Phillies End Slide

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Back home after a bad road trip, Bobby Abreu and the Philadelphia Phillies quickly got into the swing.

Abreu and Travis Lee homered to spark a seven-run fourth inning and the Phillies snapped a four-game losing streak with a 15-7 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.

Scott Rolen and Johnny Estrada later homered for the Phillies as they set season highs for runs and hits (18). Abreu had three hits and scored three runs.

"Needless to say, we needed that win like we needed oxygen," Phillies manager Larry Bowa said. "I think everyone will sleep better tonight."

The NL East-leading Phillies went 1-5 on their trip to Boston and Tampa Bay.

The trio of Abreu, Rolen and Pat Burrell that make up the middle of the Philadelphia batting order struggled in the latest skid. On Friday, they were 5-for-12 with five runs and eight RBIs.

"It`s the law of averages, those guys are going to hit," Bowa said. It makes it a lot easier."

Mike Kinkade homered and drove in four runs for the Orioles.

Abreu hit a three-run homer and Lee had a solo shot in the fourth. Marlon Anderson and Jimmy Rollins added RBI doubles and Doug Glanville had a run-scoring single in the big inning.

Phillies starter Omar Daal was lifted with two outs in the fifth after loading the bases with the Phillies ahead 10-7.

Vicente Padilla (3-1) relieved and got Jerry Hairston on a called third strike to end the threat. Padilla went two innings and gave up two hits and a walk while striking out three.

"It`s part of the game but we won and that`s all that matters," Daal said. "You give up seven runs, you expect to lose."

Orioles starter Willis Roberts (5-6) lasted just three-plus innings, giving up nine runs on 10 hits. Baltimore used six pitchers and four of them allowed runs.

"I don`t think I`ve ever seen a total failure by so many guys at once like our pitchers tonight," Orioles manager Mike Hargrove said. "We threw the ball all over the place but over the plate. We scored seven runs, which was good enough all year so far but not tonight."

Both teams scored three times in the first inning. Baltimore had five singles, including a two-run hit by Kinkade.

The Phillies scored when Pat Burrell drew a bases-loaded walk, Lee hit a sacrifice fly and Estrada singled.

Kinkade hit a two-run homer in the third. Jeff Conine had a solo homer in the fifth, and the Orioles scored another run in the inning on a double by Melvin Mora.

Orioles reliever John Parrish gave up two runs in the fifth on just one hit. After Padilla doubled with one out, the first extra-base hit of his career, Parrish walked four straight batters, allowing two runs to score. He left the game with the bases loaded and Chuck McElroy got Lee to fly out to deep right.

Rolen`s two-run homer, his seventh, made it 14-7 in the seventh. Two outs later, Estrada homered.

Game notes:
All nine Phillies starter had a hit by the fourth inning. All but Daal had an RBI and all but Burrell scored a run. ... Former Phillies OF Glenn Wilson was the fill-in public address announcer. ... Kinkade`s four RBI is a career high. "I felt good at the plate," Kinkade said, "but you can`t be too happy about personal accomplishments when you lose the way we did tonight." ... The four homers by the Phillies were a season high.

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Author: 6 ABC - Action News