The last time the Baltimore Orioles won a game, Erik Bedard—he of the 13-5, 3.16 ERA, and an American League-leading 221 punchouts in 182 innings—was on the mound.
With an eight-game losing streak pending tonight’s series finale against Tampa Bay, this is just what the Orioles don’t need: Bedard will miss at least one start with a strained right oblique, a problem Bedard kept quiet for as long as four weeks. Manager Dave Trembley told reporters the lefthander said it didn’t impair his ability to pitch and that he showed “marked improvement” today, but the skipper decided to take no chances.
The move forces the Orioles to send rookie Garrett Olson to the mound in Bedard’s place Saturday against the Boston Red Sox—who’ve just been swept by the Empire Emeritus in New York. Olsen has a 1-2 record and a 7.33 ERA to show for two brief turns with the Orioles.
The Orioles also plan to start the weekend set with the Red Sox by sending another rookie, Radhames Liz, to start Friday. He got roughed by the Minnesota Twins in his big league premiere last Saturday: five runs, four hits in six innings.
MEANWHILE, BACK IN THE JUNGLE . . .
THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE—Bad enough: The Thursday pitching duel between Curt Schilling (who surrendered two runs, both solo bombs by Robinson Cano) and Chien Ming Wang (who had a no-hitter for six and a 2-0 lead for it) was wrecked when the Yankees got three on an RBI single and a two-run throwing error (by catcher Jason Varitek, trying to catch Bobby Abreu stealing) in the eighth, leaving the Red Sox to lose 5-0 and to sit a mere five ahead of the Yankees in the American League East.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona, however, had two other problems before the sweep was done: He got tossed for arguing Thursday afternoon, after Kevin Youkilis got called for running out of the baseline (on an overruled original, when Youkilis eluded a tag); and, he got rousted early in Wednesday’s game by baseball government’s clothes cops—they wanted to be sure he was wearing his Red Sox jersey under his usual pullover jacket.
When Derek Jeter is on second base and I got somebody coming from the league making me go down the runway, I was a little perturbed. That was about as embarrassed as I’ve been in a long time, for baseball . . . I have never seen anything like that before in my life. Middle of the game you’ve got the fashion police. This is incredible.
—Francona to reporters Thursday.
Francona may be comforted to know he had an ally in the opposing dugout.
I got a letter warning me. You’d think there’d be more important things to do this time of year than do Mickey Mouse stuff like that. It’s a farce, I think. I really do.
—Joe Torre, Yankee manager, who also wears a team jacket during games.
Baseball government enforcer Bob Watson, for his part, said he was “disappointed” that “they” discussed the issue publicly. (Among other things, MLB plans to fine coaches and managers caught with no jersey beneath their jackets.) “And there will be something said about that,” Watson added.
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