second that is roberts, and there are with down. neimann coming in with a e.r.a. that is the 10th best in the league. is the 1-0 delivery on the way and that will catch the big two- out rbi for melvin mora that would make it just a two-run ballgame. season, .289 with in scoring position. ball, one strike, neiman -- >> they are not letting roberts get the lead as brig flak is in to hold him. off and the will go to 1-2.

ran robinson is going to here on friday and he will presentation to has become who has played the second third base for the orioles. now, that is going to be great on friday with brooksy coming to the ballpark. >> jim: and melvin is really of that record. new york. will be caught. couple of runs on three hits with a base runner left on and a 5-2 ballgame.

the birds taking on the red sox, the fans will receive the can cozy with how to play unique text to win call or go to orioles.com for more information. is cozy or cozy, it depends who you talk to in this world but it ain't cozy because retired a long time ago. fouled off. ballgame here with the rays on top. now jason berken will try to absolute them down.

will take it inside. and one strike. jim: he ran the count to 3-2 down the middle of the plate with the 145th strikeout year. gary: and inside. 2-1. i asked him. made my living almost 4,000 an you're off the plate. because of got to that one. and the is made. nice play. had to go back to and he had just enough room. appeared to have enough to get out of here. something kept it. maybe on the end of the bat. nice running play. so fiorentino with a terrific game close to the late innings and then runs it down.

young left ---left-fielder. gary: he's trying to pile so good tonight. a ball. the switch hitter who flied out first time up. two teams have played on the season and think ear going in tampa bay next week. two more to play in this four-game set. together. ball club facing a tough home stand here in tampa bay under jim then red sox will be in for three. the oriole fans, when it comes for the orioles. night games. the red sox in friday, saturday and sunday after l.

afternoon. and more like it wildcard race. yankees lead the red sox in the division. has a five and a half game lead over minnesota and angels are now six up again on texas. 2-2 delivery ton mora. jim: there is a brooks you talk about the award. do i have to do to get a hit et left-handed. out in the bottom of the fourth. up the kid. >> gary: two to down and brignac. brignac flied out toll right his first time up and ended the -- to right his first time up. he had faced the

only had eight at-bats against the o's. home run and three rbi's for brignac. trying to get brignac to cut that upper cut swing launch balls. that one will be grounded second. wasn't the idea they had. a order. at camden yards, the rays five and the orioles two!

orioles baseball on masn is brought to you by southwest airlines. trip at southwest.com. clear answer. is the only thing from honda gary: get the lemon aid going. for it. family enjoying the game at camden yards. get back jeff neimann. luke scott. stranded second inning. schedule came today. first team they're going to see next year. a lot of games in a short if you count the eight in the

final three week this is year then they open up in tampa with three games next year. >> jim: yehaw! bay, the entire east division. has a shut- maybe he'll continue the momentum that got against jeff neimann. gary: the bottom half of the three rbi homer by buehrle the first. added an rbi sing until four-rbi ballgame for pat buehrle. rbi's by roberts and

markakis. delivery. chop tore second. the shortstop. by bartlett who moved over to get the out. van teamed up. for $1, sports fan, just $1. maximum access tickets. serve, it is for any non- this reduced ticketing fees apply to it. only a dollar for tomorrow and thursday against the rays. to orioles.com. have to get them at least hours in advance. matt wieters takes the strike. up. >> jim: that was the split- that you talked about. went straight down. is another one. a changeup there. take a look at jeff neimann, he will start with his know, at 6'9", he has to

have a huge foot. the way his flute will slide all the way to the rubber. is amazing. h is the way you get into your lineup. ryan used to do it this way. way over. amazing thing is the pitching robber is about 24 inches wide. foot looks like it is same size! is a huge -- you could go boating on that. gary: here is the 1-2 right center field. the gaper and it is. he sends it all the way to wall. to second with one down here in the fourth inning. jim: when matt wieters came up, he said the game is quicker and he said that he thought matt would figure it out that is a petty good hit. the bat head out and he just coasts into second. to close

the gap. were down by five the last inning. >> gary: the orioles again for that big hit. they had jeff neimann clops to being on the ropes a couple of times. runners on in scoring second and the third innings and the pitch will be taken up high. michael aubrey, a strikeout each team with six hits in the game now. is going to wander off the bag. hit. down for izturis. jim: i think michael aubrey said i'm not going to get the outside corner. out and got that. the fastball.

you right on it. to the ball. give r dyeing. he has had balls all over the place at him at second base. >> jim: an olympic sport for him. right. and two on. ball is up the middle for base hit. stop at second. izturis gets the rbi and it is jim: we showed you that up. middle-itis. hitters are not missing them. >> gary: a good at-bat by he has done well getting in. his 29th rbi in his 10 -- 1,001st game.

second and the potential go- to the plate. making good first pitches. i think it is an adjustment. up there. not missing gary: and pie, one of the will take the inside corner pie, the last 24 games hitting .324 with 14 rbi's and he has not played since friday when he came up with the back couple of swings against the yankees. off. a one ball, to-strike count. the back feels fine and what he thought was an extra

rest yesterday. strikeout looking for. of course, would like to do something a little differently. delivery to him. swing and foul it off. that ball was almost in the jim: it is another splitter, goes straight down. you see the ball just tumble. it looked like it hit right on top of the plate. you assume -- it didn't appear navarro didn't go after it, so must have. and pie can't catch up with that. in the >> jim: let's go back and look. on the ropes. ball.

there is another splitter. and he runs the ball right up as tom dukes used right up the stairs. >> gary: he did that. the plate. is able to get the big outs. a run and it is a 5-3 ballgame.

>> gary: we hope you'll enyou the ballgame with minor league- style promotions. 888-848-bird or orioles.com. that will be tomorrow in game three against tampa bay. swung on and missed as bartlett, the top of the order, has singled and grounded out. three hits, six at-bats so far. nothing high nor league about that. 0-1 count. taken down low again. bartlett now has hit safely in the last 19 games that he's played against the orioles. hitting .485 in those games.

he continued that with the single that he picked up in this ballgame tonight. bartlett will pop that up to right. nick markakis. one away, fifth engine. >> jim: different pitcher since the first, jason bartlett. and, of course, the rookie year. 25 years old out of clemson. tommy john survivor, elbow transplant. you have to figure out what the difference was. i blown. i blown.(.ecl) that's really what it comes down to because of the first inning runs we told you. 19 in the first 20 starts. four in the first, and it just makes it real hard. not that you can't come back, but i think it changes the whole ---in the only physically, but it emotionally changes the way your team goes after a game. you think we have to get the big inning, get out of your game plan, so to speak and then you can see that the stuff is there. >> gary: what he has to do right now is what he is doing. the orioles have plenty of time

-- they are back in. they made ate 5-3 ballgame. berken's job, don't let it get any further out of hand here. carl crawford. this is a tough inning. crawford is gone. so he strikes out. he has an oh-fer three going and that is the second strikeout for berken. >> jim: yeah, i don't know if you can throw any better back- to-back sliders. there is talk if you don't throw the second one as good as the first one, well, these were perfect. this is a .300 hitter. he came into the season as a .293 lifetime hitter. he doesn't have a chance. >> gary: evan longoria will stand in with the bases empty. he has hit into a double play, 1-2. longoria gets the orioles, .292 on the season, four home runs, 10 rbi's. he and zobrist have been the leading rbi men against the orioles this year. zobrist has added one tonight and he has 11 on the season against the orioles. 10 for longoria. part of that 103 rbi total as

he chases mark teixeira for the american league lead in runs batted in. in the air to center field. going back on it. pie. can he get there? reaching and oh, mercy! what a catch! felix pie on the fly in center! a tremendous jump! he knew right where he was and hauled it in! a tip of the cap to the orioles' center fielder. d. matters. 5-3. ♪

♪ i always feel like somebody's watching me. ♪ (announcer) it's right here, it's easy... ♪ always feel like mebody's watching me. ♪ ...it's the money you could be saving with geico. ♪ who's watching? ♪ i always feel like (announcer) it's right here, it's easy... ♪ somebody's watching me. ...it's the money you could be saving with geico.  >> the freeze cam brought t you by frost brewed coors light. the most refreshing beer. >> jim: he insides it out. i think felix didn't think it was going to go that far. i tell you what, talk about cutting down the angle and getting to the ball. he outruns it, and he snares it with that web of the glove.

a great play. >> gary: did you see where the eyes were on that? right on the ball. they prevent tampa bay and pie has done a fine job in center is far in this ballgame getting back in tonight. the orioles' offense will try to go to work again against jeff neimann. it will be roberts, markakis and mora. brian is already 2-2 with an rbi double and a single. it makes him 7-15 lifetime off of jeff neimann. and the off-speed delivery is is up high for a ball. brian is now .287. he will try to get over the

.290 mark. he has picked up, as we said, another double here in the ballgame. taped. and 46 behind him. and he fouls it off. 1-2. >> jim: coming off a .296

.314, the last four years. not only the dothe hi average. the one ball and two-strike count. >> jim: the most home runs he has hit since 2005.

i think jeff kneeman is trying to figure that out. he looks a little gun shy trying to figure out where i can go. i can tell you where to go, the middle of the plate. but he knows that. even as a rookie, because the

hitters tell you. when you keep backing up the bases, you have a problem. >> gary: yes. >> jim: something is not working. the 2-2 delivery and that came inside where he has been in and out here against brian roberts. the count goes to 3-2. roberts

is trying to get on here. he has actually taken a couple of pitches, just forcing jeff neimann to have to throw more. 3-2 delivery and brian fights that away. it will stay at three balls and two strikes. roberts batting in the number three spot. we keep reminding you of that to follow the orioles. there you see him in the top of the order. not tomlin, though. three ball two strike delivery again. and he got on. so lead-off walk against jeff neimann who retired 77% of lead- off batters. that is an extraordinarily high number. >> jim: but even though you're hitting third, you're leading off. we talked about it. brian roberts is a great lead- off guy, but every inning he leads off, whether it is the first time up. he usually has the same approach. >> gary: nick markakis, an rbi

ground ball out. oh-fer two in the game, oh-fer five in these first two games. markakis hitting .289 against the rays this year. one home run and five rbi's against them. 0-1 count. the orioles this close to getting this thing to a one rub or a tie ballgame or better. they have had runners on in every inning and they have stranded three in scoring position in the ballgame. three of the five. hit to right field. a base hit. zobrist, and they will hold the runner and the orioles have the first two on here in the fifth. >> jim: so let's see. jim hunter, luke scott is his player of the game and rick dempsey picked markakis with three hits. that is one of them right there. and jeff neimann is on the ropes because their bullpen has been struggling. and in that 11-game losing streak. >> gary: that's if the o's can find the big hilt. melvin mora is going to get a chance. he has grounded out and flied out in the ballgame.

