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 O's end Florida's 7-game win streak
Posted: Thursday June 10, 1999 12:41 AM
MIAMI (AP) -- Scott Erickson gave himself and the Baltimore Orioles a much-needed victory. Erickson pitched seven effective innings and Jeff Conine homered against his former team as the Baltimore Orioles ended the Florida Marlins' seven-game winning streak, 4-2 Wednesday night. The Marlins were trying to match the second-longest winning string in team history. Instead, B.J. Surhoff homered as the Orioles stopped a four-game losing skid. Erickson (2-8) won for the first in six starts since May 9. He had lost three in a row. "That's a good lift for me and a good lift for the club because we needed Scotty to pitch the way he pitched," Orioles manager Ray Miller said. Erickson allowed two runs and five hits. Arthur Rhodes struck out the side in the ninth for his third save. "When things are going your way and you're hitting your spots, you only need a couple of pitches," Erickson said. "I made better pitches basically all the way around." The bullpen also provided a lift for Baltimore. Ricky Bones pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning and Arthur Rhodes struck out the side in the ninth for his third save. "Bones gave us an inning without any runners, which is unheard of lately, and Arthur Rhodes came in and had a perfect close," said Miller. But on this night, Erickson was the main stopper. "We faced a quality pitcher," said Marlins manager John Boles.
Bruce Aven's RBI grounder put Florida ahead 1-0 in the first. Conine's leadoff homer off knuckleballer Dennis Springer (2-7) started a three-run second. Cal Ripken Jr. and Charles Johnson each singled and Brady Anderson hit a two-run double off the scoreboard. Springer, who shut out Tampa Bay in his last start, gave up four runs and nine hits in seven innings. "There's nothing spectacular about the way I pitched," said Springer. The same could be said about Erickson, who was solid, but not overpowering. "He pitched great, a big game," said Conine, who received a loud ovation from the fans at Pro Player Stadium after he homered. "That's probably the best game I've seen him throw this year. His command was very good and he picked pitches when he needed to." Florida, which entered the night with the best overall interleague record at 25-11, made it 3-2 in the fourth. Aven tripled and scored on Tim Hyers' groundout. Surhoff homered for the second straight day, hitting a drive into the picnic area in center field in the seventh.
Miller is hoping Erickson's performance is a harbinger of better things to come. "I hope so," said Miller. "Nobody tries harder than Scotty and he's had a rough time." Notes: Rain, which has been a constant problem for the Marlins in their last two homestands, didn't cause a problem. There was a brief shower in the second inning, but it didn't stop play. ... The longest win streak in Florida history was nine from May 6-14, 1996. ... Harold Baines leads the Orioles in hitting at .342 with 43 RBIs. But with no DH in NL ballparks, he didn't start in the three-game series, and only appeared as a pinch hitter for Erickson in the eighth.
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