Birds KO'd in Ninth

It was bound to happen sooner or later.

The O's blew a ninth-inning lead, snapping their win streak and falling to the Cleveland Indians, 8-2, on Saturday night at Camden Yards.

Closer Alfredo Simon, who was a perfect 5-for-5 in save opportunities, came into the ninth inning with a flawless 0.00 ERA and a 2-run cushion to work with.

Simon left the game with his first loss, his first blown save and an ERA of 4.32. He recorded just one out in a disastrous ninth inning, where the Indians exploded for eight unanswered runs.

It was a particularly tough loss to swallow, considering O's starter Brian Matusz pitched seven scoreless innings, and the Birds were just two outs away from their first four-game win streak of the season...

Matusz (2-3) scattered seven hits (all singles) while walking four and fanning six. It was his second-longest outing of the season, and the first time he didn't allow a run to cross the plate. In spite of his strong showing, he took the no-decision and hasn't won a game in nearly a month...

Ty Wigginton accounted for both the O's runs...he blasted solo shots in the second and seventh innings, and now has 12 homers for the season (he finished 2009 with just 11 home runs). He almost single-handedly won the game for the Birds...almost.

Despite the tough loss, the O's have a chance to win the series on Sunday afternoon...David Hernandez, still in search of his first win of the season, takes the mound for the Birds.