Orioles' Tough Road Continues in Florida

Bullpen Fails to Hold Late-Inning Lead : Rays 10, Orioles 5

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 11 -- Reprinted from yesterday's late editions

The Baltimore Orioles arrived here before dawn, bleary-eyed after a long, fruitless day at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Tex. They had just absorbed a momentum-killing double-header sweep by the Texas Rangers, seeing their six-game winning streak evaporate in a cloud of missed opportunities.

The Orioles were a team officially facing their first dose of adversity this season. And on Friday the Tampa Bay Rays ensured that there would be no relief.

After a stellar start to the season, the Orioles' bullpen surrendered a three-run lead during what devolved into a 10-5 thrashing by the Rays in front of 12,146 at Tropicana Field.

Rays first baseman Carlos Peña drove in six runs, hitting a game-tying three-run homer in the seventh inning, his second shot of the game. Then, he drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning off reliever Dennis Sarfate to give the Rays the go-ahead run, completing a stunning bullpen implosion.

The Orioles' relief corps entered the game with an American League-leading 0.93 ERA in nine games this season. But after inheriting a 5-2 lead, Sarfate, Jamie Walker and Greg Aquino surrendered eight runs over the last 1 2/3 innings.

"I started the fire and it got a little ignited, but I blame myself for that one," said Walker, who surrendered Peña's homer.

"I take full blame. If I make a good pitch location, I'm 1-2-3 and we're out. We're winning, we're partying."

For a while, it looked as if the Orioles were ready to celebrate.

Baltimore scored three unearned runs after the Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett threw away what would have been the final out of the first inning, with the biggest blow coming on a two-run double by left fielder Luke Scott. Brian Roberts and Ramón Hernández each collected RBI to push the Orioles' lead to 5-2.

But the Orioles missed a chance to put the game away when Aubrey Huff popped out with the bases loaded in the seventh inning, "They got the hit in that situation and we didn't," Orioles Manager Dave Trembley said.

"If Huff would have hit one there, it would have broke the game wide open and then I wouldn't have had to bring Walker in the game. It didn't happen. That's baseball."