Eureka!

The Baltimore Orioles finally won a baseball game in which they scored 4 runs, defeating the Colorado Rockies 4-2 last night in Baltimore. Steve Trachsel (5-4, 3.82) notched the win, pitching 6 innings and allowing 7 hits and 2 earned runs.

Nick Markakis belted a two run homer in the bottom of the 5th inning to give the O's a 4-1 lead. From the moment Markakis took that swing, I could sense the impending doom.

Sure enough, in the 6th inning the Rockies advanced a runner to 3rd base with two outs and Trachsel was called for a balk, scoring the runner from 3rd and cutting the lead to 4-2.

For those unfamiliar with Steve Trachsel, he balks on every pitch he throws from the stretch. O's talking heads Buck Martinez and Rick Dempsey both have explained to television viewers that umpires around the league have advised them "he does it on every pitch, therefore, there is no intent to deceive the runner. It is his natural motion and thus, it is not a balk."

So, apparently, Steve Trachsel does not balk on every pitch. Except when he does. O's skipper Sam Perlozzo went ballistic with 1B umpire Larry Vanover and got ejected. Trachsel gave up a smoking line drive double on the next pitch.

But then something happened that I didn't see coming. Trachsel retired the next hitter (and thus the side) on a routine ground ball. Then the O's bullpen took over and pitched 3 scoreless innings to preserve the victory.

The novel approach improves the O's record to 1-11 on the season in games in which they've scored exactly 4 runs.