Huff homers, doubles to lead Orioles

BALTIMORE -- That's how you earn a reprieve. Designated hitter Aubrey Huff was the only Oriole to endure booing in the first two games at Camden Yards and did something about it on Wednesday, when the veteran drilled a two-run home run in the sixth inning and came back for a two-run double in the eighth to give the Orioles a 9-6 win over Tampa Bay.

Huff, who made some controversial comments on a radio program during the winter, won the fans back the hard way. He came to bat with a three-run deficit in the sixth, but responded by blasting a ball onto the Eutaw Street flag court. Huff faced a higher difficulty rating in the eighth, but he erased a one-run deficit by steering a two-run double to right-center.

"That was the sweetest home run I've ever hit. I'm not going to lie to you," he said shortly after the game. "I hit that ball and [thought], 'Please, just get out. I just don't want to have to deal with it.' In my next at-bat after that, I kind of heard more of a mixed crowd instead of all boos. Hopefully, like I've said, we'll win some hearts back."

"Fans are entitled to do whatever they want," added Baltimore manager Dave Trembley. "They pay their money [when] they come out here. I wouldn't think one way or the other is going to really influence people. I think it probably feels pretty good for him. It feels good for our club that we won the game and we got so much out of so many different guys."

Baltimore had trailed for virtually all of the game before Huff's heroics, and it went on to seal the deal with two additional runs in the eighth. Strangely enough, the outburst was completely in character for Huff, who has throttled the team that drafted and developed him. Last year, for instance, Huff batted .365 and hit seven of his 15 homers against Tampa Bay.

"It's just one of those things," Huff said. "It's a coincidence. Hopefully, we can transfer that to the rest of the league."

"I just think he's jacked up about doing it against us more than anything," said Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon. "I mean he hit a breaking ball, he hit a fastball today. From my perspective, obviously, you'd like to think you're not making good pitches. But sometimes hitters just get you regardless. And he's getting us right now."

(mlb.com)