Huff slam too much for Tribe

9/9/2008
ASSOCIATED PRESS
  • Huff-slam-too-much-for-Tribe-2

  • Ryan Garko scores on a sacrifice fly to put the Indians up 3-1 in the fourth inning. Things fell apart for the Tribe in the sixth.
    Ryan Garko scores on a sacrifice fly to put the Indians up 3-1 in the fourth inning. Things fell apart for the Tribe in the sixth.

    BALTIMORE - It's been this kind of year for Aubrey Huff: After missing two games to attend the birth of his first child, he went 3-for-5 with a grand slam.

    Huff's fourth career slam capped a seven-run sixth inning, and the Baltimore Orioles ended an eight-game losing streak by defeating the Cleveland Indians 14-3 last night.

    Back in the cleanup spot after welcoming a boy into the world, Huff hit his 31st homer and upped his RBI total to 102. Last season he finished with 15 home runs and 72 RBIs.

    "Last year was just one of those years where everything stunk. This is one of those years when everything's been pretty good," Huff said. "That's just baseball."

    Luke Scott, Adam Jones, and Ramon Hernandez also homered for the Orioles, who had lost 13 of 14. Jones ended an 0-for-16 skid with three hits and four RBIs.

    Asdrubal Cabrera went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs for the Indians, and Shin-Soo Choo had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. Choo has reached safely in 28 straight games since Aug. 25.

    Baltimore trailed 3-2 before sending 10 batters to the plate in the sixth. After two walks and a single loaded the bases with no outs, Fausto Carmona (8-6) struck out Lou Montanez. Pinch-hitter Oscar Salazar then bounced a two-run single to left, and Carmona was removed after walking Brian Roberts to reload the bases.

    "Fausto was doing OK," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said. "When he got to the sixth inning, it got away from him."


    Speaking through a translator, Carmona said: "A lot of times, it's been one inning where they've scored a lot of runs. Next time out, I'm going to concentrate on getting through that inning."

    Jones greeted Juan Rincon with an RBI single, and after Nick Markakis struck out, Huff drove a 2-0 pitch into the right-field seats. It was the 11th grand slam allowed by Cleveland, a club record and the most in the majors.

    "Sometimes things come in bunches, and that has this year. I don't think it's one particular thing you look at," Wedge said.

    Huff is close to having a career year; his best season came with Tampa Bay in 2003, when he had 34 home runs and 107 RBIs.

    Jones hit a three-run homer, and Hernandez added a two-run shot in the eighth, both off Brendan Donnelly.

    Orioles starter Garrett Olson (9-7) allowed three runs and eight hits in six innings.

    Cabrera hit an RBI single and Franklin Gutierrez followed with a sacrifice fly to put the Indians up 3-1 in the fourth.