Orioles squeeze past Seattle

BALTIMORE - The Baltimore Orioles found another way to win in their last at-bat: a walkoff bunt.

Nick Markakis led off the 11th inning with a double and scored on a two-out squeeze by Adam Jones, giving Baltimore a 5-4 comeback victory over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night.

The Orioles improved to 10-4 since manager Buck Showalter made his debut on Aug 3. Baltimore leads the AL with 10 walkoff wins, including four under Showalter.

This one was among the craziest. The Orioles fell behind in the 10th and ultimately won it on a hit that traveled no more than 65 feet.

"It was unbelievable," Baltimore starter Brad Bergesen said. "I don't know if I've ever seen a game won in that style before. It took a lot of guts."

Markakis doubled off Sean White (0-1) and advanced on a groundout by Ty Wigginton. After Corey Patterson grounded out against a drawn-in infield, Jones dropped a bunt down the third-base line that Jose Lopez failed to snare with his bare hand as Markakis sprinted home.

"I looked at (Lopez) and I saw where he was playing me all night, all my at-bats," Jones said. "When I was on third (in the 10th) I was talking to him and said, 'I'm not going to bunt on you. I'm not going to bunt this series.' Hey, he moved back."

Said Showalter: "I love it. I think it's a great play. We need 90 feet there and there's a lot of ways to get it."

Matt Albers (5-3) worked the 11th to get the win.

It was the 21st time this season that Seattle lost on its opponent's final at-bat, the 10th in walkoff fashion.

"We thought we'd just go right at him right there," interim manager Daren Brown said.

"He dropped one down and there was not much we could do right there."

After Mariners rookie Adam Moore capped his first career four-hit game with a solo homer off Alfredo Simon in the top of the 10th, Baltimore tied it in the bottom half against David Aardsma, who had converted his previous seven save opportunities and allowed only one run in his last 12 outings.

A single and two walks, the last one intentional, loaded the bases with one out. After Cesar Izturis bounced into a force at the plate, Aardsma walked Julio Lugo on four pitches to force in a run. Brian Roberts followed with a groundout.

Moore, Russell Branyan and Lopez homered for the Mariners, who fell to 4-3 under Brown. Moore came in batting .159 and had never had more than two hits in any of his previous 34 games in the majors.

But his big night went for naught.

"It's real tough. Obviously, when I hit that home run ... everything's feeling good," Moore said. "To see them celebrate on us in the late innings is discouraging."

In the Seattle eighth, Casey Kotchman led off with a double off Koji Uehara and took third on a bunt single by Moore. Uehara then struck out Michael Saunders and Josh Wilson before Mike Gonzalez struck out Ichiro Suzuki.

The Mariners stranded 12 and went 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position.

"We had opportunities to score more runs and didn't do it," Brown said. "Came back to bite up there at the end."

Bergesen allowed three runs and nine hits in 5 1-3 innings. He left with the bases loaded and was rescued by Mark Hendrickson, who retired Suzuki on a liner to first and struck out Chone Figgins.

Seattle's Doug Fister gave up three runs and 10 hits in five innings. He failed to retire the side in order and yielded a hit to every starter except rookie Josh Bell.

Jamey Wright followed Fister and retired all six batters he faced.

Baltimore led 3-1 until the third, when Branyan and Lopez homered over a four-pitch span. It was only the second time this season the Mariners connected on successive at-bats.

NOTES: Orioles pitchers had a season-high 13 strikeouts. ... Baltimore didn't record an outfield putout until the 9th inning. ... Seattle's Franklin Gutierrez came in 5 for 9 lifetime against Bergesen, then went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts against the right-hander. Gutierrez was also struck out by Uehara.

Seattle Baltimore

ab r h bi ab r h bi

ISuzuki rf 6 0 1 0 BRorts 2b 5 0 1 1

Figgins 2b 6 0 0 0 Markks rf 6 1 3 1

Branyn dh 4 1 1 1 Wggntn 1b 6 1 2 0

Lngrhn dh 0 0 0 0 Scott dh 5 0 2 0

JoLopz 3b 6 1 2 1 CPttrsn dh 1 0 0 0

FGtrrz cf 5 0 0 0 AdJons cf 5 1 3 1

Ktchm 1b 5 1 2 0 Pie lf 4 0 1 0

AMoore c 5 1 4 1 Wieters c 3 1 1 0

MSndrs lf 4 0 1 1 Fox pr-c 0 0 0 0

JoWilsn ss 5 0 1 0 CIzturs ss 5 1 1 0

J.Bell 3b 4 0 1 0

Lugo pr-3b 0 0 0 1

Totals 46 4 12 4 Totals 44 5 15 4

Seattle 012 000 000 10-4

Baltimore 120 000 000 11-5

Two outs when winning run scored.

E_Jo.Lopez (16), C.Izturis (6). LOB_Seattle 12, Baltimore 13. 2B_Jo.Lopez (22), Kotchman (15), Markakis (39). 3B_M.Saunders (2). HR_Branyan (16), Jo.Lopez (7), A.Moore (3). CS_B.Roberts (2), Ad.Jones (7). S_Pie. SF_B.Roberts.

IP H R ER BB SO

Seattle

Fister 5 10 3 3 0 4

J.Wright 2 0 0 0 0 2

League 2 2 0 0 1 1

Aardsma BS,5-28 1 1 1 1 3 0

White L,0-1 2/3 2 1 1 0 0

Baltimore

Bergesen 5 1/3 9 3 3 2 5

Hendrickson 1 0 0 0 0 1

Uehara 1 1/3 2 0 0 0 4

M.Gonzalez 2/3 0 0 0 0 2

Simon 1 2/3 1 1 1 0 1

Albers W,5-3 1 0 0 0 1 0

WP_Fister 2, Albers.

Umpires_Home, Andy Fletcher; First, Adrian Johnson; Second, Manny Gonzalez; Third, Tim McClelland.

T_3:47. A_12,375 (48,290).