BIRDS HAVE MO SUCCESS
The Orioles rode Erik Bedard’s mastery for seven innings and were one out away from their second straight snuff job of the Yankees. OK, the Yanks had two aboard, but the O’s liked their chances with veteran Jamie Walker against Shelley Duncan, despite the lefty-righty thing.
“You’re out there thinking, ‘Two outs, two runners on, but no way Shelley Duncan hits a three-run homer,’ ” Aubrey Huff said. “Sure enough it happens.”
Duncan’s blast served as a steel-tipped boot below the waist for Baltimore. Making life that much rosier, Mariano Rivera took the mound as the Yankees went for the jugular. Rivera pitching is soothing, calming, a sure-bet. Usually.
Spurred on by equal parts anger, frustration and plain old luck (according to Huff), the Orioles rose from the grave and stomped Rivera, whom they forced into a blown save Monday, for a three-run 10th that dealt the Yanks a stunning 6-3 defeat.
“The more we’re pushed in a corner, the more we’ll fight back,” said Baltimore manager Dave Trembley. “We had the right guys up at the right time.”
The first right guy was Nick Markakis, who hoped Rivera would leave something over the plate. He got what he wanted. Markakis doubled to the wall in right center.
“He came inside with the first pitch. I had a good feeling he was coming inside again,” Markakis said. “He laid one over the plate and I put a good swing on it.”
Miguel Tejada was next, looking only to move the runner by going to right. He failed. So he pulled the ball to left, doubling over Hideki Matsui’s noggin.
“I was trying to go over there [right], but when you go up against Mariano you can’t think too much,” Tejada said. “It got to two strikes and I was able to pull the ball. Against Mariano, the last thing you should think of is trying to hit the ball hard. You just want to touch the ball.”
After Kevin Millar bounced out, Huff gambled, and won big with a monster two-run homer to right. Despite the completely uncustomary results, the Orioles insisted Rivera’s ball had movement.
“The ball I hit out, cut. I got out, I cheated, I stepped in the bucket threw the head out. You never know because he paints that cutter backdoor and you can’t always hit it,” Huff said. “Really, the only chance you have as a lefty is to step in the bucket and hope he throws it in there. I just got lucky.”
