O’s Go Down With Heart

After sweeping the world champs this weekend the Birds flew south to start a three game series with the Florida Marlins.

With a win tonight, Baltimore would have a season high six game win streak and they looked to accomplish that task with a pitcher looking for his first win since April 13, Koji Uehara.

The O’s were just 5-13 all time against the Marlins and had lost five of their six series.

Terrible weather in Miami wouldn’t hold this game off and the Orioles started early. Brian Roberts led the game off with a double down the right field line, he moved to 3rd on a wild pitch, and scored on a Nick Markakis sac fly.

The Marlins tied the game at one when Dan Uggla hit a Koji splitter out if the yard in the 5th. Things were looking bad for the gassed Uehara in the inning. But with bases loaded and one out Koji got Emilio Bonifacio to ground into a 1-2-3 double play.

The 2007 Danys Baez showed up to sunny south Florida. I was wondering what happened to him. A grand slam off the bat of Hanley Ramirez drove Baez out of the game and Florida’s 5 run inning gave them a 6-1 lead. I’m not real good at math, but I do know that 5 earned runs in 1/3 of an inning is not good for one’s ERA.

The O’s were kept with one hit through 7 until Matt Wieters — the chosen one — hit his second homerun of the year and began the Orioles’ come back.

Down 6-3 in the top of the 9th the Orioles struck Florida, they rocked them like a hurricane, and they almost pulled a major come back. With two outs the O’s strung together five straight singles good for three runs.

In the 11th it looked like it was going to be Orioles Magic. Gregg Zaun got on with a single and then made it to third on a Ty Wigginton single, but Wiggi pulled a bone headed move and thought he could stretch his single into a double. He was wrong and Rich Hill flew out to left field to end the inning and strand Zaun at 3rd.

Unfortunately that was the Bird’s last chance to score. In the bottom of the 12th Brian Bass put two on and gave up the game winning RBI to Jorge Cantu. Luke Scott‘s throw was on target, but Zaun dropped the tag and the Marlins won 7-6.