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 Extra innings is when the Orioles play their best.
Third baseman Manny Machado drove in the go-ahead run with a
one-out, bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th inning,
then closer Zach Britton struck out the side as Baltimore beat the
Seattle Mariners 3-2 at Safeco Field.
Baltimore (58-46) extended its winning streak in extra-inning games
to six. The Orioles are 11-3 this season in games that go past the
ninth inning.
"We don't try to do too much," Machado said of the Orioles' success
in extra-inning games. "We try to get on base and keep it going."
Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones started the 10th-inning rally
with a leadoff double. Seattle reliever Yoervis Medina then walked
sluggers Nelson Cruz and Chris Davis, who have a combined 123 home
runs since the beginning of last season, to load the bases with no
outs.
After shortstop J.J. Hardy popped out to second base, Machado drove
a Medina pitch almost to the warning track in center field, easily
scoring Jones from third base for the go-ahead run.
 "I was just trying to get the ball up in the air, trying to get the
run in," said Machado, who also had an RBI single in the eighth
inning to give Baltimore a 2-1 lead. "You've got to get that run in.
You know, small ball."
Medina (4-2) suffered the loss, while Baltimore reliever T.J.
McFarland (4-2) earned the win after pitching a scoreless ninth
inning. McFarland was pitching a few hours after learning that his
grandmother had died. He is scheduled to fly to Chicago for the
Monday off day and will probably spend three days on the bereavement
list before re-joining the Orioles on Thursday.
"He had a pretty heavy heart today," manager Buck Showalter said.
"Hopefully, he can feel good for awhile about being in on a win."
Britton earned his 20th save of the season after a perfect bottom of
the 10th inning that Showalter called his most dominant performance
of the season.
Seattle catcher Mike Zunino went 3-for-4, including a two-out solo
home run in the eighth inning that tied the score 2-2.
The Mariners had 10 hits but went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring
position.
"That's just not going to get it done," manager Lloyd McClendon
said. "Unfortunately, we had some opportunities and just didn't get
it done -- and they did."
The Orioles broke up a 1-1 tie on Machado's infield hit with the
bases loaded in the top of the eighth inning. Machado forced Seattle
shortstop Chris Taylor to make a tough back-handed play to field the
ball, and his throw to second off one foot was wide of the base,
allowing Adam Jones to score the go-ahead run with two outs.
Zunino then tied the score again in the bottom of the inning, when
he hit an 0-1 pitch from reliever Darren O'Day over the left field
fence for his 15th home run of the season.
The Mariners (54-51) used four second-inning hits to take a 1-0
lead, with rookie shortstop Chris Taylor earning his first career
RBI on a two-out double.
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Baltimore tied the score 1-1 on an RBI single by second baseman
Jonathan Schoop in the third inning. The Orioles had runners on
first and third with no outs in that inning, but Seattle starter
Roenis Elias got out of the jam with a pop-up and double play.
Elias allowed only the one run over five innings of work, having
allowed four hits and three walks while striking out six. He started
strong, striking out the side in the first, but control problems
began to creep up on him in the fifth inning -- leading to his exit
after just 85 pitches.
"He did a nice job," McClendon said. "We have to be careful with
him, he's a young man (25 years old). So it was an opportunity to
get him out of there and to get some other guys some work."
Baltimore starter Miguel Gonzalez had a solid outing, allowing just
one earned run while scattering eight hits over six innings, but did
not factor into the decision. In four games in Seattle, the Orioles'
starting pitchers allowed six earned runs and had a combined ERA of
2.10.
"I'm happy about what we've been doing," Gonzalez said of the
Baltimore rotation. "Everybody has been doing their job. We've been
going deep in ball games, and that's been key for us."
Seattle left fielder Dustin Ackley had three singles and went
12-for-26 on the seven-game homestand.
NOTES: Mariners OF Endy Chavez (jammed finger) was out of the lineup
for the second consecutive day Sunday. ... Seattle LF Dustin Ackley
was back in the No. 2 spot Sunday, and Mariners manager Lloyd
McClendon said before the game that he wouldn't mind giving him
another extended look there. "I think it's an ideal spot," McClendon
said of the No. 2 role, in which Ackley struggled earlier this
season. ... With LHP Roenis Elias on the mound and DH Kendrys
Morales in the cleanup spot, the Mariners had two Cubans in their
starting lineup for the first time in franchise history. ... Both
the Orioles and Mariners have Monday off. Baltimore hosts the Los
Angeles Angels on Tuesday, while Seattle will be in Cleveland. ...
Orioles LHP Wei-Yin Chen will have his next start moved back so that
he can face the lefty-heavy Mariners again on Friday. Chen was on
schedule start Tuesday's game against Los Angeles, but the off day
Monday allowed Baltimore to shuffle its rotation based on matchups.
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