For O's, a Swing Set

After a Prolonged Slump, the Orioles Are Back in the AL East Hunt

BALTIMORE Some teams know they are pennant contenders before the season begins. You have to beat the idea out of their heads. Other clubs learn that they have a title shot as their season evolves. Performance and confidence, fragile at first, feed on each other. Somewhere along the way, the team that knows it's good and the club that is merely learning to believe in itself must meet.

For the last four days, the world champion Red Sox and the partially resurrected Orioles have tested each other. Boston has big worries these days. Can Curt Schilling, when he returns from the disabled list as early as this week, shore up the Boston bullpen for six weeks until closer Keith Foulke recovers from knee surgery? Schilling relieving Foulke, isn't that backward?

However, for the Orioles these critical days may have seen a whole season sway in the balance. The Red Sox not only arrived with a four-game lead over the Orioles in the American League East, but Baltimore was in danger of being swamped in the wild-card chase by several teams, including the Yankees, Twins and Indians.

"We were reeling, somewhat," said outfielder Jay Gibbons, perhaps adding the last word simply to keep face. "It would have been devastating to get swept, especially with New York coming on."

Now, though the Yankees are only a half-game off their bumper, such dismal thoughts have been banished. Thanks to homers by Rafael Palmeiro and Gibbons, and eight strong innings by starter Rodrigo Lopez, Baltimore won, 4-1, to take three of four games and cut Boston's division lead to two games. Considering the way most teams tend to run either cold or hot (but seldom tepid) the Orioles may be warming up quickly once again.

"We're back in it," said Gibbons.

"We've been beat up, but we've kept our head above water," said B.J. Surhoff. "We went 2-9 [in three road series before Boston came to Camden Yards] and the Red Sox picked up I don't know how many games on us. So, this series was huge."

As long as two weeks ago Orioles veterans such as Surhoff and Palmeiro looked at their tough schedule plus the Orioles' long injury list and knew what the team was facing: homely damage control until injured ace Erik Bedard and catcher Javy Lopez could return after the all-star break. Both reminded teammates that simply avoiding disaster might be a victory of a sort. Sometimes, you build a lead so that you can afford to lose it -- but not too fast.

"To be two games behind after everything we went through, we'll take it," said Palmeiro.

The low point for the Orioles, and Manager Lee Mazzilli as well, came last Tuesday at Yankee Stadium when Rodrigo Lopez, working on just three days' rest, was left on the mound too long to absorb a humiliating 10-run pounding. As he left to Bronx catcalls, Lopez and his team looked almost whipped. But not quite. Sometimes circumstance lends a hand. Every pitcher fears the Red Sox lineup. Except Lopez. Once again, for his 10th win over Boston since 2002, Lopez allowed only three hits.

"You can't be sorry for yourself," Lopez said. How on earth do you avoid it? "Just experience," he said. "It's about maturity."

The Orioles will need all they can muster, especially with the rotation still dragging along Sidney Ponson (5.93 ERA). However, the schedule may smile. The Orioles don't meet the Red Sox or Yankees again until Sept. 2. As long as the Orioles play well, that's a bonus. If they don't, it means they have no head-to-head opportunities to make up lost ground in a hurry.