SEATTLE - — SEATTLE - - The Orioles, of all teams, know how dominant Erik Bedard can be, so it would have been easy to dismiss Tuesday as one of those inevitable nights where they were shut down by a very good pitcher. The problem with that theory is it has been happening far too frequently to give the Orioles the complete benefit of the doubt.
Bedard overwhelmed his former team, taking a three-hit shutout into the seventh inning in the Seattle Mariners' 8-2 victory over the Orioles in front of an announced 17,978 at Safeco Field.
The Orioles (24-29) have now scored just three runs over their past 30 innings, and six runs over their past 39 frames. Overall, they've been held to three runs or fewer eight times in the past 18 games.
Making his second career big league start and his first on the road, David Hernandez never appeared to get comfortable, allowing five earned runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings. He should have gotten out of a jam in the first inning without any runs scoring, but left fielder Nolan Reimold misplayed Jose Lopez's liner into a two-run double. Lopez finished with three RBIs.
The 2-0 run deficit appeared even bigger with the way the Orioles have been swinging and Bedard has been throwing. The Orioles stranded Melvin Mora at third base in the second inning and couldn't score despite having men on first and second and no outs in the fourth inning.
During one stretch from the fifth to the seventh inning, Bedard struck out five of seven Orioles, leaving many of them, including Aubrey Huff, who was fanned on a nasty full-count curveball, shaking their heads.
Bedard (4-2) appeared to run out of gas in the seventh, allowing the Orioles to load the bases on a one-out single by Ty Wigginton and consecutive walks to Matt Wieters and Reimold. With Bedard's pitch count at a season-high 112, Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu brought in Sean White, who allowed an RBI groundout by pinch hitter Luke Scott and nothing else.
That left Bedard's line at one run on four hits, three walks and seven strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings, not to mention one satisfying victory over his former team.
Before Tuesday, Bedard hadn't faced the Orioles since the February 2008 trade that helped accelerate Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail's rebuilding process by bringing in the team's starting center fielder (Adam Jones), closer (George Sherrill) and three pitching prospects, including right-hander Chris Tillman.
Bedard was scheduled to face them at Camden Yards on the first weekend of last season but was scratched from the start the night before because of a hip injury.
That was the first of many starts Bedard would miss during a disappointing 2008 season. But 2009 has been a different story. He is healthy after shoulder surgery in September, and he acknowledged Monday that he is more comfortable in Seattle after he failed to meet expectations last season.
ORIOLES@ MARINERS
Tonight, 10:10
TV: MASN2 HD
Radio: 105.7 FM
