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Early offense propels Orioles past Rangers

Jul 5, 2008 - 12:58 AM By Rich Dubroff PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- Jeremy Guthrie isn't accustomed to a great deal of run support, but it's a feeling he certainly likes.

Nick Markakis, Brandon Fahey, Kevin Millar and Adam Jones each had two hits and Freddie Bynum had three

RBI to lead the Baltimore Orioles past the Texas Rangers, 10-4, on Friday.

After Guthrie (5-7) allowed a run in the top of the first, he silenced the Rangers until giving up three runs in the seventh.

Guthrie, who has often suffered from a lack of support, had no reason to complain since the Orioles scored eight runs off Texas starter Vicente Padilla in just 2 2/3 innings.

"The team's hitting the ball very well," Guthrie said. "It seems like the past couple of weeks we're putting some runs on the board."

Both last year and through much of this season, Guthrie has pitched well but has shown little for it.

"I don't feel any different. I'm used to pitching games that are tight," Guthrie said. "I enjoy pitching the games that are 1-0 (or) 1-1 - and I enjoy pitching a game (when) we're ahead 8-1."

Baltimore manager Dave Trembley, who's suffered through many games without an offensive cushion for Guthrie, was relieved.

"The game is established with Guthrie, the tempo of the game," Trembley said. "After we scored, he put shutdown innings up there for us, and I think that is big, especially against a club like Texas."

Padilla (10-5), who has lost two in a row, had won eight of his previous nine decisions. Bynum hit Padilla in the hand with a hard single, which rolled into shallow center field and plated two runs to cap a four-run third. Padilla left the game with a bruised right thumb and X-rays were negative. He also suffered a bruised collarbone.

"I felt it was my last start," Padilla said through an interpreter. "He said he hoped to make his next scheduled start on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Not only is Padilla hurting, but the Rangers had to scratch Saturday's scheduled starter Eric Hurley, who has a strained left hamstring. Scott Feldman will make the start instead.

Guthrie allowed four runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings, while striking out six and walking two. After Ryan Bukvich recorded the final two outs in the seventh, Jim Johnson pitched a scoreless eighth and Dennis Sarfate struck out a pair in the ninth to end the game.

Markakis doubled with one out in the first, which extended his hitting streak to 12 games. Aubrey Huff's single scored Markakis to tie the score at 1-1.

Fahey's two-run double highlighted a three-run second inning and Bynum's two-run single capped a four-run third to send Guthrie on his way.

"I looked up in the sixth inning and we had him at 114 pitches, and it certainly didn't seem like he was working that hard," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "You've got to give the guy credit."

Bynum was in Class AAA Norfolk last week after the Orioles demoted him on June 25. After Alex Cintron strained his left hamstring, he was recalled on Tuesday. He was inserted in the lineup when Brian Roberts came down with flu-like symptoms.

"We've been getting hardly anything with Guthrie pitching and he's been pitching his tail off for us," Bynum said. "It was big to get enough runs for him."