INDIANS Orioles snap four-game losing streak



Cleveland wasted four scoring chances in the 7-4 loss.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Erik Bedard won his fifth straight start, Melvin Mora hit a two-run homer and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Cleveland Indians 7-4 Saturday night to snap a four-game losing streak.
Ramon Hernandez had two hits and two RBIs for the Orioles, who gained a rare road win against a left-hander. Baltimore won for just the 12th time in its last 39 road games and improved to 8-22 against lefties by beating rookie Jeremy Sowers (1-2).
Bedard (10-6) allowed one run and five hits over six innings, striking out six. The left-hander began the season 4-0, then went 1-6 over 10 starts, but is 5-0 with a 1.29 ERA since June 16.
Chris Ray pitched the ninth for his 21st save in 22 chances.
Mora's 11th homer, a line shot over the wall in right-center, scored Brian Roberts, who opened the third inning with a walk.
Two outs later, Hernandez reached on an infield single, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored when Javy Lopez poked a single to right to make it 3-0.
First career homer
Kelly Shoppach opened the bottom half with his first career homer, hitting a 2-2 pitch just over the wall in left-center. The ball bounced back to the field and was recovered by a ballboy, who ran it back to the dugout. Teammate Ben Broussard then faked throwing it to the crowd before handing the rookie his prized souvenir.
Miguel Tejada and Jeff Conine each had RBI singles in the fourth to finish Sowers. Both scored on a single by Hernandez off rookie right-hander Edward Mujica to make it 7-1.
The Indians wasted four scoring chances, leaving two runners on in the second, third and sixth against Bedard. They loaded the bases in the seventh against right-hander Todd Williams, who got Ronnie Belliard to hit into an inning-ending double play.
Aaron Boone, Franklin Gutierrez and Shoppach had consecutive run-scoring hits with two outs in the eighth off LaTroy Hawkins to make it 7-4.
Sowers allowed five runs and seven hits over 3 2-3 innings in his third -- and shortest -- career start. The left-hander walked three and didn't get a strikeout.
Notes
Indians OF Todd Hollandsworth missed his third game with a strained right hamstring. ... Belliard extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a third-inning single. He's hitting .340 (17-for-50) over that span. ... Indians C Victor Martinez went 3-for-5 to put his hitting streak at 11 games and is hitting .449 (22-for-49) over that stretch. ... Orioles OF Nick Markakis went 1-for-4 after missing three games with a bruised right calf. ... Roberts was 2-for-2 in steal attempts and is 22-for-25 this season. ... Mora left in the fifth with a strained rib muscle.
BALTIMORECLEVELAND
abrhbiabrhbi
BRbrts 2b3210Szmore cf5000
Mora 3b2212Mchels lf5000
ERgrs 3b2010Blliard 2b5010
Tejada ss5111Hafner dh4020
Conine lf5121VMrtnz 1b5130
RaHrdz c5122JhPlta ss3010
JvLopz dh4021Brssrd ph1000
CPttson cf4000Boone 3b4111
Millar 1b3010Gutirrz rf3111
Terrero lf0000Shppch c4132
Mrkkis rf4010
Totals377127Totals394124
Baltimore003400000--7
Cleveland001000030--4
E--ERogers (2), JhPeralta (13). DP--Baltimore 1, Cleveland 1. LOB--Baltimore 7, Cleveland 11. 2B--Conine 2 (14), VMartinez (20), Gutierrez (4). HR--Mora (11), Shoppach (1). SB--BRoberts 2 (22).
IPHRERBBSO
Baltimore
Bedard W,10-6651126
Williams110010
Hawkins2-343300
Birkins1-300000
Ray S,21120000
Cleveland
Sowers L,1-23 2-377730
Mujica3 1-310001
Mota120010
Carmona120000
WP--Sowers. Umpires--Home, Bill Welke; First, Marty Foster; Second, Tim McClelland; Third, Fieldin Culbreth. T--3:16. A--28,902.
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