Orioles 7, Rangers 4: Adam Jones went deep to reach the 20-homer plateau for the third consecutive season and Miguel Gonzalez tossed 6 2/3 solid innings as visiting Baltimore moved a season-best 12 games over .500.
Brian Roberts ripped a two-run single and Henry Urrutia celebrated his major-league debut with an RBI base hit to highlight a four-run third inning. Matt Wieters collected three hits and Chris Davis, Manny Machado and Jones added run-scoring singles for the Orioles (55-43), who banged out 17 hits en route to their sixth victory in seven contests.
With Baltimore already enjoying a 3-0 lead, Jones ignited the big frame by depositing a first-pitch changeup from Ross Wolf (1-3) over the wall in center field. Urrutia, who failed to convert in his first at-bat with the bases loaded, did so on his second opportunity by plating Davis as the Orioles pulled away.
The offensive explosion was more than enough for Gonzalez (8-3), who defeated the Rangers for the second time in nine days. After tossing 6 2/3 strong innings on July 11, the 29-year-old Mexican yielded eight hits en route to his sixth win in seven decisions and eighth consecutive quality start.
A.J. Pierzynski collected three hits and scored on David Murphy's two-run single in the eighth inning. The Rangers, who fell for the sixth time in seven contests, couldn't muster any more offense in the ninth as Jim Johnson notched his major league-leading 35th save.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Prior to the contest, the Rangers inducted former C Ivan Rodriguez into the team's Hall of Fame. Rodriguez, who played the first 12 of his 21 major-league seasons with Texas, became the 16th member of the club. The memory of former owner Brad Corbett, who passed away in December, also was honored. ... Roberts' two-run single closed the door on Wolf, who yielded seven runs on nine hits in two-plus innings. ... Astronaut Ricky Arnold, who is a Baltimore native, was in attendance.
Baltimore | Texas | |
Miguel Gonzalez | Player | Ross Wolf |
Win | W/L | Loss |
6.2 | IP | 2.0 |
3 | Strikeouts | 2 |
8 | Hits | 9 |
1.35 | ERA | 31.50 |
Baltimore | Texas | |
Matt Wieters | Player | David Murphy |
3 | Hits | 3 |
0 | RBI | 2 |
0 | HR | 0 |
3 | TB | 3 |
.750 | Avg | .750 |