Tuesday June 7 vs the Tigers

Opponent: Detroit Tigers
Outcome: W
Score: 4-3
Streak: W2
Record: 14-42
Rank: 7th

GB: 22.5

A day after he had been demoted to DH due to his batting slump, Eddie Murray was the star of the game as the Orioles won consecutive games for just the second time this season.  The game was a back-and-forth affair with the Orioles getting on the board first in the bottom of the first when Murray singled to bring Cal Ripken in from second.  The Tigers tied it up in the top of the second when Chet Lemon hit an RBI single of his own to score Alan Trammell from second.  Mickey Tettleton hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth to put the Orioles ahead 2-1 but Trammell hit a two run home run in the top of the sixth to put the Tigers up 3-2.  Murray re-tied the game with a solo home run in the bottom of the inning however and the game remained 3-3 until the bottom of the eighth.  With one out Bill Ripken doubled and Tigers starter Frank Tanana intentionally walked Cal Ripken to face Murray.  Murray made him pay by doubling to score Bill Ripken with the go-ahead and eventual winning run.  Murray went 3-4 this evening with a double and home run.  He knocked in 3 of the 4 Oriole runs.

Monday June 6 vs the Tigers

Opponent: Detroit Tigers
Outcome: W
Score: 5-2
Streak: W1
Record: 13-42
Rank: 7th

GB: 22.5

On the face of it there's not a lot to say about this game.  The Birds won 5-2 on the back of a three run home run by Cal Ripken off of Jack Morris.  Jeff Ballard started for the Orioles and almost pitched a complete game - he was lifted with two outs and two on in the top of the ninth.  Tom Neidenfuer came in and struck out pinch hitter Darrel Evans to end the game and earn his sixth save of the season.

I was at this game (all the "Three Buck Nights" were either Monday or Thursday games) and I remember almost nothing about it.  But reading Richard Justice's game story from the next day's Washington Post (and I have no idea why I have the Post's article and not the Baltimore Evening Sun's) I see there's a couple interesting things.  Had Ballard gotten the complete game it would have been the first complete game victory for an Orioles pitcher in half a season.  Cal's home run was the first three run home run the O's had hit since the previous September.

The big news of the evening though was the demotion of slumping first baseman Eddie Murray to the DH role.  Murray's relationship with the Orioles had been deteriorating since he was criticized by owner Edward Bennett Williams late in the 1986 season and this was just one more stone in his road out of town after the season ended.

Sunday June 5 vs the Yankees

Opponent: New York Yankees
Outcome: L
Score: 2-9
Streak: L1
Record: 12-42
Rank: 7th

GB: 23.5

After a grueling 14 inning game the night before I'm sure that Orioles manager Frank Robinson was hoping to be able to give his bullpen a bit of rest on this Sunday afternoon.  But as so much this season what he hoped for and what he got were two different things.  The Yankees quickly reminded the Orioles that they were in first place for a reason.

For the third game in a row Rickey Henderson got on base to lead off the game.  This time he got on via a walk from Orioles starter Jay Tibbs.  Unlike the previous two games however he didn't steal second although he got there anyway when Tibbs walked the second batter of the game Willie Randolph.  Claudell Washington then brought Henderson in with the first run of the game with a single.  After Tibbs walked Jack Clark to load the bases, Robinson decided he'd seen enough and brought Mark Williamson in to pitch.  

Williamson's outing started promisingly enough when he got Jose Cruz to hit a ground ball to Eddie Murray at first base that allowed the Orioles to force Randolph out at the plate for the first out of the inning.  But Mike Pagliarulo then singled to bring in Washington and Clark to make it 3-0 Yankees.  Williamson got Gary Ward to strike out but then walked Rafael Santana to load the bases again.  It looked like he was going to get out of trouble when Joel Skinner hit a ground ball to Cal Ripken at shortstop but Cal made a bad throw to first pulling Murray off the bag and everyone was safe - including Cruz who scored with the fourth run.

Now the floodgates opened.  Henderson had a two RBI single that scored Pagliarulo and Santana and Randolph doubled to score Skinner and Henderson.  When Washington hit his second RBI single of the inning to bring in Randolph the score was now 9-0.  Mercifully Clark finally ground out to end the inning.  The Yankees scored nine runs on five hits, four walks and one error.

