Oriolesfan44

BALTIMORE -- It was his first start of the season, and it may have been his last. Jeremy Guthrie stepped into the rotation in place of injured starter Jaret Wright Tuesday and pitched well in Baltimore's 4-2 loss to Oakland. With Wright expected off the disabled list next week, Guthrie will likely be headed back to the bullpen.
The right-hander had a problematic first inning Tuesday, then threw four scoreless innings after that. A fielding error by third baseman Melvin Mora allowed the first run to score, and the second one came home on a sacrifice fly. Guthrie was only charged with one of those runs and didn't allow another baserunner until the fifth inning.

Oakland starter Dallas Braden pitched just as well, working six innings and striking out six batters. The southpaw allowed just three hits in his Major League debut, and one was a one-out triple by Aubrey Huff in the second inning. Huff scored on a ground ball and drove in Baltimore's only other run with a seventh-inning double.

A mental error in the sixth inning led to two crucial runs. Southpaw reliever John Parrish walked a batter with two outs to load the bases, which brought Jason Kendall to the plate. Oakland's catcher topped a ground ball, but shortstop Miguel Tejada was late covering second base and pivot-man Brian Roberts threw there anyway.

The A's (11-9) scored one run on the play, and Parrish walked in another run to provide the final margin. Tejada, who was playing in his 1,100th consecutive game, doubled twice and grounded out with two men on base in the eighth inning. The Orioles (11-9) went quietly in the ninth against closer Huston Street and have lost two straight games.

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Cal Ripken HOF 2007