O's Cabrera Dominates; Newhan Is Injured

Orioles 4, Angels 2

BALTIMORE, April 17 -- Apparently this giant fireballer can turn into a pitcher at times, and the long arms and legs can synchronize and a 100-mph fastball can sizzle right into the catcher's mitt framed in the strike zone. It has been debated whether Daniel Cabrera could ever be a pitcher or whether he would be what some call a "thrower," a slight meant for all those with enough talent to tantalize, but never to become great for a lack of baseball acumen.

Cabrera's outing on Monday, in which he helped the Baltimore Orioles beat the Los Angeles Angels, 4-2, won't stand as an accurate portrayal of this young pitcher, but it will serve to temporarily placate those who had written him off after two starts. Entering this game, Cabrera had allowed eight runs in 6 1/3 innings and, most concerning, had walked 16. To say that Cabrera needed a good outing would be an understatement. He delivered, allowing one unearned run in seven innings and walking just one.

"Everyone was making a big deal of the first two starts that Daniel was going to walk everyone in the ballpark," Orioles Manager Sam Perlozzo said. "Daniel doesn't do that all the time."

Cabrera said that he worked closely with pitching coach Leo Mazzone after the start against Boston. Mazzone implored Cabrera to forget about the walks. If he walked one guy, Mazzone told him, go on to the next batter.

"Try to go get the other guy out," Cabrera said he was told.

It was in the seventh inning when Cabrera's confidence was tested. With the Orioles up 4-0, Los Angeles threatened with two hits. With two outs and two on, Cabrera walked Jose Molina to load the bases. This is usually where things unravel for Cabrera. Not this time. After a passed ball scored a run, Cabrera retired Maicer Izturis to end the inning.

"Who wouldn't?" Cabrera said when asked if he had gotten confidence from Monday's start.

The Angels were the perfect opponent for Cabrera. Los Angeles had walked just 19 times, two intentional, in 12 games, which was only three more than Cabrera had walked in two starts and was the worst in the majors. This was not a selective group, though Cabrera didn't seem to think they swung much.

"I didn't think they swung as much as the last team I faced," Cabrera said.

Several Angels said they were willing to take a walk, but Cabrera never seemed out of control. He spotted his pitches early in the count and never showed the wildness that had limited him in his first two starts.

"Every time he was getting one or two strikes on us," Angels shortstop Orlando Cabrera said. "I mean you don't want to hit in a situation like that with a guy throwing 97-98 [mph]. I don't think we were swinging at bad pitches. We have to give him credit."

It could simply be that Cabrera figured it all out on this cool night.

"It's not a surprise," Angels second baseman Adam Kennedy said. "There's a history of guys like that who run into games when they figure it out. It was pretty impressive.

It would have been a perfect except in all the excitement about Cabrera, a melancholy lingered about the unexpected fate of outfielder David Newhan, who broke his right fibula and will be out indefinitely. Newhan is scheduled to see a specialist on Tuesday and will have surgery on Thursday at Johns Hopkins Hospital. At this point it's unknown how much time Newhan will miss, but it's a safe bet the Orioles will be without him for a significant amount of time.

The injury came in the first inning after Newhan had walked. The outfielder stole second but on the slide his right foot got caught on the bag. Newhan rolled over the ankle, which twisted awkwardly. It will be an important loss for the Orioles. He had started seven games. Perlozzo said the team would decide on a roster move, most likely an outfielder, on Tuesday.

"Obviously it's a disappointment," Newhan said. "It's one of those things. I'll roll with it. It does me no good to sit here and be down about it. Hopefully they'll have some good news."