>> jim: longoria comes in about even with the bag creeping in just in case he drops one down. no. >> gary: that will go to right field a that will be a base hit. roberts makes the turn. he will stay and the throw will come in way off the mark backed up by the pitcher. ron samwell playing it safe at third with zobrist up with it. zobrist was going to throw home and then he saw an infielder pointing towards third and he ended up throwing the ball between third and home. nowhere. >> jim: you try to hit the auto- --cut-off man and aybar, of course he plays the all over and there is your pitcher, jeff neimann. so the five-run lead, things are not looking too good for jeff neimann. >> gary: i'm just checking here. i think this is the first time a ball club has had double didn't hits against jeff neimann this year. it is. he gave up nine to toronto. no team prior to tonight had had a double digit hit night against the 26-year-old for fab. >> jim: good ball-to-strike raceee, but the last inning,

too many ball ins the middle of the plate and the orioles are taking advantage of some great at-bats. >> gary: luke scott. the bases are loaded. nobody out. and scotten a wild cut. the pitch that has been down in the dirt all night long. there are the base runners. the walk to roberts in the third and the single by mora and the walk to markakis. and the o's have a real chance in this inning to not only wipe out the deficit but to take the lead in this game. 0-1 count, luke scott. scott, first base, and the only play, and got it for the out! it will be an rbi. aybar had trouble handling it. jeff neimann fortunately for him was over there. scoring is brian roberts and it is 5-4. >> jim: a tough play for willy aybar. a great play and that is the

only way he can play it. i think initially he may have thought about forcing to home plate and jeff neimann, the second time tonight, has made a nice play covering first. >> gary: the orioles are within one. matt wieters has doubled and struck out. wettedders up the middle. matt wieters will have another base hit. markakis will score. mora coming and here is the throw and not in time as matt wieters, a two rbi single and the orioles have taken a 6-5 lead! >> jim: watch it hit the curve ball. it hangs a little bit and he is all over it. matt wieters has hit neiman tonight, even though he struck out, he almost had a home run against him. he tagged the ball in the gap the second time up and now puts one up the middle against him and not only does wieters give the orioles the lead, he knocks the tampa bay starter out of the ballgame with the most hits any team has had against him this year, 11. he will lead, nolan reimold's chances of rookie of the year are increased by the production of his team by that man!

>> gary: there he is won'terring what happened? he struck out five in the first two innings in the ballgame and then the orioles came at him. there is the line so far and now lance cormier out of the bullpen. >> jim: he's done a nice job for them. last year with the orioles in 45 games and he pitched in three of the last four games up in new york. he actually had a couple of losses, all one-run losses. here are the numbers, 71 and 2/3 innings, 25-47 appearances have been more than one inning, and 15 of those 25, so that is his role tonight, long man. maybe for a couple of innings. and then, again, do not overpow -- he is not overpowering, but he has a good curve ball, changeup. he has been around. arizona back in 2004 and 2005 and then to atlanta and then with the orioles in 2008. >> gary: the left-handers hit .236 off of him and the right- handers .261. he has given up six home runs, three from each side of the plate. cormier has matt wieters on at first, and michael aubrey to

center. upton. he's got it and aubrey retired. that will be the second out here in inning number five. izturis coming up. he delivered an rbi single. and the orioles really have a battle to get back into this with two runs in the third, a run in the fourth and now three more here in the fifth. they, as -- as we said, though, they were last close for about three innings at really getting to jeff neimann and finally in this one, the fifth inning. inning.(.ecl) that's exactly what they did. >> jim: you made a good point early on of all of the teams in the american league east, he has seen the orioles the most, so this is the first time. and if you're not on your game. he was on early, they see you a lot. >> gary: and izturis will get another base hit. wieters at second will stop there. and izturis has got a 2-3 ballgame going. and the orioles, they're piling up the hits tonight the way tampa bay did last night. >> jim: the high batting average on the other side, .298

hitting right-handed. so anytime he gets hit left- handed it is a bonus. >> gary: and how much did the fine defense play to end the last half inning mat 76er you can never answer that, but you know it didn't hurt. and this is the man who made the play. felix pie agreat catch on longoria at the wall in center field that's what brought the team back into the dug-out and out came brian roberts with a walk in a way that the orioles have gone in there inning. pie, on the breaking ball. it is going to be inside and navarro stops it. >> jim: it is interesting to go back and look at this season. your regular left-hander. nolan reimold came up. he struggled. he had a chance to work on that swing and shorten it up. when he came back, reimold is going to play every day because he can do so many different things, more power. when felix had an opportunity, that swing is so much better. >> gary: down to first and that is going to be a foul ball. cormier japped him. >> jim: at the end of the day,

you can work on the swing all you want, but you have to figure out am i going to get a good pitch to hit? and terry crowley was sitting right behind brian roberts. he has always done a terrific job. e he was a terrific pinch hitter, but it was always the fourth or fifth guy that went over to sparky anderson, the cincinnati reds in 1975, 1976 when the crow won a couple of world championships as one of their excellent pinch hitters. >> gary: taken down low by pie and a two ball, one strike count on him. you see, during the time he was playing as a platoon player at best and often times the bench roll at .243 and then he got a chance to play regularly and the numbers jumped to .317, the on-base percentage way up and he came out on friday with the back spasms, and tonight he has delivered a single, a run scored and struck out twice. and pie will swing on cormier's inside pitch. some of the movements he takes away from the plate doesn't convince me that that back still is not feeling a little

bit. he walks away gingerly on system of those cuts where he is really coiling his back. there is no way he is going to go out. >> and just imagine holding your hands over your head, just that right there would hurt my back. he fouled off a good pitch. he fouled it off and that is a pitch he might have swung through earlier on in the year. >> gary: cormier trying to get it on the eighth batter at the plate to end the inning. >> jim: again, foot down and just flips it. the key to hitting, obviously other than getting a good pitch kyou get the good part of the bat oh the good part of the ball and the good hitters do that on a regular basis. >> gary: pie will foul it off. cormier, fur and 2/3 innings. the orioles have done pretty well against the former o. the right-hander lance comettier. wieters is on at second base. the big two rbi base hit that

has given the orioles the lead. izturis on at first and he has the single and pie with two down trying to keep it alive. here is the 2-2 delivery. and 3-2. >> jim: once again, he didn't begin to swing. the big difference on 3-2 because wieters could get even a bigger lead and, of course, bartlett. he is going to go on the pitch. >> jim: they're running, 3-2. it will stay three ball and two- strike count. wieters and izturis will go back. this tampa bay team, as far as their pitching is concerned, they have just had a big up-and- down season this year. the inconsistency, jim maddon, said has been the problem for them. they are seventh in e.r.a. in the league, which isn't all that bad. they just have not been able to

have the consistent performances they have had last year in the bullpen over the last month. another foul ball on the 3-2 count. it will hold at 3-2. >> jim: that august devastates. 13-22. you don't know if it is -- j.p. howell was pitching great. last year he was the set-up guy and this year he had to close because percival retired out of baseball. so by committee they were working well until it seemed like almost everybody has just been unable to pitch as well as they have. if you'll look, nine blown saves the last 13 opportunities. you're just not winning the games you would like to win. the runner goss again. >> gary: it was a two and a half game difference for tampa bay in trailing. -- the 13-22 mark and fallen 19.5 games behind in the

division race and tampa bay while not mathematically eliminated in the wildcard race, they have also gone do 7.5. so they're not going to go back to the post-season. and, like the orioles, they're trying to find out what they have for the coming year that is the fourth foul ball on a 3- 2 count by pie. he and cormier are locked up in a good battle here with two out and two on. >> jim: you really like cormier's approach at the plate. in spring training awild swinger, big swing. he couldn't get the foot down in time. the key to getting the front foot down is you can let the ball travel a little bit. the key to having a short swing you wait a little bit longer. you distinguish between a breaking ball and the fastball. >> gary: 3-2 again. ground ball towards second

base. brignac n th makes the play, but the orioles send eight to the plate in the fifth, and they get the lead. matt wieters with two rbi's. (tucci) only at&t has the best selection of full keyboard phones. like the lg neon, just $29.99 after mail-in rebate. now that college is a few years behind me, it seems i've got three times the bills i used to.

and they're getting in the way of things i'd like to do. with the money bar, i can move my money around instantly, so when there's more bills than usual, it's no problem. and i use the wish list to put any extra money aside for anything i want. being in control of my money feels good. introducing the virtual wallet from pnc, a high-definition, online view of your money. pnc. leading the way.  >> let's take a look at the game. they try to make it 6-6 in the season series lead. you have berking wondering what is going on and right here, brian roberts for the 52nd double. izturis for the base hit. they come roaring back after trailing 5-0 to take the lead. and berk berken is still out there as we get ready to start

the sixth inning. >> gary: zobrist will lead it off for berken. he has had a double, a tripped and two rbi's and a run scored. you might say a fairly successful evening so far. >> gary: those are circle numbers any way you throw in the triple. >> gary: yes. you have the double and the triple so far. only one high last night. brignac, he needed a triple. one ball, one strike count. six runs, 12 hits and one error for the o's. no errors on the board for tampa bay. jeff neimann came out of there. he could be the losing pitcher sunday rear -- surrendering the six runs on 11 hits in four and a think innings. 2-1 delivery on the way and that one is just off the glove of izturis. that will be a base hit. zobrist has a 3-3 and there is

the single. all he needs is a home run. join orioles reach and oriole advocates saturday before the red sox game. volunteer also be throughout the ballpark at all of the distances to collect the new and gently-used baseball. cash donation also be accepted. the silent auction will be held at gate d. and all fan whose donate will receive a melvin mora autographed player card. oriolesreach.com for more details. a little stumble on the get back by zobrist. >> jim: another guy that can steal bases, the rays came in with 175. they are leading the angels and the orioles came in with 71. that tells you how they try to run you out of the ballpark. and this guy tries to hit the ball out of the ballpark. a home run and a single tonight. >> gary: pat bort came in 1-19, ejected in the game.

and he got himself settled. the first two pitches he saw in the ballgame, a home run and a single and he's got four rbi's and zobrist will go back to the bag. 32-year-old, nine seasons with the phillies. he has another year in his contract here in tampa bay and he hopes he'll have a healthier and more successful season, especially long ballwise. 14 homers on the year for buehrle. here is the 1-0. and and a reach and popped it up. and is tour it is out. izturis wants it and he's got it. >> jim: i hope he wanted it because fiorentino wasn't going to get there. >> gary: chris ray is ready in the bullpen. the first warm-up action. you have to give berken a lot of credit for settling in. it didn't look like he was

going to last more than a couple of innings in his start. >> jim: you go back to our scouting report, anytime you're 2-11 and you look at that 11 losses, even though early on a -- not a lot of run support, it take as lot of fortitude to go out there every fifth day and get knocked around more than you want. he never did in the minor leagues. 12-4 last year in double-a that is a good changeup there. so he has just made some nice adjustments. a lot of it has to do with using all of your pitches. the big thing is just made more quality pitches since the first. zobrist is still at first. one down and that is taylor -- tailor made. no runs, one hit, no errors, nobody left. berken get as big pitch there. the orioles lead it by one! 

