Final Score in 13 Innings in Baltimore: Angels 17, Orioles 8
After a month+ on the disabled list Angels All Star Centerfielder Torii Hunter returned to the lineup and had a clutch base hit in the top of the 13th inning to open the scoring floodgates for the Angels on Sunday afternoon after their starting pitching and reliable relievers had allowed the Orioles back into the game on three separate occasions.
(Try to write a better run on sentence than that without cutting and pasting a Steve Physioc mid-at-bat anecdote of a game other than the one he is being paid to describe)
Angels starter Sean O'Sullivan blew a 4-run lead and had to be relieved by Matt Palmer with nobody out and 2 runs across in the 6th inning. Darren Oliver pitched 1.1 scoreless to take the Angels and a two run lead into the 8th.
Palmer was in line for his 10th win of the season but Kevin Jepsen let one run come in during the 8th and Brian Fuentes let another one in during the 9th inning for his 5th Blown Save of the season. One of the outs Fuentes recorded was an Adam Jones bomb to the warning track caught by Juan Rivera to score the tying run as a sac fly, but, well, it was scary.
In extra innings, though, the Halo arms got serious. Jose Arredondo pitched 2 scoreless frames of 2 hit, 2K ball and Jason Bulger tossed the 12th and 13th for the Win.
Chone Figgins went 4 for 7 with 3 runs scored and 3 RBI. Erick Aybar scored 2 and had 3 RBIs as well in a 3 for 6 afternoon effort. The Angels loaded the bases at will in extra innings only to see each effort end in a disheartening double play, but finally they broke thru.
In addition to being responsible for creating 6 runs in the game, Figgy had the 1,000th hit of his career in the game. He is only the 7th Angel with at least that many hits. Vladimir Guerrero has 987 so, expect another party by the end of the week. Guerrero had Sunday off.
The other six Angels with more than 1,000 hits under the Halo are: Garret Anderson (2368), Tim Salmon (1674), Brian Downing (1588), Darin Erstad (1505), Jim Fregosi (1408) and Bobby Grich (1102).