Orioles Put Up a Fight, But Tough Not Enough

Angels 6, Orioles 5

BALTIMORE, July 25 -- As hope continues to fade for the Baltimore Orioles, Manager Dave Trembley is tiring of questions about his team's resolve. He does not want to answer whether attention will wane or confidence will erode.

Trembley used Friday's game as example of how the Orioles would respond, despite falling to the Los Angeles Angels, 6-5, for their fifth loss in sixth games.

"These guys will battle their [rear ends] off," Trembley said. "All the time, no matter what."

To Trembley's point, the Orioles rebounded from a 5-0 second-inning deficit to make a nail-biter out of what initially appeared to be a laugher. But they needed a comeback because of one of the trouble spots this season -- starting pitching.

Trembley relieved starter Brian Burres in the second inning after he allowed as many runs (five) as he recorded outs. Burres's record fell to 7-7 and his ERA has increased by more than two runs in two months.

"I didn't do anything right today," Burres said. "The whole time I was trying to be optimistic that it was going to come around. Nothing seemed to really work."

Burres left the ball high and the Angels -- the top team in baseball -- feasted on mistakes. Juan Rivera and Casey Kotchman each hit home runs in the second inning, and neither is considered an especially dangerous bat in the Angels' order.

"It looked like they knew what was coming," Trembley said. "They were very aggressive and [Burres] didn't miss too many barrels."

True to Trembley's words, though, the Orioles rebounded. A late-arriving offense and clutch relief pitching allowed them to methodically chomp at the lead. Kevin Millar's third-inning home run -- one of his two in the game -- put the Orioles on the scoreboard.

In the seventh inning, the Orioles finally started to hit West Springfield High graduate Joe Saunders, who had raced through the Orioles' lineup in front of friends and family among the 27,999 at Camden Yards on the way to his 13th win.

But with two outs in the seventh, a pair of singles paved the way for a two-run double by Jay Payton, who later scored on a passed ball.

The Orioles' bullpen kept the Angels from continuing their early offense. Reliever Dennis Sarfate held the Angels hitless in 3 1/3 innings with two strikeouts and one walk. Alberto Castillo followed with two hitless innings. Chad Bradford allowed one run in the eighth inning -- the sixth and final run for the Angels.