When Orioles right-hander Kevin Millwood threw quality start after quality start earlier this season, only to get handed no-decisions and losses because of a lackluster offense, he didn't complain, didn't point fingers.
On Thursday, it was payback time for Millwood, who survived five shaky innings in an 11-5 Orioles win that ended an 11-game losing streak to the Florida Marlins.
An offense that had scored just 33 runs in Millwood's first 12 starts has scored 27 for him in his past four outings, the past two of which have resulted in Millwood's only victories of the season.
"It was terrible because early in the year he was giving up two and three runs and getting the loss every time," said reserve catcher Craig Tatum, who had a career-high three hits, including two doubles. "So for us to play the way we did and finally get him his second win, well, he deserves it for how he has pitched for us."
The Orioles (20-52) avoided a sweep by the Marlins (35-37) while picking up their 20th win -- a distinction the 2009 Orioles, who lost 98 games, achieved May 26, almost a month earlier than this year's club.
Playing before an announced 15,397, the much-maligned offense tied a season high for hits with 17, scored in double digits for only the second time this year and had six hits in one inning for the second consecutive night.
Third baseman Miguel Tejada led the way with four hits, including a backbreaking three-run homer in the eighth that ended a career-long homerless drought of 205 at-bats. Tejada had four RBIs on Thursday after driving in four runs in his past 30 games.
"It feels great just because I think tonight was a night that we're all waiting for," said Tejada, who had last homered against Boston's Daniel Bard on April 30. "We just haven't been hitting the way we are supposed to be hitting, but tonight we all contributed."
Center fielder Adam Jones also did his part with three hits and two RBIs, including his 11th homer of season, a solo shot in the sixth against Alejandro Sanabia, who was making his major league debut.
The homer, which came on Jones' mini-bobblehead giveaway night, was the anti-called shot.
"The first pitch, I was asking the [fans] right next to the dugout behind the on-deck circle, 'You want me to swing or bunt?' They said, 'Bunt,' so I tried to bunt," Jones said. "Good thing I fouled it off because the next pitch, I hit it out."
It was that kind of offensive night for the Orioles, who were down 3-0 in the third when they sent 10 men to the plate and scored five runs against Florida starter Nate Robertson (5-6), who had shut down the Tampa Bay Rays in his previous outing.
"We beat the best team in the division five days ago, and then the team that's in last place in the division kicks your tail," said Robertson, who allowed five runs in 21/3 innings. "It's a funny game. That's why I don't like when people say, 'Oh, they're terrible,' or, 'They're a bad team.' They're just inconsistent, because everybody up here is good. They grinded out a win."
The Orioles' offense had to rally because Millwood put them into a 3-0 hole through the first two innings. He yielded two runs in the first and has allowed 20 first-inning runs in his past seven starts after giving up none in the opening inning in his first nine starts.
He threw 116 pitches, just 52 percent of them for strikes, his worst strike percentage of the season. It was his shortest outing since a five-inning stint on Opening Day,
"The big deal was not locating," said Millwood (2-8), who allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks. "It's become a problem my last four or five [starts]. It's something that I've got to figure out and get fixed so I can go more than five or six innings."
Still, he had a two-run lead in the fifth and nearly handed it back. He walked the first two batters and gave up a one-out RBI single to Dan Uggla.
But with two outs and two on, Millwood threw his 116th and final pitch of the night -- a 93 mph fastball -- past 20-year-old Marlins phenom Mike Stanton for the third out.
"I was going to try to stick with him as long as I could to try to get him the win. But if he walked Stanton, I would have had to get him," interim manager Juan Samuel said.
The bullpen took over from there. Jason Berken threw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts, David Hernandez threw a perfect inning with two strikeouts and Matt Albers finished by allowing one run on two hits in the ninth.
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