BALTIMORE — Kevin Kouzmanoff
doubled in three runs to cap a five-run eighth inning, and the Oakland
Athletics rallied to beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-5 Thursday for their
second road series win.
Gabe Gross homered for the Athletics,
who won the final two games of the three-game series. Oakland's only
other series win on the road came against the Los Angeles Angels on
April 9-11.
Orioles starter Brad Bergesen took a
two-hitter and a 5-2 lead into the eighth. The right-hander retired 14
straight before allowing two straight singles to start the inning and
end his night.
Jason Berken got one out and Mark
Hendrickson (1-3) got another before Ryan Sweeney hit an RBI single. An
infield hit by Kurt Suzuki off Hendrickson's leg loaded the bases for
pinch-hitter Jake Fox, whose bad-hop grounder handcuffed shortstop Cesar
Izturis and was ruled a single.
Baltimore manager Dave Trembley then
brought in Cla Meredith, and Kouzmanoff promptly hit a liner into the
gap in left-center.
Michael Wertz (2-0) got two outs in
the seventh, Craig Breslow worked a perfect eighth and Andrew Bailey got
three outs for his ninth save.
Miguel Tejada drove in two runs and
Julio Lugo had three hits for the Orioles, who have lost nine of 12.
As lightning bolts flashed around the
stadium and thunder roared in the distance, the Orioles sandwiched two
walks around a single by Adam Jones to load the bases with one out in
the sixth. Lou Montanez was thrown out at first base after tapping a
slow grounder to the right side, but his second RBI of the season gave
Baltimore a 3-2 lead.
Tejada singled in a run in the seventh
off Tyson Ross, and Wuertz issued a bases-loaded walk to Garrett Atkins
to make it 5-2.
But the lead would not stand up.
Oakland starter Gio Gonzalez gave up
three runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings. Half his six strikeouts came
against Corey Patterson.
Oakland went up 2-0 in the second
when Kouzmanoff walked and Gross hit a drive over the center-field wall
to end his 52-game homerless drought.
The Orioles tied it in the third.
After two singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out, Tejada got a
run in with a grounder and Matt Wieters added an RBI single.
Notes
Baltimore RF Nick Markakis
missed the game to be with his wife, who gave birth to the couple's
second child, a boy. … Atkins, who homered Wednesday, now has RBIs in
successive games for the first time since April 7-8. … The Orioles
played a third straight game without DH/1B Luke Scott (shoulder). He is
expected to return to lineup Thursday in Toronto. … Jones extended his
career-best hitting streak to 13 games. … Oakland's Cliff Pennington
was omitted from the starting lineup for the first time this season, in
part because he's hitless in his last 15 at-bats.