video thumbnail

Must C Clutch: Wieters' walk-off in the 13th

BALTIMORE -- It had been a frustratingly long seesaw of exaltation and letdowns, 36 outs filled with just misses and poor execution.

By the time the bottom of the 13th inning rolled around Tuesday night -- four hours of baseball already in the books -- 14 Orioles had reached base in vain as Baltimore and Seattle put on a clinic of double-digit hits that largely went for naught.

It took just one swing from Matt Wieters to erase all the ugliness. Wieters' two-out RBI single scored Felix Pie to cap a two-run frame and give the Orioles a 7-6, series-opening win over the Mariners, emptying the home dugout in childlike glee.

It snaps a four-game slide for Baltimore, which entered the contest having dropped seven of its past eight, and was the club's first win this season when trailing after the seventh inning.

"It was big to start this series on the right foot," said Orioles starter Jake Arrieta. "Although it came in 13 innings, a win is a win. And hopefully we can carry that momentum over."

There were several times when it looked as if the Orioles were destined for a different outcome, as the struggling O's lineup squandered a runner in scoring position with fewer than two outs in four consecutive frames.

"I was sitting there talking with [first-base coach Wayne Kirby]. I'm like, 'Are you serious?,'" center fielder Adam Jones said as Mariners reliever Aaron Laffey -- who tossed three scoreless innings -- continually worked out of big spots. "But hey, it's the game. That's how things work. We just stayed out there and everybody believed we were going to win this game. That's what happened."

On for his second inning in the top of the 13th, reliever Jeremy Accardo allowed a leadoff double to Jack Wilson, who scored on Mike Wilson's first Major League hit, a blooper to left field that was just outside the reach of shortstop J.J. Hardy.

After Nick Markakis started the 13th inning with a single, Jake Fox's one-out hit off Seattle closer Brandon League put runners on the corners for Pie, who tied the game with a single that skipped over second baseman Jack Wilson's glove. The ball, a sure double play if he got a glove on it, gave the Orioles the break they needed.

After Jones grounded into a fielder's choice that cut down Fox at home, Wieters sent a ball into center field that put win No. 15 in the books.

"We kept giving ourselves chances," said Hardy, who blasted a solo homer in the third and tied a career high with four hits. "In games like that, that's really all you can ask for."

Hardy, who was activated earlier Tuesday, did more than anyone could have asked. Playing in his first game since April 9, Hardy wasted no time getting re-acclimated, reaching base in five of his six plate appearances and providing a spark out of the No. 9 hole.

"It was better than I thought it would be," Hardy said. "I got 12 at-bats in Triple-A and I didn't feel that good the whole time I was down there. I guess it could have been a lot of adrenaline [tonight]. I don't know. I felt good."

So did the win, particularly given how costly it was for the Orioles. Baltimore designated long man Josh Rupe to make room for Hardy, then followed Arrieta's six innings with five different relievers.

"We used up a lot of bullets in the bullpen to get a 'W', and that's why it would have been frustrating to have to use that many people and not win," said manager Buck Showalter.

Frustration boiled over in the 10th inning, as Jones -- who had three RBIs on two go-ahead hits and gave the O's their first lead in 40 innings -- stepped to the plate following a brief benches-clearing incident.

Pie exchanged words with the Mariners' Justin Smoak after Smoak tagged him out at first base.

"He kind of put his shoulder into [me], and I didn't like it too much," said Smoak, who barked at Pie and caused the O's outfielder to turn and charge forward. Both dugouts emptied and no punches were thrown, as the situation was diffused relatively quickly with no ejections.

Pie, who said he didn't do anything on purpose, wasn't surprised with how quickly things escalated.

"I played [winter ball] in the Dominican," he said. "So that sort of thing happened.

That the Orioles were even still playing past regulation was due to their struggling bullpen corps and a costly late baserunning call.

After Michael Gonzalez surrendered a pair of runs in the seventh, Orioles closer Kevin Gregg coughed up a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth. Gregg yielded a leadoff hit to No. 9 batter Michael Saunders before Smoak's two-out single tied the game at 5.

The Orioles squandered a key chance to score in the bottom of the ninth, when Hardy worked a leadoff walk from Laffey and advanced to second on Roberts' sacrifice bunt. Markakis followed with a shallow single into left field, and third-base coach John Russell waved Hardy around to score. But the ball was already safely in Mike Wilson's glove by the time Hardy rounded third, and he was out by a mile.

"I didn't realize I [slowed down around third], and I looked at the replay and I could see that I did," Hardy said. "I don't want to say it was a late call, but I guess it did surprise me a little bit."

The Mariners nearly took the lead back in the top of the 12th inning, but Accardo was backed by some solid defense. Miguel Olivo drew a two-out walk and tried to score on Jack Cust's double off the right-field wall, but Roberts nailed him at the plate with a good relay throw from Markakis.

Roberts -- who has one hit in his past 31 at-bats -- had a chance to be the hero yet again in the bottom of the frame, but he struck out off Chris Ray with the bases loaded and two out.

"We had a lot of opportunities," Showalter said. "We just couldn't cash them in. It was tough. But I was glad to see them get a result from what they put into it tonight."

Brittany Ghiroli is a reporter for MLB.com. Read her blog, Britt's Bird Watch, and follow her on Twitter @britt_ghiroli. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.