O's Sneak Away with a "W"

It wasn't pretty. But in the end, it was well worth it.

The Orioles beat the Red Sox 7-6 in ten innings Sunday afternoon.

A one-run game victory? Check.

A win in Fenway Park after 10 straight losses? Check.

Another white-knuckled, hold your breath this might be it finale to a game? Double check.

The Birds put an end to their five game losing streak, and in the process recorded just the third win of the season.

As always, though, it wasn't easy. The Orioles tied the game at four after Miguel Tejada launched a 2-run bomb in the seventh inning. The game stayed knotted at four runs a piece until the O's offense exploded in the top of the tenth inning.

The Birds scored three runs and went into the bottom of the inning up 7-4. Easy win, right?

Not so much.

Jim Johnson, who had been brilliant in relief in the earlier two frames, came undone. The O's allowed the Sox to put the tying run on second base and the winning run on first before Cla Meredith came in to record his first save.

Still, a nail-biter that never should have been.

The Birds are off today before hosting the Yankees and Red Sox for six games. Although this was one of the worst road trips I've witnessed in a long time, it was nice to see the bats heat up in the last two outings...

The O's lost 7-6 on Saturday night, but recorded a season-high 17 hits. On Sunday, they won with the exact same score, and recorded 14 hits in the victory.

After a dismal first couple of weeks, averaging less than three runs per game, the O's have scored 13 runs on 31 hits over the last two contests. If the team can keep it up at home, and the starting pitchers continue to impress, the Birds may just surprise the big-wigs in the AL East.

I know that's asking a lot...but Let's Go O's!