Varitek

The bat flew out of catcher Geronimo Gil's hands as he swung through a David Wells pitch last night, the lumber rolling farther than most balls hit by the Orioles. Gil retreated to the dugout after striking out. The Orioles had no place to hide. Wells allowed four base runners in eight innings, catcher Jason Varitek hit a three-run homer in the sixth to break open a tight game, and the Red Sox moved back into a tie with the Orioles for first place in the American League East with an 8-0 victory before 36,478 at Camden Yards.

DENVER -- Boston Red Sox reliever Mike Timlin asked for a brief reprieve to put on his scuba goggles, then he stood in the middle of the visitors' clubhouse at Coors Field early yesterday morning and gave the go-ahead. Immediately, Boston's 25-year-old reliever Manny Delcarmen pointed an opened bottle of champagne and sprayed it like a hose, all of its contents splashing onto the 41-year-old Timlin's chest. The veteran waited for the kid to finish being a kid in his first world championship celebration before they hugged.

Good morning --Javy Lopez-- You have big shoes to fill replacing the injured Jason Varitek.

The Orioles signed Jay Payton, who hit .296 last season for the Oakland Athletics with 10 home runs and 59 RBIs, to a two-year, $9.5 million deal in December. Payton, 34, is with his sixth organization after stints with the New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox and the A's. He'll likely play all three outfield positions for the Orioles. What are your impressions of the team after the first couple of weeks? -- It's been awesome so far. It's a great bunch of guys.

BATTING LINE OF THE DAY Carlos Pena, Tigers DH AB R H RBI HR 4 2 3 4 2 PITCHING LINE OF THE DAY Freddy Garcia, White Sox IP H R BB SO 8 1 1 2 3 WHO'S HOT Jason Varitek of the Red Sox has eight home runs and 23 RBIs in his past 20 games. WHO'S NOT Jason Marquis of the Cardinals has lost seven straight and is 1-9 since he was 8-3.

Blue Jays: Jose Canseco's three hits gave him 1,501 for his career. Woody Williams is 0-4 lifetime against the Mariners.Mariners: On the day Mark McGwire of St. Louis hit his 400th career homer, Ken Griffey hit his 308th. Griffey homered into the third deck in right field for the 18th time in his career and for the second time this season. Griffey is 6-for-10 with three homers against Woody Williams in his career. David Segui's three doubles marked the 13th time it had been done by a Mariners player.

The Orioles signed Jay Payton, who hit .296 last season for the Oakland Athletics with 10 home runs and 59 RBIs, to a two-year, $9.5 million deal in December. Payton, 34, is with his sixth organization after stints with the New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox and the A's. He'll likely play all three outfield positions for the Orioles. What are your impressions of the team after the first couple of weeks? -- It's been awesome so far. It's a great bunch of guys.

Quote: "Everything we threw up there, they hit. If we made a mistake, they hit it. If we made a good pitch, they hit that, too." -- Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek.It's a fact: The Indians set a Jacobs Field regular-season attendance record for the second straight day with a crowd of 43,306.Who's hot: The Yankees haven't lost a series since being swept in two games in Anaheim to start the season.Who's not: The Red Sox's Derek Lowe is 0-3 with a 6.61 ERA in four starts.On deck: Dwight Gooden makes his first start of the season for the Indians today.

The run hung over Rodrigo Lopez's head like the roof his team will be playing under in Toronto. The Boston Red Sox took an early lead against Lopez last night, a margin that seemed insignificant given the Orioles' ability to strike with such brute force. But it grew in importance as the innings passed, and Lopez had to accept a 1-0 loss before 40,419 at Camden Yards that, hours after the final out, continued to hang just as heavily as the run. Blanked for two straight games, the Orioles boarded their charter for Canada last night wondering if their bats would make it through customs.

DENVER -- Boston Red Sox reliever Mike Timlin asked for a brief reprieve to put on his scuba goggles, then he stood in the middle of the visitors' clubhouse at Coors Field early yesterday morning and gave the go-ahead. Immediately, Boston's 25-year-old reliever Manny Delcarmen pointed an opened bottle of champagne and sprayed it like a hose, all of its contents splashing onto the 41-year-old Timlin's chest. The veteran waited for the kid to finish being a kid in his first world championship celebration before they hugged.

Good morning --Javy Lopez-- You have big shoes to fill replacing the injured Jason Varitek.

After a side throwing session Tuesday went poorly, Orioles starter Kris Benson may go on the disabled list with elbow tendinitis. "It didn't go as good as he had hoped," manager Sam Perlozzo said of the session. Benson took a cortisone shot before yesterday's game and his arm felt better afterward, Perlozzo said. The Orioles will evaluate him tomorrow after a day off today. The Orioles had hoped Benson would be ready to start Sunday against the New York Yankees. But Rodrigo Lopez will pitch that day, and the Orioles might then have to call up another pitcher (probably Hayden Penn or Daniel Cabrera)

Boston -- When Kyle Snyder was released by the Kansas City Royals last week, he didn't know where his baseball career would take him next. Then Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein called. "I started shaking a little bit," the 6-foot-8 right-hander said after throwing five solid innings to help Boston beat the Washington Nationals, 6-3, last night. "It wasn't what I anticipated, obviously." Signed for an emergency start after the Red Sox lost three starters to the disabled list, Snyder (1-0)

BOSTON - The elements that go into winning a game at Fenway Park as the visiting team are becoming more complicated, and they don't usually include a rookie pitcher. The heavy lifting is supposed to be done by experienced hands, not ones that might begin to shake. Exposed to hostile surroundings for the first time in the majors, John Maine went five innings and left with a one-run lead, and Alejandro Freire hit his first homer in the Orioles' 7-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night before 35,156.

BATTING LINE OF THE DAY Carlos Pena, Tigers DH AB R H RBI HR 4 2 3 4 2 PITCHING LINE OF THE DAY Freddy Garcia, White Sox IP H R BB SO 8 1 1 2 3 WHO'S HOT Jason Varitek of the Red Sox has eight home runs and 23 RBIs in his past 20 games. WHO'S NOT Jason Marquis of the Cardinals has lost seven straight and is 1-9 since he was 8-3.

The run hung over Rodrigo Lopez's head like the roof his team will be playing under in Toronto. The Boston Red Sox took an early lead against Lopez last night, a margin that seemed insignificant given the Orioles' ability to strike with such brute force. But it grew in importance as the innings passed, and Lopez had to accept a 1-0 loss before 40,419 at Camden Yards that, hours after the final out, continued to hang just as heavily as the run. Blanked for two straight games, the Orioles boarded their charter for Canada last night wondering if their bats would make it through customs.

BOSTON - The elements that go into winning a game at Fenway Park as the visiting team are becoming more complicated, and they don't usually include a rookie pitcher. The heavy lifting is supposed to be done by experienced hands, not ones that might begin to shake. Exposed to hostile surroundings for the first time in the majors, John Maine went five innings and left with a one-run lead, and Alejandro Freire hit his first homer in the Orioles' 7-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night before 35,156.

The bat flew out of catcher Geronimo Gil's hands as he swung through a David Wells pitch last night, the lumber rolling farther than most balls hit by the Orioles. Gil retreated to the dugout after striking out. The Orioles had no place to hide. Wells allowed four base runners in eight innings, catcher Jason Varitek hit a three-run homer in the sixth to break open a tight game, and the Red Sox moved back into a tie with the Orioles for first place in the American League East with an 8-0 victory before 36,478 at Camden Yards.