That was pretty much the ballgame.  The Orioles only managed to get six hits and score two runs off Yankees starter Rich Dotson who threw a complete game and gave the Yankees bullpen the rest the needed after Saturday night's marathon.  Williamson combined with Don Aase and Doug Sisk to keep the Yankees off the board for the remainder of the game.

Saturday June 4 vs the Yankees

Opponent: New York Yankees
Outcome: W
Score: 7-6
Streak: W1
Record: 12-41
Rank: 7th
GB: 22.5

This one was a roller coaster.  The Yankees got on the board in the first inning in a similar way that they had the night before.  Rickey Henderson led off the game with a single and then stole second with Willie Randolph at the plate.  Randolph then flew out to short right for the first out.  With Claudell Washington up, Orioles starter Mike Boddicker caught Henderson leading off too far from second but threw the ball away on the pickoff attempt.  Henderson ended up at third and scored when Washington singled.  Boddicker was able to get out of the inning without any further damage (despite hitting Jack Clark with a pitch and walking Dave Winfield to load the bases).

Unlike the night before however the Orioles came back and took the lead in the bottom of the second.  A Larry Sheets walk, a Keith Hughes single, a Terry Kennedy RBI double and a Rene Gonzales sacrifice fly put the Birds up 2-1.  They increased the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the third on an RBI groundout by Eddie Murray.

Meanwhile Mike Boddicker was pitching one of his best games of the season.  After pitching out of trouble in the first inning he only gave up three more hits until the ninth although one of those hits was a solo home run by Joel Skinner in the top of the seventh.  But things got interesting in the top of the ninth with the Orioles up 3-2.  Boddicker got the leadoff hitter (Mike Pagliarulo) to line out back to the pitcher for the first out but Winfield singled to put the tying run on first.  Orioles manager Frank Robinson went to his bullpen and brought in the team's closer, Tom Neidenfuer.  Neidenfuer gave up a single to Gary Ward to move Winfield to third and then a game tying single to pinch hitter Jose Cruz.  He got pinch hitter Jay Buhner to fly out for the second out of the inning before Robinson brought Dave Schmidt in to relieve him.  Schmidt walked Handerson to load the bases before striking out Randolph to keep the game tied at three.

But it wouldn't stay tied for long.  With one out in the top of the tenth Clark connected for a solo home run off of Schmidt to put the Yankees up 4-3.  After a fly out by Pagliarulo the Yankees looked like they were going to get some more runs when Winfield and Ward singled but Schmidt got Bobby Meachum to ground out to end the threat.

With the Yankees closer Dave Righetti on the mound things didn't look good for the Orioles but Sheets led off the bottom of the tenth with a single.  Robinson put Wade Rowdon in to run for him and sent Ken Gerhart up to hit for Hughes.  Gerhart worked a walk but Rick Schu (who was pinch hitting for Kennedy) struck out for the first out.  But then Gonzales came through with a double that tied up the game again and put the winning run on third with one out.  A Bill Ripken ground out and a Mickey Tettleton fly out ended the inning though.

Both teams threatened over the next three innings, especially the Orioles.  The Birds left runners on second and third in the bottom of both the eleventh and twelfth.  The Yankees broke through in the top of the fourteenth.  Washington led off the inning with a single off Orioles reliever Doug Sisk and Clark followed up with a walk.  Pagliarulo and Winfield had back to back RBI singles to put the Yankees up 6-4.  Sisk avoided further damage by getting Ward to pop out for the first out and Meachum to ground into an inning ending double play.

But the Orioles had one more comeback in them this evening (actually it was Sunday morning at this point) - it was another one of those bizarre innings that they were usually on the other end of.  Schu led off the inning against Yankees pitcher Hipolito Pena by hitting a ground ball that shortstop Meachum made an error on.  Gonzales followed with a single and Bill Ripken walked to load the bases.  It looked all over though when Pena fanned Tettleton and Fred Lynn for the first two outs.   At this point Yankees manager Billy Martin somewhat inexplicably went to his bullpen again and brought in Cecilio Guante to pitch to Cal Ripken.  It looked like the move was going to pay off when Cal hit a ground ball to Pagliarulo at third but Pags threw the ball into the right field corner for a bases clearing, game winning error.  The stats for the winning inning were three runs on one hit, one walk and two Yankee errors.  It was the Birds' third walk off win of the season and their third extra inning victory.  At 14 innings it would be the longest game the team would play all season.

