O's Blow Lead But Get Win

Baltimore is expected to blow save chances. Mariano Rivera isn't.

That's why it was so shocking that the Orioles overcame Scott Brosius' eighth-inning grand slam and beat the New York Yankees 7-6 Sunday with a three-run ninth capped by Albert Belle's two-out, two-run single.

"That was fairly improbable," Orioles manager Mike Hargrove said. "I don't know if he's lost a game since the '97 playoffs."

Not quite, Mike.

Rivera (2-1), who blew a Game 4 save against Hargrove's Indians in that postseason's division series, did lose three times last year to the Orioles on April 15 and to the Mets and Braves during a one-week span in mid-July.

"To blow a game like that, it's terrible," Rivera said. "I feel bad. We should have won the game."

Baltimore, which stopped a four-game losing streak, took a 4-2 lead in the eighth on Harold Baines' RBI double off Jeff Nelson.

But Brosius connected off Mike Trombley in the bottom half for his second career slam, his first since 1994, and the Yankees, with Rivera coming in, appeared set to extend their winning streak to seven.

"He's so good at what he does, you almost take it for granted," Brosius said. "You forget how hard it is."

Baltimore, which had blown five of nine save chnces coming in, then let New York put runners on second and third with one out. Buddy Groom (2-1) escaped more damage when Paul O'Neill grounded out and, after an intentional walk to Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez struck out.

"Once our bullpen gets on the ground and starts throwing the way it can, we'll be a good ballclub," Hargrove said.

Charles Johnson singled leading off the ninth and Brady Anderson hit another single with one out.

Delino DeShields' hit, the inning's third soft single, pulled the Orioles to 6-5, and B.J. Surhoff grounded to second baseman Wilson Delgado, who opted to go for an easy out at first rather than try for a tough play at second.

Belle followed with a hard shot to center. He didn't want to talk about his hit. When a reporter walked up to him the Orioles clubhouse and said, "Albert," Belle responded with an obscene gesture.

The drama continued in the bottom of the ninth.

Jorge Posada singled off Mike Timlin leading off, Shane Spencer and Brosius struck out, with Johnson throwing out Posada at second for a game-ending double play. Timlin, who allowed O'Neill's homer Friday night, got his second save.

"I finally found a little groove," said Timlin, who was on the disabled list from April 2-17. "I got a little outside the game when I was on the DL. It may have taken me a little bit to get my routine correct."

The Yankees, who left the bases loaded three times and stranded 11, were just 1-for-5 with runners on third and fewer than two outs: Ricky Ledee popped out in the fifth, Derek Jeter and O'Neill grouned out in the seventh, and O'Neill grounded out in the eighth.

Yankees manager Joe Torre wasn't disappointed with Rivera.

"You can't do it all the time," he said.

Before a crowd of 52,559 on Bob Sheppard Day, Cal Ripken Jr. and DeShields homered for the Orioles off Ramiro Mendoza following pregame ceremonies that honored the Yankees' public address announcer, who is in his 50th season. Ripken's second-inning homer was his sixth the season and 408th in his career.

Martinez's RBI single tied it in the fourth, but DeShields hit a leadoff homer in the sixth and Baines' sacrifice fly later in the inning made it 3-1. Orioles starter Sid Ponson walked three straight batters in the bottom half, forcing in a run with a walk to Brosius.

In the Yankees clubhouse afterward, Rivera didn't want anyone to blame the loss on missed chances.

"I blew the game," he said. "Nobody else."

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