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BALTIMORE(AP) Add David Hernandez to the expanding list of
Baltimore Orioles
rookie pitchers who have collected a win and a game ball following their first major league start.
Hernandez took a four-hitter into the sixth inning,
Luke Scott
homered twice and had four RBIs, and the Orioles beat the
Detroit Tigers
5-1 Thursday night for their season-high fourth straight victory.
Nolan Reimold
also homered for the Orioles. The rookie has connected in three straight games and has five in 14 games since being recalled
from Triple-A Norfolk on May 14.
Hernandez (1-0) allowed one run, five hits and four walks in 5 2-3 innings. Recalled from Norfolk before the game, the right-hander
became the fourth Oriole this season to win his first start - joining
Koji Uehara
,
Brad Bergesen
and
Jason Berken
.
These are truly good times for the Orioles, who will add catching prospect
Matt Wieters
to the mix Friday night.
''Everybody is jumping around. Everybody is happy. Everybody has smiles on everybody's faces,'' center fielder
Adam Jones
said. ''The team is getting a little younger, but it is getting more interesting. Everybody is enjoying it.''
Jones finished the proceedings by stuffing a shaving-cream pie into Hernandez's face during the rookie's postgame interview.
One day earlier, Reimold got the pie treatment after hitting a game-ending homer in the 11th against Toronto.
How long can this continue?
''As long as we keep winning,'' Jones said. ''I guess Wieters will be here tomorrow, so hopefully we can pie him.''
Scott hit a solo shot in the second inning and a three-run drive in the eighth off
Ryan Perry
. It was Scott's sixth career two-homer game, and gave him three longballs in two starts since returning from the disabled
list on Wednesday.
''He's hit some big, big shots for us,'' manager Dave Trembley said.
Armando Galarraga
(3-5) gave up three runs and 10 hits over seven-plus innings in losing his fifth straight decision.
''He pitched very well,'' Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. ''He gave us a chance to win.''
After Hernandez left in the sixth with runners at first and third,
Matt Albers
walked
Gerald Laird
to load the bases before striking out
Ramon Santiago
.
In the seventh,
Jim Johnson
retired
Miguel Cabrera
on a popup with two outs and a runner on third. One inning later, Johnson got Laird to hit into an inning-ending double play
with two runners on.
Clete Thomas
drove in the lone run for the Tigers, who stranded 10 and went 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position.
''We were terrible tonight, just terrible,'' Leyland said. ''You can't do that up here and win games.''
Cabrera said, ''We left a lot of runners on base. You don't score runs, you can't win.''
Hernandez got off to a shaky start, giving up two walks and a single in the first to load the bases with two outs for
Brandon Inge
, who hit a routine fly to left.
''You don't quit after the first inning, but that would have been a nice inning to put a little something on him,'' Leyland
said. ''(Hernandez) was very good. I was very impressed with him.''
Hernandez retired eight straight batters until
Curtis Granderson
hit a broken-bat single in the fourth. Inge then bounced into a double play.
Thomas hit a tying RBI single with two out in the fifth, but Reimold connected in the bottom half to put Baltimore back in
front.
Notes: Scott's four RBIs were a season high. ... Detroit OF
Magglio Ordonez
extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a first-inning single. ... To make room for Hernandez on the roster, the Orioles
optioned reliever
Chris Ray
(0-1, 9.39 ERA) to Norfolk. Hernandez replaced Uehara (hamstring) in the rotation. ... Inge lost hold of his bat in the sixth
inning, and it nearly hit Leyland in the dugout. ... The Orioles have eight homers in their last three games.
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