Bang-bang play busts Birds in loss

SEATTLE -- Though Orioles interim manager Sam Perlozzo paused after his postgame session with the media to laud his team's effort and determination, it did little to divert attention from the fact that the Orioles, once again, committed a week's worth of mental and physical mistakes in the course of their bitter 3-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Friday at Safeco Field.
The combination of miscues, along with two controversial calls by umpires, doomed the Orioles, as they dropped 10 games below .500 for the first time this season and looked like a club that's crumbling in the final few weeks.
The Orioles' anger reached a pinnacle in the eighth inning, when they were inches away from tying the game after trailing all night. Against Jamie Moyer, Brian Roberts laced a double to the left-field corner that scored Eric Byrnes from first to reduce Seattle's lead to 2-1.
One out later, Miguel Tejada lined a single to left field off Julio Mateo and Roberts darted for home. Jamal Strong's throw was slightly wide, but catcher Yorvit Torrealba reached over and tagged a sliding Roberts as he swiped his left hand across the plate.
Television replays appeared to show that Roberts' hand touched home before the tag, but home plate umpire Adam Dowdy called him out, much to the chagrin of Roberts, who argued and slammed his helmet in the dirt. Perlozzo came out and, before he could make a compelling argument, was ejected for inadvertently knocking Dowdy's mask to the ground.
The Orioles would not catch Seattle, as the Mariners added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth and closer J.J. Putz stranded the potential tying run at second base in the ninth.
"I knew Robby wouldn't react like that unless he felt pretty confident he was in there," Perlozzo said. "I thought his hand got in. I was pointing to the ground and I knocked [Dowdy's] mask out. It was unintentional. He knows it."
The play capped a frustrating night for the Orioles, who combined for six hits in the fourth and eighth innings but managed just one run. Meanwhile, reliever Jorge Julio again missed a chance to come through in the clutch, this time throwing a wild pitch in the eighth, allowing Raul Ibanez to score from third base.
Perlozzo was irritated that catcher Javy Lopez didn't dig the ball out.
"It was a wild pitch, it was in the dirt, but it was also blockable," he said. "You can't let those get under us. You have to be able to throw a pitch without being afraid that it's not going to be blocked."
Another major mistake occurred in the fourth, when the Orioles squandered a first-and-second, no-out opportunity.
With Tejada at the plate, Roberts darted for third, only to stop halfway and head back for second base. Melvin Mora, who was instructed to follow Roberts in these situations, was nearing second when Torrealba charged from behind the plate and started a rundown, nabbing Roberts near second.
"It seems like that's the way things are going for us," he said. "It's something we've done several times this year. [Moyer] didn't give me as high a leg kick as I thought he was going to give, so I stopped. It was a tough situation. You try to make the right decision and it turns out bad."
Erik Bedard (6-7) lost for the sixth time in seven decisions, allowing two runs in five laborious innings. He threw 105 pitches, walking four as the Mariners scored runs in the first and fifth innings.
Bedard was one strike away from escaping the first inning unscathed, but, as has been his pattern since returning from the disabled list, he couldn't finish off a batter with two strikes.
With two outs and Ichiro Suzuki on first, Bedard faced Richie Sexson. The left-hander jumped ahead with two quick strikes to Sexson, who worked the count to 3-2 before lacing a double into the left-center field gap. Byrnes and Luis Matos got crossed up on who would field the ball, allowing Ichiro extra time to score.
An irritated Bedard then went right at Adrian Beltre and struck him out in three pitches to end the inning. But Bedard didn't challenge hitters consistently.
"I don't what to tell you," Perlozzo said of Bedard. "He can get people out, but it just takes a long time to do it."
Bedard was coming off a discouraging, 4 1/3-inning outing Saturday at Boston. Bedard was swallowed up by the patient Red Sox, who simply waited for him to throw hittable strikes or issue walks. On Friday, his control was a little better and the youthful Seattle lineup was more anxious.
The lefty settled down and appeared on his way to pitching deep into the game when Torrealba bounced into a 4-3 double play in the fifth. But the Mariners manufactured another rally with singles by Ichiro and Strong. Bedard began to tire and walked Raul Ibanez to load the bases.
The game's critical at-bat then ensued, with Sexson falling behind, 0-2. Bedard followed with an outside fastball that Sexson appeared to flail at for strike three. But neither Dowdy nor first-base umpire Jerry Meals ruled it a swing, and Sexson worked a walk to score Ichiro for the crucial second run.
"It's just the walks," he said. "I had four walks again. If I had just one walk, maybe I last a few more innings."

Source: http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/