 >> coming up in 2010, openi day, april 6 against tampa bay that will be on the road, and then the orioles return home for the opener. april 27, both the yankees and the red sox will come to town during that home stand, so that will be an exciting week for the orioles and the young players. may 6, the orioles will head to minnesota. they have a four-game series in that new stadium. it could be in minnesota. that is an open air stadium.

we have to remember that. also, the interleague schedule here at home, the orioles take on the mets, the marlins and the nationals. ton road they will face the nationals, the giants and san diego. october 1, the four-game series actually this season. september 30th through the 3rd rather. the season ends at home against detroit. so already thinking about opening day, gary! >> the schedule all around major league baseball put up. one of the other highlights, i thought, as you look at the lead-off batter. fiorentino here in the sixth inning. the orioles are going to have a home stand that will feature both of the yankees and the mets, back-to-back in june as the yankees will come in eight, nine and 10 in june and the mets will be here 11, 12 and 13. so both of the new york teams here at camden yards. >> jim: they can come to downtown baltimore and camp out. >> gary: exactly. >> gary: that will be

interesting. two sets of new york fans coming to town at the same time. hum. two ball, one strike count. fiorentino has singled, grounded out and struck out. he will be followed by roberts and markakis. lance cormier on in relief. a two ball, two-strike count. tomorrowier coming on to find the outs giving up just one single. getting two outs in the fifth. it is time to get over to the bullpen now. all of a sudden he could win it. you will have to see how the bullpen does here. 2-2 delivery on the way. and fiorentino takes it and it will miss down low. 3-2. >> jim: the numbers favor tampa bay, but i'm not sure over the last couple -- well, yeah who knows. i mean, both of these bullpens struggling over the last two weeks, especially. the orioles and dave trembley, he has given up 45 earned runs

in 53 innings pitched over your last 53 innings pitched, and as we talked about all of the blown saves for tampa bay. >> gary: another lead-off walk. this copyrighted telecast may not be reproduced or retransmitted in any form, and they accounts may not be disseminated without the express written consent of the orioles. brian roberts got the lead-off walk in the last inning and scored. it was the only walk surrendered by jeff neimann and now the lead-off walk picked up by fiorentino is on at first base. roberts' perfect night, single, double, rbi, walk and a run scored. hitting in the three hole. >> jim: there are a lot of cut fastballs. there is a breaking ball that hangs or a cutter. he is running that cutter in on your hands, which is fine if you get it in. oids, he is going to it it

right down the right field corner as he does so many time this is year. >> gary: the 0-1 delivery the other way. brian, 1-5 to cross the plate 100 or more times. he tied with derek jeter. figgins the lead were 106 and johnny damon with 102. three yankees at the top with jeter right behind them. figgins of the angels, and then damon, jeter, dustin pedroia is in there. brian roberts and they have cano and teixeira with the runs scored. 0-2 count. fiorentino on first. roberts a chopper. they're going to go to second, one and no relay to first. a good play by brignac in order to get that lead runner. as we go into the final part of this season, it is kind of fun to take a look at some of the awards that will be given out. what do you think? mvp candidates?

write-ins are highly acceptable, but it would seem jeter, cabrera with detroit and morales with the angels, certainly in the american league, deserve consideration. in the national league there is albert pujols and 499 other players. but the american league is going to be a little tougher. it really is. people are saying how do they win when he is hitting like .170 in august and september? he had a stress fracture in his back so she gone for the year. so mower will be doing it by himself. >> gary: he is trying to win a batting title. he is hitting .3716789 ichiro is behind him. quickly an 0-2 count. >> jim: we saw the lefty last night and then another. there is another cut fastball. you don't see much of his swing. jim hickey, the pitching coach

with tampa, must have worked with him because that ball, it is mariano rivera-type. i don't think he worked on that he just lost hiis balance. >> gary: brian roberts will go down to second as pitching rubber and -- maybe that front foot got done. i have never seen that. you very rarely see that. you try to dig out with that right foot so you can push off. >> gary: the 0-2 delivery and that is going to be up high to markakis. so he get as runner at second base now. >> jim: i always wondered. i would think that that would kind of bother you. >> gary: aren't they tied down? >> jim: i guess. >> gary: it is supposed to be

tied down to the bottom. >> jim: tethered to the top or the bottom of your spikes, guess. >> gary: virtually everybody wears those now. i just don't think they're that attractive. do you get it caught -- there they are. hickey is looking saying a pretty good imitation, jim. >> though he is a left-hander! [ laughter ] >> gary: he stumbled like that. he just did that. one ball, two strike count. cormier's delivery. markakis. he will fight it off to hold the count at a ball and o strikes. e ckas 42 two baggers an ranked sixth in thaguein doubles. that is a pretty good number and nick is the leading orioles' player in multihit games. he's got 50. that is the ninth best in the american league. >> jim: and, remember, rick

dempsey has had three hits tonight, so maybe one time they will be right. >> gary: down to first base and longoria has it and it is a long throw and a nice stretch by aybar. longoria has made two. two fantastic plays. >> jim: 13 errors on the year. i have to imagine they're on either plays that he ranges that most guys don't get to or throwing, but he just makes them look routine. the ball is hit sharply, but they play right down there, and, again agreat read. that is the longest throw the first baseman is going to make. aybar digs it out. >> gary: big plays. brian roberts is forced to stay at second base. mora hassed a a single. 1-3 and a run score fled the ballgame. he will foul that one back. an rbi opportunity for melvin. get set right there. >> jim: you have to throw, that back foot and the ball in, of course, you play it off your front foot just coming towards

first base. but you better get loaded because that is a long throw. >> gary: and a decent runner. here is the 0-1 delivery and mora inside-out foul ball. two-strike count. two down. 6-5 orioles' lead. and tampa bay, 1-7 in the ballgame driving tampa bay's rookie of the year candidate. jeff neimann out of the game, four and a third that is not jeff neimann's shortest outing. he has had one, two, three outings where he, three, three and a third and three and 2/3 earlier in the season. here is the 0-2 delivery. mora will take the pitch from cormier outside. the bullpen with alberto castillo. castillo is another one of the orioles who is getting a long look for the needs next year in the bullpen from the left side. one ball, two-strike out. mora down the line and it will serve as a foul ball.

melvin has had a hot bat here in the month of september. melvin has helped the orioles get the offense back on the road again to try to help out the pitching. >> jim: his approach has been awfully good. you had the fabulous second half last year where you hit .276 and drove in 56 and hit 12 home runs. you just haven't been able to pull that off. you haven't been able to hit for the power numbers. >> gary: .355 in september for him. ohen a check swing, did he go? a look at first and no. two ball, two-strike count. cormier's got two down. he also has brian roberts out at second base. brian, again, meandering off of that bag about a third of the

way down. >> jim: he probably already would have tried to steal third. >> gary: they are just going to hold him close. melvin mora. longoria cuts it off. the running throw and aybar again makes the stretch so a fine defensive inning for longoria. a on top of it all, il the orioles lead it by one. and that's something we need and want. introducing the virtual wallet from pnc, a high definition, online view of your money. pnc. leading the way.

 >> glad to bring you up to speed with the at&t rapid rewind. the base hit and oh, my gosh.

four runs including a three-run homer by buehrle in the first inning and another one in the third. the six hits through three innings and 5-0 and then he has settled back down. at&t, the nation's fastest 3 g. network. right now berken has a chance to be the leading pitcher in this ballgame. the orioles have come back to take the lead. b.j. upton, we go to the top of the seventh inning inside for a ball. upton has struck out. he has flied out. a couple of at-bats in the series. >> jim: of course that swing was right off the end of the bat, but it was home run swing. football fastball, middle of the plate. fiorentino made a nice play. >> gary: to short. izturis time to get in front. one down here in the seven knot -- seventh. it always amazes me. you saw izturis actually take a

few steps. the player whose are out there every day, they just know. he could have made that play without taking that second step, but he knew who was running. he knew upton is not at 100%. so it gave him time. you watch. he'll go once, twice, get in important of it, and the once, the twice. he could have done it the first time, but the extra one gave him a little time to just group a little better and make the throw and it is there in time. >> jim: the first guy i played with at shortstop, luis arush para. he would take that one step, and the ball would always beat the runner. >> gary: i'm going to ask him about that the next time. when i watched him play, i always thought luis a rich owe always teased the runners. whether it is the fastest guy on the field or the slowest guy

on the field. now, he likes like he is running. >> navarro with a 3-0 count. berken has not walked a batter in the ballgame and -- until right now. >> jim: he got a little out of sync there and not even close alittle out of sorts. >> gary: and ray, they are both ready and they are going to come in. somebody is. that will be it for berken. he will leave the ballgame responsible for the potential tying run on at first base with the walk. you talk about settling in. >> jim: he was magnificent after the first. he really figured it out and he did anytime a hurry. >> gary: looking for his fifth win of the -- fifth win of the year.

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this isn't like other beer companies. everyone in here knows how to brew. we're a company of beer geeks. you all have yourself a good weekend. (man) samuel adams employees from the head of the legal department to the newest sales rep that we hired learns how to brew beer. you need passion. you have to actually believe in what you're doing. that's why i'm here. i love beer. sam adams tastes great because happy employees make better beer. i love my job.  that will send up dave kapl they six pinch hit home runs. and now oscar salazar with the padres now with the only pinch hit runs. >> gary: a walk to navarro.

>> jim: does he steal bases -- bases, too? >> gary: no. >> jim: he's got five. >> gary: yeah. those are back-enders. and brignac and that is taken away. brig knack has had only one hit in 18 at-bats against the left- handers. he is going to be pinch hit for as gabe kapler will come on and get the job done in the number nine spot. brignac, despite the bat we have seen here, that has not been the case against the lefties. kapler, 1-0 delivery to him. breaking ball. that is in there for a strike and it is 1-1. >> jim: a gap hitter with power. that's what gabe kapler can always do. >> gary: a nice ballgame as the orioles battle back to take the 6-5 lead. navarro ashort lead at first base. 1-1 delivery. that one in the air to left

field. hit it hard. way back, near the wall. there is room and he's got it. fiorentino hauls it in. navarro would scoot back to first base. it is close but it is an out. >> jim: that will take your breath away. off the bat again, the ball looked like it was hit well. and it died. it doesn't happen too often. we talked about hot, humid air. not hot, but 75. they had had a little bit of a shower. dave trembley is going to come out. they'll try to match up here. >> gary: is castillo comes on to get the out and ray will come out of the bullpen going to the top the order with bartlett due up with a runner on and two down. 

