New half, old O's result

The Baltimore Sun

The season's second half began yesterday with a speech from Orioles interim manager Dave Trembley before batting practice that was delivered in right field and concluded with his players breaking into spontaneous applause. He was a hit. The message was positive, and so were the reviews.

Then the game started, killing the buzz that Trembley created until it neared the end.

A candidate for the All-Star team a few weeks ago, Jeremy Guthrie turned in his worst outing as a starter, failing to complete the fourth inning for the only time since leaving the Orioles' bullpen. The Chicago White Sox sent nine batters to the plate in the first, scoring four times, and withstood a furious rally by the Orioles to win, 9-7, before an announced crowd of 21,000 at Camden Yards.

Kevin Millar hit a three-run homer off White Sox reliever Boone Logan in the ninth inning after the Orioles (38-50) had scored twice to cut into a 9-2 deficit. They sent the tying run to the plate with two outs, but pinch hitter Jay Payton swung at the first pitch from closer Bobby Jenks and bounced into a forceout.

"Well, that's the way it's been since we took over. I expect that's the way it's going to be for the rest of the year," Trembley said. "The guys will play hard."

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen went to his bullpen three times in the ninth, beginning with Dewon Day, who didn't retire any of the four batters he faced. Shortstop Luis Hernandez collected his first major league hit and RBI with a double that chased Day.

"We got down early, but there was a lot of game left," said Millar, who also had a run-scoring single in the sixth off starter Jon Garland (7-6). "This team, we kept battling. That last inning, a couple first-pitch hits and it turned out to be an exciting game."

It also could be a costly one, with Melvin Mora scheduled to undergo magnetic resonance imaging and a CT scan on his left foot after reinjuring it in the first inning.

Mora returned to the lineup for the first time since bruising the foot July 1, but he felt a twinge while chasing a foul ball and again after grounding out in his only at-bat. He didn't return for the second inning.

"It feels terrible," he said. "I came here walking fine, but after that first foul ball the leadoff guy [Jerry Owens] hit to the stands and I tried to react and go back, I felt it really bad. And when I stepped to home plate and Garland threw me inside, I thought, 'OK, this is not good.' I'm scared to see what they're going to find in there."

Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye homered off Guthrie, who allowed six runs (five earned) and nine hits - both season highs - in 3 2/3 innings. The White Sox had five straight hits in the first and scored all four runs, with two outs.

Guthrie remains stuck on one victory since May 29. In the past, he has been undone by poor run support or late-inning bullpen collapses. But he had to accept most of the blame last night for a performance that raised his ERA from 2.74 to 3.07 and changed his ranking in the American League from second to fifth.

"I made bad pitches with two strikes. That was the biggest key," he said. "In the first inning, four of those five hits were with two strikes. I put myself in a position to get some outs, but I couldn't finish them off, and I think that was the difference early."

Guthrie (4-3) continues to search for his first win since June 20. He has allowed 13 runs over his past three starts covering 17 2/3 innings after posting ERAs of 1.78 and 1.69 in the past two months.

"I thought he labored. I thought he was forcing it a little bit. He didn't have the finish on his pitches that we've seen before," Trembley said.

"The guy has pitched almost like he's invincible and tonight he showed he's vulnerable."

Guthrie has surrendered seven home runs in his past five starts. He retired the first two batters last night and got two quick strikes on Thome before catching too much of the plate with a 97-mph fastball.

Left fielder Jay Gibbons had some trouble tracking the ball before running out of room at the fence. He reached up for it, his feet barely leaving the ground, and came within inches of making the catch.

It was a difficult inning for Gibbons, who overran another ball on Dye's RBI single and pulled up near the line on Rob Mackowiak's two-run double.

Guthrie also walked Josh Fields before striking out No. 9 hitter Juan Uribe. He threw 33 pitches in the inning, 81 for the game.

"I think it shows how good he's pitched and how he's kept us in every game he's pitched," Trembley said. "This start is not indicative of how he's pitched and what he's meant to this team."

Earlier in the day, Trembley met with his players in the area of the field where they stretch before batting practice. He delivered a message that left no room for interpretation.

"Let's play better," Trembley said. "Let's do the little things better. And let's have fun doing it."

The good times didn't arrive until the ninth, and it was too late. But not by much.

"We kept fighting," Millar said. "That's the sign of a good team."

roch.kubatko@baltsun.com

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