Rangers Lose To Orioles
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BALTIMORE — The last time Wei-Yin Chen pitched into the eighth inning, he was rewarded with a short trip to the minors.
Don’t count on it happening this time.
Chen allowed two runs on four hits over eight efficient innings, J.J. Hardy hit a go-ahead two-run home run, and the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Texas Rangers 4-2 Wednesday night.
After pitching eight scoreless innings on June 15, Chen was optioned to Class A Frederick with the intention of giving the left-hander a brief rest while also allowing the Orioles to manipulate their roster.
The 29-year-old responded by expressing his disappointment with the decision on Twitter.
This week, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he hoped Chen (4-4) would not miss any more turns in the major league rotation.
“I’m happy to hear that, because we talk about that, and Buck trusts me,” Chen said through an interpreter after lowering his ERA to 2.84. “I just wanted to do my job well and keep pitching well until the end of the season.”
Jimmy Paredes homered and drove in two runs for the Orioles, who erased an early two-run deficit.
Rangers right fielder Shin-Soo Chu homered for the third consecutive game, and left fielder
Ryan Rua also went deep, giving Texas 10 homers in the first three games of the four-game set.
“He’s sparked up here, and I like the way he’s swinging the bat with the home run tonight,” manager Jeff Banister said of Choo. “He’s gained some confidence as he goes.”
However, after the Rangers blasted a season-high-tying four home runs in each of the series’ first two games — both Texas wins — two solo shots weren’t enough to support right-hander Nick Martinez (5-5), who allowed four runs (three earned) in 6 2/3 innings.
Baltimore closer Zach Britton struck out the side the ninth for his 23rd save.
Hardy’s no-doubt shot to left off Martinez gave the Orioles a 4-2 lead with one out in the seventh after first baseman Chris Davis led off the inning with a rare single to the left side of second base.
“J.J.’s had a lot of big knocks for us,” Showalter said. “His 1-for-3 or whatever is usually pretty productive.”
It was the Baltimore shortstop’s fourth homer of the season and the second of the homestand.
“I just felt like I saw it pretty well out of his hand and was able to put a good swing on it,” Hardy said of the home run pitch, a fastball down and in.
Trailing 2-0 after the top of the fourth, the Orioles cut the margin in half on Paredes’ homer in the bottom of the inning. The designated hitter drove a 1-2 fastball into the first row in right-center, his 10th home run of the season.
Baltimore tied it in the sixth when second baseman Ryan Flaherty doubled off the left field wall, reached third on third baseman Elvis Andrus’ error and scored when the Paredes grounded into a fielder’s choice.
Choo gave Texas a 1-0 lead when he belted Chen’s 1-2 fastball into the seats in right center to lead off the third.
Later in the inning, the Rangers advanced runners to second and third with one out on second baseman Hansler Alberto’s sacrifice bunt. However, Chen got shortstop Elvis Andrus to pop out and designated hitter Prince Fielder to ground out to end the inning.
“I felt like if we could’ve got him early, maybe get him out of the ballgame, and get to the bullpen, it would’ve been a different story,” Banister said. “But it wasn’t the case tonight.”
With two outs in the fourth, Rua’s high-arcing shot sailed just far enough to land on the grounds crew shed and make it 2-0.
