First Inning

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -When Manny Acta looks at new Washington Nationals pitcher Daniel Cabrera, he sees the same thing everyone in Baltimore has been looking at for the past five years. Enormous potential and room to wonder why it has never been realized. The challenge, of course, is to find a way to succeed where so many other managers and pitching coaches have failed, and find the key that unlocks all that pent-up pitching talent. Acta thinks he and pitching coach Randy St. Claire might have made a fairly basic change in his delivery that could make a difference, but Cabrera's erratic performance yesterday against the Orioles would have fit right into the body of work that convinced the Orioles to nontender him in December.

Not right in left Jay Gibbons had a first inning he'd rather forget. Starting in left field against Chicago, he almost robbed Jim Thome of a home run after reaching above the fence, but did not get much lift on his jump. He was booed after committing an error on Jermaine Dye's run-scoring single, and couldn't catch Rob Mackowiak's fly ball near the line, pulling up at the last instant as the ball fell in for a two-run double. Guthrie impostor That had to be somebody else starting for the Orioles last night.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- In one inning, Orioles pitcher Garrett Olson needed to be rescued. Then it was his opponent's turn. Starting for Team 1 in yesterday's intrasquad game, Olson had trouble locating the plate in the first inning while allowing a run, two hits and a walk and hitting a batter. But in the second, he struck out two and got a fly ball. The left-hander threw so many pitches in the first, he reached his limit with two outs and the bases loaded. Under relaxed intrasquad rules, players were pulled from the field and the game moved to the second inning.

In the Cal Ripken 12-and-under World Series' five years in Aberdeen, the one constant has been Mexico playing in the International championship game. Mexico, which has won the previous four International titles here, advanced again yesterday, surviving a scare from Japan (2-3) for a hard-earned 3-1 victory at Cal Sr.'s Yard. Mexico (5-0) will face the Dominican Republic (4-1) in the International final today at 3 p.m. Southeast Lexington, Ky. (4-1) will play Tampa, Fla. (4-1) in the U.S. title game today at 5:30 p.m. The International and U.S. winners will meet tomorrow at 5 p.m. for the championship.

CLEVELAND -- As the Orioles plodded toward another defeat last night, their 66th of a trying season, the only intrigue that remained was the possible insertion of reliever Jesse Orosco in the late innings.Would he break Dennis Eckersley's record for most games pitched on national television and before a collection of fans who wouldn't truly appreciate the moment, or achieve the milestone at home later this week and be showered with affection?In a move far less predictable than the Orioles' latest dud at Jacobs Field, Orosco remained in the bullpen as the Cleveland Indians completed a series sweep with a 5-1 victory before 43,020, assuring that he'll surpass Eckersley's total of 1,071 during a six-game homestand that begins tomorrow.

All of a sudden there is a race for the top seed in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference, but that comes as no surprise, not even to the coach who was in front by two games when the week started.No. 5 Loyola (10-4 overall, 8-2 league) ran into tough left-hander Ryan Kyle yesterday and dropped its second straight, 5-2, to No. 3 Calvert Hall at Redwood Park in Loch Raven.Loyola hangs onto first in the league, but Calvert Hall (14-5, 8-3) and No. 2 Mount St. Joseph (13-5, 7-3)

Highlights and lowlights from the Orioles' 10-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Fort Lauderdale Stadium:Juan Guzman: Working on a two-seamer, he showed the form that makes opposing batters dread every at-bat against him.Doug Linton: It appears the "Tommy John" surgery in '97 was a complete success. So far, Linton has been the same.Willis Otanez: Out of options, but not out of the club's plans. Not by a long shot.Davey Johnson: Always good copy, even when he's not trying.Outfield communication: The Dodgers need some of their youngsters to work on it. Now.Brady Anderson: Goes 0-for-3 but scores twice and drives in a run. Neat trick.

Sitting behind his desk before last night's game against the Chicago White Sox, Orioles manager Ray Miller was asked to reflect on Monday's exhibition against a Cuban all-star team. His mind clicked into rewind mode, then fast-forward. Missing was his ability, or perhaps willingness, to cue it up to the evening in question."We had a good weekend against Minnesota," he said, referring to the Orioles' first series win of the year, "and I'm looking forward to playing Chicago."Nowhere was mention made of the Cuban crisis.

What a rush.His arrival happened so quickly that Matt Riley literally couldn't catch his breath last night. Two years out of high school and only 44 minor-league starts after being drafted in 1997, Riley gave the Orioles a peek at 2 2/3 eventful innings in his major-league debut against the Minnesota Twins.No one was asked to pass judgment on what became a 6-5 Orioles victory, most of all Riley. However, in the dying days of a lost season, glimpses at the future are especially important.The Orioles' most prized prospect allowed two earned runs and eight base runners to complete a whirlwind tour that began in Single-A Frederick in April and has now carried him for more than 180 innings.

Athletics: The club is two victories away from the 2,500-win mark since moving to Oakland for the 1968 season. The A's are 2,498-2,398 since the move.Blue Jays: Toronto went 5-for-16 with runners in scoring position after going 0-for-10 in Tuesday's 6-1 loss.Indians: LF David Justice did not play because of a strained left calf and is listed as day-to-day.Mariners: Jeff Fassero and Jamie Moyer, Seattle's Nos. 1 and 2 starters, combined to give up 14 earned runs in 12 innings in the first two games of the season against the White Sox. All six Seattle homers this season have been with the bases empty.

