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          Red Sox fall to Orioles, finish first losing April since '96

          Apr 30, 2010
          • Associated Press

          BALTIMORE -- It was the kind of game the Baltimore Orioles have played far too many times, usually with unfavorable results.

          The Orioles took an early lead against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night. Then, sure enough, Baltimore fell behind in the eighth inning. Given the way the Orioles have played this season -- along with their inability to beat Boston at home -- the outcome seemed predictable.

          This time, however, Miguel Tejada tied the game with an eighth-inning homer. And after Adam Jones doubled in the 10th, Tejada singled with two outs to give the Orioles a 5-4 win.

          Baltimore pitchers issued 10 walks and allowed three homers, and the Orioles won anyway.

          "Previously, all those mistakes will come back and find a way to beat you," manager Dave Trembley said. "They didn't tonight. We found a way to overcome some deficiencies and some things that didn't go our way."

          Tejada had three RBIs, including that clutch homer off Daniel Bard after Baltimore blew a 3-1 lead.

          "It was really big, not only for myself to have a great game at the plate, but I think for the whole team," Tejada said. "We just have to think we can win any kind of game."

          The win improved the Orioles' home record to 2-8 and ended a seven-game skid against Boston at Camden Yards.

          "A lot of twists and turns, but what it comes down to is getting the big hit when you need it from a guy who's been there," Trembley said.

          J.D. Drew hit two solo homers and Dustin Pedroia homered and drove in two runs for the Red Sox, whose three-game winning streak ended. The defeat left Boston with its first losing April (11-12) since 1996.

          The Red Sox went down in order only three times, went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11.

          "We had our chances," Drew said. "We left a lot of guys out there on base. That always comes back to get you."

          After Jones doubled with one out off Ramon Ramirez (0-1), Nick Markakis was walked intentionally. Hideki Okajima came in to face Matt Wieters, who struck out.

          Tejada then grounded a single up the middle off Manny Delcarmen.

          "I made a couple of good pitches, and when I needed to make a pitch, I didn't make it," Delcarmen said. "I just left it up."

          Matt Albers (1-3) pitched a perfect 10th for the Orioles, whose 5-18 record is still the worst in the majors.

          It was the fourth straight one-run game between the teams, and each has won twice.

          "Usually it seems like the Red Sox capitalize on everything that we do," Jones said. "It was good that we got a couple plays."

          Boston made it 3-all in the seventh. Darnell McDonald drew a two-out walk from Jason Berken and went to third on a single by Marco Scutaro. Jim Johnson came in and gave up an RBI single to Pedroia.

          Drew connected off Johnson in the eighth, capping his 16th career multihomer game. Drew came in with two homers and doubled his season total.

          Both starting pitchers left with the lead before being betrayed by their bullpens.

          Boston's John Lackey allowed three runs, two earned, in seven innings and was pulled with the Red Sox up 4-3.

          "It's tough to lose games, regardless of how it goes," Lackey said. "We definitely could have pulled this game out."

          David Hernandez gave up two runs and three hits over 5 1/3 innings for Baltimore. Although the right-hander walked off the mound with the Orioles up 3-2, the advantage quickly vanished.

          Hernandez has gone 14 straight starts without a win since Aug. 11, 2009. He's 0-9 during that span.

          Baltimore took a 2-0 lead with its most productive first inning since April 11. Wieters delivered an RBI single before Tejada hit a sacrifice fly.

          Drew homered in the second, the first allowed by Hernandez this season.

          Errors by McDonald in center and third baseman Adrian Beltre led to an unearned run in the Baltimore fourth, but Lackey avoided further damage by working out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam.

          Pedroia led off the sixth with a drive to right to make it 3-2.

          Game notes
          The Orioles will recall right-hander Brad Bergesen from Triple-A Norfolk to start Saturday. Daisuke Matsuzaka will come off the DL and start for Boston. ... Lackey has gone at least seven innings and allowed three runs or fewer in six straight games in Baltimore, the longest such streak by a visiting pitcher since Gaylord Perry's nine-game run from 1974-80.