Adams Homers To Help Orioles Rally Past Pirates

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) -- Pittsburgh Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan hates to give up runs, even in a meaningless spring training game.

The Baltimore Orioles jumped on Hanrahan for four runs in the fifth inning, then rolled to an 11-8 victory on Thursday night.

Hanrahan gave up five hits, including three for extra bases, and walked one.

"I was embarrassed for a little bit there," Hanrahan said. "You give up five hits in a row, it's not looking too good. I'm not overly concerned about it, but you've still got to get people out."

Hanrahan is working this spring on throwing inside more often, but on Thursday he was unable to command his fastball.

"I threw some good ones," Hanrahan said. "But I also threw a lot of bad ones. For the most part, the ball was up."

Hanrahan was named Pittsburgh's closer at the start of spring training. Over his first three outings, he had allowed one run on three hits.

The first six Orioles to face Hanrahan reached base to erase a three-run deficit. Ryan Adams' two-run home run to right field gave Baltimore a 5-4 lead.

With runners on second and third, Hanrahan struck out the middle of Baltimore's lineup: Mark Reynolds, Vladimir Guerrero and Jake Fox.

"You try to work on things, but there comes a point when you've got to let the competitor take over and get some people out," Hanrahan said. "I didn't do that until too late."

Orioles right-hander Brad Bergesen, who'd hoped to work four innings, lasted only 2 2-3 innings. He gave up four runs on six hits, walked two and struck out one.

"I never like having an outing like that, but at the same time, it's early, I'm still working on things," Bergesen said. "Outings like this are unacceptable, but I'm not getting down on myself or turning into a mental head case by any means. I know what I need to work on."

Bergesen said he has to make just a small adjustment, keeping from getting rushed and allowing his shoulder to fly open.

"When I got into trouble, I didn't make pitches," Bergesen said. "Lesson learned."

Pirates starter Paul Maholm allowed one run on four hits and struck out one. It was the left-hander's sharpest and longest outing so far this spring.

"I was aggressive and got some ground balls for double-plays," Maholm said. "I threw two bad pitches. Both were supposed to bounce, but neither quite reached the dirt. That's just part of getting in sync with your slider."

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