Orioles Slip Past Angels, Patterson in 10

Angel Manager Marcel Lachemann went to his bullpen for a left-hander in the ninth inning of a tie game Tuesday night, but no one in the paid crowd of 13,889 in Anaheim Stadium covered their eyes or hurled objects onto the field in disgust.

It was Bob Patterson, not much-maligned left-hander Mitch Williams, and all Patterson did was help erase the sour taste of recent bullpen failings by pitching the Angels out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam to preserve a tie with the Baltimore Orioles.

But Patterson’s success story ended quickly, as the Orioles rallied for a run in the 10th inning on Cal Ripken Jr.’s sacrifice fly to defeat the Angels, 5-4.

Kevin Bass singled to open the 10th and advanced on Patterson’s balk. Jeffrey Hammonds grounded to short, with Bass moving to third, and Patterson walked left-handed hitting Rafael Palmeiro intentionally.

With Ripken coming up, the logical move was to replace Patterson with right-hander Troy Percival. But Percival had pitched in each of the previous two games, so Lachemann went with right-hander Mike Bielecki, who started and went 5 2/3 innings of the Angels’ 12-1 loss to Boston Saturday.

Lachemann was hoping for a double-play ball, but Ripken ripped a liner to right field for a sacrifice fly that easily scored Bass and made a winner of reliever Jesse Orosco (1-0), who retired two Angels in the ninth.

Doug Jones retired the side in the bottom of the 10th with the help of a Ripken defensive gem--he fielded Damion Easley’s grounder deep in the hole and threw him out--handing the Angels their first extra-inning loss in four games this season.

“With his forkball we figured we’d get a ground ball,� Lachemann said of the decision to pitch Bielecki. “With Palmeiro hitting and a man on third, you know he’s going to put the ball in play. Cal is a fine hitter, but you’ve got a chance for the double play with him.�

Ripken also led off the ninth with a ground-rule double to right field, just out of the reach of Tim Salmon. Angel starter Mark Langston’s wild pitch allowed Ripken to advance to third, and Langston walked Chris Hoiles.

Lachemann went to right-hander Mike Butcher, who gave up a grand slam and a solo homer to the Boston Red Sox in his last appearance Friday. But with the infield in, Butcher got Jeff Manto to ground out to shortstop, as Hoiles took second and Ripken remained at third.

Butcher intentionally walked pinch-hitter Harold Baines, and Lachemann brought Patterson in to face Oriole lefty Andy Van Slyke, whose fly ball to center field was not deep enough to score Ripken.

Patterson then got Manny Alexander to pop to first for the third out, stranding all three runners and leaving the game tied.

In the seventh, Spike Owen’s pinch-hit, bloop single to left field, which followed reliever Alan Mills’ intentional walk to J.T. Snow, scored Chili Davis to give the Angels a 4-3 lead.

It marked Owen’s second clutch blooper of the season--his soft RBI double down the left-field line gave the Angels a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on May 12.

But this one would not be a game-winner. Baltimore came right back in the top of the eighth when Brett Barberie reached on an infield single and pinch-runner Alexander was sacrificed to second.

Hammonds then slapped a Langston pitch into right field for an RBI single and a 4-4 tie.

The Angels fell behind, 3-0, in the first but fought back with two runs in the fourth and tied the game in the fifth with the help of a Rex Hudler-ignited rally.

Making his third start of the season and playing only because center fielder Jim Edmonds was scratched because of a foot injury, Hudler led off the fifth with a ground ball up the middle off reliever Mike Oquist.

Van Slyke, the Baltimore center fielder, played the ball nonchalantly, and Hudler never slowed down around first. Hudler slid into second ahead of Van Slyke’s throw.

Hudler tagged up on Salmon’s long fly ball to center field and scored on Davis’ single to right to tie the game, 3-3.