Home cooking, A's once again burn Orioles, 7-2

Maybe the Orioles should run away from home.

They won seven of 10 games on the West Coast, pulled within 4 1/2 games of the wild-card lead, but faced a nine-game homestand.

The question was: Could the Orioles win at Camden Yards? Last night, they failed to beat the Oakland Athletics for the second straight night, losing, 7-2, before 40,013. Orioles starter Jamie Moyer lasted only 3 1/3 innings, as he fell to 8-5.

"I thought coming home, we'd really play well," Orioles manager Phil Regan said. "We had a great road trip. I can't explain the way we've played the last two nights."

Homecomings have been nightmares for the Orioles in recent weeks. They have lost five of their last six games in Baltimore and have won only three of their last 12.

Their 26 home wins are the third fewest in the American League.

"That's not a good stat," Bobby Bonilla said. "You definitely need to play well at home. We were fortunate to stay 4 1/2 back of Texas."

The Rangers lead the wild-card chase, but barely, holding a half-game edge over Milwaukee, Kansas City and Seattle. The A's picked up their second game in two nights and now stand tied with New York, 2 1/2 back.

Texas has lost two in a row. The Orioles actually have picked up a half-game since their road trip because of Monday's off day.

There are no more off days, and mostly home games: 14 of the Orioles' next 17 are at Camden Yards.

"We could play on the sandlot, we've got to win," third baseman Jeff Manto said. "The home-field advantage is great in our favor, but the bottom line is we've got to win."

The Orioles again made a little-known rookie, Doug Johns (3-0), look like a star. Johns got his first win against them Aug. 20 in Oakland.

This time Johns beat them at home, allowing one run, six hits, and one walk in 6 1/3 innings. Johns' only mistake came in the seventh on a bases-empty home run by Rafael Palmeiro. It was Palmeiro's 32nd, tying him for second in the AL.

But besides Palmeiro, only Harold Baines (double, two singles) was hitting.

The Orioles' best scoring opportunity came in the eighth. Cal Ripken hit a ground-rule double, Bonilla walked, and Palmeiro singled to right, scoring Ripken.

After Greg Zaun fouled out, Baines walked to load the bases. Oakland manager Tony La Russa brought in closer Dennis Eckersley.

It was Eckersley's sixth eighth-inning appearance of the year. He retired pinch hitter Bret Barberie on a weak dribbler and mowed down the Orioles in the ninth for his 26th save.

Afterward, Regan questioned his team's heart. "I think there are some guys who are giving 100 percent," he said. "I think we all need to do that. We have one month to play, and we have a chance to win. I hope everybody feels that way."

The A's didn't give them much of a chance last night, jumping on Moyer.

Moyer started off shakily, walking Rickey Henderson on four straight pitches. Manto turned a rocket by Scott Brosius into a double play, short-hopping the ball with a backhand stab. Brent Gates' double was rendered meaningless when Moyer struck out Mark McGwire.

Moyer got lucky that time.

But not in the second inning. Geronimo Berroa led off with a triple into the left-center-field gap and Terry Steinbach homered to the opposite field, and the A's led 2-0.

After sailing through the third inning, Moyer retired only one more batter. Berroa led off the fourth with a walk, Steinbach grounded into a fielder's choice, and Stan Javier reached on a dubious hit-by-pitch.

The pitch appeared to hit Javier's bat handle, not Javier. It wasn't anything new to the Orioles. A similar occurrence with Felix Fermin on Aug. 21 opened the door to the winning rally in a 6-0 loss in Seattle. This time it set the stage for a back-breaking three-run inning.

For with men on first and second, Orioles killer Craig Paquette -- a career .369 (24-for-65) hitter against Baltimore with five homers and 18 RBIs, including the two game-winners Tuesday -- singled to left to score Steinbach. The A's led 3-0, and Regan yanked Moyer. It was the second straight start Moyer didn't make it out of the fourth inning. His line read: 3 1/3 innings, five runs, five hits, two walks and three strikeouts.

It looked worse because of relief pitcher Jim Dedrick, who didn't do Moyer or the Orioles any favors.

Mike Bordick's double off Manto's glove scored a run, and Henderson's sacrifice fly to deep right scored another. Brosius grounded out to end the inning, but the A's led 5-0.

They weren't through with Dedrick. Gates -- who already had singled and doubled, led off the fifth with a triple off the right-field scoreboard. McGwire then blasted Dedrick's next offering nearly out of the yard, but Bonilla pulled the ball back into it with a great catch. Gates scored on the home run-turned-sacrifice fly to give the A's a 6-0 bulge.

The highlight of the evening was the unfurling of another number on the warehouse. After five innings, consecutive game 2,124 was official.

What else did the fans have to get excited about? Nothing, of late, at home.

"We didn't pitch very well, we didn't hit very well, we didn't field very well," Regan said. "When you do that, you don't win."

ORIOLES TONIGHT

Opponent: Oakland Athletics

Site: Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Time: 7:35

TV/Radio: Ch. 13/WBAL (1090 AM)

Starters: A's Todd Stottlemyre (12-5, 4.19) vs. Orioles' Scott Erickson (9-10, 5.54)

Tickets: 8,300 remain