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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Long before he gave up a third-inning grand
slam to Jeff Conine, Minnesota Twins left-hander Eric Milton knew
it was going to be a difficult night.
|  | | Baltimore first baseman Jeff Conine, right, celebrates his grand slam in the third inning. |
"I didn't think I had anything from the start," Milton said.
"The first two innings, I was fortunate to get away with no
runs."
His luck ran out in the third inning, when Mike Kinkade homered,
and Conine hit his second career slam to power the Baltimore
Orioles to a 7-2 victory over the Twins on Friday.
Milton, who did not give up more than three runs in any of his
eight previous starts this season, was yanked after Baltimore made
it 7-0 in the fourth.
"Life goes on. You just have to turn the page," Milton said.
"You can't always have good starts."
And sometimes even impressive performances can be deceiving.
Baltimore starter Jason Johnson (3-2) gave up two runs and five
hits in 7 2/3 innings for the Orioles, but he too had problems.
"I had great location with my fastball, but the curveball was
horrible," the right-hander said. "My guys bailed me out, because
it's much easier to pitch with a seven-run cushion."
Jacque Jones homered for the Twins, who were foiled in their bid
to move 18 games over .500 for the first time since 1992.
"Eric had a rough night. He didn't locate the ball," Twins
manager Tom Kelly said. "He just wasn't sharp."
Milton (5-3) gave up six hits, two walks and hit two batters in
3 1-3 innings, by far his shortest stint of 2001. His ERA jumped
from 2.48 to 3.43.
"It was a good night for us, but I don't think we saw Milton at
his best," Baltimore manager Mike Hargrove said. "You don't
compile the ERA that he has by being a bad pitcher or a lucky
pitcher. He's got good stuff. We were very fortunate tonight to get
to him the way we did."
The Orioles used the long ball and a rare wild spree by Milton
to register their fifth five-run inning in the last nine games.
After Kinkade led off the third with his second homer, Milton
issued a one-out walk and hit the next two batters. Conine then
sent a 1-2 pitch into the second row of the left-field seats, his
fifth homer of the season and fifth career slam.
"I knew it was an unusual game for me when I hit a few guys,
walked a few guys. That's not the type of pitcher I am," Milton
said.
Two singles, a groundout and a two-run single by Jerry Hairston
in the fourth inning ended Milton's night. Milton, who played for
the University of Maryland, is 0-3 with a 9.15 ERA in four career
starts against Baltimore.
"It's a shame," Kelly said. "He has family here and it's
always disappointing for him."
Jones homered leading off the fifth, and Corey Koskie singled in
a run in the sixth.
Game notes
Johnson is 3-0 with a 1.30 ERA in five starts at Camden
Yards this year. ... The Twins had won 12 of their last 17 games
and four of five. ... Baltimore, last in the AL in batting average,
got 10 hits, including three by Conine. ... Minnesota's Cristian
Guzman went 0-for-4, ending his 12-game hitting streak. ... The
Twins fell to 6-1 on Fridays. ... Conine is 5-for-6 with two homers
and five RBIs against Milton.
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OTHER GAMES
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RECAPS
Baltimore 7
Minnesota 2
Detroit 18
Tampa Bay 2
Boston 6
Kansas City 3
Toronto 9
Texas 3
Cleveland 7
Anaheim 2
Oakland 3
Chi. White Sox 2
NY Yankees 14
Seattle 10
Arizona 4
Chicago Cubs 0
Florida 2
Colorado 1
Montreal 3
San Diego 1
Philadelphia 5
St. Louis 4
Milwaukee 0
Pittsburgh 0
NY Mets 8
Los Angeles 0
Atlanta 6
San Francisco 5
Cincinnati 7
Houston 4
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