• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Bedard pitches Orioles past White Sox

Jul 14, 2007 - 3:17 AM BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- Erik Bedard is pitching his best baseball of the season.

Bedard tossed seven scoreless innings and Nick Markakis and Corey Patterson each hit a solo home run as the Baltimore Orioles edged the Chicago White Sox, 2-0, on Friday.

Coming off the first complete-game shutout of his career on Saturday, Bedard (8-4) allowed three hits and two walks while striking out seven. In a 3-0 win over the Texas Rangers in his last outing, the lefthander allowed just two hits, did not walk a batter and struck out 15 in facing the minimum.

"I just go out there and pitch," Bedard said. "Whatever happens, happens. ... You just try and keep them off-balance and not throw any pitches down the middle"

Bedard's only run support Friday came on Markakis' 10th home run of the season in the fourth and Patterson's third blast of the year an inning later.

The 28-year-old ace of the Orioles' staff, who departed after tossing 98 pitches, allowed just one extra-base hit through six innings. Paul Konerko doubled to open the fifth, but Bedard bounced back to induce a flyout and groundout before striking out Luis Terrero to end the frame.

The White Sox threatened again in the seventh, when Jim Thome drew a one-out walk and advanced to third on Konerko's second double of the game. However, Bedard again showed resiliency by recording back-to-back strikeouts of Jermaine Dye and Josh Fields.

Paul Shuey and Jamie Walker combined to pitch a scoreless eighth and Chris Ray worked around a pair of walks in the ninth to record his 15th save of the season.

"It's a game that you don't want to let get away, as well as Bedard pitched and as well as we played in the field," Orioles interim manager Dave Trembley said.

In his first start since signing a four-year contract extension worth $56 million, White Sox starter Mark Buehrle (6-5) went the distance. The lefthander allowed two runs, six hits and one walk while striking out a batter in eight innings.

"After he signed the contract, a lot of people talked about, 'Now he's got the money, let's see what he can do,'" Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said. "That's what you're going to get."

Prior to giving up the home runs to Markakis and Patterson, Buehrle had allowed only two blasts to lefthanded hitters in 17 starts this season.

"(Buehrle) made a mistake a little bit. It was middle of the plate, a little bit in," Patterson said. "I put a pretty good swing on it. We knew Mark is usually around the plate."

Buehrle acknowledged that he needs to make an adjustment.

"This year's been pretty bad with lefties - they're hitting over .300 (.311 entering Friday's game) off me," he said. "I don't know what it is. It seems like they almost time what's coming. ... I don't know if my sinker is not getting in there or what."

Baltimore ended a two-game skid with the win, snapping Chicago's three-game winning streak in the process.