| Tom Morris. 11th August, 2005 - 8:36 pm
 With first baseman Rafael Palmeiro serving his tenth and final day of a MLB suspension for steroid use, the rest of the Baltimore Orioles went about their business of trying to resurrect their own season against Tampa Bay last night. And it payed off.
Their offense continued to click, posting a five-run first inning, taking advantage of their opportunities, and holding on for the victory at Camden Yards, 9 - 5. Jay Gibbons provided a grand slam in the first frame, Miguel Tejada added three RBI, and Rodrigo Lopez came within one out of his first complete game of the season for the birds, who are now 4 - 2 under interim manager Sam Perlozzo.
Sam Perlozzo's first day at the helm was also the end of a long, painful losing stretch that saw Baltimore lose 16 of 18 games, almost officially dropped them out of the AL wild-card race, and resulted in the firing of then-manager Lee Mazzilli.
There is hope yet in the Oriole clubhouse that something significant can be made of a season that was all but wasted away:
"We are not out of anything. We need to go with that in a long-range plan, but we also know that can't be accomplished until we start stringing a few wins together and having some confidence," Perlozzo said. "If we can do that, then that long-range goal becomes clearer to us, and hopefully we can turn it around and put a real streak together."
For now at least winning meant posting the team's first winning series dating all the way back to July 7 - 10 against Boston.
The scoring started early for Baltimore against Devil Rays starter Casey Fossum (6 - 9); Brian Roberts singled, Eric Byrnes walked, and one out later, Tejada drove in Roberts with a single to center. After a walk to Javy Lopez, and a Sammy Sosa pop-up, Gibbons launched a 1-1 pitch over the 25-foot-high scoreboard in right field for his 17th home run of the season, and first grand slam since 2003 against the Brewers.
Meanwhile, Lopez, who had retired the first ten batters he had faced, on very few pitches, stumbled a bit in the third inning. A one-out walk and a Carl Crawford was the table-setting for Aubrey Huff, who was greenlighted on a 3 - 0 pitch, and sent Lopez's next offering deep for a 3-run homer.
Rodrigo Lopez finished the night with 8 2/3 IP, allowing five earned runs on nine hits and two bases on balls. The three-run home run marred what was an otherwise strong --and rare-- pitching performance by an Oriole starter.
But Fossum, previously 2 - 0 with a 0.94 ERA in four career starts at Camden Yards, could not survive, despite goose eggs in the third and fourth innings. In the fifth, Tejada drove in two with a double, which was followed by Javy Lopez's run-scoring single. That put the game out of reach for Tampa Bay, who tacked on a run with Johnny Gomes's seventh-inning homer, and Toby Hall's RBI double with two outs in the ninth.
Fossum finished by allowing nine earned runs in only 4+ innings of work, allowing seven hits and four walks while allowing the one home run. In the process his ERA jumped from 3.89 to 4.47.
And, in the end, while all Orioles in the clubhouse would most certainly say their focus is on the next game --the chance to close out a sweep at home against the Devil Rays-- all other minds and thoughts seem to be on
Palmeiro: a man disgraced by his own actions, fallen from what some may say is greatness only recently achieved. But still a major league baseball player. And though the game's testing system is only in its early years, and is still clearly receiving its heapings of criticism, it has set the rules for now. The ten games are up, and it's time for the firstbaseman to start playing again.
Sam Perlozzo has said that Palmeiro will not be in the line-up for tonight's game in Baltimore, and has insisted it has nothing to do with any wrath or ire he surely will receive from the disappointed hometown fans, but rather to allow Raffy to get physically back up to speed. Regardless, the reactions will be there: anything from applause to thrown debris and profanity I imagine. And this is in Baltimore, folks. It will only get worse and worse, and more difficult too, for Palmeiro, who must go with his team to many more cities many more times before he finally suspends himself from a baseball...forever. |
