Randy Myers

Jesse Orosco has been bailing out his manager all year.Most of the time it's what the 39-year-old reliever does with the ball that makes Davey Johnson breathe easier. Yesterday, it was even simpler than that.Johnson was booed intensely when he walked to the mound to take Orosco out of the game with one out in the ninth inning of yesterday's 5-4 Orioles victory. The reliever had struck out all four batters he faced, and had the crowd in his corner. So Johnson decided to walk back to the dugout alongside his reliever, piggy-backing off the standing ovation Orosco received and avoiding any more boo-birds.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- For $70 million, you'd think the Orioles could buy peace of mind. Not in this nerve-racking game. Not in this pitching-thin era.Scott Kamieniecki suffers back spasms, Terry Mathews allows three more runs and suddenly the Orioles are in the same position as every other club.Worried about their pitching.Oh, they're not exactly the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but they could use a reliever now, a starter later and maybe both before the season is over.Their rotation includes only two likely 200-inning starters.

SEATTLE -- When Orioles manager Davey Johnson approached closer Randy Myers before Friday's game about the possibility of using other pitchers in save situations, he broached the subject in clever fashion.Johnson reminded Myers how in 1986 and 1987, when then-New York Mets closer Jesse Orosco was having trouble finishing games, Johnson began using other pitchers in certain situations. Other pitchers, including a young left-hander named Randy Myers.Several hours later, Myers gave up a couple of ninth-inning hits with the Orioles leading 5-2, and Johnson called for right-hander Alan Mills, the first time all year Myers was removed in a save situation.

Though the Redskins are beating out Rams and Bears and Giants on their schedule, they're unable to top spiders and worms on the local TV schedule.Sunday's Redskins-Rams game on Channel 45 was easily the least-watched of the three afternoon contests available for local viewers, according to Sharon Walz, Channel 11's chief numbers cruncher and this week's sole and official Media Watch ratings provider. The Redskins game, airing at 1 p.m., did a 3.2 rating, and 8 share of the audience for Channel 45.Meanwhile, the 1 p.m. Broncos-Chiefs game on Channel 11, did an 8.5/20, while on Channel 54, a movie doubleheader of "Tarantulas" and "Slugs," starting at noon, did a 3.4/8 and 4.3/10, respectively.

Leaks are springing all over the bow of the Orioles' ship, with the futures of Davey Johnson, Pat Gillick, Brady Anderson and Randy Myers in limbo.But does that mean the ship is going to sink?Hardly.Regardless of what happens between now and the first pitch of spring training in February, you can be sure the Orioles will still field one of the American League's best teams in 1998.Peter Angelos will stuff the leaks with wads of cash -- the cash that comes from sellouts at Camden Yards and goes to top-dollar free agents.

SEATTLE -- Despite watching his bullpen blow two late-inning leads in Wednesday's 9-8 loss to Seattle, pitching coach Pat Dobson expressed relief over the loss the Orioles did not incur.The services of middle reliever Roger McDowell.McDowell suffered a contusion on his left shin while stopping a sharp come-backer off the bat of Edgar Martinez in the seventh inning. It forced him out of the game, but he was in uniform and ready to pitch last night as the Orioles opened a three-game series with the California Angels.

[ Down the stretch is a daily Orioles Insider blog that will set up the coming night for the O's and their American League competition as the push for the postseason continues. ] About last night Gonzalez and Orioles beat Red Sox, 4-2 Schmuck: Will Red Sox get pay back or just lay back? Andino gets tested for concussion after game O's could cost a betting site six figures if O's win East Lefty Troy Patton back after long recovery Hammel still optimistic after side session Jim Thome says he's ready to rumble Friday's full scoreboard AL East Standings NYY       87-63     -- BAL       86-64     1 TB         81-70    6.5 AL Wild-Card Standings BAL        86-64      -- OAK       85-65         -- LAA        82-69      3.5 TB          81-70     4.5 DET        79-70     5.5 Today's game Orioles at Red Sox, 1:10 p.m. LHP Randy Wolf (5-10, 5.66 ERA)

For all the important moments in Thursday's victory, two in particular stood out. Pedro Strop's two scoreless innings for the win and Jim Johnson's perfect 13th for the save. Johnson had just blown Game 3's save by allowing a homer to Raul Ibanez in the ninth. He also gave up four runs - including a Russell Martin homer - in the ninth in Game 1. He admitted he badly wanted the ball as soon as possible. “Yeah, it was the same response from Game 1 to Game 2. You want the ball right away,” Johnson said.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Rick Krivda got a win, Randy Myers got another milestone and the Orioles got another win last night, all because Terry Mathews threw out a life preserver on what was supposed to be his day off.Two days after working his longest stint in two years, Mathews avoided a potential disaster after worn-down Armando Benitez walked the bases loaded in the eighth inning, and the Orioles escaped with a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman...

Starters can pitch 9th, tooThis is in reference to the Orioles' 2-0 defeat of the Boston Red Sox on Friday, April 25. In that game, starter Scott Erickson was doing his best Walter Johnson impression since coming from the Twins. Davey Johnson proceeded to summon Randy Myers from the bullpen to pitch the ninth. Exit Erickson and his stellar performance.I am of the mind-set that, regardless of a person's salary, we all seek to achieve high plateaus of self-confidence through jobs well done.