Hoiles

CLEVELAND -- As of Tuesday the Orioles may find themselves in the odd position of having too many healthy pitchers. The result may mean an extended stay for Doug Drabek in roster limbo.Drabek, on the disabled list since Aug. 1 with a strained left hamstring, threw pain-free in the bullpen for 10 minutes before Friday night's game. The news got better yesterday when Drabek's hamstring did not become sore overnight. However, his improved condition doesn't necessarily translate into his being activated today.

CLEVELAND -- Chris Hoiles made his point. Then the Orioles catcher smothered it in history to make sure everyone noticed.Enjoying the most prolific offensive performance of the season, Hoiles last night became only the ninth major-league player -- and the first catcher -- to hammer two grand slams in a game. Batting eighth within a lineup that crushed the Cleveland Indians, 15-3, before 43,169 at Jacobs Field, Hoiles finished with eight RBIs and three hits, reminding all who may have doubted that his potential for wrecking remains.

Orioles manager Ray Miller broke out a predominantly right-handed lineup yesterday against Detroit left-hander Justin Thompson, starting Jeffrey Hammonds in center field and batting Chris Hoiles fifth as his designated hitter. The changes fortified Miller's bench with left-handed hitters Brady Anderson, Harold Baines and Rich Becker.Passing by the manager's office and glancing at the lineup, Eric Davis joked about Miller giving away his DH job. But Davis kept busy, starting in right field on consecutive days for the first time since late June.

DETROIT -- The Orioles' payback tour continued last night. What they did to the Detroit Tigers bordered on cruel and unusual.However, what ended as a 14-2 beating before 19,607 at Tiger Stadium can no longer be considered unusual. The Orioles equaled their season high for runs and had 18 hits, coming up one hit short of their season best in that category.Now 16-3 since the All-Star break, the Orioles (54-53) had four players who managed three hits apiece. Six scored two runs or more. And none was more prolific than catcher Chris Hoiles, who smacked two home runs and a double and left with six RBIs.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The appearance of a left-handed starter proved far more persuasive in manager Ray Miller's construction of last night's lineup than the Orioles' recent steamrolling offense. Countering the Anaheim Angels' Jarrod Washburn, Miller rested center fielder Brady Anderson and shortstop Mike Bordick. Miller also allowed Chris Hoiles his first turn as designated hitter and Eric Davis his first start in center field since June 15 and first outfield start since July 12.Davis continues to be bothered with bone chips in his right elbow but has prospered at DH. Of the elbow condition, Miller said, "It's something that might be with him the rest of his life."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The revival of the Orioles' power-based offense has coincided with the reawakened bats of catchers Lenny Webster and Chris Hoiles. Injecting life into the No. 8 spot of the lineup appears to be the tonic for an attack that had generated 43 runs in its past 15 games before Saturday.Webster drove in four two-out runs in Monday's 5-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays and drove in two with a single during last night's five-run outburst in the second inning of the 14-3 win over the Texas Rangers.

The impossible continues to get a little more interesting for the Orioles with each passing game. A club that once couldn't stop running in place now marches on, destination unknown.The Orioles sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning last night, punctuating the assault with a grand slam by Chris Hoiles. By the second inning, they had seven runs in the bank, Mike Mussina on the mound and nothing to detain them from an 11-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays before 44,122 at Camden Yards.

Chris Hoiles launches his first home run in two months, a shot so deep that manager Ray Miller fixes his eyes on the upper deck at Camden Yards, but the Orioles catcher doesn't leave the bench the next night. He collects three hits in his next start, then sits again. And again.The pattern also held true when he consumed a steady diet of 0-for-4s and his average, a paltry .186 in late May, was taking on water like the Titanic. He's no longer a fixture in the Orioles' lineup, no longer certain on his drive home of the fate that awaits him at the park the next day.He can see why Miller wants to keep both of his catchers fresh by dividing their time.