Jason Dickson

The Orioles were rewarded for a successful first half but also reminded of selection politics yesterday as New York Yankees manager Joe Torre chose three Orioles pitchers but excluded a deserving fourth from the American League All-Star team.Torre named AL save leader Randy Myers and starting pitchers Mike Mussina and Jimmy Key while bypassing 11-game winner Scott Erickson. Key, who will be married July 8, was immediately replaced but will still be recognized as part of the All-Star roster.

DETROIT -- New York Yankees manager Joe Torre insisted yesterday that Orioles 11-game winner Scott Erickson was "on the list" during his final selection of the American League All-Star team but lost out in a numbers game. Confined to 10 pitchers, Torre took Mike Mussina and Randy Myers but could not justify a third Orioles arm given the demands of the process."You try to put extra people on the teams but you can't talk the league into it," Torre said. "So many more players are worthy of All-Star consideration."

The latest phase of Roberto Alomar's rehabilitation in Sarasota, Fla., yesterday included taking ground balls to test his lateral movement, some light jogging and hitting off a tee. But manager Davey Johnson said the report he got included news that Alomar may not try to hit right-handed the rest of the year.Alomar, a switch-hitter, has been batting left-handed exclusively since straining his left shoulder May 31. He was going to try hitting right-handed while in Sarasota."I think he still feels some weakness in there and doesn't want to take a chance and maybe hurt himself," Johnson said.

Ups and downsScott Erickson -- Up -- He's 4-1 while averaging more than seven innings and fewer than 90 pitches per start.Mike Bordick -- Up -- At last count, has saved at least three games with his glove. What's this, an RBI?Rocky Coppinger -- Down -- Needs to grow into his talent. And is he really healthy?Rafael Palmeiro -- Up -- Entered weekend on 12-game hittin streak. Entered month with 20 RBI.The Dominican strongman -- Even -- Armando Benitez throw batting practice to the Red Sox on Sunday and bullets to the Twins on Wednesday.

The Orioles offered a new look last night against the Anaheim Angels. A model of fundamental baseball for most of the past five weeks, they did little right in a 7-2 loss against rookie right-hander Jason Dickson at Camden Yards.The Orioles entered on a run of five consecutive quality starts and eight straight error-free games. Both streaks fell at the hands of Orioles starting pitcher Scott Kamieniecki (2-1), who walked into a four-run first inning after creating a two-out mess he couldn't escape.

Maybe it's true that a late April date is too early to panic. It is, however, the appropriate time for the Orioles to begin wondering.How much worse can it get?Reduced to giving Nerio Rodriguez his fourth major-league start and keeping their fingers crossed, the Orioles were handed another excruciating defeat last night. A late-inning rally fell short when a potential game-tying homer by Harold Baines with two outs in the ninth was taken away by left fielder Garret Anderson, resulting in a 6-5 loss to the Anaheim Angels before 41,877 at Camden Yards.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers emerged from The Ballpark's first-base dugout last night and were greeted by an unstoppable force of nature that threatened to suck the air from their lungs.And did anyone mention it was pretty warm?While the Texas flatlands contend with a month set on broil, the Orioles continue to justify the faith of those who still see them as more than second-half schedule-filler. The Orioles didn't just beat the Rangers last night before 45,171 fan-wavers, they capped a two-game wipeout of a club that embarrassed them earlier this season.

If manager Mike Hargrove elects to leave his rotation undisturbed, he'll start Mike Mussina in Thursday afternoon's game against the Anaheim Angels at Camden Yards rather than hold him back for the series in New York that begins the next night. But that's subject to change. As it now stands, Scott Erickson would pitch Friday against the Yankees after being activated from the disabled list. Erickson made his second rehab start yesterday, tossing seven shutout innings at Double-A Bowie. He hasn't appeared in a game with the Orioles since having arthroscopic surgery on March 3 to remove bone chips from his right elbow.

Orioles manager Davey Johnson was smiling ear-to-ear as he strolled to the mound in the seventh inning yesterday. Rocky Coppinger smiled back and headed for the dugout, his first victory of 1997 virtually assured.What a happy place Camden Yards has become.The Orioles were well on their way to a resounding, 11-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics before 47,001. Coppinger had turned in an outstanding performance, giving up just three hits over six-plus innings. Johnson wanted to make sure that it ended on a positive note, but he also was making a point.

CLEVELAND -- Chicago White Sox outfielder Albert Belle worked so hard to stay out of the spotlight at the 68th All-Star Game, he ended up being the focus of the pre-game workouts.Belle was a reluctant All-Star to begin with. He told American League manager Joe Torre on Sunday that he would prefer not to be in the starting lineup, and apparently made it clear that he would rather have stayed home."I've talked to him," Torre said before the introduction of teams, where Belle raised both arms in mock thanks for the vociferous boos that greeted him. "If somebody got hurt and I have a problem, I'll use him, but it's not all that comfortable for him being here."