Relievers

CLEVELAND -- The powerful sweep of destiny that has carried the Seattle Mariners this season crashed into the Cleveland Indians' bullpen last night in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.The bullpen won. And finally, the Indians have a chance to breathe a little in this splendid series."Now, the pressure is on them," Indians closer Jose Mesa said.Indeed. The Indians' win last night gave them a 3-2 lead and effectively took the Mariners' Randy Johnson out of play. The Indians can lose to him in Game 6 tomorrow night and still win the series in Game 7 against Tim Belcher or Bob Wolcott, far lesser mortals.

The gold-filigreed mirrors, mauve drapes and crystal chandeliers in the banquet room offered a peculiar setting for the county commissioners to reflect on a year of economic blight and relentless slashing of budgets and services.Speaking at a Carroll County Chamber of Commerce luncheon at Martin's Westminster Thursday, the three commissioners said they were relieved that 1991 is behind them."There's no escaping it -- this has been the year of the budget,"said Commissioner Elmer C. Lippy. "It's been a tough year for all ofus."

Trucks are the lifeline of Baltimore's businesses and industries. But when neighborhood streets and downtown arteries become clogged with heavy trucks, tractor trailers and sea container rigs seeking to avoid tunnel or bridge fees, then action is needed. An experiment banning through trucks from an area of Fells Point and Canton south of Eastern Avenue is a start.Studies have found that Boston and President streets handle amany as 1,300 trucks in an 11-hour period. Many of these through trucks have been using those streets as alternative routes to escape the $4 fee each way at the two harbor tunnels and to avoid random safety inspections which can be time-consuming and result in expensive repair orders.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Left-hander Dennis Rasmussen will enter the second phase of his non-roster audition today when he pitches in a situational relief role against the Minnesota Twins.Rasmussen hopes to win a place in the Orioles starting rotation, but he ranks sixth or seventh among the club's nine potential starters. So, manager John Oates has asked him to prepare himself for the possibility that he might open the season in the bullpen."It just gives us another option if I decide I want him on the staff as a flip-flop [long reliever-spot starter]

Fact: NFL rookie coaches Bobby Ross, Dennis Green and Bill Cowher combined for a 33-15 record and three division titles, then got outscored, 79-27, in the playoffs.Opinion: The Jays can easily replace closer Tom Henke with Duane Ward, but they don't have anyone to replace Ward as baseball's best setup man.Fact: A steady rain soaked Candlestick Park for hours after the Niners-Redskins game last weekend -- and no one bothered to put on the tarp.Opinion: The Eric Lindros trade is working out significantly better for Quebec, which has surpassed last year's point total in TC roughly half a season.

John O'Donoghue, the emergency starter yesterday in place of Mike Mussina, is expected to return to Triple-A Rochester today, with a reliever most likely replacing him on the roster."

The innings are starting to pile up for reliever Mark Eichhorn, and he wouldn't have it any other way.When things are at their best for Eichhorn, as they appear to be right now, he's getting the ball early in the game and is charged with keeping the opposition close until the offense can get going.Going into last night's game with the Detroit Tigers, Eichhorn has been doing his job well, blanking opponents over his past nine appearances, covering 14 innings."It's just like hitting, I guess.

CLEVELAND -- Though struggling left-hander Jimmy Key won't make another start in this series, Orioles manager Davey Johnson said he would use him in relief only if a game went into extra innings."

Chad Bradford, Orioles reliever What's it like watching Erik Bedard these days? A lot of swings and misses. It's unbelievable watching him. When he gets two strikes, it's just a matter of time before he puts somebody away. They may foul a few off but nobody is getting good wood on him.

The Orioles have acquired minor league right-hander Jairo Asencio from the Milwaukee Brewers for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Asencio, 28, pitched for both the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs last year before signing a minor league deal with the Brewers in the offseason. He was 1-1 with a 5.96 ERA in 18 games for the Indians and posted a 3.07 ERA in 12 games with the Cubs. He also played in a total of nine games with the Atlanta Braves in 2009 and 2011.