clarinews@clarinet.com (09/21/89)
BALTIMORE (UPI) -- Mickey Tettleton drove in four runs and Jeff Ballard combined with two relievers on a six-hitter Wednesday night, powering the Baltimore Orioles to a 9-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers. The win, coupled with Toronto's 10-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox, moves the Orioles to within one game of the first-place Blue Jays in the American League East. Ballard, 18-7, scattered five hits over seven innings. He walked one and struck out four. Kevin Hickey pitched the eighth and Gregg Olson worked the ninth. Frank Tanana, 9-14, was battered for four runs and 10 hits in 3 1-3 innings. Tettleton had an RBI single in the first inning, smashed his 25th home run in the third and added a two-run single during a four-run fifth. Tim Hulett had four hits and Craig Worthington had three to pace a 17-hit attack for the Orioles, winners of four of their last five. Detroit jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first when Alan Trammell doubled and scored as second baseman Tim Hulett missed a Gary Ward ground ball for an error. The Orioles came back with two in the bottom of the first on RBI singles by Tettleton and Randy Milligan. Baltimore took a 4-1 lead in the third. After Tettleton homered, singles by Milligan and Worthington and an RBI groundout by Mike Devereaux scored Milligan. Detroit closed to within 4-2 in the fourth when Gary Ward walked, Rick Schu doubled and Mike Heath grounded out, scoring Ward. Baltimore scored four runs off relief pitcher Ed Nunez in the fifth inning to take an 8-2 lead. Worthington singled and scored on Devereaux's double. Devereaux went to third on a sacrifice before Stan Jefferson and Phil Bradley walked to load the bases. Hulett then singled, scoring Devereaux and Tettleton's two-out single scored Jefferson and Bradley. Worthington drove in the ninth Baltimore run in the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly.
clarinews@clarinet.com (09/21/89)
BALTIMORE (UPI) -- Mention pennant pressure and Oriole designated hitter Mickey Tettleton smiles. ``What pressure?'' Tettleton said after driving in four runs Wednesday night in Baltimore's 9-2 win over the Detroit Tigers. ``We weren't even supposed to be here in the first place,'' said Tettleton, who had two singles and his 25th home run. ``This is fun. How many times are you going to be here as a player in your career?'' The victory, coupled with Toronto's 10-3 loss to Boston, moved the Orioles to within a game of the first-place Blue Jays. Tettleton, who missed six weeks due to knee surgery, had only two hits in his past five games. ``I don't know if my swing is back because I didn't know where it was before,'' added Tettleton. ``I'm going after good at-bats to help the club any way I can, but I feel good up there.'' Tim Hulett collected four of the Orioles' 17 hits to back the pitching of Jeff Ballard, 18-7, who allowed five hits over seven innings. ``I got out of a jam in the fourth inning and once again, our team scored a lot of runs for me.'' ``It would be an incredible year for me to win 20,'' added Ballard, 7-1 over his last nine starts. ``Team goals come first, but if I win 20, that means the team won the two games I was pitching and that's why I'm out there.'' Frank Tanana, 9-14, was hammered for ten hits and four runs in three innings. ``You have those ball games where you seem to do everything right,'' said Tanana. ``That was one of those nights for them. ``The truth is this is one of my best seasons,'' he added. ``I've had good control, but don't have much to show for it. When you lose 96 games it's hard to get a lot of wins.'' Tettleton's home run in the third inning gave the Orioles a 3-1 lead. ``He (Tanana) was rough on us the last time,'' said Tettleton. ``He's the type of pitcher who keeps you in the game. You scrape for every run you can get off him.'' The Orioles host New York Friday for a three-game series, then play their last six games on the road in Milwaukee and Toronto. ``I hope it does come down to the last three,'' said Tiger manager Sparky Anderson. ``Let them settle it. They're the only two involved. That's the way it should be.''