Wednesday, May 22, 2002
Orioles 6, Athletics 4
The Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. — Travis Driskill planned to call his wife in Baltimore first, then his parents in Texas. “I'm going to wake them up, but I don't think they're going to mind,” the rookie reliever said after notching his first major league victory, a 6-4 Orioles' win in 14 innings over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night.
“It's all pretty exciting. It just legitimizes everything in my career,” he said. “It took me a long time to get here, and now it's in the record books.”
Mike Bordick walked to lead off the 14th, then advanced to second on Jerry Hairston's sacrifice bunt. Chris Singleton singled up the middle off Mike Venafro (1-1) for a 5-4 lead.
Singleton stole second and third before Gary Matthews Jr. added an RBI single.
“Chris has been swinging the bat well, it was certainly a big hit he got there in the umpteenth inning,” Orioles manager Mike Hargrove said.
Driskill (1-0) pitched two innings, giving up one hit and striking out one. Jorge Julio pitched the bottom of the 14th for his ninth save.
The Athletics, who made a number of player moves prior to the game in hopes of snapping out of their recent slide, have lost four straight and 15 of their last 19.
The A's were down 4-1 until the eighth, when Jeremy Giambi hit a solo home run and Jermaine Dye added a two-run shot off reliever Rick Bauer to tie it.
“It's good for the morale to know we can be down four runs and still get back in it,” A's starter Barry Zito said.
Oakland missed a chance to win in the 10th. With one out, Miguel Tejada and Dye drew walks from Willis Roberts. After Terrence Long lined out, B.J. Ryan walked Randy Velarde to load the bases for Olmedo Saenz, who grounded out to short.
The A's three-run eighth spoiled another excellent outing by Rodrigo Lopez, who was still vying to become the first Orioles rookie to start 6-0.
Lopez hasn't earned a decision in his last two starts after four straight wins. He allowed one run on five hits over 6 1-3 innings. He struck out six.
The Orioles got off to a quick start.
Melvin Mora walked to lead off the game, stole second and went to third on catcher Ramon Hernandez's throwing error on the same play, then scored on Marty Cordova's sacrifice fly.
Hairston hit a solo home run off Zito in the second. It was his first homer since last Sept. 18.
Geronimo Gil's two-run homer in the third off Zito scored Cordova, who singled.
Saenz homered off Lopez in the fifth, snapping the Athletics' six-game homerless streak. Saenz was subbing for third baseman Eric Chavez, who was a late scratch from the game because of illness.
Notes: Two other Baltimore rookies have started 5-0: Rocky Coppinger in 1996 and Ben McDonald in 1990. ... Chavez hit .370 with five homers and 14 RBIs against the Orioles last season. ... The Orioles recalled INF Brian Roberts from Triple-A Rochester. They optioned INF Mike Moriarty to Rochester. ... Orioles' 1B/DH David Segui underwent surgery at Baltimore's Union Memorial Hospital to repair torn cartilage and a damaged tendon in his left hand. Segui was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday. He was expected to miss 10-to-12 weeks.
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Orioles 6, Athletics 4 
