BOSTON - - When Orioles manager Dave Trembley decided to give slumping Aubrey Huff the day off in Sunday's series finale against the Boston Red Sox, he had a couple of options to fill Huff's cleanup spot. His decision to hit Nick Markakis there came down to one factor.
"I went up to him today and said, 'I'm putting you in the four-slot because you're our best guy,' " Trembley said. "Look how he played."
Hitting fourth for the first time this season and just the sixth time in his career, Markakis went 2-for-4 with a homer, double and three RBIs. In a much-needed 6-2 victory that broke the Orioles' 11-game Fenway Park losing streak, Markakis put his team on the board with a sacrifice fly in the first and then closed its scoring with a solo homer in the fifth.
It was a solid end to a road trip in which Markakis batted .368 with three doubles, four homers, eight runs and nine RBIs.
"Wherever it is in the lineup - fourth, third, second, fifth, sixth - you've got to go up there and do your job," said Markakis, who has hit second 13 times and third 82 times. "No matter where you are in the lineup, if you have guys in scoring position, you want to get that guy in. I could be hitting seventh for all I care."
With Huff in a 1-for-20 slump, Trembley said he planned to spend the flight home from Boston on Sunday considering lineup changes and whether to keep Markakis hitting fourth.
Looking ahead
If top pitching prospect Chris Tillman is seeking any advice on what to expect when he makes his major league debut Wednesday against the Kansas City Royals, he will have plenty of familiar faces to consult.
Matt Wieters, who caught Tillman at Double-A last year and Triple-A this season, can speak of handling the pressure of a much-anticipated debut. And if Tillman needs to hear it from a pitcher's perspective, three members of the Orioles' starting staff - Brad Bergesen, David Hernandez and Jason Berken - were his rotation mates last season at Double-A Bowie and made their debuts earlier this season.
Bergesen said he sent Tillman a congratulatory text message Saturday night after he heard the news. He also included some advice, writing: "Don't try to do anything different. You deserve it, you've been pitching great. Don't try to do anything more, don't do anything less."
Tillman, a 21-year-old right-hander, is 8-6 with a 2.70 ERA for Triple-A Norfolk.
