O's top LA in 14th; teams combine for 36 K's

July 7th, 2016

LOS ANGELES -- Jonathan Schoop's two-run double in the 14th inning gave the Orioles a 6-4 win against the Dodgers on Wednesday in a game that lasted five hours and 26 minutes and featured the teams combining for 36 strikeouts, a Dodger Stadium record.
"I was happy. I was going crazy, but I didn't want to show it," Schoop said of his double. "I showed it a little bit, but I was going crazy inside. I was 0-for-6 and I wanted to come through big for the team there and get a win."
The Dodgers had a chance to come back in the bottom of the 14th, with runners on first and third and two outs. But with reliever Chris Hatcher on-deck, Baltimore opted to intentionally walk Yasmani Grandal to load the bases, and Zach Britton got Hatcher to ground out back to the mound to end the game.
Hatcher allowed the game-winning run, but he had thrown 31 pitches and two innings the previous day and manager Dave Roberts was hoping to avoid using him. Hatcher didn't use it as an excuse, saying "I'm ready to pitch every day."
Mark Trumbo paced the Orioles on offense early, hitting home runs in the fourth and sixth innings to take the Major League lead with 26.
Chase Utley knocked six hits in a game for the first time in his 14-year career to give the Dodgers some fight on offense. It was also the Dodgers' first six-hit game since Shawn Green on May 23, 2002. His and Trumbo's performance came during a day of lockdown relief pitching.
Old dog, new trick: Utley has first 6-hit game
"Just found some open ground out there," Utley said. "Overall it was a good game. Obviously, we're disappointed with the outcome, but we battled. Our relievers did a great job keeping us in the game. Had a lot of guys on base, a few big hits, could have used a couple more."

Both starters finished their days after five rocky innings, with Dodgers righty Bud Norris in line for the win with a 4-3 lead against his old team. Trumbo's second home run -- off reliever Casey Fien -- quickly changed that, a bittersweet moment for Norris given that he and Trumbo have been good friends since their time in the Arizona Fall League. Norris ended up allowing three runs while striking out five, while O's starter Kevin Gausman allowed eight hits and four runs.
After both starters were pulled and Fien allowed the solo shot to Trumbo in the top of the sixth, the two bullpens combined for 25 strikeouts and didn't allow another run until Schoop's hit in the 14th. O's reliever Dylan Bundy struck out seven, one more than his team's starter, while five straight Dodger relievers punched out at least two batters.
"It's not going to be our best road trip, but I think we salvaged a little bit, winning this series," Trumbo said of the O's 4-5 record during the three-city swing. "And we got the two in San Diego, too. Pretty important game for us."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Seager's streak stays alive:Corey Seager didn't put the ball in play his first three plate appearances, but his seventh-inning double gave the Dodgers men in scoring position and the rookie shortstop a 19-game hitting streak. The streak is the longest in the National League this season, third longest in the Majors, and one game shy of tying Tommy Davis' 56-year-old Dodgers rookie record of 20 games hitting safely.
"There's really no secret. Good pitches, good swings, luck always helps," Seager said. "You're never not trying to get hits. You're always striving for it. Sometimes you don't, that's how it goes. That's how baseball works."

Trumbo's torrid half continues: For the fifth time this season, Trumbo turned in a multihomer game. His first, a solo homer off Norris, marked his 25th this season. Trumbo went deep again to tie the game at 4 with a leadoff blast in the top of the sixth inning off Fien. More >

Puig hits the cutoff man: The Orioles got a good chance to break the tie in the 13th, with Adam Jones hitting a two-out single to the right-field corner with Joey Rickard on first. Rickard got a good jump, but things went south quickly as Puig quickly relayed the ball into Utley, who threw Rickard out at home.
"Anytime there's a play at the plate in your favor, that can definitely create some momentum, for sure," Utley said.

O's relievers dodge bases-loaded jams: Bundy, who came in following Gausman, got out of a big spot in the seventh inning to keep the Dodgers off the board in the frame. He struck out Howie Kendrick on a full-count called third strike to leave the game tied at 4.

Righty Brad Brach had a similar fate in the bottom of the eighth, getting Turner to pop up to strand three more.

Overall the O's relief corps pitched nine scoreless innings, with closer Britton improving to a perfect 25-for-25 in save opportunities.
"They just continue to be as good as they've always been," Gausman said of a standout 'pen. "Obviously Britton and Brad, [Mychal] Givens comes in and shuts the door. Bundy did a great job. And every guy that came in threw strikes. I think that's the biggest thing, just coming in throw strikes, don't let guys get on base. This is a pretty good momentum team … if they don't get on base you kind of limit that."

QUOTABLE
"You want them to always be perfect innings, but those guys are paid a lot of money to get guys in. The job of the bullpen is pretty much to strand runners in all honestly, especially when you get in jams. It's not always easy, but we found a way to do it and give our offense a chance. It was kind of a mental grind, sitting down there the whole game, that is a tough thing to do, especially for the younger guys that don't have a ton of experience." -- Britton, on the bullpen
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Adam Liberatore tied the Dodgers' record for consecutive scoreless outings with 23 after throwing a scoreless seventh inning, matching John Candelaria's streak in 1991. The left-hander leads all Major League relievers (min. 20 IP) with a 0.63 ERA and has not allowed a run since May 18.
Bundy is the third pitcher to record exactly seven outs and seven strikeouts in a game. The others were Tom Niedenfuer for the Dodgers vs. the Phillies (1985) and Tim Stoddard for the O's vs. the Mariners (1979).

WHAT'S NEXT
Orioles: The Orioles will finally go home, enjoying an off-day on Thursday to unwind from a tough three-city road trip out west. Baltimore will welcome the Angels to Camden Yards on Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET for a three-game series before the All-Star break. The club has not announced a starter for the game.
Dodgers: Since the 2014 postseason, Hyun-Jin Ryu has toiled through a shoulder injury and setback after setback. The Korean southpaw will finally make his return as the Dodgers welcome the Padres to Dodger Stadium for a final four-game series before the All-Star break. Game 1 is Thursday at 7:10 p.m. PT.
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