 >> we'll look for the final o here in the inning as he comes on, chris ray, the 40th ballgame pitched. >> jim: he will face jason bartlett. last night he pitched very well. it is a little more meaningful because when he came in last night the orioles trailed by four runs, so this is a save situation in a sense because that's what the set-up men do with one run leads. he need as very tough out. >> gary: the only official at- bat he has against chris ray. a runner at first base.

two down. >> jim: the 26 doubles and 263 rbi's and they're all career highs. and you get the hits, and then miss, miss down, if you're going to miss. >> gary: roberts at second and ray gets it done. no runs, no hits and a base runner left on. the seventh inning stretch. it is brabble to you by jack daniels' tennessee whiskey. please drink responsibly. @÷@÷@

 >> the 54 of lead and the orioles with six unanswered

runs in this ballgame and credit gist berken, jim, the starter after a very couple of tough innings. he settled in and held them. >> jim: it is kind of interesting. he was struggling and jeff neimann struck out first of the first eight batters. and then it reversed. he said i'm getting tired of backing up acc seasoned third and one of the keys for me is he is a battler. he may not have the overwhelming stuff, but he has good enough stuff if he makes good pitches to win at the big league level. and i kind of reiterate what i said last night that i think that is a big series. coming in they had eight games left. tampa bay, favre louse. tonight, and the orioles are a young ball club, they're looking to do maybe the last two or three weeks and then next year what tampa bay did next year so this is a big

eight games to me because this is a team that is in important of you. this is really the poster for what could happen. >> gary: and credit dave trembley with a lineup that matters. brian only get as half dozen chance as year to bat there at bat, only the fourth time he has done it there this season and it paid off. he got on base, got rbi's, had people on in important of him. that worked and pie has played tremendous center field on a couple of big plays that maybe ignited the offense momentum- wise. >> jim: anytime you have a one- run lead, to maintain, you bullpen better pitch well and we're going to see that over the next two innings and then you better have good defense and we got that tonight. >> gary: gabe kapler stays in right field. he will play at second base, and choughs is on the mound. the submarine thrower will come on for cormier as cormier

worked an inning and 2/3 and gave up just the one hit and no runs. [ no audio ]   [ no audio feed ] [ please stand by ] 

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 >> >> gary: as we talk about thi

bullpen of tampa bay the last couple of games. it has been tough on them. >> jim: they started the season with oakland. he was traded to the rays when they were still very much in the wildcard hunt. he has been with the yankees. the phillies, astros, diamondbacks, braves, cardinals, a's and two post- seasons with atlanta and in 2005, so a veteran. all kinds of arm surgies on the way and still chugging along. >> gary: he'll continue the including against izturis who has had two singles and an rbi in the ballgame. one out. izturis is taken for a strike. the orioles have had contributions up and down the lineup in this ballgame. all of the starters have at least one base hit.

13 total and a 7-6 lead with the one home run in the ballgame. luke scott starting this inning off against shouse. springer and the 0-1. that one down the line to left. izturis the late start. izturis thought that was going foul. and he watched too long. >> jim: i think he would have got ton second base, but aubrey has no chance of getting to third. h e just didn't get a good read on this ball. plenty of time. of course, if you don't pick it up or you don't think he can go get them with the rest of them in left field, so this is your classic match-ups and shouse gives up the home run. shouse is going to come in now to face pie who is on deck. >> gary: the good thing is the

kid get as chance to be seen late in september. the bad thing is, they get a chance to so, what's the problem? these are hot. we're shipping 'em everywhere. but we can't predict our shipping costs. dallas. detroit. different rates.

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since july 9, the last 28 appearances, 10 earned runs the last 14 and a third innings and the average is up over .300. >> gary: the left-handers .175 off of them and the right- handers .286. choate has not faired well in limited appearances. this is the third game dother two he worked an inning and a third and gaffe up two runs on three hits in those ballgames. so he is up with runners on at first and second base. still only one away in the top of the order. felix pie, a single and an rbi and four times up. a couple of strikeouts, and a ground ball out. >> jim: you can see a lot of

deception. he throws the front ample, waving it around and all of that, and the 23-year-old left- hander last year broke his pitching hand, so he policed the first half of the year pitching down in triple-a for milwaukee. we haven't even seen the breaking ball yet. you can see how hard it is to hit 2-11 for felix when he gets down 0-2. >> gary: the 0-2 delivery on the way. he doesn't have any at-bats against left-handers going 5-28 with one home run off of the lefties. a new baseball requested. 0-2 count, one out. the orioles looking for one of their dramatic comeback wins of the season having been down 5-0 early in this ballgame. there is an opportunity now

with the last seven runs being scored by the orioles to get a victory against tampa bay and even up the season series. 0-2. brian roberts has seen a bunch of pitchers but felix definitely tonight. >> gary: the last at-bat before he grounded out, he has quite a few. 0-2, runners on first and second base. sidearmed outside to him, 1-2, refused to chase. >> jim: it will be nice to have a guy like felix keep his average up and still hit some occasionally home runs. when you start hitting home runs, you wonder if -- and of course it is easy to get

enamored with them. it is fun to hit them. kind of trot around the bases. not that i hit that many. i only hit three. >> gary: you remember it well, though. >> jim: the guy that is threw them remember then. they should! >> gary: 1-2 deliver r delivery. that will be a foul ball. >> jim: one of the first home runs i ever lit in the big leagues because against jim bowden. it came in relief. i never heard it until like 25 years later when i was doing a radio show and they also had jim doing the radio play-by- play, and, you know, and moyer and here is the pitch to jim palmer, 19-year-old jim palmer. high drive to right field. jim palmer has just homered over the right center field fence. he was so close to third expecting a bunt, if palmer had

pulled that ball he would have had to pick him up with a spatula. that was my home run. >> gary: swung out and missed. he gets pie and bowden will have to write a book later on because he was so traumaized -- traumatized by the affair. >> jim: they released him. they sent him out the next day. >> gary: just think of the careers you ruined by hitting the long ball. two down. fiorentino coming up. the runners on at first and second and they are important runs out there in a 7-5 ballgame with the orioles here in the seventh inning a run in on the home run by luke scott that started the inning off. here is the delivery and that will be fouled back for strike one. right back here tomorrow night, game three. chris tillman, 2-3 and sonnenstein, 6-9. it has been a real struggle for andy.

mark hendrickson will be given the start with brian matusz shut down. hendrickson, the left-hander, will pitch thursday against wade davis two more night games against tampa bay tomorrow and thursday nights. the count 0-1, fiorentino with a single and a run scored. he has walked, growned out and struck out. and a strike taken. 0-2. >> jim: do you want to know who i hit the third home run off? >> gary: no. >> jim: steve downing. the kid with cleveland. there you go. >> >> gary: one guy driven to write a book, another guy sent down and another forced to give his bonus back. 0-2 to fiorentino and it will be outside. one ball and two strikes. >> jim: the on the numbers is right here. seven and tampa bay five. you need six outs before they get two more runs and if you get a couple more it will make it easier nor the bullpen or

less difficult, i suppose. >> gary: i don't know why i was thinking about this, although i don't have much to think about. i don't like tack on runs anymore. the ballgame is nine innings and every run in it matters as much whether it is the first or the ninth and tack-on would seem to indicate the trance indental things. and it was his 22nd and the orioles are up by two! g

 >> gary: 7-5 ballgame and t orioles have used defense in this one and pie has chased

them down in center field. catching that really platterred and the one that came in the fifth inning off of longoria that took the orioles back into the dug out may have played a part in the orioles then coming up and having a big inning getting three runs on four hits. >> jim: danys baez comes in. he last pitched on saturday afternoon. very effective. he had his command. and it is never about velocity. it is about trying to keep that sinker down in the strike zone. two-run lead to work with. and, of course nthe theme of pitchers hitting on this 22nd of washington, the hit off of kip wells in the 12th inning to score the game-winning run and they released kip wells. not the next day, but eventually. soon enough. >> gary: it was clear what had

happened. >> gary: so there you go. the theme continues. >> jim: yes. >> gary: and here is carl crawford. you don't want him on to start any inning out. he is oh-fer three. he did reach on an error. 3-8 in the first two game games of this series. he delivers to him and it is swung on and missed. he has that one swinging. >> gary: the 0-2 delivery to him. that one a little too loy and a one ball, two strike count. so shouse worked a third of an inning and gave up the home run, the one hit and the walk and then russ springer and choate came on. each worked a third of an inning. springer gave up one hit and choate gave up nothing and got a strikeout. a chopper. just foul. >> jim: if it doesn't go foul,

it is a base hit. carl crawford, a teammate of danys baez when he was the closer for tampa bay, 30 and 41 safes back in 2004 and 2005. please go foul. and it does. that is matt wieters. trust me it is matt wieters as he is catching and you can't tell here. its kind of looks like -- >> gary: the 1-2 delivery down to first base. that wasn't -- i can tell you that! the orioles and the orioles' wives have teamed up with the maryland spca to create a very special souvenir, the 2010 orioles pet calendar. you'll enjoy 16 months of your favorite players, pets, lovable cats and dogs and the proceed also benefit the maryland spca.

to get your orioles' pet calendar, visit orioles.com today. >> jim: only on masn do we -- you know, you cross train, we cross sport. i have never seen that. that is a terrific angle. i'm giving them all -- i don't know who shot that. >> gary: wouldn't that be a great gift? >> jim: i mean, that was unbelievable. look at this. >> gary: coming around the far side it is wieters on the outside and a strike taken. gip there we go. >> gary: a great shot that was great shot. >> jim: itch you come on friday night, you get the can cozy and

then you get that shot. >> gary: people think they're going to come and get a vacation! [ laughter ] and that is not the can cozy. >> jim: bring your passport. >> gary: oh! right on the elbow. >> jim: that brings the tying run to the plate. you never want to do that. 0-2. danys baez, down, down, down unot in, in, in. i think he wears one of the protective devices. he does. it is still going to hurt. >> gary: nowhere to go. that ball bearing in so hard, so fast. >> jim: you talked about brooks robinson who will be here on friday to give melvin mora an

award, brooksy used to always talk about how difficult it was to hit with two strikes. >> gary: and he puts a shot up to second base. and it will be handled easily by brian roberts. a big out right there. >> jim: he was -- an opportunity to hit for the cycle. and if the home run counted in the cycle, he got one that was straight up with a home run swing. the fastball hitter got one and he just missed it. >> gary: he didn't both bother to wait. he came up looking for the fastball and that's what he got a big out for baez now with a runner on. longoria at first base that will bring up pat burrell. he delivered a home run, his 14th in the first inning. he has had a four rbi ballgame. >> jim: another great high ball

hitter out over the plate. you can't do anything. 94 with great late life and when danys baez figures out how to get his arm out in front, that's what he does. it is one of the long armers. it is the really big extension behind. lit figure out how to get over your front side. >> gary: the 0-1 delivery is chopped to first. they get the force out and that will do it. a good inning for baez. this is what you missed if you did not go to the break licenseness. we wanted to relive it with you tonight. wieters on the prowl!

