Mendoza shuts down Orioles for first MLB win
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| Regular Season Series |
| Texas leads 6-4 (as of Fri 9/21) |
| Fri 7/6 |
@TEX 4, BAL 3 |
Recap |
| Sat 7/7 |
BAL 3, @TEX 0 |
Recap |
| Sun 7/8 |
@TEX 2, BAL 1 |
Recap |
| Mon 8/20 |
Postponed/Delayed |
Information |
| Tue 8/21 |
@BAL 6, TEX 2 |
Recap |
| Wed 8/22 |
TEX 30, @BAL 3 |
Recap |
| Wed 8/22 |
TEX 9, @BAL 7 |
Recap |
| Thu 9/20 |
BAL 6, @TEX 3 |
Recap |
| >Fri 9/21 |
@TEX 3, BAL 2 |
Box Score |
| Sat 9/22 |
BAL 11, @TEX 9 |
Recap |
| Sun 9/23 |
@TEX 3, BAL 0 |
Recap |
| · Complete Schedule: Rangers | Orioles |
| Scoring Summary |
| BAL | TEX |
 | 2nd | M Tejada homered to right. | 1 | 0 |
 | 2nd | J Saltalamacchia singled to center, S Sosa and M Byrd scored, N Cruz to second. | 1 | 2 |
| 4th | N Cruz homered to left. | 1 | 3 |
| 9th | S Moore hit sacrifice fly to center, M Tejada scored, K Millar to third. | 2 | 3 |
| · View complete Play-By-Play |
| Game Information |
| Stadium | Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Arlington, TX |
| Attendance | 30,603 (62.2% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 2:37 |
| Weather | 89 degrees, clear |
| Wind | 5 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Joe West, First Base - Ed Rapuano, Second Base - Ed Hickox, Third Base - C.B. Bucknor |
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Luis Mendoza scattered four hits over five innings for his first major league win, and the Texas Rangers survived a shaky ninth to beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 on Friday night and snap a four-game losing streak.
Mendoza (1-0) gave up one run, struck out two and walked one in his second big-league start since he was called up from Double-A Frisco on Sept. 5.
Miguel Tejada homered for the Orioles, who've lost four of five.
Mike Wood and
C.J. Wilson pitched three innings of scoreless relief for Texas before turning it over to a shaky
Joaquin Benoit, who earned his sixth save in 12 chances.
Tejada walked to lead off the ninth, and after a single by
Kevin Millar and a walk to
Melvin Mora,
Scott Moore hit a sacrifice fly to center that made it 3-2. But Benoit struck out
Paul Bako swinging and catcher
Gerald Laird threw out Mora trying to take second to end it.
Victor Santos (0-2) gave up three runs and five hits over five innings in his third start since the Orioles purchased his contract from the
Cincinnati Reds on Sept. 7. Control was a problem for Santos, who walked five and hit a batter.
Tejada's 18th homer leading off the second gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Baltimore threatened to score later in the inning when Moore singled and
Gustavo Molina doubled, but Moore was thrown out trying to score from first on a perfect relay throw from second baseman
Ian Kinsler to Laird.
The Rangers took a 2-1 lead in the second on
Jarrod Saltalamacchia's two-run single.
Santos walked two and hit a batter in the second, and he also took a
Ramon Vazquez's line drive off his left ankle before throwing out Vazquez at first. Santos remained in the game and eventually got Laird to ground out with the bases loaded to end the threat.
Nelson Cruz's eighth homer leading off the fourth made it 3-1. The Rangers went on to load the bases on a single and two walks, but
Michael Young lined into an inning-ending double play.
NOTES: The Rangers lead the season series 5-3. ... Texas had lost eight of its previous nine. ... Baltimore has been outscored 240-129 in the last 30 games. ... Saltalamacchia had a double error in the sixth, booting a ground ball and then throwing wildly to first, allowing Moore to take second.
Rangers 3, 
Orioles 2