Orioles' West Coast Struggles Continue

A's Hand Baltimore 4th Straight Loss: Athletics 4, Orioles 2

OAKLAND, Calif., May 6 -- Just before his team began batting practice -- which for some players was the second session of the afternoon -- the Baltimore Orioles formed a circle around their manager. Dave Trembley does not choose to address his team frequently.

Fearing "overkill," he prefers to pick his spots. But a pleasant Bay Area afternoon gave Trembley a perfect setting for such a summit.

So there, in foul territory of a cavernous, empty stadium, Trembley staged a quick meeting intended to address his team's recent woes.

"Just like I told the guys, we have been competitive in just about every game and I think that's because of our pitching," Trembley said before the game. "The other parts of the game will come and I'm confident they will. It's just a matter of getting this started. And when we do, I think every thing else will fall into place."

Perhaps Trembley will be proven right. But the starting point did not come Tuesday night, when the Orioles fell, 4-2 to the Oakland Athletics after stringing together what's become a familiar storyline during the team's recent fall to earth.

When the Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox on April 26, they climbed to a season-high five games above .500 and took a one-game lead in the American League East. But in the 10 games since, the Orioles have won twice. And for the first time since dropping the season opener, the Orioles (16-17) fell below the .500 mark.

The Orioles' fourth loss in a row -- the longest streak of the season -- came after left-hander Brian Burres allowed eight hits and lasted 5 1/3 innings. What he lacked in style, Burres made up for with grit, allowing four runs (three unearned) though it was clear early on that he lacked his sharpest stuff.

Still, he left the game with his team trailing by two. Unsightly as his outing was, Burres gave his team a chance to win. Right-hander Matt Albers did his part, pitching 2 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

But the Orioles' bats -- which have struggled badly -- remained in a slumber against Oakland starter Justin Duchscherer, who made sure that Baltimore would score two runs or less for the fifth time in seven games.

"I think hitting is contagious sometimes," said right fielder Nick Markakis, who watched as the Orioles managed just five hits or less for the fourth time in the last six games. "When a couple guys aren't hitting, we all aren't hitting."

The A's managed four runs though it seemed that their primary weapon of choice was the sand wedge. In the first, the A's strung together three consecutive singles against Burres to score the first run, the last coming on Emil Brown's bloop single that fell just a few feet inside the right field.

In the third, the A's scored twice by again putting together three straight singles, even though the hits in order were: Frank Thomas's blooper to right, Jack Cust's bouncer through the hole in the right side of the infield, and Brown's grounder that snuck just past Luis Hernandez's diving stab at shortstop.

By contrast, the Orioles had little to show for several hard-hit balls.

"A couple of guys hit the ball good and they caught them," Orioles third baseman Melvin Mora said. "We need to keep swinging."

Trembley switched up his lineup on Tuesday, returning a batting order that resembled one that he has used most of the season. He staged early batting practice and held the team meeting, hoping to offer reassurance to his players that things will eventually turn.

They responded by testing his resolve: From the fifth inning on, and the Orioles failed to move a baserunner past second base.

"We're in every game," Trembley said. "We're competing. It just seems things aren't going our way. Obviously, you make your own fortune, but I have no problem with the approach. We're doing everything we can to try to score some runs. It's not happening for us right now."