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 Taking flight Belle's 3-run HR gives Orioles 11th win in 12 games
Posted: Wednesday June 23, 1999 12:11 AM
BALTIMORE (AP) -- The bloopers are dropping between outfielders, the bunts are rolling foul at just the right time and the ball is finding its way over the fence with alarming regularity. Suddenly, everything seems to be falling precisely into place for the resurgent Baltimore Orioles. Albert Belle hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning Tuesday night and the Orioles used a little bit of luck for their 11th win in 12 games, 5-3 over the Boston Red Sox. Baltimore trailed 3-1 before rallying in a four-run eighth that showed just how dramatically things have turned around for the Orioles over the past two weeks. After Charles Johnson singled and took second on a single by Brady Anderson, Mike Bordick twice fouled off a planned sacrifice bunt. With two strikes, Bordick grounded a single to left off Mark Guthrie (0-1) to load the bases for B.J. Surhoff, who hit a sacrifice fly. Belle then drove a 1-2 pitch from Jason Wasdin into the left-field seats, his 14th homer of the season and the Orioles' 12th in five games. "I think our talent is finally coming through. Not only that, but also there's a lot of luck involved," Orioles first baseman Will Clark said. "What wasn't going right for us early is now going right. We couldn't get a bloop hit earlier in the year, now we're getting things like Mike hitting a key single after failing to lay down a bunt." Surhoff went 0-for-3, ending his career-high hitting streak at 21 games, but the Orioles stretched their winning streak to four games and moved within five games of .500 (32-37) for the first time since April 17. Arthur Rhodes (3-2) got two outs and Mike Timlin worked the ninth for his ninth save. Troy O'Leary and Jason Varitek homered and Lou Merloni had three hits for the Red Sox, whose three-game winning streak ended. Boston, which fell a game behind first-place New York in the AL East, has the misfortune of catching the Orioles at a time when they're on an impressive roll. "The schedule says we play three games here. We can't leave," Boston manager Jimy Williams said. "I don't know anything about being hot or cold or whatever, but we're going to compete." Boston starter Pat Rapp allowed one run, three hits and a season-high six walks in 6 1/3 innings but failed to get his first win since May 21 when the Boston bullpen gave away the lead. "I just haven't been very lucky this year," Rapp said. Rapp was locked in a 1-1 duel with Sidney Ponson until the seventh, when O'Leary led off with a 415-foot shot over the right-field wall, his 15th homer of the season and second in two games. It was the 20th ball hit onto Eutaw Street in the eight-year history of Camden Yards. Boston added a run in the eighth on successive doubles by Jose Offerman and Merloni, who started for the first time since being recalled from Class AAA Pawtucket on Thursday. The Orioles got a gift-wrapped run in the second inning. Rapp walked two batters before Cal Ripken's fly ball to left-center became an RBI double when outfielders O'Leary and Darren Lewis both backed off. Will Clark then tagged up too early from third base, costing Baltimore a chance to go up 2-0. Varitek made it 1-1 by leading off the fifth with his eighth homer. In the Orioles' half, Merloni saved a run with a diving stab of Bordick's two-out grounder to third base with a runner on second. Notes: Anderson stole two bases, leaving him one short of Al Bumbry's team record of 252. ... Boston's Nomar Garciaparra extended his hitting streak to 10 games. He's 19-for-34 in that span. ... Ponson has yielded 12 homers in his last nine starts. ... Johnson was in an 0-for-13 skid before leading off the third with a single.
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