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Britton, O's hand Rangers first loss of 2011

Apr 10, 2011 - 2:18 AM Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - Zach Britton solved the last remaining undefeated team in the majors, as Baltimore's rookie hurler shut down the Texas Rangers over 7 2/3 innings en route to a 5-0 victory in the opener of a doubleheader at Camden Yards.

The Rangers combined to score 42 runs in three-game sweeps against Boston and Seattle to begin their season, but on Saturday ran into a buzzsaw in Britton (2-0), who was charged with just four hits and three walks to help the Orioles improve to 6-1 on the young season.

Mark Reynolds went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer and Nick Markakis had a solo shot in the victory.

Colby Lewis (1-1) allowed five runs -- four earned -- on six hits in his six- inning start for Texas, which was trying to start the year 7-0 for the first time since 1996.

Rain caused the opener of this three-game series to be moved to Saturday afternoon.

Britton, who threw six innings of one-run ball in his MLB debut last Sunday, allowed just one walk in the first three innings while his offense spotted him a lead.

In the first frame, Markakis belted a solo homer that stayed inside the right field foul pole. The Orioles put runners on the corners the next frame, and Reynolds, acquired in an offseason trade with Arizona, crushed a Lewis offering roughly 20 rows into the left-field seats for a 4-0 cushion.

An Adam Jones single plated Vladimir Guerrero in the third, and Britton did the rest.

Nelson Cruz recorded the first hit off the 6-foot-3 lefty with a one-out single in the fifth, but he was quickly erased when Mike Napoli bounced into a 4-6-3 double play.

Britton worked around Yorvit Torrealba's leadoff double in the sixth, then induced his third double-play ball of the game to keep the Rangers quiet in the seventh.

Buck Showalter took out the 23-year-old hurler with runners on the corners in the eighth, and Jason Berken got Ian Kinsler to ground into a fielder's choice to end the threat.

Berken tossed a scoreless ninth to complete the shutout.

Game Notes

Britton had two strikeouts and threw 63 of his 103 pitches for strikes...Brian Roberts, who was suffering from stomach pains on Friday, was in the Orioles' lineup, but went 0-for-4...Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre grounded two double plays...Mason Tobin threw two scoreless innings of relief for Texas.