>> gary: game three of this four-game set will be coming up tomorrow as it will be chris tillman on against sandy sonnenstein. our coverage on masn 2 begins at 6:30 with "o's xtra" presented by at&t followed by game coverage at 7:00. all of the coverage you need here on masn! >> jim: there they are. he is not a powerful guy and this year a lot of home runs. a lot of balls up and then chris tillman coming off his first experience up at yankee stadium. a home run and then he settled down and ended up being on a group side of a 10-4 victory on friday night in the rain and

the wind and the rain delays, et cetera, up in new york. >> gary: the bottom half of the eighth. 7-5 ballgame. the orioles on top. brian roberts, a fine night, a double, single, a run scored, an rbi, a walk, and he has reached on a fielder's choice. >> jim: he took a look down at longoria who is very, very deep at third base. >> gary: and choate stays on in relief here. >> jim: he play third base like greg nettles used to play. it gives you the illusion. greg used two, tree, four steps and come in. you know, brooks robinson always would kind of have that one and a half step. >> gary: and the other way for the base hit. brian roberts with a three-hit ballgame, and on again leading off the eighth. >> jim: that was my player of the game. >> gary: you can text in your vote and you can make brian roberts your player of the

game. here are the candidates, at&t player of the game. matt wieters, now the game- winning rbi, brian roberts. he has a three-hit ballgame going, and luke scott who delivered the home run, and he also has a double and a couple of rbi's. text in your vote. >> jim: so dempsey took markakis. he has a base hit. hunter took scott with a double and a home run, and i get to -- never tell them before the game, watch the game and decide i want my guy, brian roberts on base four times. >> gary: i think that is the only way to do it because i took wieters right after he got

the two rbi single. >> jim: you did? >> gary: yes. picked him right up. >> jim: yes, my second guy was berken because i knew he would settle down. >> gary: at least we're so obvious that you know it is not true! >> jim: hindsight should be 20/20. >> gary: yes, and if we can't get that, we near trouble. a one ball and one strike count on nick markakis. an rbi and ground ball and then scored. he has been denied another hit tonight on a fine play that was made by longoria against him his last time up. the bullpen active both sides. jim johnson alot of pitchers up and used in this ballgame. >> jim: jimmy is struggling over his last couple of starts. we don't need tack-on runs, we

just need some runs. >> gary: exactly. always. here is the 1-2 delivery on the way and the pitch is taken down low. >> jim: you made that very clear the last inning. >> gary: i just wonder where the term tack-on runs came? >> jim: no runs are tacky. >> gary: no runs, ever, are tacky. no, runs matter. it doesn't fit anything that i know of. i'm sure a fan will let us know about that or we're going to have to go check that book of terms a couple of those are out there that you can get to online. 2-2 delivery that is fouled

back. >> jim: i'm still trying to figure out how they got the term in golf bunkers. i know golf started in scotland, and maybe they were -- >> gary: it is a war term to be in a bunker, a hole. >> jim: but golf obviously wasn't before wars, but -- >> gary: there is the historical point that i had not thought about! the play at second and they will get the force out. >> jim: it is deductive reasoning. we're trying to go there. >> gary: if there hadn't been a war, there wouldn't be golf?

>> jim: no, wars happened way before golf. >> gary: i thought that was the choice. he is taken out on the fielder's choice play. jim maddon is on his way out. if he didn't get his exercise today, he is certainly getting it here tonight as he will make another pitching change. the orioles have a runner on, one down. we're in the eighth inning and choate is out of there. bradford is on. >> gary: a name and face familiar to oriole fans as chad bradford will come out of the bullpen for the rays to work in the eighth inning as jim maddon is doing everything he can to keep this a two-run ballgame with three more outs yet needed by the orioles to wrap this game up. >> jim: all kinds of physical problems. elbow surgery back in february, so he missed 75 games and back tightness. he has missed a total of 98 games, and we talked about the bullpen not as strong as they thought. they thought they would have him all year long because he has been pretty durable. sinker ball. the occasional swerve, slerve,

underhanded breaking ball, but when he is pitching well, your team is go dog hit it ton ground. >> gary: everall their bullpen numbers ton year belie the troubles they have had of late as they are ranked fourth in e.r.a. among bullpens and the fourth newest hits per nine innings. they do surrender a lot of home runs. that has been a problem for them this year. they don't surrender many walks. as jim maddon was talking to us, the numbers don't tell you what has happened to tampa bay this year except the record, which is 73-71. they just have had close ballgames. they have not been able to win. little things that got done last year that they have not been able to get done this year. >> jim: they were so good 11 over last year and coming into this game six under, so that is a big difference. and your bullpen has -- and then, of course, you throw in there your bullpen has a lot more chances of being successful if you have more of a cushion offensively. >> gary: one down.

the runner at first and strike one. melvin has had a single and scored. the orioles', the rbi's have gone to brian roberts, markakis has one and luke scott has two. matt wieters two, including the go-ahead. izturis has one and everybody in the lineup has had at least one hit. 7-15-1 for the orioles, 5-7-0, almost thrown away. aybar having to reach to get around markakis on that one as bradford is trying to keep the double play in order. by holding markakis close. and markakis challenging him as nick has walked off a pretty good lead. >> jim: he doesn't steal a lot, 5-7, as far as success. and of interest to me is when it came out and chad bradford

in a very, very interesting chapter about how he came up and he couldn't make the baseball team until his coach -- oh! >> gary: it ricochets off of his leg and the throw will still get mora a pinball back oh the mound off of chad bradford. >> jim: a kick save right there. so he gets the ground ball, but it is going right up the middle, and then it just inadvertently hits his left toe and he reaches over and submarines it. right off of that left foot. he finds it. he pounces on it. that is very unfortunate for melvin and fortunate for chad. you're going to have to stop throwing overhand because it is not going to do it and he dropped his arm angle. he used to throw between the bushes by his house and then he

was signed and billy bean said what does this guy do that other people don't do and that is throw ground balls and that's how he went to the oakland organization, eventually the mets and then the orioles. >> gary: slow, slower and slowest mostly on chad ice pitches, but he keeps the ball down. the hitters tend to top it, and the ground ball is the result. two down, luke scott. luke with a home run, his 22nd. he launched that one in the seventh inning. he also had an rbi and a ground out in the fifth. he has had a double and was stranded earlier in the ballgame a big comeback by the orioles to have seven unanswered runs after trailing by a score of 5-0 in the ballgame. and a chance for another right here. markakis went down to second on that ground ball out. and bradford will miss with that outside and the count will go to 2-0. >> jim: historically he has trouble with the lefties. but the lefties are 3-3. the righties are also hitting very

well at 4-19. so, again, not the year they expected from chad bradford. he has been much more consistent but the injuries have taken their toll. >> gary: 2-0 count and the pitch is going to miss inside and the count goes to 3-0. >> jim: and you wonder if dave trembley will give him the green light. there are some guys that can hit 3-0 and some can't. andres mora, we got him from the mexican league. he was the best and earl wieer knew it. the guys don't want to do it. guys feel like you have to get the perfect pitch. >> gary: you really have to be zoned in, know exactly what you want and be able to control the bat and don't chase anything else even if you think it is a strike. >> jim: that is not the way you want to hit until you get to two strikes anyway really. >> gary: and up and in. so so bradford will surrender

the walk. that will put runners on at first and second base for matt wieters. >> jim: really kind of an unusual move for jim maddon to bring in bradford when you know you're going to face two lefties, or at least one. matt wieters has hit the ball hard tonight and effectively. a double asingle, two rbi's a and run scored. he drew a walk his last time up after he struck out his first time up. in the middle he has sandwiched some good at-bats. jeff neimann, the much talked about rookie, left the ballgame. 11 hits, the most hits any team has off of him this year. he could be the loser. jason berken has a chance to be the winner because he gutted it out. he came out of the ballgame after six and a third innings

and he gave up in the first three innings five runs on six hits, and then he did not allow another run and only three hits the rest of his way through. two on here and two down. here is the 1-1 by bradford and he got that one! what a night for wieters! way back and good-bye home run! a three rbi shot for matt wieters who has been on the ball tonight! >> jim: this ball has no chance except going out to the pie court. zo bradford when he is healthy throws about one home run a

year, and he is not healthy. his velocity is down and wieters automatic over it. >> gary: boy, is senate on it. we have in the seen the ballgame this year that matt wieters has had tonight, the attack. even his a.s. he has just been on it tonight, and wieters, five-rbi night, a career high, and a pretty good chance -- and michael aubrey puts that one up to center field. upton is there to put it away. but the damage is done as the orioles come away with three runs in the bottom half of the eighth inning and they were delivered on one swing of the bat, mat wieters and a help fan with a souvenir. 

 >> orioles baseball on mass season brought to you by southwest airlines. book your next trip at southwest.com. and by acura, acura advance. orioles are three outs away from putting a win up. they have the 10-5 lead on a 16- hit attack. jim johnson will try to finish it off. >> jim: he comes out, and last pitched in the 7-3 victory. it has been a little bit of a struggle. he did get a couple of strikeouts, but he did give up a couple of-runs -- runs against the yankees on saturday. so he's the closer. this is not a close situation. it would have been except for

wieters' home run who i have now selected as my player of the game. >> gary: i've already got him. >> jim: can't win them all, i guess. >> gary: no. here is willy aybar and he will take the pitch up high for a ball. aybar with an oh-fer three in the ballgame and then upton and navarro due up against jim johnson. so we have had two diverge errant games last night and tonight. it was the offense of tampa bay putting up eight in an 8-4 win in last night's game an the orioles tonight with the 10 runs on 16 hits in game two. these two teams still have two more to play in this series. 2-0 delivery. aybar takes it for a strike. 2-1. >> jim: jim johnson who is retired and it is a low number from him. only 63% of the first batters. >> gary: 2-1 delivery. up the middle and that is going to be a base hit. so aybar delivers a single leading off the ninth inning. updating you in the voting for

the at&t player of the game and you can still cast your vote for a., b., or c. right now it is luke scott on top. scott, wieters, roberts, your choices, a., b., or c., 51862. the final result tons o's' extra post-game show. >> jim: if you're talking about pitching trends for this game, when you're in the middle of the plate, your pitcher is going to get hit hard. both berken early on and jeff neimann. he didn't get the ball where he wanted to. when you make good pitches, you have a chance to get them out. and aybar got a ball right down the middle and did exactly what they need to do which is get base runners. hit it up the middle. >> gary: that will be taken outside. berken is looking to win his fifth if the orioles can hang on. he will go 5-11 and berken has not suffered a loss if he gets this win in the last five games. on the other side of the coin for jeff neimann, it would be his sixth loss against 12 wins

and the orioles would even up their mark against him at 2-2 on this season. 2-0 delivery ton way to short. izturis ton short hop. roberts, there is one and a nice double play! >> jim: i tell you what, they are throwing some leather tonight! just tomahawked by b.j. upton and he hits it so hard. a nice little 6-4-3 double play to get two outs. you can't feel good about yourself if you're jim johnson. you like the two outs, but both balls hit hard. >> gary: the leather, as you said, jim, both sides have made some outstanding defensive plays so the orioles need one more. two down, nobody on. ninth inning. navarro, oher in two and a walk in the ballgame.

