Following a five hour and 44 minute game that lasted 18-innings on Tuesday, the last thing the tired Orioles needed was another extra-inning contest. But after winning 14 of those games in a row, maybe the extra frames are exactly what the Orioles can use to keep their magical season rolling.
The Baltimore Orioles kept pace in the American League East with the New York Yankees, winning yet another extra-inning game In 11 innings 3-1 against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night.
"It's crazy. I thought we were going to play another 15 or 16 tonight. We were doing dancing in there, stuff like that," Baltimore starter Joe Saunders told the Associated Press. "It gets to the point where you get comfortable in those situations."
The Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays in a day-night double header to take a .5 game lead in the division before the Orioles won.
Baltimore also vaulted into the top wild-card spot with the win after Oakland lost to Detroit 6-2. The Orioles are trying to make their first postseason appearance since 1997.
Only one day after playing an 18-inning game, the Orioles were forced into extras when they couldn't answer Franklin Gutierrez's solo home run in the fourth inning. Baltimore had scored in the top of the inning on a Mark Reynolds RBI single, but that was all the two teams would muster in the first stage of the game.
Adam Jones hit a two-run home run in the top of the 11th inning off of Josh Kinney to propel the Orioles to the win. It was his 30th of the season.
"We need the wins. It doesn't matter who or how, we just need the wins," Jones said.
Jones became the first Oriole to hit 30 home runs since Brady Anderson in 1996 and also exacted revenge on the team that traded him a few years ago.
Jim Johnson came into the game in the bottom of the 11th and closed it out for his 45th save of the season, which leads the majors.
According to ESPN.com, the Orioles have the longest streak of extra-inning wins since the Cleveland Indians won 17 in 1949.
Seattle threatened in the inning after two singles by Kyle Seager and Jesus Montero put two men on with no outs. But Johnson got Justin Smoak to hit into a double play and then caught Michael Saunders stealing after he walked him. He struck out John Jaso to end the game.
"I thought they were going to take their chances with Jaso hitting and when he took off I was a little surprised, but I got a good pitch to throw on and it got there in time," said Taylor Teagarden, whose RBI single in the 18th inning the night before proved to be the winning run.
Both starting pitchers were fantastic in the game, but neither factored into the decision. Baltimore starter Sunders gave up only five hits in eight innings, while Seattle's Felix Hernandez pitched eight innings, giving up one run with eight strikeouts.
"You can talk a lot about what happened this game, offensively and what not, but the conversation has to start with the effort that Joe gave us," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.
Baltimore swept Seattle for the first time since 1997, the last year the Orioles finished over .500.
The Orioles have an off day on Thursday before starting a three game series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
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