Wieters Hits 2 HRs To Lead Orioles Past White Sox
CHICAGO (AP) -- Matt Wieters and the Baltimore Orioles shook their struggles with runners on bases in a big 10th inning against the White Sox.
Wieters homered twice, including a 10th-inning grand slam, lifting the Baltimore Orioles to a come-from-behind 10-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Monday night.
"We've been battling every game pretty close," Wieters said. "It's nice to have a big inning to kind of put some things
together."
Mistakes and missed opportunities left the Orioles trailing 4-1 going into the eighth, but Baltimore hit three solo homers against a pair of relievers to send the game into extra innings.
"I think it was almost like letting out some frustration," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "All the things we helped
them out with."
Chicago reliever Zach Stewart (0-1) allowed six runs in the 10th, five unearned.
Wieters went deep off Jesse Crain in the eighth to make it 4-2. Nolan Reimold and Adam Jones homered off rookie closer Hector Santiago in the ninth to tie it.
"We didn't quit," said Jones, who has homered in three of his last four games. "Once we went to extra innings, we knew that this was our game. I'm still pretty pumped right now."
In the 10th, Mark Reynolds skied a ball to the wall off Stewart that center fielder Alejandro De Aza dropped for a three-base error. Chris Davis doubled off the left-field wall to score the go-ahead run.
"When I jumped, I jumped too early and took my eyes off of it," De Aza said. "Two bad innings, we just have to keep (our spirits) up and try to win tomorrow."
That opened the door for the Orioles. Reimold added an RBI single.
"Any time they come is fine with me," Reimold said.
With two outs, Wieters hit his first career grand slam into the right-field seats for his fourth homer of the season.
Pedro Strop (1-1) picked up the win in relief.
A.J. Pierzynski had three hits for Chicago, including a homer down the right-field line against starter Jake Arrieta. He's 4 for 5 against Arrieta in his career.
Paul Konerko laced a two-run double in the sixth inning, breaking open a tie game and scoring De Aza and Brent Morel.
Konerko has hit safely in all nine games this season.
Chicago starter Phil Humber made his season debut and worked out of three jams during his 5 1/3 innings. He was left with a no-decision after throwing 115 pitches, allowing one run, six hits and three walks while striking out seven.
Santiago blew his first save in four chances.
"The way I look at it is how he bounces back," first-year White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "I have confidence in him to take him out there and let him do it again tomorrow night."
Arrieta (1-1) was effective during his 6 2/3 innings, but his defense committed three errors behind him. Arrieta allowed four runs -- two earned -- and struck out seven.
"Jake was the difference," Showalter said. "(His outing) will be forgotten, but he was outstanding. It's very encouraging the way he pitched again tonight."
The Orioles left the bases loaded in both the third and fourth innings, then stranded two more in the fifth.
Baltimore entered hitting .179 with runners in scoring position and started Monday's game 1 for 9.
In the 10th inning alone, Baltimore had five hits with runners in scoring position.
"It has kind of a snowball effect," Wieters said. "Once you get some runs going, you stop squeezing the bat as tight and it
starts to come a little bit easier."
Wieters committed a pair of throwing errors as the Orioles surrendered a pair of unearned runs.
The White Sox have split first four games at U.S. Cellular Field this season after finishing with the American League's second-worst home record last year at 36-45. Chicago has won five of their last six games.
The Orioles won their only series in Chicago last season, but wound up winning five road series overall. Baltimore won two of three at Toronto over the weekend.
NOTES: Reliever Tsuyoshi Wada will continue his rehab from a left elbow impingement with a rehab outing Thursday for Triple-A Norfolk. Baltimore manager Buck Showalter expects him to be activated later this month. Reimold was held out of the starting lineup because leg cramps, but pinch hit for Endy Chavez in the seventh.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
