O’s walk to win over Sox in 13th

BALTIMORE — Unlike Kurt Ainsworth the night before, the third member of the Baltimore Orioles pitching pups did all that could have been expected of him last night in the series finale against the Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards.

Left-hander Matt Riley, with five career major league starts, took the mound last night for the Orioles against veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. He kept his team in the game for the first six innings, and for the group of youngsters the Orioles are throwing out there against quality major league starters, that is about all you can ask for from them at this point in their careers.

That set the stage seven innings later, along with the stellar relief work from B.J. Ryan, Jorge Julio, Buddy Groom and Rodrigo Lopez, for the Orioles to come away with a 3-2 win over Boston in the bottom of the 13th inning when Boston reliever Bobby Jones walked Larry Bigbie with the bases loaded and Javy Lopez crossed the plate with the winning run, giving the Orioles a 2-2 split in their opening series of the 2004 season.

The Orioles now travel to St. Petersburg to open up a nine-game road trip, starting tonight against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, then on to Boston next week to face the Red Sox again and finishing up in Toronto against the Blue Jays before returning home on April 20 to host Tampa Bay.

Boston took the early lead for the third straight game, scoring a run in the first inning when Manny Ramirez singled home Johnny Damon.

Mora continued to be a defensive liability at third base, one that opposing teams will likely exploit. In the third inning, Damon hit a ground ball down the line to Mora, who bobbled it slightly before getting Damon at first.

Mora then failed to hold onto a grounder in the hole by Bill Mueller, committing his fourth error in four games. And he bobbled another ground ball hit to him by Ellis Burks, barely getting Burks at first base. The Red Sox failed to capitalize as Riley fanned Ramirez for the third out.

The Orioles capitalized on Wakefield’s shakiness in the fourth inning when he walked Rafael Palmeiro, Javy Lopez and Jay Gibbons. Designated hitter David Segui hit a hard grounder through the mound that hit second base and bounced into right field as Palmeiro and Lopez scored to give Baltimore a 2-1 lead.

Boston added its second run in the sixth when Burks blasted the first pitch from Riley deep into the left-center seats for a solo home run, tying the game 2-2.

Boston had a chance to take the lead in the seventh when Riley walked David McCarty, Mark Bellhorn and pinch hitter Jason Varitek. With one out, B.J. Ryan came in to get Damon on a line drive to short and Mueller on a liner to first.

Note — The Orioles lost pitching prospect John Stephens when the Australian-born right-hander was claimed off waivers by Boston. Stephens, 24, a three-time Orioles minor league Pitcher of the Year, had a 53-37 record in six minor league seasons with a 3.01 ERA. He was 2-5 with a 6.09 ERA in 12 major league appearances. Stephens was assigned to the Red Sox’s Class AAA club in Pawtucket.