Oakland Athletics overpower Baltimore Orioles 14-9 in series opener – MLB Update
Oakland Athletics overpowered Baltimore Orioles 14-9 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland on Friday, July 27 in the opening game of their three match series of the 2012 Major League Baseball regular season.
After the A’s took an early 5-0 lead, Chris Davis homered to right in the second inning to put the Orioles on the board. J. J. Hardy made a valuable contribution as he drove in two runs in the third and the fifth to keep the Orioles in the game.
Adam Jones connected for a three run home-run and Davis singled to left in the eighth to help Baltimore comeback from behind to take a crucial 9-8 lead but the Athletics were not prepared to give up.
Orioles’ relief pitcher Jim Johnson paid the ultimate price for his inconsistency as the A’s scored six runs off him in the ninth inning to secure an emphatic victory.
"It was like a heavyweight fight. Both teams just battled. It was one of the better games I've seen," Athletics’ manager Bob Melvin said in a post game interview. "Of course you want to be on the winning end of that because of how much you put into it."
"I fell behind and a couple balls got through," said All Star closer Jim Johnson. "It just kind of happened. It obviously wasn't my best day."
Manager Buck Showalter looked extremely frustrated at the result of the game. Despite putting up a strong offensive show, the Orioles were unable to cross the winning line. Credit should be given to the Athletics, who produced a magical performance to humble
their opponents.
With their win against Baltimore on Friday, the A’s narrowed down the gap between themselves and the American League West leaders Texas Rangers to just four games. With eight wins in their last ten games, Oakland is certainly heading towards the right direction.
Orioles, on the other hand, are still second placed on the AL East Division with 52-48 record and it will be interesting to see if they can fight back to end the series on a positive note.
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