The O's started a new month in a familiar way, as Zach Britton picked up his fifth win in six tries this season in a 6-4 victory over the White Sox in Chicago.
Britton held Chicago to just one run (a solo homer) in six innings, allowing just five hits and three walks while striking out one. Britton (5-1) obviously didn't have his best stuff on Sunday afternoon, which was evident after he walked the first batter he faced on four pitches, but it was more than enough against a struggling White Sox club that has dropped their fifth straight game.
The bullpen wasn't nearly as impressive, allowing the Sox to claw back into the game over the final frames. Jason Berken, Jim Johnson and Kevin Gregg combined to allow five walks in the last three innings; Johnson actually walked a man in after coming on in the seventh to relieve Berken, who loaded the bases on a double and two walks. Johnson allowed a two-run bomb in the eighth, and Gregg put the first two batters he faced on base before settling down to retire the side and pick up his third straight save.
The Bird's bats didn't heat up until the later innings, with Luke Scott starting the scoring with a solo shot in the fourth. The O's scored five runs in the fifth, hitting for the cycle as a team in the inning. Mark Reynolds led off with a solo homer, followed by Felix Pie's first triple of the season. After back-to-back walks, Nick Markakis cleared the bases with a three-run double before Scott capped-off the barrage with an RBI single...
With the win, the Birds are back to .500 for the first time since April 15th and have moved into third place in the AL East. The O's send Jeremy Guthrie to the mound on Monday to try to complete the four-game sweep...
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