Kauffman Stadium

White Sox: Had last lost at Kauffman Stadium on July 11, 1996. ... Albert Belle's 48th double of the season added to his club record.Pub Date: 9/25/98

Adam Jones stepped up the plate for his seventh at-bat Wednesday night with the voices of the hecklers around home plate ringing in his ears. With Kauffman Stadium emptied out from 15 innings of baseball, he could hear the Royals fans reminding him of his previous six hitless at-bats, including two strikeouts. It was his three failed attempts with runners in scoring position that irked the Orioles center fielder the most, ones that could have had him and his teammates back in their hotel beds hours earlier.

At Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Mo. Day Time TV Starters Tonight 8: 05 HTS Sidney Ponson (0-0, 9.00) vs. Chad Durbin (1-0, 1.50) Tomorrow 8: 05 HTS Pat Rapp (1-0, 3.00) vs. Mac Suzuki (0-0, 9.00) Thursday 2: 05 54, 50 Mike Mussina (0-1, 2.87) vs. Jeff Suppan (1-0, 4.91) Radio: All games on WBAL (1090 AM) and WTOP (1500 AM) Royals update Kansas City won yesterday, putting it into position to take over sole possession of first in the AL Central if the Cleveland Indians lost late last night in Oakland.

Behind the black metal doors leading into the visiting clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium, Orioles players bobbed their heads to the bass-thumping music that filled the room Thursday afternoon. Travel bags in front of each player's locker, the Orioles were ready to barnstorm out of Kansas City, having completed a road series just 40 hours after arriving here. Their stay was brief, but they swept through the Midwest with a pair of more-than-meaningful comeback wins at Kauffman Stadium -- wins that came within less than 24 hours of each other.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- There is something different about Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals: Grass.Kansas City ripped up the artificial surface and replaced it with thick, lush grass that could hold up a golf ball, or slow down a ground ball."

Ready for the weekend Heading into Saturday night, the Orioles hadn't won on the road on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday this season. They were 0-7 on those days, losing all three on Friday and two each on Saturday and Sunday. The victory over the Royals stopped that strange skid. Roberts becoming a thief Leadoff hitter Brian Roberts stole two bases in the first inning and then scored on a wild pitch to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. They were his seventh and eighth stolen bases of the season.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Honestly, Orioles manager Lee Mazzilli would prefer his team found a different formula for success. He doesn't enjoy watching the Orioles fall behind early. He'd rather avoid sending pitching coach Ray Miller to the mound in the second inning to comfort a starting pitcher that has seemingly lost his way. But it's hard for Mazzilli to grouse too much, not as the Orioles continue to turn sizable deficits into comfortable leads, apparent losses into routine wins. Last night's deficit was three runs, essentially overcome by a couple of swings from Melvin Mora.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo repeated the old baseball adage before last night's game. "A post-game speech is only as good as your starting pitcher the following day." Perlozzo said with a wry smile. If Perlozzo hadn't been so overcome with frustration Tuesday night, if he hadn't felt his team needed a tongue-lashing in the worst way, he may have waited to deliver a stern lecture the night before Erik Bedard pitched, rather than Adam Loewen, whose re sume lacked a major league win. But a day after their effort and focus was questioned by their manager, the Orioles played well enough to secure a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals before 11,006 last night at Kauffman Stadium.

Behind the black metal doors leading into the visiting clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium, Orioles players bobbed their heads to the bass-thumping music that filled the room Thursday afternoon. Travel bags in front of each player's locker, the Orioles were ready to barnstorm out of Kansas City, having completed a road series just 40 hours after arriving here. Their stay was brief, but they swept through the Midwest with a pair of more-than-meaningful comeback wins at Kauffman Stadium -- wins that came within less than 24 hours of each other.

Kansas City Royals first baseman Billy Butler cost Brad Bergesen the last two months of his rookie season and a possible run at the American League Rookie of the Year award when he nailed the Orioles starter in the left leg with a line drive. Exactly a year and one day since that injury, which took the young pitcher months to recover from, Butler cost Bergesen a long-awaited victory that he deserved. Asked to protect a one-run lead in the eighth inning, David Hernandez served up a tape-measure two-run homer to Butler, who sent the Royals to a 4-3 victory Saturday night in a brisk two hours, nine minutes in front of an announced 25,055 at Kauffman Stadium.

Ready for the weekend Heading into Saturday night, the Orioles hadn't won on the road on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday this season. They were 0-7 on those days, losing all three on Friday and two each on Saturday and Sunday. The victory over the Royals stopped that strange skid. Roberts becoming a thief Leadoff hitter Brian Roberts stole two bases in the first inning and then scored on a wild pitch to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. They were his seventh and eighth stolen bases of the season.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo repeated the old baseball adage before last night's game. "A post-game speech is only as good as your starting pitcher the following day." Perlozzo said with a wry smile. If Perlozzo hadn't been so overcome with frustration Tuesday night, if he hadn't felt his team needed a tongue-lashing in the worst way, he may have waited to deliver a stern lecture the night before Erik Bedard pitched, rather than Adam Loewen, whose re sume lacked a major league win. But a day after their effort and focus was questioned by their manager, the Orioles played well enough to secure a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals before 11,006 last night at Kauffman Stadium.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Honestly, Orioles manager Lee Mazzilli would prefer his team found a different formula for success. He doesn't enjoy watching the Orioles fall behind early. He'd rather avoid sending pitching coach Ray Miller to the mound in the second inning to comfort a starting pitcher that has seemingly lost his way. But it's hard for Mazzilli to grouse too much, not as the Orioles continue to turn sizable deficits into comfortable leads, apparent losses into routine wins. Last night's deficit was three runs, essentially overcome by a couple of swings from Melvin Mora.

At Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Mo. Day...Time...TV...Starters Tonight...8:10 CSN...Sidney Ponson (3-12, 6.29) vs. Brian Anderson (1-8, 7.23) Tomorrow...2:10...CSN...Daniel Cabrera (7-3, 3.01) vs. Zack Greinke (2-6, 3.57) Radio: All games on WBAL (1090 AM) Royals update Last place in the American League Central appears to be reserved for Kansas City, a team that ranks as one of the season's biggest disappointments after making a surprising run at the playoffs in 2003 under first-year manager Tony Pena.