Interleague

After inducing a ground ball to end a difficult second inning last night, Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera was met on the dugout steps by pitching coach Ray Miller, who held out his fist for a congratulatory tap. It's surprising that Cabrera didn't flinch. The blows were already coming at him in rapid succession, from a last-place team in the National League that chose a frigid night at Camden Yards to look like a contender. Cabrera gave up a season-high seven runs and didn't make it through the fourth inning, and the Orioles' first exposure to interleague play this season resulted in a 9-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies before 34,642.

When, and if, Sammy Sosa suits up for the Orioles, expect fewer projectiles for his next appearance at Camden Yards than his only performance in Baltimore. It was only 19 months ago when Sosa played for the Chicago Cubs in an interleague series, before Major League Baseball imposed an eight-game suspension on him (that was later shortened to seven games). The slugger's suspension came after cork was found in one of his bats during a game June 3, 2003. Not surprisingly, the crowd wouldn't miss a chance, seven days later, to let Sosa remember why he was going to get a vacation.

He said it "It just hit the side of my glove. It's one of the worst feelings you can have on a baseball field." Mike Cameron, Mets center fielder, who lost a two-out fly ball in the sun that allowed three runs to score in a loss to the Reds On deck Mark Prior of the Cubs faces Jon Garland as the Chicago teams meet in the opener of an interleague series. Who's hot Ivan Rodriguez of the Tigers is batting .478 in his past 23 games. Who's not The Red Sox have lost four of their past five and six of nine.

The season was starting to slip out of control, and the Orioles were dangerously close to languishing through another frustrating loss last night. Locked in a seventh-inning tie against the Arizona Diamondbacks, they sent the top of the order to the plate against Stephen Randolph, one of the top relievers in the National League. And for once, this team started to follow the script. Brian Roberts and Melvin Mora each drew a walk, and franchise shortstop Miguel Tejada followed with a three-run homer over the right-field scoreboard, lifting the Orioles to an 8-2 victory before 25,776 at Caden Yards.

Every time Sidney Ponson goes head-to-head with another team's ace, it gives the Orioles a new measuring stick to chart his progress, and anyone who watched last night's game at Camden Yards probably had the same thought: Boy, that Randy Johnson sure is tall. A crowd of 28,927 saw Ponson get outclassed in every way, as Johnson pitched the Arizona Diamondbacks to an 8-1 victory in the interleague opener for both teams. Arizona grabbed the lead in the third inning, and the 6-foot-10 Johnson never let go, as the Orioles lost for the 12th time in their past 17 games.

As if the season hasn't been challenging enough for Orioles pitcher Sidney Ponson, even the weather has conspired against him. Saturday's rainout knocked Ponson out of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays series, so tonight he faces the Arizona Diamondbacks and five-time Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson, who threw a perfect game this season at the age of 40. What else can go wrong for Ponson, the designated staff ace who's 3-6 with a 6.48 ERA? He's probably afraid to ask. Ponson has allowed 15 runs and 22 hits in his past two starts covering 10 1/3 innings - numbers magnified because they came against the New York Yankees.

Even with a five-day advance warning, Rafael Palmeiro was none to happy with the news. Told last week the Orioles would be facing Randy Johnson in tonight's interleague opener at Camden Yards, Palmeiro immediately flipped on the sarcasm switch. "Great," he said. "You just made my day. Got any other good news?" Well, there is this: Entering tonight's start for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Johnson is 1-6 in 10 career games in Baltimore. His return brings to mind one of the most impressive conquests in franchise history.

As the Orioles began the season's final home series last night, B.J. Surhoff had no idea whether it also would be his last one with the team. Signed to a minor league deal in February that included a spring training invite, Surhoff will be a free agent again with no assurances that he'll remain in the organization. The only certainty for Surhoff, 39, is his desire to put off retirement. "I'd like to play next year," he said before last night's game against Toronto. "I'm almost positive I will.

Mike Hargrove voiced some support for Sammy Sosa yesterday, which is not to say the Orioles manager had any desire to see Sosa play his first game at Camden Yards. Hoping to have his eight-game suspension reduced, Sosa had his appeal heard in downtown Baltimore before arriving at the ballpark. "I'm not torn at all," Hargrove said. "If I was sitting in the stands as a fan, I'd be bummed out if I didn't get to see him. As a manager, I'd just as soon see him not play." Sosa did play and he did hit, but he wasn't the biggest reason the Chicago Cubs defeated the Orioles, 4-0, before 32,484 at Camden Yards last night.