Benson, Orioles Have a Bad Night

Veteran Pounded As Minnesota Notches 17 Hits : Twins 11, Orioles 2

BALTIMORE, Aug. 24 -- By the time Anna Benson had settled into her seat during a rare appearance at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Thursday night, her less-famous husband, Kris, already was on his way out of the game. Kris Benson would face only a few more batters in the fourth inning before Baltimore Orioles Manager Sam Perlozzo trudged out for a pitching change. Benson's outing in Baltimore's 11-2 loss to the Twins, which served only to maintain Minnesota's hopes for a playoff spot, had been forgettable.

Perlozzo had jokingly described Wednesday's game, in which Baltimore had just one unearned run against the Twins, as boring as watching paint dry. Thursday's game, in which the Orioles allowed 17 hits, was in the same mold.

"A lot of paint," Perlozzo said. "A lot of paint."

The Twins are a legitimate playoff team: good pitching, terrific bullpen, above-average defense, power in the middle of the order and speed at the top. In taking two of three games from the Orioles, Minnesota showed it will not fade from the wild-card race, remaining only a half-game behind the Chicago White Sox.

"They're not going to scare you on paper -- until you play them," Orioles designated hitter Kevin Millar said of the Twins. "They are going to go all the way until the end. They are going to compete."

If not for Adam Loewen's outstanding performance Tuesday, Baltimore likely would have been swept by the Twins. The Orioles' young pitchers are carrying the staff while the veterans are flopping. In the past two days, Benson and Rodrigo Lopez have allowed 10 runs on 23 hits in just 9 2/3 innings.

"I've never seen him up in the zone as he was tonight," Perlozzo said of Benson. "He didn't command anything."

Just where will Benson be slotted in the Orioles' starting rotation next year? Will he even be in the rotation? Benson won't decide until after the season whether he will ask the Orioles to trade him this offseason, as is his right as a veteran of more than five years who was traded in the middle of a multiyear contract. If Benson does request the trade, will his absence be something to fret about?

His mentoring of ace Erik Bedard surely has been valuable, but Benson's own statistics aren't overly impressive. Thursday's outing left his ERA at 4.88, though his 10 wins are second on the team, trailing only Bedard.

Even if he does return, Benson might not be at the top of the team's rotation. Surely Bedard has passed him, and perhaps so has Daniel Cabrera. If Loewen continues to pitch well, he could be in line as the third starter. Would the Orioles be willing to pay $7.5 million next season for a No. 3 or No. 4 starter?

There also is the issue of Benson's elbow. He missed two starts earlier this month because of a sore elbow, though he said Thursday the injury was not bothering him.

"I was fine," Benson said.

Benson was ineffective from the start, allowing two runs in the first inning, one on a double by Joe Mauer (three hits, four RBI) and the other on a single by Michael Cuddyer. Benson allowed three runs in the third, then another in the fourth before he was pulled for reliever Bruce Chen.

"It really was an unusual outing from him," Perlozzo said of Benson.

As the Orioles veteran struggled, Thursday's game marked the second straight night that a Twins rookie silenced the Baltimore offense. Matt Garza allowed one unearned run in six innings on Wednesday, and Boof Bonser, in 6 2/3 innings Thursday, gave up just two runs, both scoring on Ramon Hernandez's 16th home run of the season, his first since June 28.

Only two days before, Camden Yards had roared when the Orioles lit up the scoreboard. In winning five of six games, Baltimore had averaged 7.2 runs per game. Wednesday and Thursday were a cruel reality check.

"I thought we were on a roll a little bit," Perlozzo said. "We missed their two best starters. After we won the first game, I thought we would win the series at least."