Wednesday August 17 vs the Athletics

Opponent: Oakland Athletics
Outcome: L
Score: 4-10
Streak: L3
Record: 39-80
Rank: 7th
GB: 30

This was a game that the Orioles had a lot of opportunities in.  They outhit the A's 14 to 11 but only scored 4 runs.  They left 11 men on base and went 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position.  On the other hand Oakland had several opportunities to blow this game open that they didn't take.  They had at least one baserunner on in every inning until the ninth.  They ended up leaving 10 men on base and were only 3-12 with runners in scoring position.  Orioles pitchers issued 10 walks to Oakland hitters this evening - four of those walked batters came in to score.

The Birds got on the board in the bottom of the first.  Singles by Pete Stanicek and Eddie Murray and a walk to Mickey Tettleton loaded the bases with two outs and a single by Ken Gerhart brought in Stanicek and Murray to put the O's up 2-0. 

Oakland loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the second but didn't score.  In the third however with one out Dave Henderson drew a walk.  Jose Canseco then tied the game up with a two run home run, his 32nd of the season.  The Orioles went back ahead in the bottom of the inning when Jim Traber had an RBI single that scored Cal Ripken.

The Athletics went ahead for good in the fifth.  Canseco doubled to lead off the inning and Mark McGwire knocked him in with a single.  Orioles pitcher Doug Sisk (who had relieved starter Gordon Dillard a couple batters after Canseco's home run in the third) then loaded the bases by walking Terry Steinbach and Don Baylor.  Glenn Hubbard then doubled, scoring McGwire and Steinbach and putting Oakland up 5-3.  Orioles manager Frank Robinson made his second pitching change of the game, bringing in Mark Thurmond who gave up a sacrifice fly to Luis Polonia that not only allowed Baylor to score but allowed Hubbard to move up to third.  After Walt Weiss grounded out for the second out, Tony Phillips walked and Henderson doubled, bringing in Hubbard to make the score 7-3 A's.  Finally Thurmond got Canseco, who had led off the inning, to fly out to end the damage.  Oakland sent 10 men to the plate and scored five runs on four hits and three walks.

A solo home run by McGwire leading off the sixth inning extended Oakland's lead to 8-3.  They added a couple more in the seventh.  With two outs, Phillips tripled and Henderson walked.  Stan Javier came in to pinch run for Henderson.  Canseco hit a ground ball back to Thurmond who threw the ball down the right field line while throwing to first.  Phillips and Javier both scored and Canseco ended up on third.  It was now 10-3 in favor of the A's.

The O's got their first two runners on in the bottom of the seventh on back-to-back singles from Murray and Tettleton - Murray going from first to third on Tettleton's hit.  Murray scored the Orioles fourth run of the game on a sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Larry Sheets but the Birds were not able to score any further runs.

I'm fairly confident that I must have flown home from Massachusetts this evening but I honestly have no memory of doing it.