the bullpen is coming on and they have given up no runs, including castillo a third. ray, a third. baez, and now johnson trying to get an inning in here and face only three. >> jim: it appears to me they're just trying to find the arm slot to throw the good sinker. and when your arm isn't up, scotty erickson used to run through this problem. they said it was like a locomotive going on the tracks, getting off and then never knowing how to get back on the tracks. it is only about a three to four-inch difference between being behind your pitches and on top of them and being around them. it has been a little bit of a struggle for jim johnson a perfect game to struggle in with a five-run lead. >> gary: the walk surrendered

by johnson and two down and the runner on at first base. the pinch hitter. gross in the number nine spot where kapler had been and brignac before that. gross on with two down. the orioles winning it by a score of 2-5. gross hitting .242 overall. he is a pinch hitter. and he was taken inside as johnson continues to struggle. all he wants to do right now is throw strikes. and it is just eluding him. >> jim: and the other thing that is eluding him is movement. when he is on the ball really sinks. he just cannot find that sweet spot, so to speak. >> gary: 1-0 delivered. >> jim: there you go. that is the changeup that he

has used. sometimes it gets you back to where the release point is. sometimes you just never really have to think about it. the arm goes up, the ball sinks because you got anytime the right slot. >> jim: 29-year-old pinch hitter gabe gross is waiting object one run. he will chop it towards second base. brian roberts is there and that one is in the books for the o's! they come back from the loss last night and get a 10-5 win. berken gets the victory. 5-11. jeff neimann will take the loss. he is 1-6. no saves in it. these two teams are even again, 6-6 on the season against one another. we're right back to camden yards after this! 

 >> hi, everybody. jim hunter and rick dempsey getting ready for the post- game. exactly how you'd like to write

it up. maybe not the beginning, but settling down. jason berken is doing that. >> david price gives up four in the first inning and tampa bay comes back and wins. he gives up four in the first inning and he comes back and wins. the guy is getting smarter! >> it was a big night for luke scott? who predicted that? we're coming back with a happy recap. back to gary and jim! >> thank you very much. there is your final line and a big, big roll in this ballgame, -- role in this billion game, matt wieters. amber? >> as far as jason berken, he was the story in the game. we saw him in the first inning struggle. what allowed him to struggle down the rest of the game and get to six and a third inning ? >> it was. it was like two different pitchers. he was a little wild. but by the third, fourth, fifth inning, he was able to get in there. >> what is it in the last few start ? >> i think it is location. he is starting to move his fastball around and get ground balls. >> a big game for you

offensively turning it up in the month of september. looking comfortable. let's go through that home run. chad bradford is not a pitch their is easy to see. >> it is just something you look at the mound and you try to pick it up off the rubber u r. you look at the front of the mound and try to pick it up from down there. >> we're seeing a lot of positive things from your rookie teammates, nolan, yourself, gist tillman, matusz. how encouraging is it to see you guys as a group stepping it up late in september? >> it is always good to get the good outings by the young pitchers? nolan has been doing it all year and really keep working hard. >> matt, enjoy the win. >> thank you. [ . >> gary? >> amber, thank you. we hope you'll join us again tomorrow, game three. it will be chris tillman on the mound. the our coverage on masn 2 begins at 6:30 with "o's xtra" presented by at&t followed by the game at 7:00. i'm gary thorne. thanks for joining us, everybody here at oriole park at camden yards. this has been a masn

presentation. coming up next, how this ballgame got turned around and it did have twists and turns. "o's xtra" right now. jim and rick? >> thank you very much, gary thorne. "o's xtra" presented by verizon fios and the orioles come storming back 5-0 ling to the bottom of the third and able to walk off celebrating a win as the birds come all the way back. 10 unanswered runs scored by the orioles and the birds win it by the final of 10-56789 welcome back in, jim hunter and rick dempsey. when you look at the balance in the orioles' attack tonight, it really tells the story. the orioles didn't have to bat in the bottom of the ninth. so eight at-bats in this game. the birds had race runners in all eight at-bats and they had hits in seven. when you get that kind of balance, you're eventually going to score runs and the orioles did so tonight.

>> it was a double good night. they doubled the amount of runs. they doubled the amount of hits and they double the amount of fun they had tonight. the orioles end up scoring 10. over five for the tampa bay devil rays, but they did it. it was a balanced attack all the way through. 16 hits, you know a lot of guys are going to get them. matt wieters, what a night he had. five rbi's. brian roberts hitting in that three slot. i love him in that slot. he is a guy that comes up with a big hit for him when you need it that is a good experiment that dave trembley is making, that he can use pie up in the top and brian roberts right in the middle. >> let's get a look at the highlights that will go to the top of the first. it is already 1-0 tampa bay. there is patted burl reel. he goes after the first pitch against jason berken and he hits it out for a three-run home run. just like that it is four ---4-1 tampa bay. >> not such a good start. four hits out of the first five batters. the last one being that three- run home run. >> and now we go to the bottom of the fifth. it is 5-4 tampa bay.

wieters atwo-run single up the middle and this giveorioles a 6- 5 lead. >> 1-3 hits for matt wieters on the night. this is hying biggest offensive night of the season. >> now, the seventh, here is luke scott. his 22nd home run. oh, did he get all of that one and that makes it 7-5. >> luke scott, he is not afraid that was his ninth home run of the season, off the left hand. >> and the bottom of the eighth. here is the capper. matt wieters, his first home run. he crushes it, and that is a three-run shot and makes ate 10- 5 game. >> and his fifth rbi of the night. 33 on the season. matt wieters with a big smile on his face tonight. three hits. he did it all tonight offensively. >> so the orioles as rick mentioned, 10 runs on 16 hits, one error. tampa bay is five runs, eight hits and no errors. berken gets the win and he is really finishing up strong for the birds. jeff neimann the loss he is shell shocked after getting that early 5-0 lead. the orioles even up this four-

game series 1-1. let's welcome back jim palmer. jim, but are seeing matt wieters develop right before our eyes, and it is amazing over the last couple of weeks how much more comfortable he looks and how much more it looks as if he longs. >> yeah, i don't think anyone was too concerned that he doesn't going to figure out to stay up here once he got here. i think we all know that he is going to eventually figure out and be a guy that is going to be a mainstay on this ball club. right here he get as good fastball to hit hissist first time. the two runs that put the orioles ahead. they had once trailed by five on a curve ball off of jeff neimann who tried to get out of it somewhere and then chad bradford, as we henges mentioned. again, you still have to get a good pitch to hit, which he does and he drives it in to the flag court. so an outstanding night. he called a good game. they have a young pitch here is really on the ropes an jason berken early on giving up the five early runs and as rick

dempsey said, last might the orioles were ahead 4-1. tonight tampa bay was ahead 5-0 and wieters does a great job and has the great offensive night as did everybody else on the ball club. >> we appreciate it. the skipper is already out, so we're going to head inside the orioles' clubhouse. the post-game comments of dave trembley presented by verizon wireless. >> so we got wig hits and that is the game. >> and can you break down the time and is it good what you saw? >> yeah, he swung the bat. he swung the bat real good today. i thought the one that broke it is he finally hit one so he could get a double. the guy has hit some of the longest singles i have ever seen. he finally hit one so they couldn't hold him at first. i think that loosened him up a little. >> what kind of adjustments did he make? >> he was belt high and up.

you know, i think bartlett, the first hitter he showed you having two strikes and then up, and right after that i thought he -- maybe the third inning, you know, the first pitch to buehrle was up, so he had to learn the hard way. he was either going to continue to give up runs or he was going to have to make some adjustments. he made some adjustments and he pitched dunn a lot better. >> and that part of the game, he is so gutsy. i mean, as a manager, you like to see that in a pitcher, but to have to do that, sometimes he has to work his way out of what he did tonight. >> especially after last night when you have gone through a rot of guys down in your bullpen. you have to -- you know the feeling those were going to come back and score some runs. they made some very good plays defensively. it is good to have pie back out there. they really ran down some balls, made some good plays and

is tour it at shortstop did it both with the glove and the at- bat. i think after last night and this late in the year, if we feel like the guy is not going to cave in, we're going to go with him maybe a little bit longer because you have to find out, and you have to find out about them and they got to find out about themselves, and, you know, berken -- berken has a lot of grit to him, you know. he -- he doesn't -- he doesn't go the other way. i think the tougher the challenge is for him, the better he meets it. i think that's what berken does. >> did you talk -- you talk a lot about finishing strong and obviously we know if there is not that much to play for. do you take particular enjoyment out of a game like this when you're facing a rookie of the year and you kind of come back? >> yeah, there is a guy that didn't give us too many fastballs to hit. he was changing speeds very

well. like i said, i think progress should be dually noted for what the guys did tonight. because, you know, that could have been very easily, you know, to maybe give some at- bats awe and say, hey, we'll go get them tomorrow, but there was a sense of, hey, let's get back in this thing and the quicker we get back in it, the better shape we're going to be for late in a game. and, you know we had some guys shuffled around because i didn't want to use reimold today. and, you know, guys came up big in some different slot ins the lineup. they did. >> talk about brian, et setting the tran chias record. >> it is like we said before when all is said and done, the guy is going to have a tremendous season, and you know, we just -- you know,

roberts a special player, a special person. he means a lot to the team, and you know, i think especially do going down the stretch here he has picked his game up, you know, he certainly kept his part of the bargain. he said he would continue to play hard and he's got some big hits, and it is hard to ask a guy who is one of the premier lead-off hitters in the league to bat third for you, and he's done it. he has done it and he came up big tonight. so, you know, he's in the books now. he is in the books, you know, for the orioles. we got the ball. crow was happy. roberts probably is real humble about it as he always is, but it is kind of neat to be a part of, i'm sure. >> and did he pull the ball? it seems like a lot of his power is opposite field. >> yeah. yeah. i thought -- you any, i think his first time up he almost got

one and i told him, hey, we made a pitching change. i said, hey, the next time you hit one like that, make sure you keep it fair. >> i'm sure you guys watched batting practice. he has no problem pulling it. i just think with him it is pitch recognition and a lot of times he gets caught in between. he really hasn't had enough at- bats yet to determine if it is the fastball, changeup, breaking ball. when he gets it, he'll do some damage. i'll probably go talk to those guys. it has been a long game for -- day for everybody. a good game a great game. >> manager dave trembley following the orioles' win. 10-5, the birds win it. they trail 5-0 going to the bottom of the third and 10 unanswered runs as jason berken straightened it out and his teammates came back and scored enough runs to win it. the at&t player of the game

voted on by the fans and matt wet wuertz a late surge. 73%. why not? a five rbi night for matt wieters. he is the at&t at&t player of the -- at&t player of the game. the orioles win it here, 10-5. a big night for luke scott as he goes 2-4 including his 22nd home run! the new mcdonald's bacon and cheese angus third pounder.

