New-Look Lineup Gives Orioles a Lift

Guthrie Finally Gets Run Support, Win: Orioles 4, Angels 3

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- When he left the game after seven strong innings against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night, Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie retreated to the exercise room adjacent to the clubhouse, where he promptly asked that all nearby televisions be turned off so he could tune out the events that unfolded on the field after his departure.

He had just allowed two runs and struck out six, turning in yet another performance that should have reasonably assured him a notch in the win column. Of course, Guthrie knew better than to assume: he had gone winless since last July 27 and was 0-3 entering the game despite four quality starts in six outings.

"I just told them to let me know when the game is over, when there is three outs," Guthrie said.

That's why, after the Orioles' 4-3 victory before 41,515 at Angels Stadium, Guthrie didn't know exactly how close he came to another fruitless effort, blissfully unaware of the details of a harrowing ninth inning that saw closer George Sherrill notch his league-leading 11th save only after he gave up a run and allowed the potential winning run to reach second base.

Still, the Orioles survived the late scare partly because the team's offense showed signs of awakening from its slumber. Entering last night, the Orioles ranked in the bottom three of the American League in batting average [.247], on-base percentage [.319] and hits [237]. Baltimore's 127 runs scored ranked 11th.

In hopes of inspiring something different out of the lineup, which historically has saved much of its meekest work for Guthrie's starts, Baltimore Orioles Manager Dave Trembley overhauled his batting order.

"I told the club before the game that I mixed the lineup up to see if I could do something to get some runs for him," Trembley said. "I didn't want him to go out there and feel like he had to go out there and throw a shutout."

Nick Markakis, entrenched as the team's No. 3 hitter, switched with Melvin Mora, who had been a fixture at No. 2. Cleanup hitter Kevin Millar, saddled with a team-low .188 average with runners in scoring position, dropped to sixth, giving way to Aubrey Huff. Ramon Hernandez entered play hitting just .200, though his .412 average with runners in scoring position landed him in the five hole on Friday night.

And with left fielder Luke Scott still battling flu-like symptoms, Jay Payton played a second-straight game.

The changes seemed to spark something from the Orioles, who had scored three runs or less in seven of its last 11 games. Markakis homered in the first and drove in another run in the third before adding a double in the fifth and scoring a run. Mora finished with a pair of RBIs, one of which came by bunting to drive home Luis Hernandez, one of two runs the Orioles scored in the third.

"It worked. We won," Trembley said of the shakeup, though he declined to say how long he would stick with the lineup changes.

The Orioles improved to 13-3 when scoring four or more runs this season, though the defense had something to do with the outcome as well. Adam Jones robbed Vladimir Guerrero of a hit in the sixth inning with a diving play in center. Roberts made an impressive barehanded play to retire the speedy Chone Figgins when he led off the eighth before Sherrill escaped the ninth.

All of it went toward bolstering Guthrie, who emerged from his sequestered cell in the bowels of the clubhouse as a winner for the first time in 16 starts.

"It feels really good," said Guthrie, who recorded his fifth quality start this season en route to the win. "I'm really excited. We played a great all-around game. We hit the ball when we needed to. We played good defense for the most part."