Walker Can't Handle Ortiz, O's Unravel Against Boston

Red Sox 6, Orioles 1

BALTIMORE, April 25 -- Jamie Walker is a hunter in the offseason, and when he retires, he wants to travel to every state, find the largest buck in each one, and then kill it. But first Walker has a baseball career to finish, and he takes the same approach when he pitches: the bigger the game the better, whether it's deer or American League batters.

Walker came to the Baltimore Orioles to get outs like these, to run out of the bullpen gate, climb the mound and face the nastiest, toughest left-handed hitter the opposing team can offer. At the plate was David Ortiz, there were two outs, and the score was tied in the seventh inning.

In a 6-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night, Walker threw everything he had at Ortiz, but it didn't matter. After fouling off three pitches, Ortiz poked a bloop single to shallow left field, scoring the go-ahead run. Walker had taken Ortiz to the brink, and even then the slugger needed some luck, but Walker found no solace in that.

"I'm never happy when I give up a hit," he said. "I'm pretty much a hornet. He won that battle, but tomorrow is a new day."

The Red Sox broke the game open with two more runs in the inning off of Chad Bradford, who continued the rare off night for Baltimore's revamped bullpen. Bradford walked two straight Red Sox to force in a run, ensuring that Daniel Cabrera would absorb the loss despite his strong start.

Still, the at-bat that mattered most was Ortiz's. Walker entered in the seventh after Cabrera had walked Wily Mo Peña and Kevin Youkilis. Up came Ortiz, and Manager Sam Perlozzo called on his lefty. Walker knew his history against Ortiz -- 5 for 9 with three home runs. But he wasn't backing down.

Walker, who wears a camouflage shirt under his jersey, challenged Ortiz with a fastball to begin the at-bat. He went ahead 0-2, then tried to tempt Ortiz with two curveballs outside and in the dirt. The slugger abstained, making the count full.

Walker didn't give in, picking at the outside corner, but Ortiz wouldn't budge, either. He fouled a pitch high and straight back. Then another, almost in the same spot. Then another. Walker fired another slider on the outside corner, and he finally got Ortiz to put the ball in play on his terms. The ball drifted weakly to left field.

Walker thought Jay Payton might have a shot. The problem, of course, is that when Ortiz is at the plate, the outfielders crowd the fences. Considering that, plus the wind blowing in from left, Payton had no prayer to catch the popup, and Peña scurried around to score.

Standing behind home plate, Walker punched the air in disgust. He had done all he could to retire one of baseball's most dangerous hitters. But it wasn't enough, and that was all that mattered to Walker.

"It was a [bad] pitch, obviously," Walker said. "He's a good hitter. It didn't work out. No excuses. It cost Daniel an earned run, and it probably cost us the game. When I have a hitter like that 0-2, I've got to bury him."

The bloop must have been just as painful to Cabrera, sitting in the dugout. He entered 1-6 career against Boston with a 9.27 ERA. Cabrera finally solved the Red Sox on Wednesday night, lasting 6 2/3 innings and allowing three earned runs, two of which scored after he left the game, on five hits. But he couldn't quite solve his control problems. He issued five walks, including one after starting Youkilis, his final batter, 0-2.

Miguel Tejada was the only Oriole to bother Boston starter Curt Schilling when he hammered his first homer since Opening Day, a span of 19 games and 76 at-bats.

The sixth-inning blast tied the game at 1. An inning later, the Orioles' good feelings wilted, in the most agonizing of ways. Walker had Ortiz, and he still got away.

"Walker did a great job going after him," the Orioles' Kevin Millar said. "It's one of those things. It's baseball."