Red Sox 9, Orioles 4
By Marc Carig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 2, 2008
BALTIMORE, June 1 -- The Baltimore Orioles reached a new low on Sunday, taking a 9-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox that knocked them to three games under the .500 mark, the furthest they've fallen from the break-even point all season.
A decidedly pro-Red Sox crowd of 45,031 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards cheered with every line drive that outmatched Orioles starter Brian Burres yielded. The loss ensured that the Orioles -- losers in nine of their last 11 games -- would not earn a series split.
Instead, they take the field on Monday hoping to salvage a game against the defending world champions.
"I don't worry about what's happened in the past," said Manager Dave Trembley, trying to strike a positive tone during his team's toughest stretch of the season. "There's not much I can do about it. I learn from it. The team learns from it. Sometimes you're up against it. I think what you do is just battle, you grind, you meet the challenge, you do the best you can, don't feel sorry for yourself and let's go get them. That's it."
Of course, on days like Sunday, the Orioles never had a chance to really battle.
Even without injured slugger David Ortiz, the Red Sox had plenty of firepower to chase Burres after four innings.
Manny Ramírez, fresh from hitting his 500th home run one night earlier, smashed his 501st in the fourth inning yesterday, good for two of his three RBI. Mike Lowell followed on the next at-bat with another homer, on the way to a pair of RBI. J.D. Drew hit Boston's third home run of the game in the seventh inning, finishing with three RBI.
On a day when his breaking pitches lacked bite and his fastballs strayed high in the strike zone, Burres exited after four innings, allowing seven runs on 12 hits and leaving his team in a 7-1 hole. He has allowed 15 runs in his last two starts over a span of 7 2/3 innings.
"When I did make a bad pitch, they didn't miss it," said Burres, who fell to 4-5. "Even a couple of good pitches got hit. It was just one of those days I have to try to learn from."
By contrast, Boston provided ample support for starter Bartolo Colón, who allowed four runs in six solid innings.
"He just basically pounded the strike zone," Orioles center fielder Adam Jones said. "That's all he does."
Luke Scott hit a two-run homer in the fourth that barely cleared the scoreboard in right to go along with a double earlier. But outside of that and Kevin Millar's run-scoring single in the seventh, the Orioles' offense had little to celebrate as hits, already in short supply, disappeared into the gloves of Red Sox defenders.
The best examples came in the seventh inning after Colón left the game, though not before hitting Freddie Bynum on the leg and walking Brian Roberts. With runners on first and second, Nick Markakis tried to sneak a grounder through the infield. But shortstop Julio Lugo smothered the ball to start a 4-6-3 double play.
Then, with two on and two down, Drew killed a potential rally by making a diving catch on a sinking liner by Scott to right. It was Baltimore's last threat.
The only encouraging sign for the Orioles was born from a negative development. Deposed starter Steve Trachsel allowed just two runs in five innings after relieving Burres, thus sparing a taxed bullpen from having to absorb more innings. It was Trachsel's first relief appearance since September 1995.
But the pitcher's future with the team remains in doubt. Trachsel said he would be willing to give relief work a chance, though not as a mop-up man.
"I would have to be productive out of [the bullpen], I would have to get some satisfaction out of it and feel like I was actually making a difference to help this team win," he said. "If I'm just down there to take up a spot, then obviously that's different."
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