Indians throw away three-run lead, fall to Orioles

CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Baltimore Orioles have something to feel good about entering the All-Star break.

The Cleveland Indians clearly don't.

The Orioles took advantage of Cleveland's miscues, scoring their last two runs on a pair of wild pitches and a passed ball for a 5-4 comeback win Sunday in a mistake-filled game.

"We've been down as a club," first baseman Kevin Millar said. "So it's nice to end the first half on a good note."

The Indians, viewed as contenders in the AL Central entering the season, blew a three-run lead and found a way to lose yet another game. The Indians have their worst record at the break (40-47) since 2003 when they were 41-53.

"We definitely had higher expectations for ourselves," Cleveland starter Jake Westbrook said. "We're frustrated in the sense that we feel like we're a better team. We just haven't played up to our capabilities."

Corey Patterson set up the winning run with a two-out single in the eighth. Cleveland first baseman Ben Broussard lunged to his right to snag Patterson's sharp grounder but dove back to tag the bag just after the speedy center fielder got there.

Javy Lopez followed with a single and Fausto Carmona hit Millar to load the bases. Victor Martinez failed to handle a first-pitch sinker to Nick Markakis and Patterson scored.

"It was nice to come back and contribute and get a hit there," said Patterson, who misplayed a ball during Cleveland's four-run second inning. "It was also nice to get that go-ahead run."

The Orioles tied the game on two wild pitches an inning earlier.

Baltimore reliever Kurt Birkins (4-1) pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowing a hit and striking out one.

Chris Ray gave up two hits in 1 2/3 innings for his 22nd save in 23 chances.

"It showed a lot about this club that we came back and kept on battling," Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo said. "You never know what is going to happen in the second half, but it can't hurt that you've won two out of three heading into the break."

Westbrook pitched well, retiring 12 of 18 on groundouts. He went six innings, giving up four runs on seven hits, four strikeouts and a costly walk to Millar.

Millar, the last batter Westbrook faced, advanced to second on Markakis' bunt, then scored on two wild pitches from rookie Rafael Perez to make it 4-4 in the seventh.

"Perez just had a couple pitches get away from him," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said. "I think it's a situation of a young pitcher trying to do too much."

Carmona (1-3), also a rookie, went 1 1/3 innings, giving up two hits while striking out one.

Both teams seemed to lack a sense of urgency. The crowd of 26,452 was so subdued in the middle innings that a fan sitting in the second row of the upper deck could be heard chanting "BOR-ING."

Baltimore starter Rodrigo Lopez allowed four runs, two earned, on seven hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out six.

Lopez, who allowed nine runs in less than three innings against the Chicago White Sox in his last start, had retired five straight to start the game. He and the Orioles ran into trouble in the second.

After Broussard's two-out double, Patterson misplayed Jhonny Peralta's liner to dead center, charging in a few steps then watching the ball sail over his head. Peralta was credited with a triple and an RBI. Lopez walked Joe Inglett and Aaron Boone followed with an RBI double.

The inning continued when second baseman Brian Roberts committed an error on Grady Sizemore's hard grounder. Lopez then threw a wild pitch that allowed Boone to score, making it 4-1.

Javy Lopez hit his seventh home run to make it 4-2 in the fourth. Miguel Tejada had an RBI single in the first.

Game notes
The Orioles won just their third road series and enter the All-Star break at 41-49. ... Sizemore made a leaping catch in the ninth that knocked the Indians' bullpen door open and robbed Roberts of extra bases. ... OF Brandon Fahey was 3-for-4 with a triple and a run scored. ... Indians OF Franklin Gutierrez was a late scratch from the lineup because of flu-like symptoms. Inglett started in left field and Jason Michaels started his first game in right field this season. ... 2B Ronnie Belliard extended a career-high 14-game hitting streak.