Despite another solid start by Koji Uehara, the Baltimore Orioles were stunned in the ninth inning thanks to a two-run opposite field homer by Michael Young off a pitch by George Sherrill. The Orioles weren’t able to comeback in the ninth inning and lost a close one to the Rangers, 9-4. They held a razor thin one-run lead until the deciding frame.
Sherrill had gotten two outs in the ninth inning, as well as stopped a threat in the eighth, but allowed Kinsler to reach first on a single before Young brought him in. Sherill took the loss on Friday, while Uehara allowed two runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Meanwhile, for Texas, Vicente Padilla, who didn’t look all that great, but his numbers weren’t bad on the night as he allowed four runs in 6 2/3 innings of work. C.J. Wilson would pitch a scoreless eighth inning to earn the win — his first on the season.
Baltimore scored three times in the fourth inning to take a 3-1 lead, as Aubrey Huff doubled in two runs, and also crossed home plate thanks to a Vicente Padilla balk. They scored once again in the fifth inning as Brian Roberts hit a solo homer, and then the Orioles would load the bases and get a chance to pile it on Padilla; however, they could not muster any more runs as Ty Wigginton popped up to end the frame.
Texas scored once in the first inning as Ian Kinsler singled in Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and then Hank Blalock homered in the seventh. They scored off Jim Johnson in the eighth as Marlon Byrd, with runners on first and third beat out an infield single — that Cesar Izturis fielded — to plate Young.
The two teams will play again tonight and Sunday afternoon.
Finally, in two separate incidents — one definitely intentional and one perhaps not — why do fans fell compelled to run onto the field late in the game like jackasses? The first guy ran onto the field — actually, jumped onto the field from the left field wall — jumped back into the seating bowl in left field and actually evaded police by hiding, running around, and going around the terrace/lower reserve boxes under the mezzanine. From what I know, he was caught, but it did look like the police gave up for a few minutes.
The second person, I could not tell if he jumped on the field on fell into it, but I noticed him while Texas fielder Marlon Byrd was trying to field a ball. I was stunned by this and wondered if the fan was drunk or whatever. I don’t know what happened to him, but it’s asnine that fans feel the need to act foolish and get detained in addition to paying a hefty fine to show-off. I do wish Byrd — a former football player at 6’1″ or so and about 240ish — lays out the brain surgeon who decided to trespass.
