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Millar homers twice as Orioles pound Rangers

Aug 9, 2008 - 5:44 AM By Sean Burns PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- Kevin Millar led the charge with a pair of homers as the Baltimore Orioles collected 15 hits in a 9-1 win over the Texas Rangers on Friday.

Jeremy Guthrie (9-8) was the beneficiary of the offensive support. The righthander threw seven strong innings, allowing one run and five hits while striking out four.

The only run Texas was able to scratch out came from Travis Metcalf, who connected for his first home run in the fifth.

"I thought I was able to throw three pitches pretty well and keep the ball down," Guthrie said. "Even when you're ahead by seven or eight, you've got to stay on top of (Texas), avoid mistakes and stay out of situations where they can put a bunch on the board."

The win was the third in a row for Guthrie, who has allowed one earned run in each of the victories. In his last nine starts, the 29-year-old is 6-1 with 19 earned runs allowed.

"(Guthrie) is in the position where he's starting to get recognized as a legit, top of the rotation guy for any team in the big leagues," Orioles manager David Trembley said. "When I saw him in the minors, he was a major league guy on a minor league team. He commands the strike zone, makes his pitches and gives his team a chance to win."

Millar recorded his third multi-homer game of the campaign and pushed his season total to 18 - his highest mark since belting 18 in 2004 for the Boston Red Sox.

"I've felt pretty good since the All-Star break," Millar said. "I don't have the ability to go out there and just hit like some guys ... but I feel like I get better and better."

Every member of the Orioles' lineup recorded at least one hit as Baltimore chased Texas starter Luis Mendoza (3-5) after three innings. The righthander yielded five runs and six hits before Dustin Nippert came on and surrendered three runs, six hits and four walks in four frames of relief.

"Mendoza didn't have his sinker today," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "He didn't have his secondary pitches. A lot of pitches he got up they hit. (We) tried to stop the bleeding but couldn't get anything going.

"You've got to take each game as it is. He just didn't have his stuff tonight."

The Orioles began the onslaught in the second, loading the bases with none out and eventually scoring three times on a sacrifice fly by Juan Castro and a two-run double by Brian Roberts.

Millar launched a two-run shot off Mendoza in the third, then led off the fifth against Nippert with a solo blast that gave Baltimore a 6-1 bulge.

"The guy just works," Trembley said of Millar. "I just think he's a guy that hits with men on base and gets an awful lot of big hits for you. His batting average is nowhere indicative of what kind of hitter he is."