Hits And Misses

On the field: Second baseman Bret Barberie has had a resurgence in the past 10 days, at the plate and in the field. He made one of the best plays of the Orioles' season yesterday, diving headlong to his right to spear a liner by White Sox first baseman Frank Thomas in the seventh inning. The ball stuck in the top of the webbing of Barberie's glove. "I've attempted many of those and not gotten one," Barberie said of the snow-cone catch. "You hit the ground and the ball falls out."

In the dugout: The White Sox employed, as many teams do, a defensive shift against Orioles designated hitter Harold Baines. But Chicago's is the most radical: shortstop Ozzie Guillen was positioned where the second baseman usually plays, and second baseman Ray Durham was playing in the first base hole. Baines, who went 0-for-4, hit a grounder to Guillen in the sixth.

In the clubhouse: Most of the Orioles knew White Sox designated hitter John Kruk planned to retire yesterday. But catcher Greg Zaun had no clue until after the game; Kruk didn't say a word to him before he hit a single in the first inning. "I had no idea," Zaun said. "I'm a rookie. Nobody tells me anything."