Friday June 3 vs the Yankees

Opponent: New York Yankees
Outcome: L
Score: 0-4
Streak: L2
Record: 11-41
Rank: 7th
GB: 23.5

Another night where the offense failed to come through.  And it didn't help that neither Orioles starting pitcher Jose Bautista or catcher Mickey Tettleton could contain Yankees outfielder Rickey Henderson on the bases.

Bautista started the game by walking Henderson which was never a good idea.  With a patient Willie Randolph at the plate, Henderson promptly stole second.  Two pitches later, he stole third.  Bautista was rattled enough that he ended up walking Randolph.  Claudell Washington then hit a ground ball that forced Randolph at second but allowed Henderson to score.  With Jack Clark at the plate Bautista balked to move Washington to second.  He made it to third on Clark's ground out but was left stranded there when Mike Pagliarulo grounded out to end the inning.  The Yankees had managed to score a run without the benefit of a hit.

The Yankees picked up another run in the third when Henderson singled with one out.  He stole second to move himself into scoring position and then scored when Randolph singled.

Meanwhile Tommy John, the Yankees 45 year old starting pitcher, was taking care of business.  The Orioles kept getting guys on base but they weren't able to do anything with them.  And it didn't help that leadoff singles in the bottom of the fifth and sixth got immediately erased on double plays.

The Yankees capped their scoring in the top of the eighth when Washington hit a home run with Randolph on first.  This was the ninth time the Orioles were shutout this season and the third time in their last nine games.

Thursday June 2 - Off Day

The Orioles returned from their 10 day West Coast road trip and got to enjoy an off day at home before opening a six game home stand against the AL East leading Yankees and the third place Tigers.

Wednesday June 1 at the Mariners

Opponent: Seattle Mariners
Outcome: L
Score: 3-4
Streak: L1
Record: 11-40
Rank: 7th
GB: 22.5

The first West Coast road trip of the year wrapped up on a frustrating note.  The Orioles had chances to win this game but didn't execute.

The Mariners got on the board in the bottom of the first inning when Henry Cotto led off the inning with a triple off Orioles starter Jeff Ballard and came in to score when Glenn Wilson hit a ball that third baseman Wade Rowdon couldn't handle for an error.  The M's got a second run two innings later when Cotto doubled with one out, stole third and then scored when catcher Mickey Tettleton's throw to third sailed into left field.

The Orioles would tie it up in the top of the fourth.  Joe Orsulak doubled off of Seattle starter Scott Bankhead to start the inning.  After Jim Dwyer struck out Cal Ripken singled to score Orsulak.  Eddie Murray popped out to short but Larry Sheets singled, moving Ripken to third.  With Tettleton at the plate Bankhead committed a balk, scoring Ripken from third and tying up the score.  Bankhead then struck out Tettleton to end the threat.

The Orioles went ahead in the top of the sixth.  Orsulak led off the inning with a double.  Two batters later Cal Ripken walked and then Eddie Murray hit an RBI double, putting the O's up 3-2.  The Orioles looked like they were poised to score more runs when Bankhead intentionally walked Sheets to load the bases but Tettleton grounded into yet another rally-killing double play to limit the damage.

Seattle took the lead back for good in the bottom of the seventh.  With one out Dave Valle singled and Rey Quinones followed up with a two run home run to put the M's up 4-3.  The Mariners threatened again in the bottom of the eighth but Tom Neidenfuer got Valle to pop up with the bases loaded to get out of the jam.

Tonight's Mariners victory was the 1571st and final victory in the managerial career of Hall Of Famer Dick Williams.  Seattle would get swept in a four game series in Kansas City after this game and Williams would be fired when the team returned to Seattle on Monday June 6th with a record of 23-33.  His replacement was Jim Snyder who led the team to a 45-60 record for the remainder of the season.

The 1988 Amateur Draft was started today and would go over the next two days.  The Orioles had the fourth overall pick and took Auburn pitcher Gregg Olson.  Olson would be the closer for the 1989 "Why Not?" Orioles team and ended up winning the 1989 AL Rookie Of The Year award.  The most significant player of the Orioles draftees was a left handed pitcher from La Vega High School in Waco, Texas who they took in the second round.  Arthur Rhodes ended up with a 20 year career with the Orioles, Mariners, Athletics, Indians, Phillies, Marlins, Reds, Rangers and Cardinals between 1991 and 2011.