Orioles stay hot to start season, clip Rays in series opener

Baseball Betting Lines

04/10/2009 - Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Melvin Mora went 2-for-4 with three RBI as the Baltimore Orioles took a 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in the opener of a three-game set at Camden Yards.

Adam Jones had two hits and two runs scored while Nick Markakis added an RBI and a run scored for the Orioles, who have won three of their four games on the young season.

Mark Hendrickson (1-0) was solid in the start as he gave up just one run on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings of work.

The win snapped a 12-game losing streak by the O's against the Rays.

Evan Longoria had a solo home run and a two-run shot while Dioner Navarro added a solo homer for the Rays, who had won their previous two games. Andy Sonnanstine (0-1) was charged with five runs on eight hits with four walks in just 4 2/3 innings of action.

Tampa Bay got on the board in the first inning thanks to a solo home run from Longoria that just cleared the wall in center field.

However, Baltimore answered in the bottom of the frame as Mora's two-run single to center brought home Brian Roberts and Jones for a 2-1 lead.

The Rays loaded the bases in the second, but it was with two outs and Jason Bartlett hit a weak grounder back to the mound to end the frame.

In the fourth, the Rays had a man at second with two outs and Ben Zobrist was able to beat out an infield single, but Gabe Kapler was caught taking a big turn around third and was tagged out in a rundown.

The Orioles extended their lead in the fifth inning. With two outs, Jones kept the inning alive with a double to left and Markakis followed with an RBI single. After an Aubrey Huff base-hit, Mora roped a single to right to bring home Markakis. A wild pitch from Sonnanstine then scored Huff for a 5-1 lead.

The Rays made it a 5-3 game as Longoria launched a pitch into the left field seats for a two-run home run in the eighth but George Sherrill came on in the ninth to close things out.

After Kapler struck out to start the frame, Navarro belted a pitch into the left field stands to make it a one-run game. Sherrill, though, struck out Zobrist and Akinori Iwamura to pick up his second save of the season.

Game Notes

The Rays won 15 of 18 matchups last season against the Orioles, including seven of nine in Baltimore...Hendrickson is 3-4 in eight games against Tampa Bay in his career...Sonnanstine fell to 2-3 in six games against Baltimore...Longoria has four home runs on the season.

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Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch

Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.

Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.

"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."

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