masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgCHICAGO – The Orioles didn’t have a hit today off left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada through the sixth inning.
I know what you were thinking.
Jake Arrieta beat them Friday night, with Pedro Strop tossing a scoreless eighth. Wada was poised to make them feel much worse, until Steve Pearce stepped to the plate.
Pearce drove Wada’s second pitch of the seventh inning, an 88 mph fastball, deep to left field for his 14th home run.
No shutout. No no-hitter.
Adam Jones walked with two outs in the first inning…

CHICAGO – The Orioles didn’t have a hit today off left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada through the sixth inning.

I know what you were thinking.

pearce-gray-sidebar.jpgJake Arrieta beat them Friday night, with Pedro Strop tossing a scoreless eighth. Wada was poised to make them feel much worse, until Steve Pearce stepped to the plate.

Pearce drove Wada’s second pitch of the seventh inning, an 88 mph fastball, deep to left field for his 14th home run.

No shutout. No no-hitter.

Adam Jones walked with two outs in the first inning for the only baserunner against Wada, who twice struck out the side. Pearce made certain that Wada wouldn’t make history.

Wada left the game after Jones popped up, his pitch count at 92 in 6 1/3 innings. Wada’s season high this year is 109 pitches in a minor league start.

Former Oriole Milt Pappas threw the last no-hitter at Wrigley Field on Sept. 2 , 1972.

The Orioles were last no-hit by the Red Sox’s Clay Buchholz on Sept. 1, 2007.

The Orioles hadn’t scored in 13 consecutive innings before Pearce homered.

In his last seven games, Pearce is 10-for-29 with five doubles, three home runs, four RBIs and six runs scored.

Miguel Gonzalez has allowed two runs in six innings. Doubles by Chris Coghlan and Anthony Rizzo gave Chicago a 2-0 lead in the sixth.

Update: Gonzalez has six quality starts in his last seven outings after going 6 1/3 innings today and leaving with the Cubs ahead 2-1. He allowed six hits, walked none, struck out three and served up a home run.

Gonzalez threw 85 pitches, 57 for strikes.

Strop will work the eighth inning.

Update II: The Orioles lose to the Cubs 2-1 for their first losing road trip of the season.

Their lead over the Yankees in the American League East is down to six games.

The Orioles are 73-55 overall, 18-25 in day games, 9-12 on Sundays and 25-19 in one-run games.