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Friday, Aug. 4 7:15pm ET
Bullpen keys Baltimore | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- It took until well past midnight, but the Baltimore Orioles were finally victorious. Delino DeShields drove in the go-ahead run with a 15th-inning single as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 10-9 Friday night after wasting a seven-run lead. "From the first day in spring training, we preached mental toughness," Orioles manager Mike Hargrove said after a 5-hour, 16-minute game that ended at 12:33 a.m. ET. "It was exhibited tonight. They could have folded the tents, but they didn't." Brady Anderson drew a two-out walk off Esteban Yan (5-8), the seventh Tampa Bay pitcher. Anderson went to third on Melvin Mora's single. DeShields followed with his hit to right. Jason Johnson (1-8), the sixth Orioles pitcher, threw four hitless innings. The right-hander was recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday. "For now on, I'm going to be aggressive when I go out there and throw," Johhnson said. "I was relaxed out there. That's how I have to be trhe rest of the year." The eight consecutive losses to start the season tied the Baltimore mark first set by Mike Boddicker in 1988. "It's a big relief. It's huge," said Johnson of the victory. "It will probably make me more relaxed. Right now, I'm just happy. I finally threw the way I should." The time and length were both the longest in Tampa Bay's brief history. "It would have been a nice win," Tampa Bay manager Larry Rothschild said. "Now, we just have to get ready for today." The Devil Rays rallied from a 9-4 deficit to tie the game in the eighth inning. Greg Vaughn keyed the comeback with a two-out, three-run homer off Alan Mills that got the Devil Rays within two. Mike Trombley replaced Mills and walked Fred McGriff and Jose Canseco, who had earlier hit a three-run homer. Pinch-hitter Jose Guillen greeted Buddy Groom with a two-run triple that right-fielder Albert Belle couldn't reach on a sliding attempt. DeShields and Belle hit back-to-back homers and Mora ran his consecutive hits streak to eight at-bats for the Orioles, who took an 8-1 lead in the third inning. DeShields and Belle hit solo shots during a four-run third. Mora had a first-inning run-scoring double and a two-run single in the second. Mora, who finished 3-for-8 grounded out to end the third inning to stop his consecutive hits streak. Since being acquired with three minor leaguers from the New York Mets for shortstop Mike Bordick July 28, Mora has gone 13-for-27. Tampa Bay's Travis Harper lasted just 2 2-3 innings in his major league debut. The right-hander allowed seven runs and eight hits. "I make some mistakes and they hit them," Harper said. "I'm anxious to go out there again." The late Tampa Bay rally cost Orioles starter Jose Mercedes his fourth straight win. The right-hander allowed four runs and eight hits over six innings. Belle's homer was his eighth all-time against Tampa Bay. DeShields' shot struck a speaker hanging from an overhead catwalk. 10 of the 24 fair balls hitting the overhanging structures have occurred this season. Consecutive RBI triples by Ivanon Coffie and Luis Matos later in the third put Baltimore up 8-1. Canseco, who missed 46 games with a strained left heel, cut the Tampa Bay deficit to four in the bottom of the third with his 440th career homer and first since July 19. Coffie, who added a RBI double in the fifth, went 3-for-7 with two doubles and a triple. The announced crowd was 15,590, approximately 4,500 below the Devil Rays' home average. The NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened their preseason at home Friday night against Washington. Game notesThe teams started the game with the two worst records in the AL. ... Baltimore vice president of baseball operations Syd Thrift planned to talk with some of the Orioles' veteran players about the team's long term plans during the weekend series against the Devil Rays. ... Orioles DH Jeff Conine rejoined the team after missing two games to be with his wife Cindy, who gave birth to their son Tucker Thursday. ... Tampa Bay 2B Russ Johnson had his second consecutive three-hit game. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Baltimore Clubhouse Tampa Bay Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 5 Kansas City 4
Baltimore 10
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