Oriolesfan44

BALTIMORE -- Adam Loewen may not have been in control Friday night, but the game never wavered from his command. Baltimore's starter walked a career-high seven batters, but his team never trailed in a 5-2 win over Toronto. Loewen hasn't lost this season, but he leads the American League with 19 walks in 19 1/3 innings of work.
The southpaw's erratic command surfaced early on Friday, when he walked two batters in the first inning. Loewen escaped that rally with a double-play ball and didn't walk another batter until the fourth. The major control problems surfaced in the top of the sixth, when Loewen (2-0) walked three of the final six batters he faced.

Toronto (8-9) had a chance to seize control, but Baltimore (10-7) went to the bullpen with a one-run lead and the bases loaded. Veteran reliever Chad Bradford ran a deep count against pinch-hitter Jason Smith, who ultimately struck out on a 65 mph curveball. After that, the Orioles scored twice in the sixth to make it more one-sided.

Baltimore got out to a quick start against former Oriole Josh Towers, knocking him around for four hits and two runs in the first inning. Towers (1-2) settled down and didn't give up another run until a sacrifice fly in the fourth. A throwing error played a major role in Baltimore's last rally, and one of the final two runs was unearned.

The Orioles turned four double plays Friday night, and three of the four came in innings where Toronto was unable to score. Baltimore has now won seven of its last eight games and pulled three games over .500 for the first time since the end of last April, when the team boasted an 11-8 record.

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Cal Ripken HOF 2007