They met at Kevin Millar's locker 30 minutes before yesterday's first pitch, a players-only gathering that was aimed at ending a confounding 15-game losing streak on Sunday, and avoiding the tiresome questions that would surely follow after another defeat.
Millar offered precious few details of what happened, acknowledging only that he called on his experience as one of the clubhouse leaders of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who won the World Series.
"I can't talk about that," a grinning Millar said. "We met at my locker at 1:05, and the boys broke something. It's a fluky thing, 15 straight Sundays. We don't have to hear about the streak [anymore]."
Relying on six strong innings from Garrett Olson and a career-high three RBIs from backup catcher Guillermo Quiroz, the Orioles downed the Los Angeles Angels, 5-2, before 23,365 at Camden Yards, denying the visitors a three-game sweep, avoiding a season-high six-game skid and giving Dave Trembley's club its first Sunday victory since April 6.
Trembley, who didn't have much else to feel good about during the team's 4-7 homestand, entered his post-game news conference puffing away at a victory cigar. "It's done. It's dead," he said. "Put it to rest. I will not take one question on it."
With a defeat yesterday, the Orioles would have been the holders of the longest streak of losses on any specific day since the 1939 St. Louis Browns dropped 21 straight Tuesday games, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Instead, an Orioles lineup that didn't include struggling second baseman Brian Roberts, ailing third baseman Melvin Mora or catcher Ramon Hernandez jumped on Angels starter Ervin Santana for five runs over five-plus innings, and the team got a rare quality start from one of its pitchers.
Olson (7-5) allowed two earned runs over six innings, and Chad Bradford, Jim Johnson and closer George Sherrill combined to get the final nine outs.
"It makes a difference when you get a quality start," Trembley said.
Olson, who hadn't won since June 28, became the first Orioles starter to work six complete innings since Jeremy Guthrie did it July 18, and registered the first quality start by an Oriole since Brian Burres contained the Red Sox over 6 1/3 innings on July 11.
"I was thinking about it," Olson said of the team's Sunday skid. "It's definitely awesome. Last Sunday, we were all kind of fed up. It was definitely a goal of mine, and I think everybody here just wanted to end it finally. Fortunately for us, we did, and now we can move on."
