- Associated Press - Sunday, July 11, 2010

ARLINGTON, Texas | Corey Patterson had another big hit against Texas, rookie Jake Arrieta pitched into the seventh and the Baltimore Orioles won 4-1 Sunday to complete a four-game series sweep of the AL West-leading Rangers.

The Orioles (29-59) go into the All-Star break with the worst record in the majors and hadn’t won any of their 14 road series this season before getting to Texas. But now they have their first four-game road sweep since 1995.

Arrieta (3-2), who pitched collegiately at nearby TCU, limited Texas to one run and six hits over 6 1-3 innings.

The Rangers led 1-0 after All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler hit a two-out homer in the first. Baltimore responded with three doubles in the second — Adam Jones had a leadoff double, Julio Lugo had an RBI double and Patterson hit a two-run double off C.J. Wilson (7-5) that snapped a 1-all tie.

Miguel Tejada, who walked three times against Wilson, homered in the ninth.

After Baltimore won 7-6 in 10 innings Friday night, when Patterson hit a tying, two-out, two-strike slam in the ninth, the Rangers didn’t have a hit until the seventh inning Saturday, when newly acquired left-hander Cliff Lee made his Texas debut with a complete-game loss.

Kinsler gave the Rangers a quick lead in the series finale, but that was the only of their nine hits that went for extra bases.

Chris Davis, the first baseman recalled when Justin Smoak was sent to Seattle as part of the Lee deal, had three hits and a walk for Texas.

Arrieta, a 24-year-old right-hander, made his seventh major league start. He won his first two, including at the New York Yankees in his debut June 10. The Orioles bullpen blew the 3-1 lead he had after 6 1-3 innings in his previous start Tuesday at Detroit, but not against the Rangers.

Will Ohman allowed the only two batters he faced to reach, but Jason Berken pitched 1 2-3 scoreless innings before Alfredo Simon worked the ninth for his 13th save in 15 chances.

Wilson had won his last four home starts, but threw only 60 of his 111 pitches for strikes during an inconsistent 4 2-3 innings. The left-hander struck out five — including all three batters he faced in the third — walked five and threw three wild pitches.

While Kinsler had his fourth homer of the season, he had a tough day defensively.

Kinsler was charged with an error in the fifth when he made a nice backhanded stop up the middle on a grounder by Ty Wigginton, Baltimore’s All-Star. But Kinsler dropped the ball when he took it out of his glove.

In the eighth, Kinsler slammed his hand on the ground after he couldn’t come up with the ball on a similar play and Craig Tatum was credited with a single. The Orioles catcher then got his first career stolen base, when he was called safe even though it appeared that his foot slid right into Kinsler’s swipe tag.

NOTES: The last four-game road sweep by Baltimore came against the Chicago White Sox in June 1995. … Davis made an impressive defensive play in the seventh, though it didn’t get an out. He made a diving backhanded stab of a ball that deflected off reliever Alexi Ogando and prevented a run. … Ohman made his 45th appearance this season without a decision. The previous Orioles record for appearances without a decision to start the season was Mike Flanagan’s 42 in 1992. … The first pitch was thrown by King Oyo, who at age 18 is one of the youngest reigning monarchs in the world. He rules over the Tooro kingdom in Uganda. It was his first MLB game.

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