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Huff's big night helps Orioles edge Rangers

Apr 14, 2009 - 4:45 AM ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Baltimore's bloops were enough to the beat the Rangers' blasts, with the help of a big blunder.

Baltimore had seven RBI singles and held on for a 10-9 victory Monday night when Texas, which hit three home runs, failed to capitalize on Ian Kinsler's leadoff double in the ninth off closer George Sherrill because of the All-Star second baseman's miscue running the bases.

Michael Young followed Kinsler's hit with a flyball into the right-center gap. Nick Markakis made a running catch on the warning track, then slammed so hard into the wall that he knocked the bullpen gate open. But Kinsler was already running and had to scramble back to second base.

"We got a lucky break Kinsler didn't try to tag up, or else we'd still be playing," Gregg Zaun said.

"It stayed in the park and found its way into my glove," Markakis said.

Young, who had homered earlier in the game, said he knew he didn't "catch it all" but was hoping that it was over the right fielder's head.

Josh Hamilton followed with a fly to center that would have likely been deep enough to score Kinsler -- if he had been on third.

"I need to be standing on third base," Kinsler said. "It was a great play (by Markakis), but I need to be on third regardless if he catches it or not."

After Andruw Jones walked -- and a successful double steal with Kinsler and pinch-runner David Murphy -- Marlon Byrd struck out to end the game and Sherrill had his third save in three chances.

Baltimore went ahead to stay and chased Vicente Padilla (1-1) with five consecutive run-producing hits in the fourth inning that made it 7-4.

Young's two-run homer in the third -- onto the grassy hill in center -- put Texas up 4-2, but Padilla walked the leadoff hitter in the fourth before Felix Pie singled. After a popout, Brian Roberts' RBI single was the first of five consecutive hits. Adam Jones' RBI double tied the game at 4, before Markakis, Aubrey Huff and Ty Wigginton followed with run-scoring singles.

Pie led off the fifth with a solo homer, and the Orioles were up 10-4 after Huff and Wigginton had consecutive RBI singles for the second inning in a row.

Huff went 4-for-5 with three of Baltimore's RBI singles. He reached base the fifth time because of a wild pitch on a third strike. The Orioles had 16 hits, three each by Roberts and Pie.

"We played very unselfish baseball at the plate," manager Dave Trembley said.

Koji Uehara (2-0), Baltimore's first Japanese-born player, gave up seven runs while pitching into the sixth in his second start.

Chris Davis, Young and Jones all hit their first homers of the season for Texas, which has lost four consecutive games after its first 3-0 start since 1996.

Davis, inserted into the lineup about 20 minutes before the game because Hank Blalock had a stiff neck, snapped an 0-for-17 slump with his 423-foot solo homer into the second deck of seats in right field. Davis finished 3-for-4 after one hit in 22 at-bats the first six games.

Uehara, who came to Baltimore after being an All-Star in Japan, left after loading the bases with no outs in the sixth. He struck out three and walked four. The right-hander won his major league debut Wednesday against the New York Yankees when he allowed one run over five innings.

Texas pulled to 10-9 in the seventh on a two-run homer by Jones, his first homer in the American League and the 372nd of his career.

Jones, a five-time All-Star for Atlanta who hit only .158 with three home runs last season in his only year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, made the team after coming to spring training on a minor league deal. This was his second game, both as the DH.

Padilla, in the final year of his three-year deal with Texas, gave up 11 hits and seven runs over 3 1-3 innings.

"I thought it was going to be a good day for me," Padilla said. "No excuses. I threw everything, but they hit everything."

Notes: Baltimore played its first game away from Camden Yards and showed off its new road jerseys. The new tops feature "Baltimore" in script across the chest. That replaces the script "Orioles" that had been on the front since 1973. ... Blalock, now primarily the DH, was supposed to get his first start in the field. He was going to be at first base. ... Orioles 3B Melvin Mora was held out of the lineup because of a strained hamstring.