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big gym and bounces back. he had a big game tonight batting third. >> he bunches them together. when he finds his swing, it doesn't matter what the situation might be. he is a better hitter with two strikes. much more confident, relaxed, and that's the way he is tonight, too. he pulls it down the right- field line. i have said it 100,000 times. i'll say it one more time. if this guy had 20 more pounds on his frame, we'd have the 50, 60 home run guy that we need in the lineup. >> jason berken got off to a tough start, four run miss . the top of the first inning, all with only one out. then he was able to settle down. he gave up only one more run and the orioles were able to come back. now, what did you see from berken early on and then what did you see from him later that allowed him to go in the seventh inning? >> all the way through the first and the third inning, he really had a tough time locating his fastball and all of the pitches. he was up in the strike zone and he gave up the big hits. this is what he did the first

10, 11 starts that he did. as the game went on, he started to find himself. he realized how he had to feel, get the ball down in the strike zone. he started making some good pitches and let the defense do the work behind you. it is the key to pitching. it is not a big strikeout guy, so all he really has to worry about is getting the ground outs and the fly balls. he saved himself -- himself a loss right. there. >> and here is the turn around. a very strong finish for jason berken. now, 3-0 over his last five starts. his e.r.a., two runs per game better and he is only allowed two home runs combined for his last five starts. the thing you like about jason berken. she a guy. he falls behind early. who knows what he is switching for other than he needs to show he can get big lead hitters. he didn't allow the game to get out of hand. if anything, h e did the exact opposite. >> when the reputation comes before he does that he is a grinder, he is a guy that is going to go out there. he knows he is going to give up some runs, but the thing is

he'll buckle down. the second, third, fourth time against the hitters, he finds the situation where he can get the ground ball, and that's what he has been doing as of late. that's why he has won the three games in a row and really pitched much better baseball. this is what is going to get him back into the considerations oh f this ball club for the starting rotation next year. he is getting a little better. every time he goes out, he is picking up something that is really helping him. it is not going to be easy at the major league level, but at least he showed he can mo in the right direction and put wins together. >> we're going to head across the field and welcome one of the big hitters of the night. luke scott, he hit his 22nd home run. luke, it is all coming together for you. all oh after sudden the ball is bouncing off the bat. he told me he was going to have a two-hit night a double and a home run. congratulations, luke. >> thank you. i appreciate it. >> and that is what bothers me more than anything. jim doesn't like me. he has told me that a number of times.

>> oh, that isn't true! i should have had the inside scoop on that. i'm very disappointed with you, luke, but you're swinging the bat good. [ i said luke, "o's xtra" challenge, i'm going with you. i think a two-hit game. 2-4. i could use two hits. see, when the pressure is on you can couple through! >> absolutely. luke, i tell you what, you just had such a horrible start to this second half and it looks like you're trying to find that groove again. the front shoulder aleft-hander again tonight, your ninth home run. you have to be feeling good in the batter's box. >> absolutely. you know, especially with the lefties, you have to keep your front shoulder in. that way you can stay on the ball and it has been a tough time for me personally. struggling in the second half after having the good first half, you know, but i have come out with the same attitude every day, come prepared, worked hard and just been battling through this.

>> luke, i don't know how much talk goes on during a game when you fall behind by five quick runs like that, but the thing that was interesting about this comeback tonight, initially it was chipping away to get back in it before pulling away late. is it because you're down five and it is the third inning that, hey, there is always a chance you can come back and as it started everybody jumped in? >> yes. this is what i have been doing lately. i don't even look at the scoreboard. i look at my numbers. i don't look at the score of the game. whether we're up or whether we're losing and, you know, just go out there and play the game. a lot of times when a team does jump out, i have been guilty of this myself. you kind of get down. oh, hell, this game, it looks like a big hole to get out. the best thing is just don't even look at the scoreboard. don't look at the score. don't look at your stats or anything like that. just go out there and be in the moment and getted red yes for your next at-bat. >> with all of the young guys

come okay the ball club now, it is almost like you're one of the veterans of this team all of a sudden. i know you have been around three, four years now in the big leagues, but your impression of matt wieters and what has he has brought to his ball club. >> matt has been holding his own. this is a very tough league and we're going out against the best pitching in baseball. i mean, by far the best. there's -- second to none in this division. there's no breaks. there's really no breaks. and he is hitting .270. as a rookie, my goodness. that is saying something and -- in this league, there is no -- there is no easy night out there. >> luke, every player strives for consistency. i'm curious about your impressions of your teammate brian roberts who broke his own club record for doubles with his 52nd. it is amazing how when this guy gets into a groove, it doesn't matter who is pitching where he hits it, he seems to find the gaps to get the base hits. e. >> he is just a tremendous

player. i don't think you're going to find too many lead-off hitters like that. he is a special talent and a special player and he goes out there and grins it out every day. he is a great guy to have on your team. >> you got me a win in the "o's xtra" challenge. how about i meet you and we talk it over. >> tomorrow it is. first come, first serve. >> there it is! i'm going to beat you to the team switch. >> insider trading! it is against the law! >> i did my research. >> i did my research.(.ecl) that's what happened here tonight. luke promised me two hits. >> nice going, luke. i'm happy for you. hit another one tomorrow night! >> luke, we appreciate the visit. back to you. >> luke scott from the orioles' dug-out. what a good guy he is. >> he always has a smile on his face. >> he is happy tonight because of the way his ball jumped off the bat. he'll probably go on a tear. >> there is no doubt he has awesome power, maybe some of the best power in this league.

just get back to consistent contact and this guy can put up big numbers. the orioles come back from five. they also had stellar defense. how about this grab from melvin mora? "o's xtra" continues on masn! ♪ ♪ tell me who's watching. (announcer) it's right here. it's easy. ♪ i always feel like somebody's watching me. ♪ it's the money you could be saving with geico.

 >> jason berken settled dow and he pitched into the seventh inning and he picked up his fifth win of the year. back inside to the orioles' clubhouse, jason berken on his outing. >> obviously for whatever reason it has been the first thing that has killed me. i have tried to the lat of things. being able to pitch deep in the games, that is something that is good and i just would love to go out there and compete and i was able to pitch deep in the game and the offense had a great night tonight and were able to pick me up. >> before the game dave trembley call yod a grinder. is that a label that you take pride in? >> definitely. i like to not have to grind most of my starts out, but that is something i take pride in. it is nice if i never had to

grind, and he was stuck with me the whole game and we were able to find thins that worked and it was good. >> the last last couple of games, we talked about your two- seamers and other factors, are you? just able to keep your pitches down? >> the start tonight, i was able to get my changeup going. i really got a feel for getting the ball up front and historically if i am able to get my changeup going, i think tonight that was a big key for me getting the changeup going and being able to get my slider going, fastball, two-seamer going. >> jason berken, 3-0 in his last five starts. he picks up his fifth win on the year. elsewhere in the american league, rain delay in new york. the blue jays have a 9-3 lead on the yankees and the red sox have defeated the angels 4-1. boston is trying to creep back in the east on the tails of the yankees. the tigers at home losing to kansas city 11-1. they're in the sixth inning in texas. sixth inning in minnesota with the twins out in important of

cleveland 5-3. justin morneau is done boar the year with a back injury. and the second inning in seattle, the white sox and the mariners are scoreless. the red sox win. to get an updated look at the wildcard standings, five games up on the texas rangers. the way the red sox are going, they're going to try to make a charge at the yankees over the final week0s f the season. tonight the birds win it 10-5 over the rays to even up this four-game series at a win each. 

 >> brian roberts, his 57, a short time ago he was asked about breaking the club record of the doubles in a season. >> thanks. it is kind of like the one they asked me the o'day. it is something when it is all said and done and when i'm old and i have my grandkid sitting on my knee, i might look back and enjoy it. right now i am just trying to play games and help these young

guys along and get us ready for next year. >> brian roberts, the seasoned veteran at 31. "o's xtra" challenge, oh, i won! luke scott, 2-4 for the double and the home run and two rbi's. for a while markakis was in the lead, but luke scott came storming back. markakis, 1-5. so back within three! the pressure is on dempsey! the pressure is on dempsey! let's get a look at the pitching match-up tomorrow. game three of the four-game series. >> that was tonight. >> and jeff neimann. jason berken with that match- up. tomorrow you have chris tillman against andy sonnenstein. >> chris tillman will be sh looking for his third win of the season. a pretty good outing his last time out. he is starting to fall into a bit of a groove himself. you see the numbers there. that e.r.a. is starting to creep down there a little. he is is up against andy. not quite having the same kind of season he had last year when he won 14 games for the tampa bay rays. this year he is struggling to get that seventh win, but he will be on the mound trying

tomorrow. >> a fun night at the ballparkment thanks for happening with us as the orioles win 10-5 and the orioles even up this four-game series at a game each. for rick, i'm jim. we'll see you back here tomorrow night, "o's xtra" at 6:30! with all that juicy, 100% angus beef. you foa point of entry the bacon beckons like a springboard to paradise. one small bite for man... etcetera, etcetera. angus axiom number 11: bring on the bacon. the astonishing new angus third pounders. all angus. all mcdonald's. ♪ ba da ba ba ba

eligible to play by week three. today added to the 53-man roster. he'll practice tomorrow. >> chargers had to deal with an injury to ladainian tomlinson in the win against the raiders. he fumbled in 1,000 touches. rolled his ankle. had a bad limp after the game. john clayton has more on the former mvp. >> ladainian tomlinson is expected to miss some practice time this week with an ankle injury. but don't count him out for sunday's game. still you have to make preparations. expect michael bennett to be on the active roster. and expect darren sproles to get more activity in the game sunday. even if l.t. is active. the good news for l.t. is it's the lefti ankle. last time he had problems on th. they prevented it from sending it rough. at least now it's an ankle

injury he can try to deal with. but he'll be questionable this week. >> the chargers had 78 rushing yards from their two backs. when the game was in question though, darren sproles came up big. 56 yards of offense in the game. put him in the fourth quarter. en route to his game-winning touchdown. >> brett favre is causing more drama. the nfl is investigating favre's former coach eric mangini for his role in the jets failure to list the 39-year-old on the injury report last season. jet general manager mike tanenbaum admitted they should have listed favre as probable with the torn bicep ten don. commissioner goodell is expected to rule on the matter this week. john clayton has more. >> it was only fitting that eric mangini had to be included in the probe of the new york jets for at least hiding some injuries with brett favre last year. it's the coach who usually makes up the injury report. mike tanenbaum did accept blame for it. but it certainly has to carry over to man genie who is not in cleveland, but may have to pay a fine.

and a ruling should come this week. the likelihood is mangini will get fined, and the jets will probably get a big fine. still to come here on espnews, florida getting ready for a showdown this saturday. lane kiffin with some strong words for florida in the off season. now strong praise for the gators' qb. and m.j., you know what he did to brian russell in the nba finals. finals. took a shot at him in hisgreat.

