Corey Patterson

Only here Where else can a team be credited with a home run when a ball hits a "C ring" above the outfield? Carlos Pena set the Devil Rays' single-season home run record with a two-run shot in the seventh that broke a 4-4 tie. His homer, off reliever Jim Hoey, struck one of the circular catwalks inside Tropicana Field as right fielder Nick Markakis tried to camp under the ball near the wall. He played the carom and threw toward the infield, but Pena recorded his 35th homer. It's a start Never before had left-hander Kurt Birkins started a major league game until last night, but it probably felt like a long relief outing.

The stopper Jon Leicester hadn't made a start in more than two years before joining the rotation Saturday. He's riding a two-game winning streak. Leicester threw 5 2/3 shutout innings, allowing four hits, walking three and striking out one. Bench coach Tom Trebelhorn, serving as manager during Dave Trembley's three-game suspension, removed Leicester after 83 pitches. Jim Hoey entered the game and needed one pitch to strand two runners and preserve a 2-0 lead. No mismatch John Lackey, a 16-game winner and Cy Young candidate, figured to mow down an Orioles lineup that was missing Brian Roberts, Miguel Tejada, Ramon Hernandez, Melvin Mora and Corey Patterson - the last two because of injuries.

How it happened: It looked bleak for the Orioles after seven innings. Seattle led 5-1 on the strength of three homers off Orioles starting pitcher Kevin Millwood, and Mariners starter Felix Hernandez had dominated them, striking out seven while allowing just five hits and two walks. Hernandez, however, didn't come out for the eighth inning, having thrown 105 pitches. Reliever Brandon League took the mound for Seattle, and the Orioles got things started right away. Corey Patterson led with off with a solo homer to right field.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo said that ideally, he would have liked to give David Newhan a few more rehabilitation starts before bringing him back up to the major leagues. However, Sunday's trade of Jeff Conine left the Orioles thin in the outfield, leaving them little choice but to activate Newhan. Newhan, on the disabled list since fracturing his right fibula on April 17, wasn't in the starting lineup last night, but Perlozzo said he will find the veteran some at-bats as part of a likely outfield rotation with converted infielders Brandon Fahey and Fernando Tatis.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Corey Patterson's recent surge has helped energize the Orioles' offense. Has it also improved his chances of getting re-signed by the club? Patterson will be a free agent after this season, and the Orioles still haven't made a decision on his long-term future, according to multiple team sources. But if the 27-year-old center fielder wants to return for a third season with the Orioles - and he says he definitely would like to explore it - he hasn't hurt his cause over the past month.

With the Orioles squandering scoring opportunities in bunches through the first five innings, Friday night's series opener against the Cleveland Indians had the look of a game in which Jeremy Guthrie would have very little breathing room. That all changed in the sixth inning when the Orioles finally found a few hits with runners in scoring position while Guthrie continued his dominance over his former team. The Orioles right-hander, who was put on waivers by the Indians in 2007, shook off a rocky first to pitch eight strong innings in the Orioles' 8-1 victory in front of an announced 25.902 at Camden Yards.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- In his first start since returning from the World Baseball Classic, right-hander Daniel Cabrera battled through an inconsistent five innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits in the Orioles' 5-2 loss yesterday to the Florida Marlins at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. Cabrera retired the first two Marlins before allowing a single by Miguel Cabrera. A wild pitch and three straight walks, the last one to Dan Uggla, brought in the Marlins' first run. "I [didn't] control all my pitches," said Cabrera, who attributed his first-inning struggles to feeling out of shape.

The start of the second half opened with more roster juggling for Orioles interim manager Juan Samuel , who lost his starting catcher to injury, recalled the organization's top-hitting prospect and is waiting for the return of his designated hitter, big-money reliever and, eventually, All-Star leadoff man. Barring setbacks, Samuel said he expects designated hitter Luke Scott (left hamstring) and lefty reliever Michael Gonzalez (shoulder strain) to be back during this homestand.

Orioles manager Dave Trembley has effectively kept his composure throughout this train wreck of a season, answering the same questions day after day about his club's inability to win close games, hit in clutch spots, keep key players healthy and stay away from mental mistakes that continually haunt the team. After Sunday's 4-3, 10-inning loss to the Washington Nationals, Trembley's frustration -- and perhaps the pressure of being on the hot seat as his club enters a day off with a majors-worst 14-31 record -- boiled over.

Chicago Cubs Record, finish: 89-73, 3rd. Manager: Dusty Baker, 3rd season with Cubs, 13th overall. Payroll: $100 million. Hot seat: Jeromy Burnitz. Leaves altitude of Denver for challenge of replacing Sammy Sosa. Best case: Everything clicks and they become this year's Red Sox. ... Kerry Wood and Mark Prior combine for 38 wins and 450 innings. ... The ill vibe of last season gives way to the sort of "Dustiny" they were feeling in 2003. ... Derrek Lee finally overcomes his April bugaboo and strings six solid months together.