Orioles 7, Dodgers 5
BALTIMORE -- Nolan Reimold's two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning snapped a tie and gave the Orioles a come-from-behind 7-5 victory over the Dodgers in the first game of doubleheader Saturday before 26,811 at Camden Yards.
The game was deadlocked at 5-5 when Chris Davis started the game-winning rally with one out in the eighth, greeting new reliever Paco Rodriguez (0-1) with a one-out double off the wall in center field.
Ronald Belisario came on to face J.J. Hardy, who drew a walk.
Davis moved to third and Hardy to second when catcher Ramon Hernandez was charged with a passed ball on the first pitch to pinch-hitter Nate McLouth.
The Dodgers intentionally walked McLouth to load the bases.
Reimold sliced a two-run double down the right-field line to give the Orioles a 7-5 lead. He finished with three runs batted in, having hit a solo home run earlier.
Darren O'Day (2-0) got the win, and Jim Johnson finished things off in the ninth for his seventh save.
The game swung back and forth after Los Angeles took an early 4-0 lead. The Orioles rallied and captured the lead with two runs in the sixth after Hardy's sacrifice fly and Steve Pearce's RBI single.
The lead didn't last long, as the Dodgers rallied against Pedro Strop in the top of the seventh, scoring the tying run on the right-hander's wild pitch that brought home Mark Ellis with Adrian Gonzalez at the plate.
The Dodgers took the lead in the first against Baltimore starter Jason Hammel. Ellis and Matt Kemp hit back-to-back one-out singles, and Andre Ethier crushed a three-run home run to right with two out for a 3-0 lead.
Either became the 67th player to hit a home run ball onto Eutaw Street.
Ellis made it 4-0 with a sacrifice fly in the second, but the Orioles cut the lead in half in the bottom of the second when J.J. Hardy hit a two-run home run.
Reimold made it 4-3 with a two-out solo home run to left in the bottom of the fourth.
Hammel settled down after giving up that fourth run in the second and retired seven of the next eight batters, not giving a hit until Ellis' double and Kemp's infield single gave the Dodgers runners on first and third with one out in the fifth.
However, Hammel worked his way out of the jam with two strikeouts, keeping the Dodger lead at 4-3.
NOTES: The Orioles came into the game having won a franchise-record 98 straight games during the regular season when they were ahead after the seventh inning. That streak dates to Aug. 8, 2011. The Yankees of 1998-99 are the only team have a longer such streak, 116 victories. ... Nolan Reimold's fourth inning home run gave him round-trippers in his last two games. He hit a home run in Thursday's 10-6 extra-inning win over Tampa Bay. The Orioles were rained out on Friday. ... Adrian Gonzalez of the Dodgers entered the game with a .500 average with runners in scoring position (7-for-14). In addition, Gonzalez had a .333 average in that category since 2006, third best in the majors. ... Matt Kemp had a .121 average against right-handed pitchers going into this series, but he got a first-inning single off right-hander Hammel which helped set up an early three-run rally, and added an infield single in the fifth and another in the seventh.
