Orioles' Liz a wiz against Twins again

The otherwise-erratic pitcher beat the Twins for the second time this year, as they fell back into second place.

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

Last update: September 15, 2008 - 6:52 AM

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BALTIMORE 7, TWINS 3 Up next: 6:05 p.m. today at Cleveland (FSN)

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BALTIMORE - Trailing by seven runs in the ninth inning Sunday, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire started clearing his bench, pinch hitting for Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel.

"We hadn't exactly done a whole lot with the other guys," Gardenhire said. "So, try some new guys. How about that theory?"

Randy Ruiz walked, some guy named Michael Cuddyer singled, and pretty soon, the Twins had the bases loaded against rusty Orioles closer George Sherrill.

But as Morneau said later, it was "too little, too late" as the Orioles held on for a 7-3 victory at Camden Yards.

Shut down by Radhames Liz on Sunday, the Twins headed to Cleveland after falling back to second place, as the White Sox finally began their doubleheader with the Tigers. By the time that was over, Chicago rebuilt a 1 1/2-game lead.

After sweeping Saturday's doubleheader 12-2 and 12-6 the Twins got stuffed for eight innings by an erratic Baltimore rookie who only seems to pitch well against them.

Liz (6-5) tossed eight scoreless innings, holding the Twins to five hits and, more surprisingly, one walk.

It was a bad combination because Twins starter Nick Blackburn (10-9) surrendered four home runs for the second time this year.

The Orioles finished with five homers, including two by Nick Markakis and Oscar Salazar, marking the first time the Twins had surrendered five in the same game since June 17, 2007 against Milwaukee.

"The story's starting pitching," Gardenhire said. "You can't keep getting behind like that. We got a three-inning start [Saturday from Glen Perkins], and then a four-inning start [Sunday], and it taxes your bullpen. That stuff will kill you if you keep letting it happen."

The Twins are 1-6 in Blackburn's past seven starts, but this was his only recent stinker.

"I knew what I was doing wrong, I just couldn't change it," he said. "It'll be better next start. I'll keep working like I went out there and threw seven scoreless."

Liz did that one better, and the Twins were thrilled to see him gone after the eighth.

The righthander was the Orioles' 2007 Minor League Pitcher of the Year and beat the Twins for his first major league victory on June 3 at the Metrodome, giving up two runs in 5 1/3 innings.

But Liz got shipped back to the minors in August and had failed to make it through the fifth inning in five of his previous eight starts.

Mixing a fastball that averaged 93-94 miles per hour with a slider and split-fingered fastball, Liz held the first four hitters in the Twins lineup -- Denard Span, Alexi Casilla, Mauer and Morneau -- to one hit in 14 at-bats.

"We hoped he'd walk some guys; he didn't," Morneau said. "He's a guy who has as good of stuff as anybody in the league. He pitched today, he didn't just throw."

The Twins, who are 33-41 on the road, had a chance for a sweep but settled for their series victory on the road in their past five tries.

"That's a big step for us," shortstop Nick Punto said. "Now we've got to go to Cleveland and do the same thing."

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