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Saturday, Aug. 26 1:35pm ET
Hairston's suicide squeeze breaks scoreless tie | |||||
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GAME LOG
BALTIMORE -- After Tampa Bay relied on the long ball to win, the Baltimore Orioles used a couple of bunts to gain a split. Jerry Hairston broke up a scoreless duel with a suicide squeeze in the eighth inning as Baltimore beat the Devil Rays 2-0 Saturday night for a doubleheader split. In the day game, Greg Vaughn broke out of a slump with a two-run homer and Fred McGriff added a milestone shot to lead Tampa Bay to a 4-1 victory. Mike Kinkade led off the eighth of the nightcap with a single off Cory Lidle (1-5). Pinch-runner Trenidad Hubbard then took third when Lidle threw wildly to first on a sacrifice bunt by Luis Matos, who went to second on the play. Hairston followed with a bunt to the first-base side, leaving Lidle no choice but to throw to first. Melvin Mora followed with an RBI single. "All I want is to get it down, because (Hubbard) was coming. If I get it down, we score," Hairston said. Easier said than done. The Orioles botched a squeeze earlier in the week, but on this occasion the play worked to perfection. "We just had the right people in place. It worked out this time," Orioles manager Mike Hargrove said. Buddy Groom (6-3) pitched a scoreless eighth and Mike Trombley struck out the side in the ninth for his fourth save in 10 tries. "Trombley was fantastic tonight," Hargrove said. "That was as sharp as we've seen him all year." Orioles starter Mike Mussina pitched seven shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out eight. After giving up a fourth-inning single to Jose Guillen, Mussina retired the last 10 batters he faced. He left with tightness in his groin but won't miss his next turn, Hargrove said. Mussina was matched by Paul Wilson, who pitched six shutout innings in his first start since 1996, when he was with the New York Mets. Wilson, who underwent an elbow operation in April 1999, allowed only three singles and struck out five. "When I had surgery last year I never had a doubt I'd be back," he said. "They're trying to be careful with me, which is great ... but next year in that same situation, the seventh and eighth innings are mine." McGriff's ninth-inning drive off Sidney Ponson in the opener gave him home runs in 37 ballparks, tying the major league record set by Mark McGwire. He had gone homerless in 63 at-bats at Camden Yards before launching a 395-footer over the center-field wall. "People always look at different records and they keep track of everything. It's just one of those things," McGriff said. "But my teammates have been giving me a tough time about never hitting a home run in this ballpark." That's what he thought about as he rounded the bases. "I was thinking about my teammates and the record, that I'd finally done it," he said. McGriff's homer, his 22nd of the season, landed him in the record book. But Vaughn's 23rd decided the game. The shot gave the Devil Rays a 3-1 sixth-inning lead. Vaughn was 4-for-38 since his last homer, on Aug. 12 against Chicago. Dave Eiland (2-1) took over for starter Tanyon Sturtze, who pitched two scoreless innings before leaving with a left ribcage strain. "I felt it pop," Sturtze said. "I am real upset right now because I had a chance to get some starts under my belt. It will be at least 10 to 15 days." His spot in the rotation will likely be filled by Wilson. "He'll stay in the rotation, but he'll be watched," Tampa Bay manager Larry Rothschild said of Wilson. Eiland allowed one run and five hits in 4 1-3 innings before being lifted with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth. Esteban Yan struck out Hairston and retired Matos on a fly ball. Yan pitched a scoreless eighth and Roberto Hernandez got three outs for his 25th save in 31 tries. Ponson (7-9) gave up seven hits in his fourth complete game. The right-hander has yielded 26 homers in 26 starts this season. Game notesMussina has not allowed an earned run in his last 16 innings. ... Devil Rays pitcher Tony Saunders, who re-fractured his left arm Thursday, announced his retirement Saturday in Florida. ... Tampa Bay has won 19 games against Baltimore, the most versus any opponent. ... The Orioles have split 11 of their last 12 doubleheaders, including three this season. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Tampa Bay Clubhouse Baltimore Clubhouse RECAPS Tampa Bay 4 Baltimore 1
Baltimore 2
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