O's stumble into more good fortune

When you're going good, you're going good.

But this is ridiculous.

The Orioles won last night after blowing a five-run lead and nearly a four-run lead.

After missing signs, lucking out in rundowns and swinging at 3-0 pitches.

After removing their ace from a shutout, then seeing their vaunted bullpen allow a bases-loaded walk and pinch-hit grand slam in the seventh, plus two more runs in the eighth.

Orioles 9, Yankees 7.

Jesse Orosco gave up the Charlie Hayes slam, yet earned the win.

You explain it.

That's seven straight victories for the Orioles, 13 in the past 15 games and four straight over the Yankees. They lead their biggest division rivals by 9 1/2 games -- and 12 in the loss column.

"I like it," manager Davey Johnson said. "But it doesn't feel like it after that game tonight." It does to the Yankees.

They entered this series confident after winning five of six in Toronto and Boston and knowing their two top starters, David Cone and Andy Pettitte, would face the Orioles.

And now?

"They're so far ahead you can't even look at them," Pettitte said. "If you think about them right now, you can dig yourself a bigger hole."

The Orioles won last night after the Yankees brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the eighth and the ninth.

After Yankees catcher Jorge Posada overran a bunt.

And after Cal Ripken autographed books until 3: 30 in the morning.

Forget the Atlanta Braves.

The Orioles are hotter than the Chicago Bulls.

Michael Jordan plays 46 holes of golf, the Bulls lose.

Ripken signs 2,200 books, the Orioles win.

The future Hall of Famer/Pulitzer Prize winner risked writer's cramp at Borders

in Towson until the wee hours yesterday morning, then hit a home run last night.

Evidently, Iron is tougher than Air.

Ripken also delivered the critical ground ball to third in the Orioles' four-run seventh, the one that wound up loading the bases with none out when Posada's throw to third struck Brady Anderson in the right elbow.

Anderson leads the American League with seven hit-by-pitches after getting hit a club-record 22 times last season. Now he's taking one for the team on the bases as well.

Rafael Palmeiro followed with a two-run double to break the tie, and the Orioles added two more runs to take a 9-5 lead.

But of course, it wasn't over.

With the Yankees, it's never over.

These teams played the longest nine-inning game in major-league history and a 15-inning marathon at Camden Yards last season. The 10-inning opener of this series lasted 3 hours, 47 minutes. Last night's game went 3: 46.

"You getting your money's worth?" Palmeiro asked near midnight. "That's the way it's going to be all year when we play them. Neither team wants to die."

The outcome might not have been as close if Johnson had stuck with Mussina longer, but the manager didn't want to extend his ace beyond 106 pitches with a 5-0 lead and his bullpen rested.

"I'm not going to push him," Johnson said. "It's a long season."

Mussina took a three-hit shutout into the seventh, but after allowing back-to-back one-out singles, he was gone.

"He asked me how I felt [at the end of the sixth]. I said I was OK," Mussina said. "He said, 'We'll take it one hitter at a time.' A couple of guys got on base, and that was it."

The Orioles allowed five runs in the seventh -- as many as they had given up in that inning all season. They already miss the injured Alan Mills on the right side of their bullpen. And now Terry Mathews is becoming a problem.

Mathews faced two hitters after replacing Mussina, allowing a single to Luis Sojo and a bases-loaded walk to Mark Whiten. In his last three appearances, he has allowed seven walks and six runs in two-thirds of an inning.

"I need him," Johnson said. "He's a very integral part of our bullpen."

Yankees manager Joe Torre should have such problems.

The Orioles have scored 12 runs in the seventh inning in their four victories over New York. And last night, Jeff Nelson and Graeme Lloyd committed a cardinal sin, allowing the Orioles to regain the lead immediately after the Yankees had tied the score.

Remember Mariano Rivera?

He became the closer after the Yankees lost John Wetteland.

And the Orioles have yet to face him this season.

Meanwhile, Armando Benitez needed to strike out Bernie Williams twice after plate umpire Don Denkinger appeared to blow a call with two on and two out in the eighth.

Randy Myers earned his 18th save in 19 opportunities after the Yankees put runners on first and third in the ninth, and it was over.

A word of caution:

These teams play eight more times in September. And the Orioles closed to within 2 1/2 games of the Yankees last season after falling 12 back on July 28.

Still, when you're going good, you're going good.

And right now, the Orioles look unstoppable.

Pub Date: 6/05/97