Bullpen Collapse Dooms Orioles

Blue Jays 6, Orioles 5

TORONTO, July 10 -- The last time the Baltimore Orioles entered a game on the heels of four straight losses, starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie helped his team stop the slide. Though he didn't get the victory for his effort, the pitcher came through by keeping Baltimore in the contest long enough for it to win.

So when the Orioles arrived at Rogers Center on Thursday night hoping to end a four-game skid and salvage a game in this three-game set, they turned once again to the man who has evolved into their unquestioned ace.

"Every time he goes out, you feel like you're going to win," Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts said. "He'd probably be the ace on a lot of teams."

But for all that Guthrie has been able to accomplish this season -- he allowed just two runs in seven sharp innings for his American League-best 14th quality start -- he has suffered because of the things that are out of his control. And again, all Guthrie could do was watch as the Orioles' bullpen squandered a three-run lead in a 6-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays before 22,279 fans who rejoiced at Baltimore's third straight heartbreaking loss.

"Tough stretch, especially all being one-run ballgames," said Guthrie, whose effort was officially wasted when closer George Sherrill blew his first save opportunity since being named an American League all-star.

After Sherrill struck out pinch hitter Marco Scutaro to start the ninth inning, he allowed Rod Barajas to single to left and Scott Rolen to double down the right field line. Trembley elected to walk pinch hitter Gregg Zaun to load the bases for Lyle Overbay, who tied the game with a sacrifice fly. The decisive blow came when Adam Lind bounced a hard grounder past the diving Aubrey Huff at first base to score Rolen.

Sherrill said Guthrie "did a good job, got us deep in the game, and we blew it."

Baltimore tied a season high by losing its fifth straight game. The loss dropped the Orioles to two games under .500 for the first time since June 4. The road won't get any easier, with Baltimore set to begin a three-game series at Boston on Friday.

"We've got good makeup in this clubhouse, so we're not going to quit, we're not going to feel sorry for ourselves," first baseman Kevin Millar said. "You've got to keep fighting, that's it."

Of course, it appeared early that the Orioles were headed in the right direction. Guthrie displayed sharp command from the start, establishing his fastball against the Blue Jays' hitters. He cruised through the lineup the first time, facing the minimum through three innings.

"It got me in a nice groove," said Guthrie, whose effectiveness has been masked by a 5-7 record.

When Guthrie left the game after the seventh, the Orioles led 3-2. But they added a pair of big runs in the eighth on a bases-loaded single by Melvin Mora. The hit loomed even larger when the Blue Jays answered with two runs in the eighth inning off of Orioles setup man Jim Johnson.

The game wasn't lost until Sherrill took the mound in the ninth. The left-hander struggled with his command, the byproduct, perhaps, of some time off. Sherrill hadn't worked in four nights.

"It's just a matter of pitching a lot, and then all of a sudden you have four or five days off, then you throw once and have four or five off," he said. "It gets tough to find a rhythm, so I guess I have to do a little bit more work when I have a few days off in between."

After Rolen crossed the plate, the Blue Jays spilled onto the field to celebrate their sweep as the sullen Orioles quietly moved toward their dugout. Twice this season, the Orioles have bounced back from five-game losing skids to bring themselves back to the right side of the .500 mark.

With the Red Sox looming, the Orioles will find out this weekend if they are tough enough to repeat the feat.

"I think we can gain some confidence in knowing that we've been through a lot this year," Roberts said. "We've played a lot of close games, we've won a lot of close games. We just have to get back to doing all the little things to do it again."