Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 27, 1993 TAG: 9308270039
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: BALTIMORE LENGTH: Long
It was the California bullpen that lit the fire, and no one could blame Angels right-hander Phil Leftwich if he did a slow burn while another potential victory turned to ashes.
Leftwich, Radford University's first major-leaguer, had the Birds looking like Charleston Southern in his Big South Conference days. Through 6 2/3 innings, the right-hander had scattered most of seven Baltimore hits and had a 4-2 lead in his sixth AL start.
It took Orioles designated hitter Harold Baines one Ken Patterson pitch to turn the lead into a no-decision for Leftwich. A five-run eighth inning produced a 9-4 victory for the Birds and had Angels manager Buck Rodgers spelling relief with four letters.
The late rally produced only the fifth victory in the last 16 games for the Orioles, who have stumbled since being a season-best 14 games over .500 on Aug. 9. Only Boston has sunk faster among the five AL East contenders.
"In the American League East, it's just been a different-type year," said Birds manager Johnny Oates. "Don't ask me to try to explain it. I can't. I don't know who can."
How can Oates figure out a season of inconsistency by five clubs when he had trouble explaining how the Birds won this series? Against three California starters in 23 2/3 innings, Baltimore had 11 hits, yet won two of three games.
So, they won with pitching - one week after being torched for 47 runs in three games by Detroit. The Birds have the worst earned run average in the majors this month.
Yet, when they left town Thursday to begin a series at Texas tonight, Oates' Orioles were only six games out of first place. While it looks as if Toronto or New York will win the ALEast, the next streak by any of the five contenders could be only a Cecil Fielder shot away.
There's plenty of scoreboard watching going on in the division, and a lot of eyes are being rubbed in disbelief at what they're seeing - like Mark McLemore's hitting and play in right field as the Orioles' MVP this season.
The ERA of Toronto's starting rotation is climbing toward the roof at the SkyDome. The Yankees lead the AL in hitting and home runs, but don't have an individual in the league's top 10 in homers, RBI, runs scored, doubles or triples. The supposed pitching aces, Melido Perez and Jim Abbott, have struggled.
Detroit seemingly pitched itself out of the race, but now has hit its way back into the pack. The Red Sox, playing in a hitter's park if there ever was one, have the AL's best ERA - but rank last in runs scored, homers and RBI, and ahead of only the Angels and Oakland in hits.
As for Baltimore, the bad news is that the Orioles are on the road for their next nine games. Oriole Park is aptly named. The Oates Birds are hitting 26 points higher at home than in road games. They are 31-12 at the Yards since June 4.
Since the All-Star Game graced the diamond that sits on ground once occupied by Babe Ruth's father's saloon, Baltimore is 17-7 at home and 4-12 on the road.
"Just about every club, among the contenders, has played poorly or played very well through different stretches," Oates said. "Only the Yankees haven't been that way.
"Boston was 25-5 in one stretch, but lost eight of nine. We started 5-13, then we go 20-7 in June. We have 10-, eight- and six-game win streaks, then we lose eight in a row. Detroit starts great, then can't win, and now is going great again.
"Some nights, we're so good I think we're the 1927 Yankees. Other nights, I don't know who we are. A lot of it you have no control over. No manager does. A lot of it is injuries."
The Birds would like to make a deal in the next six days, before postseason rosters are frozen. However, in this division, who wouldn't? These teams' most consistent stoppers now are the general managers blocking waiver transactions.
There are 32 games to be played among the five AL East contenders, 14 of those the last week of the season. If the Orioles can pick up a game or two, they like their chances.
Baltimore's final 10 games are at home - three each with the Tigers and Yanks and four with Toronto to close the season. The Blue Jays play three at home with New York, then have three at Milwaukee and four at Camden Yards.
Boston has its last 10 at Fenway, and six of those are against Minnesota and Milwaukee. Detroit is away for its last 10 - three in Baltimore, four at Boston and three at Yankee Stadium. The Yanks finish with three at the SkyDome, three here and the last series at home against the Tigers.
Don't try to figure it out. Just enjoy it. With realignment expected to create three divisions in each league next season, the AL East likely has the last five-team race in history.
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB