Orioles salvage series split with Jays

BALTIMORE -- It's tempting to say Adam Loewen got off light Thursday night, even if he stuck with another one of the American League's heavyweights. Loewen made his second straight start against a former Cy Young Award winner and got his second straight no-decision, but the Orioles rallied late in a 7-5 win over the Blue Jays.
The win allowed Baltimore to salvage a series split with Toronto (33-26) and finish with a 5-5 record on its homestand, which included visits by Tampa Bay and New York. Loewen's only prior start came against five-time Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson, and his second one came against Toronto's Roy Halladay, the league's best pitcher in 2003.
"I know that a lot of people thought it wasn't a great matchup, but I thought Adam rose to the occasion and pitched pretty well against a powerful right-handed offense," said Baltimore manager Sam Perlozzo. "That's kind of what we want all our starters to do. The youngster looks like he's getting a little better each time. You've got to give him credit.
"He's in there fighting and concentrating. ... Hopefully, we've got something."
He may be fighting and concentrating, but he was also scuffling. Loewen gave up 11 hits -- none for extra bases -- and allowed at least two baserunners in four of his five complete innings. Still, he carried a 3-2 lead into the sixth inning, an advantage that quickly evaporated. Loewen lasted four batters, getting one out and giving up three straight singles.
Baltimore (28-33) went to Todd Williams, who gave up run-scoring hits to pinch-hitter Frank Catalanotto and leadoff man Reed Johnson. Loewen's stat line absorbed all those runs, and Williams went on to walk Vernon Wells to force in one more. That gave the Jays a two-run lead and briefly made Loewen the pitcher of record -- on the wrong side of the ledger.
"That team finds holes, and that's why they're one of the best hitting teams in the league," he said. "I'm happy. I'm pleased with how I pitched. I gave us a chance to win and we pulled it out in the end, which was awesome."
"He pitched well. He got out of some jams," said Toronto manager John Gibbons. "We had some guys on base and he made some pitches to get out of some jams. Once he gets his command, he'll be awful tough."
Perlozzo was asked if Loewen would start again, and didn't hesitate in his response.
"I don't see how you can say, 'No,'" he said. "A ballclub like that and he pitched that well. I thought that was pretty good."
Perhaps the win had something to do with that, but Perlozzo had the right to look at the bright side. Loewen's ERA (7.80) says something entirely different, but a lot of that damage came in two relief appearances. The southpaw has a 6.97 mark as a starter and a 9.64 mark as a reliever, but Perlozzo said he has pitched better than his numbers.
Loewen, in his postgame comments, gave reason to believe he may be even better in the near future.
"I feel more comfortable out there. I feel like I can pitch the way I'm capable of," said the former first-round pick. "I had some ups-and-downs and my curveball was off tonight. I thought I did well without it. We came away with the win, which was the most important thing."
Halladay worked six innings and left with eight hits and four runs on his resume, handing the rest of the game over to his relief staff. Toronto handled things until the eighth, when Baltimore put together an odd game-changing rally. Justin Speier came in with one out and two men on in that inning, and he gave up a single to load the bases.
That's where the game got surreal. The Orioles forced in three runs without the benefit of another hit. Brandon Fahey got hit by a pitch to bring in the game-tying run, and one out later, leadoff hitter Brian Roberts had an eight-pitch at-bat. Roberts wound up walking to force in the go-ahead run, and Fahey scored on a wild pitch to provide the final margin.
"Any time you've got the bases loaded, certainly, the pressure's on the other guy," Roberts said. "You've got to try to make them throw strikes, and we did a pretty good job of that."
Baltimore reliever Kurt Birkins, who pitched a scoreless inning to lower his ERA to 0.51, earned his second big-league win. Closer Chris Ray worked the ninth inning and stayed perfect, converting his 15th save in 15 opportunities. The Orioles head on the road for an 11-day road trip, an excursion that will take them to Minnesota, Toronto and New York's Shea Stadium.
"Give these guys credit. They played their hearts out -- actually, the whole homestand," Perlozzo said. "I don't think the record shows the fight we've had this homestand. We shore up a couple areas, [and] it's kind of what we've been talking about -- this team can put something together."