Gibbons breaks up Maroth's no-hitter in eighth

DETROIT (AP) -- Baltimore swept a doubleheader against Detroit

with a pitcher who didn't throw a pitch and against one who didn't

allow a hit through seven innings.

"It really is unbelievable," Tigers manager Alan Trammell said

after losing to the Orioles 5-2 and 6-4 on Thursday. "We've all

said it, if you've been in this game, you've never seen it all. But

my gosh, what happened is tough to swallow."

In the second game, Jay Gibbons broke up Mike Maroth's no-hit

bid with a leadoff single in the eighth and the Orioles went on to

score six runs with two outs in the inning.

In the opener, Gibbons hit a go-ahead two-run single in the

eighth as Baltimore rallied to win 5-2.

"Very bizarre day," Gibbons said.

B.J. Ryan (3-0) earned the first win without throwing a pitch

after he picked off Omar Infante on first base when he relived Pat

Hentgen with two outs in the seventh.

"What a country,'' Baltimore manager Mike Hargrove said. "I've

seen a guy get beat in a no-hitter, but I've never seen that."

The Tigers dropped to 3-23 after losing their fourth straight

game.

Detroit has a chance to reverse the 35-5 start that Trammell and

the Tigers got off to in 1984 before going on to win the

franchise's fourth and most recent World Series title.

"I'm shell-shocked, but I will show up again," said Trammell,

a rookie manager. "For some reason, there's a black cloud right

now. It can be a cruel game."

Fewer than 1,000 fans appeared to be at Comerica Park during the

late-afternoon contest. By the time a heavy rain fell in the eighth

inning, there didn't seem to be more than 100 people at the

ballpark.

The Tigers said 16,177 tickets were sold, but several thousand

fans didn't show up despite the 73-degree temperature when the

first game started.

"What made the day worse was nobody was in the stands,"

Detroit's Dmitri Young said. "Nobody is behind us. These people

don't care about us. I'd rather be on the road."

The Orioles (15-12) are three games above .500 for the first

time since May 4, 2000. Baltimore has won four straight and 13 of

19 after starting 2-6.

"I'd say we're on a roll," Gibbons said.

In the second game, Tony Batista followed Gibbons' hit with a

single to put runners on first and second. Maroth (0-7) retired the

next two batters before things got really ugly for the team that

easily has the worst record in baseball.

Maroth threw a wild pitch to score Gibbons and cut Detroit's

lead to 3-1. Geronimo Gil followed with an RBI single and Jerry

Hairston's bunt single chased Maroth.

Matt Anderson then walked Melvin Mora to load the bases. Gary

Matthews followed with a hard grounder down the line that was

stopped by first baseman Carlos Pena. But the Orioles scored two

runs _ to take a 4-3 lead -- when Pena's toss to Anderson didn't get

Matthews out and Anderson's relay home was too late to prevent the

go-ahead run.

Jeff Conine and Gibbons added RBI singles to make it 6-3.

"I went from a feeling I've never had on the mound to being

dazed and stunned,'' Maroth said. "For everything to happen as

quick as it did is the toughest part."

Omar Daal (2-3) gave up three runs on eight hits and three walks

while striking out four over seven innings.

Jorge Julio pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save of the

day and eighth of the season.

Maroth retired the first 11 Orioles before hitting Matthews with

a pitch with two outs in the fifth. Young preserved the no-hit bid

at third base with a diving stop and throw for the first out in the

fifth, and a stop and a throw -- from his knees -- for the last out

in the sixth.

Maroth gave up four runs on four hits and no walks while

striking out five over 7 2/3 innings to lose his seventh straight

decision to open the season.

"If it ever happens again, I'll remember the feeling I had,"

Maroth said. "Hopefully, I can forget the feeling I had after the

inning."

Just five Tigers have thrown no-hitters and the last was Jack

Morris on April 7, 1984 on the road against the Chicago White Sox.

By one day, Maroth avoided being the first player in major

league history to lose seven games before May 1. Maroth and Texas'

Dave Stewart are the only pitchers to lose six games before May 1.

Stewart did it in 1984.

The Tigers looked like they could win the first game too, when

they led 2-1 after seven innings.

But Franklyn German (0-2) blew Detroit's lead by giving up three

runs -- two earned -- while getting just two outs in the eighth.

Nate Cornejo gave up only one run and five hits while walking

two over seven innings. Cornejo has given up just five earned runs

in his past four starts, but has only one win to show it.

Game notes

The Orioles swept a doubleheader for the first time since

1997. ... In the first game, Baltimore's Rodrigo Lopez gave up four

hits and a run and was taken out with strained muscle in his lower

back after pitching to a second batter in the second inning. Lopez

is day to day.