For O's, Losses Are Out Of Control

Red Sox 7, Orioles 4

BOSTON, Sept. 1 -- Baltimore Orioles Manager Dave Trembley said he recently received an e-mail from a fan who used the word "comatose" to describe the skipper's demeanor in the dugout.

"For goodness sakes, we just gave up 25 walks in three games and the other team scored 11.3 runs a game," Trembley said of his struggling pitching staff. "What do you want me to do? I ain't gonna yell and scream and go nuts. I can't."

But that resolve to show patience was tested against the Boston Red Sox on Monday night, when the manager was once again forced to squirm, unable to do anything to prevent a 7-4 defeat that found its roots in shoddy starting pitching.

The culprit was a familiar one. In making his first big league after a nearly two-week stint in the minors, left-hander Garrett Olson surrendered six runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings. And three Orioles pitchers combined to issue 10 free passes overall, giving Baltimore 35 in the last four games.

The loss dropped the Olson to 0-4 against Boston this year and the Orioles fell to a season-worst 11 games under .500.

The only highlight came from center fielder Adam Jones, who made a successful return from injury. After spending a month on the disabled list, Jones said the only thing he learned from the experience was how bored he could get when forced to stop playing game.

So after hassling Trembley for weeks, Jones finally got his wish, returning to the lineup when the Orioles activated him from the 15-day disabled list. And what a return it was.

Jones hadn't faced live pitching prior to playing his last game on Aug. 2, nor did he go on a rehab assignment. Still, Jones belted a solo home run on the first pitch he saw from red Sox starter Paul Byrd.

"Adrenaline's in the game," Jones said before taking the field. "With adrenaline, you don't feel anything."

The first-inning blast put the Orioles ahead 1-0, though the lead was short-lived.

The Red Sox' Jason Varitek and Jeff Bailey hit back-to-back homers off Olson in the third inning to take the lead. Baltimore answered in third when shortstop Juan Castro followed Jones's lead by depositing a solo shot over the Green Monster to even the game at 2.

Baltimore reclaimed the lead in the sixth inning when Nick Markakis singled home Juan Castro from second.