The Orioles have become kings of the scrapheap this season, returning to respectability with several players other teams left by the curb. Anyone who needed proof found it last night at Camden Yards.
Travis Driskill, who spent the previous two seasons buried in the Houston Astros' minor-league system, took the mound opposite Kevin Pickford, a pitcher the San Diego Padres found out of the independent Atlantic League.
For seven innings, it was no contest.
Driskill was in line for another victory until Orioles relievers B.J. Ryan and Willis Roberts surrendered the lead. Ultimately, it took a 10th-inning home run by Tony Batista for the Orioles to pull out a 6-5 victory before 32,829 at Camden Yards.
"He's a power hitter," Orioles manager Mike Hargrove said of Batista. "The ball was jumping real well tonight. He got a pitch he could hit, and thank goodness he did."
Batista, claimed on waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays last season, has 16 home runs. This one came on a 2-2 pitch from Padres sidearm reliever J.J. Trujillo, who was making his major-league debut.
The Orioles are 6-0 in games decided in extra innings.
"I was looking for something to hit hard," Batista said. "I wasn't thinking home run, I was just trying to get a base hit. He threw me a slider, and I was waiting for that pitch."
Sometimes the best-laid pitching plans go up in smoke, and in some ways this has happened to both the Orioles and Padres this year.
Entering the season, the Orioles' starting pitching rotation was Scott Erickson, Jason Johnson, Sidney Ponson, Josh Towers and Calvin Maduro. Those five are a combined 9-22 this season.
Their other starters are 7-2.
To be sure, the Orioles have had remarkable success from the lower reaches of their pitching staff, and that's a big reason they have turned things around after finishing 35 games under .500 a year ago.
Even though the bullpen blew last night's lead, Driskill is 3-0, and two of those wins have come as a starter. Rodrigo Lopez, a former Padres reject who will start tonight, is 6-1, and five of those wins have come as a starter.
One quick glance at the Padres' statistics shows just how lucky the Orioles are.
With Adam Eaton, Kevin Jarvis and Brian Tollberg all injured, the Padres have had to struggle to get wins from the No. 4 and No. 5 spots in their rotation. Their top three pitchers - Brian Lawrence, Brett Tomko and Bobby Jones - are a combined 13-11. The rest of the starters are a combined 4-14.
Pickford and Driskill matched each other for 3 1/2 innings, and the score was tied 1-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth, when the Orioles came alive with four runs.
Batista and Marty Cordova hit back-to-back ground-rule doubles, giving the Orioles a 2-1 lead. Mike Bordick drew a one-out walk, Jerry Hairston lined a run-scoring double, and Melvin Mora added a two-run single.
Driskill wasn't quite as dazzling as he was in his win last Wednesday at Yankee Stadium, but he still held the Padres to two runs on nine hits over 6 1/3 innings. Ray Lankford homered to lead off the fourth inning, and Ron Gant made it 5-2 with a bases-empty homer with two outs in the sixth.
"I'll tell you the truth," Hargrove said. "When I know Travis is on the mound, I feel pretty good about it."
Hargrove doesn't feel quite as confident with Ryan and Roberts on the mound, and once again they showed why. Ryan, who entered with one out in the seventh inning, walked D'Angelo Jimenez to start the eighth. Ryan Klesko singled and then Ryan hit Lankford to load the bases.
Hargrove summoned Roberts, who might have the most deceptive ERA in baseball (1.78). Roberts has shown an inability to pitch well in close games, and that's why just six of his 29 appearances this season have come in save situations.
Roberts pitched out of a sixth-inning jam in Monday's victory, and with Rick Bauer struggling, Hargrove gave Roberts another big chance last night. It wasn't pretty. Roberts walked Gant on four pitches, forcing home a run, and then Bubba Trammell tied it with a two-run single.
Buddy Groom pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, and Jorge Julio (4-4) pitched the 10th to earn the victory.
"I can't keep going to them [Groom and Julio] every night," Hargrove said. "Other guys are going to have to step up, and they've got the talent to do that."
Orioles today
Opponent:San Diego Padres
Site:Camden Yards
Time:3:05 p.m.
TV/Radio:Ch. 54/WBAL (1090 AM)
Starters:Padres' Brian Lawrence (6-3, 3.36) vs. Orioles' Rodrigo Lopez (6-1, 2.51)