Guzman Cages Tigers In O's Win

Juan Guzman pitched seven innings of five-hit ball in his Oriole debut and Rafael Palmeiro hit his fifth career grand slam as Baltimore beat the Detroit Tigers 6-1 Wednesday for a two-game sweep.

The Orioles won the season series 10-1, their best single-season record against Detroit in franchise history. Baltimore outscored the Tigers 63-28 in the 11 games.

Guzman (7-12), obtained Friday from Toronto, gave up one run, struck out two and walked one. The right-hander has allowed only two earned runs in his last four starts.

Baltimore is 20-5 since the All-Star break, winning seven of nine series and sweeping six. The Orioles moved three games over .500 for the first time since April 26.

Palmeiro's 34th homer of the season, a two-out shot to center off Sean Runyan, made it 6-1 in the eighth. All the runs were unearned, courtesy of an error by shortstop Damion Easley.

Roberto Alomar led off the game for Baltimore with a homer and broke a 1-1 tie with a bases-loaded single in the sixth. Eric Davis went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 22 games, second behind the Orioles' record of 24 set by Palmeiro in 1994.

Gabe Alvarez had two hits for the Tigers, who scored only one run in the two-game series. Justin Thompson (9-9), who lost for the first time in seven starts since June 28, allowed two runs, four hits and a career-high six walks in 5 2-3 innings.

Thompson was pulled in the sixth after walking the bases loaded. Matt Anderson came in to face lomar, who lined a two-out single. Alomar had been 1-for-10 this season with the bases loaded.

Alomar hit Thompson's third pitch of the game over the center-field wall, his 10th homer this season and second leading off a game. Thompson had allowed only two homers in his last 88 innings.

Guzman retired 11 straight before Brian Hunter singled with one out in the sixth. Easley walked, Bobby Higginson hit an RBI single and Guzman got Tony Clark to hit into a 4-6-3 double play.

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