Orioles Reliever Johnson Saves the Day

Orioles 5, Red Sox 4

BALTIMORE, May 13 -- A line of Baltimore Orioles watched from the top step of their dugout in the seventh inning on Tuesday night, chins leaning on the rail, eyes locked on the drama unfolding in the center of the diamond, where one of their own faced mission impossible.

The Orioles led the Boston Red Sox by two runs behind slumping outfielder Luke Scott's three-run homer. But Boston loaded the bases with nobody out. And now, Manny Ramírez stood at the plate, ominously pointing his bat before every pitch toward the mound, where reliever Jim Johnson stood looking for a miracle.

With the game on the line, Johnson showed the mettle that has powered his magnificent performances since his call-up to the Orioles, challenging the dreadlocked slugger by pumping fastball after fastball toward the plate in speeds reaching the mid-90s.

After nine pitches, neither man had given in.

But on the 10th pitch, Ramirez bounced a one-hopper back to the mound, which Johnson turned into a double play. A crowd of 38,768 at Camden Yards rejoiced after Johnson won the decisive battle of Baltimore's 5-4 win, a victory contested in an atmosphere typically reserved for the postseason.

"That's why [Ramírez] is one of the best hitters," said Johnson, who lowered his ERA to 1.14 in 14 appearances. "He spoils good pitches. If you make a mistake, he's going to make you pay for it. You can't get frustrated having a long at-bat like that. Like I said, he was just fouling off good pitches so it makes it a lot tougher."

Johnson allowed a run in the eighth inning before he was relieved by closer George Sherrill, who picked up his 14th save. But Johnson had already done his part, preserving a victory that put Baltimore back over the .500 mark.

"It means a lot to me and I'm sure it means a lot to the team and our fans because there's still that dilemma out there -- is this team going to snap or crack? They're not," Orioles Manager Dave Trembley said. "These guys will stick together. And that's what they did tonight."

Hours before Boston Red Sox ace Josh Beckett threw his first pitch, Trembley jokingly hoped that the pitcher would not bring his A-game. But Beckett gave the Orioles an effort that ranked at least two full letter grades lower, allowing five runs on 11 hits.

Even after Boston jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first against starter Jeremy Guthrie, the Orioles rallied with a four-run third inning.

Scott entered the game with just seven hits in his last 55 at-bats. After briefly leading the American League in doubles, Scott had just one extra base hit since April 18. He also wasn't helped when he was recently sidelined for a few days with the bout of the flu.

But in just his second career at-bat against Beckett, hammered the pitcher's 1-0 offering over the Esskay sign in right field, his first homer since April 8.

"I'll tell you man, that feeling, there's nothing like it," Scott said. "There really isn't. It's the greatest high that you can have. It's really special. That's what makes this game so worth it -- moments like that."

Guthrie kept baseball's most potent offense at bay until he allowed back-to-back hits to lead off the seventh, which prompted Trembley to call struggling left-handed specialist Jamie Walker to face the left-handed hitting David Ortiz. But Walker -- who has failed to retire any of the last four batters he's faced -- walked the Red Sox slugger.

Enter Johnson, who put an end to the mess.

"You've kind of got to go with the horse-blinders and just believe in yourself and try and make good pitches," said Johnson, who induced the comebacker with a nasty two-seamer that got under Ramírez's bat.

When Johnson made his walk back to the dugout -- after retiring Mike Lowell to end the inning -- Guthrie was the first to meet him on the top step.

"He worked a pitching miracle," Guthrie said. "He didn't give into him. He executed an awful lot of pitches, and that's the thing that was so difficult. He didn't throw three or four pitches and get a come-backer. He threw nine or 10 probably and he executed every single one of them exactly how he wanted to."