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Pitching and defense lead Orioles past Red Sox

May 12, 2007 - 6:39 AM BOSTON (Ticker) -- The Baltimore Orioles finally found a way to topple the Boston Red Sox. Pitching and defense.

Rookie Brian Burres picked up his first major league win and Melvin Mora and Nick Markakis had big nights at the plate as the Baltimore Orioles posted a a 6-3 victory over the Red Sox on Friday.

Burres (1-1) yielded two runs and struck out three in just his second start. The converted reliever was pressed into duty when Adam Loewen went down with an elbow injury last week.

The young lefthander was aided by a strong defensive effort. Markakis, who had four hits and two runs scored, made a sparkling play in right field to rob Jason Varitek of a homer in the fifth with a runner on first.

"The whole ballgame was like that," Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo said. "We made a lot of good defensive plays."

"I had to battle every inning," Burres said. "I had to get myself out of stuff pretty much the whole game and it helped that my team played great defense and did a great job behind me."

Miguel Tejada got into the act with the Red Sox threatening in the seventh. With runners on second and third and the Orioles clinging to a two-run lead, Tejada made a diving catch on pinch hitter J.D. Drew's liner which likely would have tied the game.

"Miggy was outstanding and that was probably the best I have seen him jump, ever," Perlozzo said. "Those were two great plays at two key (moments). Not only great plays but they couldn't have been at a better time. That's what it takes to beat these teams."

"Playing defense is not easy," Tejada said. "Making plays to save the game is not easy and I think for me when I make a big play, it's more helpful than if I hit a home run or hit a double. I think that's the difference in winning a game."

Two innings earlier, Tejada showed his leadership instead of his glove, going to the mound to speak to Burres, who had a three-ball count on Wily Mo Pena with the bases loaded and two out before striking out the Boston slugger to end the threat.

"When he got in trouble with Wily Mo, I just went over there and told him, 'You're two pitches away from getting your first major league win. Don't give it away. You've been working hard for four innings. Just throw a fastball right down the middle and if he hits it then you're still pitching a great game. We'll get it back and win the game,'" Tejada said. "I think he got a lot of confidence from that."

Four relievers bridged the gap to closer Chris Ray, who pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save.

Boston, which left the bases loaded three times, entered Friday's game with a 17-3 record against Baltimore since the beginning of the 2006 season, including a two-game sweep at Camden Yards last month.

"We couldn't get a big hit when we needed it," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "We did actually get a couple of hits but we hit them so hard in left field we couldn't score. Sometimes, the left field here giveth but it (also) taketh away."

Baltimore jumped on Boston starter Julian Tavarez (1-3) early, plating a pair in the top of the first. After Brian Roberts lined out to center fielder Coco Crisp to open the game, Markakis followed with a fly ball off the left-center field wall for a double.

"I had just a couple of bad innings out there," Tavarez said. "I wasn't able to get the guy to hit the ball to somebody. They were hitting the ball good. I lost the game in three innings. How you win this game is winning innings, how you pitch every inning. I lost the game in three innings."

Markakis advanced to third on Tejada's groundout and came home on Ramon Hernandez's double to center. Aubrey Huff chased Hernandez home with a single to center and moved to second when first baseman Kevin Youkilis' relay throw sailed past the catcher.

After Mora singled, Tavarez forced Jay Gibbons to fly out to Crisp to end the inning.

The Red Sox forged a tie in the second frame, when Varitek led off with a double and came home on Julio Lugo's two-out double to left. Crisp followed with a single, which seemed to rattle Baltimore's young starter.

Burres walked David Ortiz to load the bases and then walked Manny Ramirez to force in the tying run. Youkilis ended the inning with a flyout to deep center field.

Burres worked in and out of trouble all night, walking five and yielding seven hits. The 26-year-old lefthander showed the poise of the veteran, getting the big outs when he needed them.

Burres got Ramirez to lineout with two runners on to end the fourth frame and struck out Pena looking with a runner on to end his night in the fifth. He threw 100 pitches in five innings, but just 54 of them for strikes.