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Hill pitches, hits Orioles to 7-2 win over Phils

Jun 20, 2009 - 2:51 AM By ROB MAADDI AP Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA(AP) -- After two bad starts and a rough first inning, Rich Hill settled in nicely and even chipped in with his bat.

Hill pitched into the seventh inning and singled in the go-ahead run, leading the Baltimore Orioles to a 7-2 victory over the slumping Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.

"He pitched well," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "The most important thing was he got guys out after they scored."

The defending World Series champions have lost four straight and fell to 13-20 at home. But the Phillies lead the NL East because they're a major league-best 23-9 on the road.

Manager Charlie Manuel seems like he's running out of patience with his struggling team, especially the hitters.

"The first rule of thumb is get a good ball to hit," he said. "When it's a 2-0 or 3-1 count, sometimes when I look at our hitters, it looks like they're in the hole. We can coach you and tell you things to do, but you're the ones hitting. You have to execute."

Hill (3-1) allowed two runs, five hits and walked four in 6 2-3 innings. The lefty baffled a potent lineup with an array of offspeed pitches mixed in with some fastballs.

Hill allowed seven runs in 4 2-3 innings in his last two outings. He didn't get out of the first inning on June 7 and didn't reach the fifth his last time out.

"I made a couple stupid pitches in the first inning, then I went to the curve ball, fastball, change and tried to move the ball around," he said.

Rookie catcher Matt Wieters hit a two-run double, matching his RBI total in his first 54 at-bats, Nolan Reimold homered and the Orioles won their third in a row. They rallied to beat the New York Mets and Francisco Rodriguez in the ninth inning Thursday night.

Antonio Bastardo (2-2) allowed four runs and five hits in seven innings, the longest outing by a Phillies starter since Jamie Moyer went seven against Los Angeles on June 5.

Bastardo won his first two career starts on the West Coast, but the hard-throwing lefty is winless in two outings at home.

After the Phillies took a 2-0 lead in the first, the Orioles answered with three runs in the second. Melvin Mora was hit by a pitch with one out and Reimold doubled to left-center. Reimold almost was thrown out at second by center fielder Shane Victorino, but second baseman Chase Utley couldn't hang onto the ball.

Wieters followed with a double to deep center, scoring both runners. After Robert Andino grounded out, Hill lined an 0-2 pitch to center for an RBI single to give Baltimore a 3-2 lead. It was his first hit and RBI since 2007 when he played for the Chicago Cubs.

Bastardo retired 10 in a row after Hill's single until Nick Markakis led off the sixth with a single. One out later, Aubrey Huff hit an RBI double off the left-field wall to give the Orioles a 4-2 lead.

Reimold connected off Jack Taschner in the ninth, and Markakis doubled in a pair of runs to make it 7-2.

Jayson Werth ripped a two-run double to right field put the Phillies ahead 2-0. Ryan Howard, who walked, scooted all the way home from first, beating the relay throw with a headfirst slide.

The Phillies are 1-6 during their homestand against AL East opponents. They're 7-18 in interleague play the last two seasons, including 3-13 at home.

Notes: An MRI exam on Phillies left fielder Raul Ibanez's injured groin revealed no further damage, and the slugger is hopeful he'll be ready to return when he's eligible to come off the disabled list July 3. "I'm feeling better," Ibanez said. "I expect to continue to progress and be back healthy." Ibanez is batting .312 with 22 homers and 59 RBIs. ... Phillies closer Brad Lidge will make a rehab start Saturday night for Double-A Reading. Lidge, sidelined with a right knee injury, is eligible to come off the disabled list Tuesday at Tampa Bay. ... Orioles CF Adam Jones is 4 for 37 in his last eight games, dropping his average from .346 to .310. ... Wieters made a tumbling catch against the dugout railing on a foul pop in the eighth.