Officially, the Orioles played nine innings against the Tampa Bay Rays and their rookie right-hander Wade Davis in a 3-0 defeat Thursday night. The first inning, though, was the only one that mattered. Davis, a heralded prospect making just the third start of his major league career, loaded the bases with no outs in the first, but the Orioles couldn't get the ball out of the infield and failed to score. They never had much of a chance after that as Davis retired 25 of the final 28 batters he faced on his way to a shutout that doubled as his first big league win. He allowed three base runners to start the night and three more for the rest of the game.

When Matt Albers jogged in from the bullpen in the worst spot that a reliever possibly could be thrust into, he told himself he would be perfectly content giving up one run. Sure, that would have meant the Orioles had lost the lead and Jeremy Guthrie's perseverance after an ugly first inning would result only in a no-decision. But Albers had to be realistic. With the bases loaded and nobody out and the Orioles up by only a run, anything short of the Washington Nationals taking the lead in the top of the sixth had to be considered a positive result.

In one of his rare public admissions of frustration, Orioles manager Dave Trembley said before Friday's series opener against the Atlanta Braves that he is worn out by having to answer the same questions and wishes everybody would just "turn the page." But Trembley has been around the game long enough to know that simply won't happen until his team does the same and finds a way to break an offensive slump that has put a stranglehold on its season. The Orioles had their leadoff runner on in five of their first six innings and six of nine overall.

OAKLAND, Calif. - -Just a week ago, the Orioles were feeling pretty good about themselves. They had won seven of eight games thanks to solid starting pitching, timely hitting and the contributions of several young players who injected enthusiasm and hope into a clubhouse in need of both. Now, after another blowout loss at the hands of the Oakland Athletics - this one by a 9-4 score Saturday at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum - they appear to be a team in total disarray. Their starters have given up 15 earned runs and gotten just 12 outs over the past two nights, with Jason Berken becoming the latest to falter as he allowed nine earned runs and a franchise-record tying seven doubles in just 3 1/3 innings.

WASHINGTON - -Orioles manager Dave Trembley is hopeful that his most effective starter, Koji Uehara, won't miss any time with a hamstring injury after leaving the team's 2-1 win against the Washington Nationals on Saturday night. He's not necessarily leaving it to chance, though. "I don't think it is serious, but I sure am going to be saying my prayers tonight and hoping it is not," Trembley said after the game. "Because he is so important to us, but we will see how he is [Sunday]." Uehara left after three innings with soreness in his left hamstring - the same one he strained in spring training that cost him two weeks of preparation.

COLLEGE PARK - -Senior pitcher Jordan Eades and the Franklin Indians began playing up to their potential during Saturday's Class 3A state title game against Northern of Calvert County. Unfortunately for the Indians, it began an inning late. Before the No. 6 Indians rid themselves of championship game jitters, the Patriots scored four first-inning runs. It was plenty for sophomore pitcher Kaitlyn Schmeiser, who lost her bid for a perfect game with two outs in the sixth and ended up with a one-hitter in Northern's 4-0 win over Franklin at the University of Maryland.

NEW YORK - -If there were any ambiguity about the extent the Orioles were dominated over three grueling nights at new Yankee Stadium - and there certainly shouldn't be - consider the following: In the 27 innings played in the series against the New York Yankees, the Orioles trailed after all of them. The battered club mercifully headed out of town late Thursday after they were beaten, 7-4, in a game that they fell behind by six runs in the second inning before an announced 43,342 at Yankee Stadium.

Calvert Hall became the first team to win a fifth consecutive Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A-Conference championship Wednesday night when it out-dueled Cardinal Gibbons, 4-3, scratching out the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen. Pinch hitter Sean LaMarre got the inning going with a single. After Patrick Blair and Evan Cain loaded the bases, Scott Merkel, who was pinch-running for LaMarre, who had pinch hit for him, scored the winning run when sophomore Matt Bosse laid down a perfect bunt between home plate and third base.

GETTING WET The game's originally-scheduled first pitch was delayed 42 minutes after the rains hit before the game. The Orioles and Twins were able to play 1 1/2 innings before the tarp was applied again with one out in the bottom of the second. The two teams sat through a 40-minute delay before the game re-started. This time, they were able to make it into the top of the fourth before crew chief Randy Marsh called for the tarp after Mark Hendrickson had thrown two pitches. It stayed on for an hour, 27 minutes before play resumed IN NICK OF TIME If the game had been postponed before the top of the fifth inning, Nick Markakis would have lost his fifth home run. Markakis hit a two-run shot off the foul pole in right field in the first inning.

No. 2 Fallston gave starter Jordan Lozzi a big early lead, and the left-hander scattered six hits over 6 2/3 strong innings to help the visiting Cougars to an 8-2 victory over No. 12 Bel Air in an Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference game Saturday. Fallston (13-0, 9-0) staked Lozzi to a 6-1 lead in the second inning. The Cougars scored three runs in the first and second innings, and six of their first 10 batters scored. That was more than enough for Lozzi, who kept Bel Air (9-2, 6-2)