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 when 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 bid into the seventh inning and walking off the mound to a standing ovation 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 scored just three runs over their past 30 innings, and six runs over their past 39 frames. On Tuesday, they went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, leaving them 1-for-13 in such situations through the first two games of the series. They've also left 13 runners on base in the two games.
"You have [Justin] Verlander, [Edwin] Jackson and Bedard," Brian Roberts said. "I think that's three of the top five in ERA. There are probably not a whole lot of teams scoring off those guys. Good pitching beats good hitting."
Making his second career big league start, David Hernandez allowed five earned runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings. Hernandez threw first-pitch strikes to only seven of the 27 hitters he faced.
"Hernandez just wasn't as good as he was the last time," said Orioles manager Dave Trembley, who watched the Mariners hit two homers in the eighth off reliever Jamie Walker, including one by Ken Griffey Jr.
Bedard, who has allowed one run or fewer in five of his 10 starts this season, didn't have any such problems. The Orioles' game plan was to try to extend Bedard's pitch count early, though after Roberts' eight-pitch at-bat to start the game, Nick Markakis and Adam Jones grounded out on the first pitch.
During one stretch from the fifth to the seventh, Bedard (4-2) struck out five of seven Orioles. After the game, Orioles third baseman Melvin Mora called Bedard's curveball the best in the league, and Huff would probably concur.
"He was outstanding," Huff said. "He was sneaky with his fastball, and it seems like when he throws a curveball, it's always a strike."
Bedard ran out of gas in the seventh, and the Orioles loaded the bases on a single by Ty Wigginton and consecutive walks by Matt Wieters and Nolan Reimold. With Bedard's pitch count at a season-high 112, Sean White was brought in and 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..
