Orioles Team Report May 27, 2008

Even though left-hander Garrett Olson was 3-0 before losing last week to the Yankees, there were whispers that he might not be effective against the better teams. He silenced any critics on Monday when he improved his record to 4-1 by beating those same Yankees.

“I think the last start helped him pitch better today. The last time he pitched he was throwing mostly breaking balls and changeups. He didn’t use his fastball. Today, he pitched with his fastball; he needed to do it,” said manager Dave Trembley.

Olson gave up only three hits while blanking the Yankees for seven innings. And even though he walked four, he struck out seven. He knew he had something to prove after his previous start at Yankee Stadium.

“Last game was kind of unfortunate, the outcome,” Olson said. “Nobody likes to have that kind of an outing when you don’t even get out of the third inning. But you just try to shake it off and forget it and try to learn from your mistakes. Just go out there and try to make pitches the next time. You just try to rebound from that.”

Orioles 6, Yankees 1: The Orioles ended their five-game losing streak as Nick Markakis cut down a Yankee runner at the plate in the third inning, then broke a scoreless tie with a home run in the sixth. Left-hander Garrett Olson shut out the Yankees for seven innings, and Aubrey Huff made it easier for the rookie by hitting a three-run home run in the seventh inning, when Markakis had his second RBI and Melvin Mora got one of his own.

Notes, Quotes

• LHP Garrett Olson, who lost last week in his first career game against the Yankees, got even when he shut out the New Yorkers on three hits in seven innings of work. There had been whispers that Olson could not pitch effectively against the upper-echelon teams.

• RF Nick Markakis broke a scoreless tie with his ninth HR of the season in the sixth inning. He also had a double and single, all after entering the game in an 0-for-12 drought. He posted his eighth outfield assist to keep the Yankees from scoring in the third inning.

• DH Aubrey Huff hit his ninth home run, a three-run blast that came a day after his eighth home run of the season. The three RBI boosted his season total to a team-high 28, and the run he scored meant he has touched the plate in each of his last three games.

• LHP Jamie Walker continued to have problems when he pitched the ninth inning on Monday. The reliever, who had been dominant in 2007, gave up the Yankees’ only run of the game. His ERA climbed to 4.20.

• LHP Brian Burres, who will start on Tuesday against New York, is 1-0 with an 0.68 ERA in his first two starts against the Yankees this season.

By The Numbers: 3—Times the Orioles were shut out in a 10-game span.

Quote To Note: “There’s a pattern going here where if I miss a spot, the ball’s getting hit very hard, and there’s no reason for that. At some point, you’re going to have a point where the guys are at least fouling them off, and that’s not really happening. So we’ve got to figure out exactly what is going on.”—RHP Steve Trachsel on his Saturday performance.