masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgThe Orioles could not pin a loss on Masahiro Tanaka tonight, but they did score twice in the ninth to beat the New York Yankees 5-4 and win the series.

The first four O’s reached in the ninth against Shawn Kelley and a Nick Markakis RBI single made it 4-3 while a Chris Davis sac fly made it 5-3. The Orioles would need both runs as New York scored one in the ninth off Tommy Hunter.

The Orioles were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position going into the ninth and then went 3-for-5 with RISP…The Orioles could not pin a loss on Masahiro Tanaka tonight, but they did score twice in the ninth to beat the New York Yankees 5-4 and win the series.

The first four O’s reached in the ninth against Shawn Kelley and a Nick Markakis RBI single made it 4-3 while a Chris Davis sac fly made it 5-3. The Orioles would need both runs as New York scored one in the ninth off Tommy Hunter.

The Orioles were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position going into the ninth and then went 3-for-5 with RISP in that inning.

Tanaka, the Japanese right-hander, fell behind the Orioles 3-0 in the second inning tonight, but settled down and didn’t allow too much offense after that. He gave up seven hits and three runs over seven innings with one walk and 10 strikeouts. He threw 101 pitches.

Jonathan Schoop produced a very big swing in this game. In the top of the second, after singles by Matt Wieters and Steve Lombardozzi, he crushed a three-run homer to the second deck down the left field line. Schoop’s blast – his second major league homer – provided the O’s with an early 3-0 lead.

But New York came back quickly with solo homers in the last half of the second from Carlos Beltran and Kelly Johnson and they tied the game 3-3 in the fourth.

Miguel Gonzalez did pick up just the second quality start by an O’s starting pitcher on the season. He went six innings allowing seven hits and three runs with one walk and three strikeouts.

Gonzalez did lower his ERA from 18.90 to 9.64 and he became the first O’s pitcher other than Chris Tillman to allow fewer than four earned runs in his start.

The ninth-inning rally gives the O’s their first two-game winning streak of the season and they’ll play home Friday night after an off-day tomorrow.