, who entered with an ERA of 8.02 over his last four starts, pitched eight shutout innings as the Royals beat the O's, 4-0. Both hits he allowed were singles.

With the win, the Royals end their 12-game losing streak vs. the Orioles.

Mark Teahen's RBI single gave KC a 1-0 lead in the 2nd and they made it 2-0 on an RBI double by Jose Guillen in the third. KC added two in the 7th.

O's starter Brian Burres gave up four runs and nine hits in six innings in falling to 3-4.

The O's begin a two-game series vs. division-leading Boston Tuesday night at Camden Yards.

BANNISTER PITCHES ROYALS TO 4-0 WIN IN SERIES FINALE

Righty Brian Bannister ended a four-start winless slide, pitching a two-hitter over eight innings as KC beat the Orioles today, 4-0. That ends the Royals 12-game losing streak vs. the Birds and is their first win over Baltimore since July 25, 2006.

The Orioles had a chance for a 5-5 road trip, but after getting 42 hits the last four games, today were shut down by Bannister, who is now 4-4. He fanned five in his first-ever start vs. Baltimore.

The O's, who got just two singles from Guillermo Quiroz and Luke Scott, did not have a single runner reach second base, as they fall to 19 and 19.

Mark Teahen had an RBI single in the 2nd and Jose Guillen's RBI double an inning later made it 2-0. The Royals, now 16-21, added two in the seventh.

Losing pitcher B