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>> usc quarterback matt barkley could miss this weekend's game against washington. he has a broken bruise in his right shoulder. he's still unable to throw in practice. and pete carroll hasn't set a deadline for naming his starter. if barkley can't go. the sophomore aaron corp. would likely get the call. corp. right now taking the snaps with the first team. but so far off to a good start. 2-0 in his career. that includes a win at ohio state this past weekend. washington in with a zoo next. -- with a zoo next. those two a combined 23 a year ago. >> great players like great teams sometimes need an extra kick to get out for a game. during his hall of fame speech, arguably the greatest of all time. michael jordan thanks some of basketball's all time greats for supplying extra motivation. turns out college kids don't necessarily need a same kick to get up for a big cob test. at least not those that play at tennessee. as far as the vols, they have the no. 1 team in the land this

weekend, florida. as lane kiffin explains, the opponent supplies enough motivation. the underdog role for motivation. not motivated for this game, something's wrong with you. you know, it's tennessee versus florida. and regardless of what the spread is or who is the favorite, who is the underdog, it's a big time match-up. one that a lot of these kids have watched for years and years as they were growing up. so i would be shocked that either side needs to motivate their players. every year both teams have come play. and 64 points over the last two years combined. we know they're going to come play very hard. they're extremely talented. i look at their defense. their 11 stars. you have 11 nfl players. talented maybe ever played. probably the best quarterback to

ever play college football. so we'll have our hands full. >> since urban meyer's first season at florida in 2005, the gators have dominated the vols in the head-to-head meeting. taking off four games. the big key for the gators has been turnovers. they won the turnover battle in all four games, winning by an average of more than 18 points. >> well, the final buzzer sounded, and michael jordan walked off a winner. he left basketball with six championships, five mvps, and almost universal aacceptance as the game's greatest player. in friday's hall of fame speech, jordan still felt the need to settle old scores. among those he went after, brian russell. a man who m.j. posterrized when he hit that famous game-winning shot against utah. this afternoon, russell responded on outside the lines. >> i felt honored that he was still thinking about me, you know, 20, 15 years later, 12 years later. >> what's it like being called out by the greatest player in

the world? >> i didn't take it as a dis or anything. i looked at it as an accomplishment that happened for me. you know, jerry sloan gave me the chance. i want to thank him for letting me guard the best player in the game. i'll always be a test. he'll issue the challenge. i want to challenge him. so, you know, i'm going to go on national tv and say if i see you in shorts, i've got mine on right now. let's get this one-on-one, and make it happen. i've got this towel for jordan. you know. and i even hold on, hold on. i've got the gatorade for him also. so whenever he's ready to play. that's what i want. i'm calling him out on national tv. >> all right. we'll say this. jordan and russell have gone head-to-head eight times in the regular season. we emphasize regular season. and russell's team has a 5-3 edge. we know what happened in the postseason. russell and the jazz. jordan and the bulls. not sure you can begin to compare the rest of the numbers.

>> serena williams assigned $10,000 for her outburst during her semifinal amatch with the eventual champion kim clistjers. she may face more penalties. she was on good morning america and discussed the incident. >> you've seen the episode again and again and again. when you see yourself there on the court responding to the call of a foot fault, what do you believe was going through your mind when you lost it with the judge? >> well, at that point i really just had lost control. i mean, i was just not -- first of all, i don't foot fault. traditionally, i haven't foot faulted all year. i was like what is going on? why do they continue to call it on me on such important points? and i just thought what's going on? so as a competitor, and as someone who is really passionate about her work, you know, i just got a little bit overexcited, i think. but most of all i was able to

learn from the situation. >> jake peavy will make his white sox debut saturday at home against the royals. peavy has recovered from a deep bruise on his right pitching elbow. the bruise postponed his return by three weeks. peavy had been recovering from a right ankle injury when the sox got him from san diego. >> jared washburn, era north of six in seven starts with detroit. it wasn't much better tonight. gave up four runs in the first inning. would lead after one inning with an apparent knee injury. three runs coming here. alberto. a three run shot. his 10th of the year. in the fourth, more offense. david dejesus. this one, then they don't. royals have won 7 of 8. washburn now, as a 7-33 era. in eight starts with detroit. only tiger was probably happy after this game was magglio ordonez. they collected 18 million next

season. all he had to do was get up to bat in the inning. he grounded out and that triggered an option for next year. he has a certain amount of at-bats between last year and this year. the option vested. he'll get $18 million in 2010 from detroit. >> and an a.l. central match-up between the twins and the indians. minnesota on top. 5-3 in the seventh inning. nick pune toe, 3 for 3. the two rib he's. one in the fourth inning was an r.b.i. single. again in the sixth. another r.b.i. single. and that's so far the difference in this game. minnesota, 5-3 of the we'll show you how it goes down, as soon as the game goes final. >> taking a look at the standings now. minnesota could certainly use a win. they creep a little bit closer, potentially. or at least keep the distance the same. it's a five-game cushion right now. detroit in control in the a.l. central. white sox still six games back. >> still to come on espnews.

charlie weis wasn't happy with the officiating. the loss to the wolverines on saturday. notre dame coach wasn't done talking about it just yet. >> and cliff lee had been struggling. that wasn't the case tonight. find out who was his cure in an find out who was his cure in an absolutely huge performance.

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displeasure with the officiating. weiss said he sent several plays to the head of officials to review after the game. >> whether you win or lose, you're sending plays. so you don't just send in plays when you lose. because when you win you send in plays, too. so after the nevada game, i sent in three plays. they definitely agreed with me with one. one was questionable, and they disagreed with me with one. so on every game, it isn't like you send in 15 plays. but it's more for confirmation on what your thoughts were so that you know the next time the situation comes up, you know, you're better prepared. there's tons of players. monday is player's day off. but there are tons of players just stopping by to check in yesterday that, you know, in an unusual lie high number. so obviously they had gotten the message across, quit feeling sorry for yourselves, and let's go to on work. >> charlie weis could be facing a 1-2 start to the 09 season.

that's if notre dame loses to michigan state. under weis, the irish just 1-3. defense hasn't exactly done the job. michigan state averaging nearly five touchdowns per game. and almost 400 yards of total offense. >> here's what to watch for. nebraska opened up the season with two dominating wins. they have a big task. on the road 3:30 eastern on abc. the hokie have a non-conference winning streak against the hokies on the line. >> they've got this program back rolling. this is really a good football team. >> no. i mean, all those things, national tv means nothing, where we're playing means nothing. it's about executing between the lines and executing our football. period, end of story. if we're able to do that, then

we'll like the outcome. if we weren't, then that's the challenge that lies ahead of us. >> they went through a tough spill there. like i said, they're back now. and they just got a lot of tradition you know, that name comes to your mind when you search about the top programs. >> you don't want to miss college football overdrive right here on espnews. our crew will be providing you the analysis to some of the live look ins going on in the country that you're not going to see anywhere else. one of the ones that stands out, the quarterback matt barkley. still not sure he's going to be able to give it a go. >> and here's what to watch for. the steelers and bears going head-to-head sunday. both squads will be missing their best defensive players. they will not have troy

polamalu. and brian urlacher, he was asked about missing the defensive start. >> injury is a part of football. i'm sure they prefer to play with urlacher. they're going to have to find ways to be successful without him. similarly, we prefer to play with troy. we'll have to find ways to play without him. that's the story in the national football league. i'm sure they'll uphold the standard like we intend to. it comes with the territory. troy's knee injury will not require surgery. it's really a week-to-week thing as we progress from here on out. he's definitely out of action this week. >> keep in mind when the games are over no other place you'd rather be. we'll have it all here for you. for more on the nfl. we go inside the huddle with john clayton. >> the timing of aaron rodgers

come back victory over the bears couldn't have been better because it happens in the same weekend ben roethlisberger, tom brady, and philip rivers did the same. last season rogers failed in two minute situations, producing only one touchdown and two field goals in 22 chances. and it was costly in those gam games. rogers learned the two minute come back by going with the running play, the short pass to jennings, and scramble for yards before hitting jennings with his 50-yard game winner. the 49ers acknowledged tight end vernon davis who averaged one drop for every eight catches during his seasons. never totally the shorthanded pass receiver. but that won't stop mike singltarey from make them the focus of his passing offense. they plan to focus on him five to seven times a game, because he's the team's most talented option who iss not playing. and is so feared around the league, he was the n.f.c.'s third pro bowler, even though he

caught only 31 passes last year. >> the newest weapon is the pump fake. in the past two years, roethlisberger's been able to move defenders away from targets with his eyes and ability to stay alive in the pocket. but this year he's adding to the trickery by using strong pump fakes. the strategy that foolz chris hoke for two completions in the steelers week one victory. >> the ravens plan isn't for joe flacco to throw for 307 yards as he did against the chiefs. but they believe he can do that. michael averages 26.75 a game as a rookie in an offense that averaged 37 rushing attempts. in the off season, michael was more comfortable releasing the ball quicker. and the opening victory shows he has confidence in his massive offensive line. inside the huddle, john clayton, espn. >> nfl commissioner roger goodell said the four-game suspensions for a pair of saints defensive ends won't be enforced

at the present time. charles grant and will smith both violated the nfl's steroid policy last year. it's unclear if they could face a suspension down the road. >> steven strauss berg will make his pro debut sometime in the near future. the nats had the number one overall pick will pitch at least florida instructional league this month. washington also plans to have straussberg throw in the arizona fall league. >> nats, worst team in baseball facing the phillies. they've been struggling. 16 earned runs in the last three starts. hey, face the worst team in baseball, get yourself righted. christian guzman, ryan zimmerman, both swinging. struck out the side in the first. bottom two, carlos lee. that was a line drive. three-run double to left. 4-0, phillies. and then lee masterful. say uncle. a shutout. he struck out nine. third complete game in nine starts with phillie. his first shutout with his new

team. phillie now 13-3 against the nats. this season they've won 6 of 8 overall. >> up next, j.w. stewart, robert flores, and flo rider to tell you all about the brawl in the bronx. a little brouhaha in the boogie down as benches empty. you'll see the video. diasuke returns for the red sox. some debut it was for him. some return it was. and michael vick practices with the eagles tomorrow. what that means for philadelphia. j.w. stewart, robert flores, j.w. stewart, robert flores, taking you announcer: "it looks like nothing else on the road right now," proclaims "gq" magazine. did you see that?

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