Wednesday July 27 at Cleveland

Opponent: Cleveland Indians
Outcome: L
Score: 2-12
Streak: L3
Record: 31-68
Rank: 7th
GB: 27.5

This one got out of hand pretty quick.  Jose Bautista started for the Birds and he was not a mystery for the Cleveland hitters.  Ron Washington and Terry Francona hit back to back singles to start the game for the Tribe.  Julio Franco doubled to knock in Washington and Joe Carter then hit a three run home run.  So four batters in the Orioles were already down 4-0.  But Bautista was able to get out of the inning without any further trouble.

But trouble showed up again in the bottom of the second.  Chris Bando led off with a single.  After Washington popped out for the first out Francona hit a single that knocked Bautista out of the game.  In came Mike Morgan to relieve him but it didn't make any difference.  Franco greeted Morgan with a bases clearing double to make the score 6-0.  After Carter grounded out for the second out Mel Hall doubled to bring in Franco and Cory Snyder singled to bring in Hall.  A single to Willie Upshaw and a walk to Brook Jacoby loaded the bases.  With Bando at the plate (the tenth man to bat in the inning) Morgan then threw a wild pitch that scored Snyder and moved the other two runners up.  Finally Morgan struck out Bando to end the inning.  After two innings the Indians had sent 18 men to the plate and nine of them had scored.

The Indians didn't let up in the third.  Washington walked to start the inning and Francona got his third hit of the evening in as many innings when he followed with a single.  Then Franco hit his third double of the first three innings and knocked both Washington and Francona in.  Franco ended up stranded at second though as Morgan managed to get the next three batters out.  But Cleveland got yet another run in the fourth after Upshaw led off the inning with a walk and was forced at second on a ground out by Jacoby.  Bando then doubled to put runners on second and third and Jacoby then scored when Washington grounded out.  After four innings the score was 12-0 Cleveland.

Mark Thurmond came in to pitch for the Orioles in the fifth inning and he and Don Aase (who pitched the eighth inning) were able to shut down the Indians' offense the rest of the game on only one hit.  Meanwhile the Orioles got themselves on the board finally in the seventh on a two run home run by Jim Traber.  Tom Candiotti went the distance to pick up the win for the Indians.