Baerga

When you put up the kind of numbers that Cleveland secon baseman Carlos Baerga did last season, you may have to play two styles of games the next season.There is, of course, the game that is played on the field, and then there is the game of expectations.The latter is the hardest one to play because the stakes are ever increasing and it's a nearly impossible game to win. So far, however, Baerga is holding his own.Baerga said: "I have to put it [last season] aside. I know people will expect the same kind of numbers.

On September 21, 2004, AGNES B. (nee Boldowsky); dearest wife of the late John R. Lomax; devoted mother of Virginia Lomax Baerga; beloved mother-in-law of the late Kenneth Baerga; loving sister of Mary Marshall. Also survived by many other loving relatives and friends. Funeral Services will be held Saturday, 11 A.M. at the Church of the Redemption. Family invite friends to call at the Charles L. Stevens Funeral Home, Inc., 1501 E. Fort Avenue, Locust Point, MD, on Thursday and Friday, 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. Interment Holy Trinity Cemetery.

ATLANTA -- In the ninth inning of Game 1 of the World Series, the attention was focused on Greg Maddux as he completed a two-hit masterpiece. But something else happened on the game's final pitch that could have grave consequences for Cleveland.Indians second baseman Carlos Baerga rolled his left ankle after he swung at the game's final pitch and caught his spikes in the dirt around home plate. The ankle swelled, and Baerga was wearing a small brace when he took the field last night.Baerga injured the ankle in Minnesota during the regular season and has been playing most of the season less than 100 percent, Indians manager Mike Hargrove confirmed.

WHEN PEDRO Martinez returned to his locker yesterday after the Red Sox clobbered the Orioles, 13-2, he smiled. Waiting for baseball's newest 20-game winner were three wilted helium balloons, a bottle of champagne on ice and a fruit basket. Why fruit? "Let's eat fruit. It's a gift. It's a celebration," the Boston ace teased. What made him most happy, however, was a little piece of yellow legal paper carrying a crooked, handwritten note from a veteran teammate. "God never forgets his sons.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Increasingly impatient with a four-week free fall that threatens to bury them before June, the Orioles have discussed a trade that would send second baseman Roberto Alomar and possibly first baseman Rafael Palmeiro to the New York Mets for a package including switch-hitting second baseman Carlos Baerga, club sources confirmed.Talks have been ongoing for about a week but are not close to the critical stage, according to a club source familiar with the discussions.The Orioles apparently would include Palmeiro if the Mets part with first baseman John Olerud and pitcher Dave Mlicki.

The Orioles hit into a triple play for the 14th time in their history last night in the sixth inning.With the bases loaded and none out, Brady Anderson flied out to Kenny Lofton in left-center and Lofton then threw to the plate to get Leo Gomez, who had tagged at third.Cleveland catcher Sandy Alomar then threw to second baseman Carlos Baerga as Jeff Tackett was hung up between first and second.Baerga was not at the bag and Tackett made it to second, but Tim Hulett was caught between second and third, and Baerga fired to third baseman Jim Thome to retire Hulett and end the inning.

On September 21, 2004, AGNES B. (nee Boldowsky); dearest wife of the late John R. Lomax; devoted mother of Virginia Lomax Baerga; beloved mother-in-law of the late Kenneth Baerga; loving sister of Mary Marshall. Also survived by many other loving relatives and friends. Funeral Services will be held Saturday, 11 A.M. at the Church of the Redemption. Family invite friends to call at the Charles L. Stevens Funeral Home, Inc., 1501 E. Fort Avenue, Locust Point, MD, on Thursday and Friday, 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. Interment Holy Trinity Cemetery.

CLEVELAND -- Move over Ben McDonald, you have company.The big right-hander isn't the only pitcher on the Orioles' staff suffering from a lack of run support. A good case can also be made for Fernando Valenzuela, who had another strong outing yesterday but came out on the short end of a 3-0 score against the Indians."The name of this game is winning, not losing," said Valenzuela who has pitched much better than his record would indicate. In his past 10 starts, the left-hander has allowed three runs or less seven times, but is 2-5 with three no-decisions to show for it."

Quote: "Walk [Mark] McGwire with nobody on, that's a legend. Jim Poole and Dusty Baker will be trivia, and McGwire will be the legend. Sorry, Dusty." -- Giants pitcher Orel HershiserIt's a fact: Attendance was so high that the Mets ran out of children's jerseys they were giving away.Who's hot: The Mets' Carlos Baerga, subject of trade talks involving the Orioles, had three hits,including his fourth homer, to raise his average to a season-high .280. He is hitting .355 in May.Who's not: The Rockies' Ellis Burks struck out four times, extending his slump to 1-for-31.

