Sunday September 25 vs the Tigers (2)

Opponent: Detroit Tigers
Game 1
Outcome: L
Score: 1-2
Streak: L1
Record: 53-100
Rank: 7th
GB: 34.5
Game 2
Outcome: L
Score: 4-7
Streak: L2
Record: 53-101
Rank: 7th
GB: 34.5

It was a very frustrating afternoon for the Orioles.  They got swept in the double header, giving up the winning runs in the top of the ninth in both games.

The Orioles got on the board first in the first game.  With one out in the bottom of the first Pete Stanicek reached base safely on an error by first baseman Dave Bergman.  Stanicek stole second with Cal Ripken at the plate but it didn't matter because Cal drew a walk.  Eddie Murray came up and hit a ground ball that Bergman fielded at first and threw to shortstop Luis Salazar.  But Salazar's throw back to first attempting to double up Murray went wild and Stanicek ended up scoring and Murray ended up on second.  Mickey Tettleton struck out then to end the inning.  The Orioles scored a run on no hits, one walk and two Tiger errors.

It was good that the Orioles had scored without benefit of a hit because Jack Morris was on the mound for Detroit and he was being very stingy when it came to hits.  The Birds only got one hit in the game and it didn't come until one out in the seventh inning when Tettleton lined a single.  Meanwhile a solo home run off the bat of Darrell Evans in the third had tied the game at 1.

This was yet another game where you wonder if the Orioles should have gone to their bullpen in the ninth inning.  Mark Williamson had started for Baltimore and had pitched well - giving up one run on four hits and one walk while striking out three.  But he'd thrown over 110 pitches as he started the ninth inning by getting Matt Nokes to ground out. Gary Pettis followed with a single and then stole second with Pat Sheridan at the plate.  Sheridan then grounded out to shortstop with Pettis moving to third on the play.  Salazar then singled, bring Pettis in with the go-ahead run.  Finally the Orioles went to the bullpen, bringing in Gregg Olson who got Tom Brookens to fly out for the third out.

Morris retired the Orioles in order in the bottom of the ninth for the complete game victory, his fourteenth of the season.  He ended up giving up just the one unearned run on one hit and two walks while striking out eight. 

The loss was the Orioles 100th of the season.  It was the first time that the Orioles had lost 100 games in a season since their first season in Baltimore in 1954.

The second game started well for the Orioles.  They scored in the bottom of the first again - this time plating two runs on an RBI single by Murray and a sacrifice fly from Jim Traber.  The Tigers tied the game on a two run home run by Dwayne Murphy in the fourth but the Orioles had a two run home run of their own off the bat of Ken Gerhart in their half of the fourth to go up 4-2.  Torey Lovullo led off the fifth with a solo home run to pull the Tigers within one run.

I've been beating up the Birds the last few days about their bullpen management and this game is an example of why manager Frank Robinson was reluctant to use it.  Mark Williamson had come in for starter Jose Bautista to start the sixth inning and had pitched very well for three innings, holding the Tigers to no hits and only one walk.  But he walked Bergman to start the ninth inning and Robinson, perhaps because not going to the bullpen had been burning him lately, decided to bring in a reliever.  He brought in the closer, Tom Niedenfuer and Niedenfuer, like so many other times this season, didn't have it.  He walked Evans to put the go-ahead run on base.  Bill Bean laid down a sacrifice bunt to move up the runners so he ended up issuing an intentional walk to Nokes to load the bases.  Former Oriole Fred Lynn came in as a pinch hitter for Lovullo and crushed a shot to deep right field for a grand slam.  The Tigers were now up 7-4.  This was the second time in nine days that Lynn had hit a game winning home run against his old team.

The Tigers weren't quite done - Mike Heath followed Lynn with a single before Niedenfuer was finally able to get the last two outs of the inning on a Ray Knight fly out and a Chet Lemon strikeout.  The Orioles again went quietly in the ninth for their 101st loss of the season.

This was the last time Niedenfuer came in in a save situation for the Orioles this season.  I'm not sure the Orioles gave up on him - there really was only one save situation the rest of the season.  But he only made one more appearance ever for the Birds - on the last day of the season.  He left the team as a free agent over the winter and signed with the Mariners where he went 0-3 with a 6.69 ERA.  He finished his career with the Cardinals in 1990 with an 0-6 record and a 3.46 ERA.