Sunday August 14 at the Brewers

Opponent: Milwaukee Brewers
Outcome: W
Score: 11-9
Streak: W2
Record: 39-77
Rank: 7th
GB: 30

This was a wild one.  The Orioles took a commanding early lead but the Brewers fought back late and came close to tying it up.

For the third day in a row the Orioles took a lead in the first inning.  An RBI double by Eddie Murray and a two run home run from Joe Orsulak gave them a three run lead after the first.  A second two run shot - this time by Murray in the third - put the Birds up 5-0.

The Brewers scored an unearned run in the bottom of the third when an error by Cal Ripken allowed Robin Yount to reach base instead of being the third out - Dale Sveum scored from third on the play.  Ripken atoned for the error with a solo home run in the fifth to make the score 6-1.  The Birds added a couple more in the sixth on an RBI single by Rene Gonzales and an RBI ground out by Bill Ripken.  A two run home run by Jim Adduci in the bottom of the inning made the score 8-3 after six.

Things started to get interesting in the eighth inning.  In the top of the inning the Orioles added two more runs on a Bill Ripken RBI double.  But in the bottom of the inning the Brewers got four consecutive one out singles from Rob Deer, BJ Surhoff, Adduci and Jim Gantner to bring in a couple runs.  The Orioles replaced Doug Sisk (who had relieved starter Dave Schmidt the previous inning) on the mound with closer Tom Neidenfuer.  Neidenfuer gave up a run scoring single to the first batter he faced (Sveum) before getting Paul Molitor and Jeffrey Leonard to each ground out to end the inning.  The Orioles still had a comfortable 10-6 lead.

They padded the lead a little in the top of the ninth.  Mickey Tettleton and Larry Sheets hit singles to start the inning and Orsulak hit a ground ball to third baseman Molitor who threw to shortstop Sveum at second to force Sheets but Sveum made a bad throw to first which allowed Tettleton to score and Orsulak to reach second.  The Birds might have been able to get more that inning but Orsulak was thrown out trying to steal third and Gonzales struck out to end the inning.  The score was 11-6 Orioles.

Neidenfuer got Robin Yount to ground out to open the bottom of the ninth but ran into issues immediately after that.  Greg Brock doubled and Deer hit a two run home run to make the score 11-8.  Surhoff singled and then stole second, putting him in position to score when Adduci singled.  Gantner followed with a double to move Adduci to third.  Gantner represented the tying run on second with only one out.  Orioles manager Frank Robinson decided that after five consecutive hits it was time to relieve his closer and brought in Mark Thurmond.  Thurmond got Sveum to pop out and Molitor to fly out to end the game.