CLEVELAND -- Catcher Jeff Tackett thought it was a good pitch. Manager John Oates said he had no quarrel with the selection.Pitcher Mike Mussina, who threw the ball and suffered the consequences, disagreed with both.The Orioles had just suffered another frustrating one-run loss, a 2-1 decision to the lowly Cleveland Indians that was decided in the ninth inning. Mussina had taken a three-hit shutout into that last inning and was unforgiving of himself that the Indians added four more hits while scoring two runs in their final at-bat.

Teen Challenge, a national Christian faith-based drug and alcohol treatment program for adults of all ages, has come to Baltimore.Teen Challenge of Baltimore has opened temporary administrative offices in the 1200 block of N. Calvert St. and will begin accepting clients in two months. The organization purchased a building in the 2100 block of St. Paul St., which it will renovate to accommodate as many as 22 men and three staff members. The program, for which radio station WCAO-AM raised more than $20,000 last month, will join a handful of religious-based rehabilitation programs in the city.

NEW YORK -- The Big Apple took another bite out of the Orioles last night, and just when it appeared no one was coming back for seconds.The Orioles carried a one-run lead into the seventh inning, then lost their grip. The game eventually went with it. Carlos Baerga blooped a two-out single into right-center off Armando Benitez in the ninth inning to score Edgardo Alfonzo and give the New York Mets a 3-2 victory before 35,156 at Shea Stadium.Benitez replaced Jesse Orosco to begin the ninth and walked Alfonzo.

Quote: "Walk [Mark] McGwire with nobody on, that's a legend. Jim Poole and Dusty Baker will be trivia, and McGwire will be the legend. Sorry, Dusty." -- Giants pitcher Orel HershiserIt's a fact: Attendance was so high that the Mets ran out of children's jerseys they were giving away.Who's hot: The Mets' Carlos Baerga, subject of trade talks involving the Orioles, had three hits,including his fourth homer, to raise his average to a season-high .280. He is hitting .355 in May.Who's not: The Rockies' Ellis Burks struck out four times, extending his slump to 1-for-31.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Increasingly impatient with a four-week free fall that threatens to bury them before June, the Orioles have discussed a trade that would send second baseman Roberto Alomar and possibly first baseman Rafael Palmeiro to the New York Mets for a package including switch-hitting second baseman Carlos Baerga, club sources confirmed.Talks have been ongoing for about a week but are not close to the critical stage, according to a club source familiar with the discussions.The Orioles apparently would include Palmeiro if the Mets part with first baseman John Olerud and pitcher Dave Mlicki.

The Cleveland Indians don't abuse opposing teams like they did last year, when they had Carlos Baerga hitting third and Jim Thome batting seventh or, sometimes, eighth in the lineup. They're not as capable of scoring 20 runs in a game; their offense isn't as dynamic as it was in 1995.They might win 100 games in this 162-game season after going 100-44 in 1995.But, believe it or not, the Indians are a better team than they were last year; much better equipped for the demands of postseason play; more capable of beating the Atlanta Braves in the World Series.

ATLANTA -- In the ninth inning of Game 1 of the World Series, the attention was focused on Greg Maddux as he completed a two-hit masterpiece. But something else happened on the game's final pitch that could have grave consequences for Cleveland.Indians second baseman Carlos Baerga rolled his left ankle after he swung at the game's final pitch and caught his spikes in the dirt around home plate. The ankle swelled, and Baerga was wearing a small brace when he took the field last night.Baerga injured the ankle in Minnesota during the regular season and has been playing most of the season less than 100 percent, Indians manager Mike Hargrove confirmed.

CLEVELAND -- Baltimore Orioles rookie Mike Mussina doesn't like to lose. That much was written all over his face after the Cleveland Indians staged a ninth-inning comeback to score a 2-1 victory yesterday at Cleveland Stadium.Mussina carried a three-hit shutout through eight innings, but gave up four hits in the ninth, including a squeeze bunt by Mark Lewis and a game-winning RBI double to Carlos Baerga.The Orioles headed home from a 2-4 road trip to take on the Boston Red Sox in a three-game series that could have a significant impact on the American League East race.

What did you expect them to do, choke?Not a chance.Eddie Murray and Dennis Martinez did just what the dramatic script called for them to do. They captured an audience that used to be their own, treated them to a slice of yesterday, owned Baltimore for one more night.Working for the Cleveland Indians now, the old pros answered ovations with clutch performances and sent the Orioles home losers, 4-2, in a 10-inning game played before 47,508 last night at Camden Yards.Murray clanked his 448th career home run halfway up the foul pole in right field, the foul pole transplanted from Memorial Stadium.