BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles got another taste last night of what life in the American League East could be like this season when their untested young pitchers go against teams with powerful lineups and accomplished hurlers.
One day after Eric DuBose was overmatched by Curt Schilling, a crowd of 28,373 at Camden Yards saw Kurt Ainsworth fail emphatically against the Boston Red Sox and former 20-game winner Derek Lowe. Johnny Damon’s 5-for-5 performance and some shoddy defense by the Orioles pinned Ainsworth with a 10-3 loss.
The Red Sox scored all seven runs off Ainsworth — acquired in the trade that sent Sidney Ponson to the San Francisco Giants last July — in the second inning. They were all earned, but several defensive lapses gave Boston’s lineup — the most productive in baseball last year — the opening it needed against the 25-year-old Orioles right-hander.
“I didn’t make the pitches I needed to,” Ainsworth said. “I didn’t give our team a chance to win. That is the most disappointing thing.”
The Orioles’ gamble on young pitchers continues tonight in the final game of the Boston series when 24-year-old Matt Riley, with five major league starts in his career, faces veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. Baltimore looks to gain a split in the first series of the year.
Kevin Millar led off Boston’s second by doubling past diving third baseman Melvin Mora. Ainsworth walked Jason Varitek, but Mora grabbed a chopper by Gabe Kapler, stepped on third to force Millar and threw to first to double Kapler.
Ainsworth walked Mark Bellhorn on four pitches. Shortstop Miguel Tejada hesitated on Pokey Reese’s grounder, looked to third but opted to go to first, too late to get Reese.
With the bases loaded, Damon sliced a single to center, scoring Varitek and then Bellhorn, as catcher Javy Lopez failed to handle the throw from left fielder Larry Bigbie. Bill Mueller followed with a single to center, scoring Reese and Damon to make it 4-0.
After David Ortiz walked, Manny Ramirez drove a ball deep to center field that Luis Matos misjudged. It bounced over his head for a double, scoring Mueller and Ortiz and extending the Boston lead to 6-0. Millar, batting for the second time in the inning, hit a line drive to center, scoring Ramirez and finishing Ainsworth.
Orioles manager Lee Mazzilli bemoaned the defensive lapses.
“You can’t give a team like that four outs,” he said. “It will come back to haunt you.”
Notes — Former Baltimore outfielder Brady Anderson has been elected to the Orioles Hall of Fame. He is the club’s all-time leader in steals with 307 in his 14-year career in Baltimore from 1988 to 2001. He will be formally inducted when the Orioles play Toronto at Camden Yards on Aug.21. …
As if Mora didn’t have enough problems after committing three errors in the first two games, a construction fence fell on the roof of his car yesterday as he was driving to Camden Yards. He suffered a blow to the neck but was in the lineup last night. Someone asked if he was unlucky, and Mora replied, “Don’t stand too close to me. Stay away from me for a couple of days.” …
One long-time Orioles tradition is a casualty of the two rows of seats added to the field behind home plate. Umpires attendant Ernie Tyler, who has been on his stool on the field behind home plate for every home game since Opening Day 1960, has been banished to the Orioles dugout, where he sits on a stool near the steps until he has to run out to supply the umpire with new balls. His place on the field was blocking the view of ticket holders in the new seats. Ironically, it was announced yesterday that Tyler was the recipient of the Herb Armstrong Award presented to non-uniformed personnel who have made significant contributions to the ballclub and the game of baseball.
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