• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Jones' HR gives Millwood first victory of season

Jun 20, 2010 - 4:35 AM By BERNIE WILSON AP Sports Writer

SAN DIEGO(AP) -- Kevin Millwood finally got his first victory of 2010.

Not surprisingly, it wasn't easy.

Millwood bounced back from another tough first inning, Adam Jones hit a two-run home run in his hometown and the Baltimore Orioles held on to beat the NL West-leading San Diego Padres 5-4 on Saturday night.

Millwood (1-8) snapped an eight-game losing streak, the longest of his career. He had lost each of his previous four starts for the Orioles, who at 19-49 have the worst record in the major leagues.

"Anytime you win you're going to be happy about it but there are some things I thought I could have done better, of course," Millwood said.

"I think that's more satisfying than anything," Jones said about Millwood's victory. "The man battled his rear off all year and it took him 2 1/2 months to get a win."

Before he could celebrate, though, Millwood had to watch Alfredo Simon dodge trouble to get his seventh save in eight chances.

Opening the ninth with a two-run lead, Simon promptly put on the first two Padres batters, walking Jerry Hairston Jr. and allowing a double to Tony Gwynn Jr. Simon went to his third straight full count, against Oscar Salazar, who brought in Hairston with a groundout to third. David Eckstein grounded to shortstop and Simon struck out Chase Headley.

"It was a little nerve-racking, no doubt about it," Millwood said. "Simon made some good pitches there late to get us out of it."

Millwood improved to 7-1 against San Diego in 15 career starts, with a 3.05 ERA. He's won six straight against the Padres, who have lost four of six.

Millwood had another rough first inning, allowing three runs, but then settled down. He has allowed 18 runs total in the first inning of his last six starts after not allowing a first-inning run in his first nine starts.

Jones, who graduated from San Diego's Morse High, gave the Orioles a 5-3 lead with his homer into the second deck in left field on a 1-1 pitch from Clayton Richard with one out in the sixth, his ninth. Ty Wigginton, who also grew up in the San Diego area, was aboard on a leadoff walk.

"I finally swung at a pitch that I should have swung at," Jones said. "I finally got a good pitch to hit and I didn't miss it."

Millwood allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings, struck out five and walked two.

"He's going to turn it around," Hairston said. "It's like a hitter who gets off to a slow start, then gets hot. Millwood's been such a good pitcher for so many years now. Even though he gave up the three runs, a guy like him, he doesn't get rattled. He gives his team an opportunity to come back, which he did. He made pitches when he had to."

Millwood fell behind 3-0 in the first after allowing three hits and two walks, all with two outs. He could have gotten out of the inning unscathed but the Orioles failed to retire Scott Hairston even though he got caught in a rundown between second and third.

Adrian Gonzalez walked and Hairston singled before Yorvit Torrealba singled. Gonzalez took a big turn at third but was held up, and Hairston came more than halfway to third. Hairston was caught in a rundown but slid safely into second base after Wigginton, who had run over from first base, missed the tag. Millwood then walked Will Venable to force in Gonzalez, and Jerry Hairston Jr. hit a two-run single for a 3-1 lead.

"All that happened with two outs," Millwood said. "We have to be able to get somebody out there. After that I was able to settle down and get some people out and the guys battled back. It was good enough today. I've got to quit giving up so many runs in the first inning and get us off to a little bit better start and give the guys a chance to build a lead."

The Orioles tied it in the third on Nick Markakis' RBI double and Luke Scott's RBI single. Markakis also had a sacrifice fly in the first to bring in leadoff batter Julio Lugo, who reached on a two-base throwing error by Hairston Jr., the shortstop.

Gwynn, the Padres' center fielder, threw out pinch-runner Corey Patterson trying to score from second on Jones' single.

Richard (4-4) allowed four earned runs on a season-high eight hits in six innings, struck out five and walked one.

NOTES: In Sunday's series finale, Jake Arrieta will try to become the first player in Orioles history to win his first three big league starts. ... Former umpire Doug Harvey, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 25, was honored by the Padres before the game. He also dropped by the umpires room to chat with the crew. "Other than the scabs, there's not an umpire I don't love," he said. "We're in a brotherhood, a very unique brotherhood." ... Local resident Willie O'Ree, who broke the NHL color barrier with the Boston Bruins, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.