Melvin Mora

NEW YORK -- Once Johnny Damon and the New York Yankees saw Erik Bedard leave, it was time to break out the big bats. Damon hit a tying home run off a familiar victim and Robinson Cano sliced an RBI double in the seventh inning as the Yankees battered Baltimore's beleaguered bullpen and sent the Orioles to their fifth straight loss, 6-3, last night. "This was a big win because you beat one of their best pitchers," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "We didn't beat him, but we won the game he pitched.

Brad Bergesen was told by his teammates to just have some fun, and the result was his best performance of the season. Bergesen tossed a four-hitter for his first major league shutout, backup catcher Jake Fox hit a two-run homer, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays, 6-0, yesterday in St. Petersburg, Fla. Bergesen (1-4) picked up his first victory since last Sept. 21 at Boston. The righthander entered 0-5 with a 9.13 ERA in five career starts against Tampa Bay. Baltimore took a 4-0 lead when Fox hit a two-run shot in the sixth off Wade Davis (4-3)

BALTIMORE -- Andy Pettitte was enjoying another exceptional performance against the team he's dominated the most during his 11-year career. Then came the sixth inning, when the lefthander discovered these aren't the same old Baltimore Orioles. Miguel Tejada homered against Pettitte to highlight a three-run sixth, and Bruce Chen allowed three hits over seven scoreless innings to lead Baltimore past the Houston Astros, 6-1, last night. Pettitte came in with a 20-4 lifetime record against the Orioles.

So this is what it has come to, even at home, even against an Orioles team all but allergic to Fenway Park. The Red Sox can give up no earned runs. They can get nine hits and play sparkling defense. And they still must hold on for dear life with the whitest of knuckles. Possessors of a season-long, five-game losing streak upon returning home to face a club that has been their personal punching bag the last several years, the Red Sox posted a 3-1 win last night to keep pace with the victorious Yankees (again)

Kevin Brown's first warmup pitch hit the backstop on the fly. He followed with his best outing since last summer. Brown escaped a pair of bases-loaded jams and pitched seven sharp innings, leading the Yankees to a 6-0 victory over the Oakland A's in New York. Brown allowed five hits, struck out four and walked one. Tom Gordon pitched a perfect eighth, and Tanyon Sturtze completed the seven-hitter. Brown was given a lead for the first time this year when Alex Rodriguez hit his 11th homer leading off the fourth, just the second homer off Rich Harden (2-2)

NEW YORK -- Jason Giambi and the rest of the Bronx Bombers figure to score plenty of runs this season, so even they know the biggest key to a big year stands 6 feet 10 inches on the mound. Randy Johnson rebounded from a poor outing and dominated Baltimore with ease, and Giambi homered twice and drove in five runs yesterday as the New York Yankees cruised to a 7-1 victory over the Orioles. "You look up and down the lineup at all the big hitters, but we're really going to ride the big fella," Giambi said.

For a guy who's been struggling at the plate, Bernie Williams is having a pretty good week when it comes to the Yankees' record books. Williams hit his 10th grand slam yesterday to move into fourth place on the club's career list and spark host New York's 8-2 win over last-place Toronto, which fired manager Carlos Tosca after its fifth straight loss. "We have six or seven weeks left in the season and the team showed signs of not playing hard," said Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi, who hired Tosca June 3, 2002.

NEW YORK -- The Yankees are used to blowouts at home, just not this way. After observing a pregame moment of silence in memory of Hall of Fame shortstop Phil Rizzuto, New York was taken out of the game early by Daniel Cabrera and the Baltimore Orioles' bats. Cabrera pitched two-hit ball into the seventh inning, Aubrey Huff hit a grand slam, and the Orioles cooled off the Yankees with a 12-0 win last night. The loss matched the Yankees' largest margin of defeat this season and was their worst shutout loss since Oakland beat them, 12-0, Sept.

Bobby Crosby and Adam Melhuse homered and Blue Jays starter Josh Towers fell to 0-7 as the Oakland Athletics held on for a 6-5 victory last night in Toronto. Crosby and Melhuse homered in the fourth off Towers, who has lost all seven of his starts this season. Towers's ERA fell from 10.59 to 10.09 despite allowing three runs in four innings. The righthander won 13 games last season and signed a two-year contract in the offseason, but he has lost a career-worst seven straight decisions.

Rafael Palmeiro homered and Miguel Tejada had a season-high three RBIs, leading the Orioles to a 7-6 comeback victory over Tampa Bay last night in Baltimore. With the victory and the Red Sox' loss at Toronto, Baltimore climbed over Boston into first place in the East Division. The Orioles trailed, 6-4, in the sixth before rallying for their sixth win in seven games. Tejada, who came in with five RBIs in his first 13 games with the Orioles, hit a two-run single in the fourth and singled in the tiebreaking run in the seventh.

Robinson Cano helped New York race out to a big lead after losing Joba Chamberlain to a leg injury in the first inning, driving in three runs as the Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles, 7-4, last night in New York for their ninth straight win. Cano hit an RBI double in New York's four-run first and a two-run shot in the second. Melky Cabrera, subbing for a sore Johnny Damon, had a two-run double in the first and Hideki Matsui connected in the fifth to give Yankee Stadium the record for most homers in a ballpark's first 20 games.

Cliff Floyd and Evan Longoria hit solo home runs last night, helping the Tampa Bay Rays give a harsh greeting to Lou Piniella in his return to Tropicana Field with a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Floyd's shot to right field off Ryan Dempster traveled an estimated 429 feet. Longoria led off the sixth with his 11th of the season, snapping a 1-1 tie against Neal Cotts (0-1), who had a two-base throwing error in the seventh to set up Tampa Bay's other run. Grant Balfour (1-0)

A wacky game featuring nine home runs, 12 pitchers, and a 67-minute rain delay ultimately was decided when the Orioles mounted one final rally after midnight. Aubrey Huff doubled in the tiebreaking run in the 11th inning and scored the winner on a long single by Alex Cintron, giving the Orioles a 10-9 win over the Yankees last night in Baltimore. After New York took a 9-8 lead in the 11th against Matt Albers (3-1) on an RBI single by Hideki Matsui, Melvin Mora led off the bottom half with a single off LaTroy Hawkins (1-1)

Garrett Olson took a shutout into the seventh inning, and the host Baltimore Orioles ended the Tampa Bay Rays' six-game winning streak with a 7-4 victory last night in a surprising duel for first place in the American League East. Aubrey Huff homered and Melvin Mora had two RBIs for the Orioles, who broke a tie atop the division with Tampa Bay and lead the Red Sox by percentage points. Recalled from Triple A Norfolk before the game, Olson (1-0) gave up two runs and four hits in 6 2/3 innings, walking five, and striking out six. Tigers 6, Yankees 4 - Gary Sheffield and Curtis...

Surprise, surprise: The Baltimore Orioles own the best record in the American League and the Seattle Mariners are in last place. Sure, the season is only in its second week. Yet the rebuilding Orioles already have plenty to celebrate, most notably their first four-game sweep of Seattle since 1999 and their best start in 10 years. Aubrey Huff homered to break an eighth-inning tie, and Baltimore beat Seattle, 5-4, yesterday in front of the second-smallest crowd in Camden Yards history to remain atop the AL East at 5-1. "I know it's early, but we just swept a pretty good team over...

NEW YORK -- The Yankees are used to blowouts at home, just not this way. After observing a pregame moment of silence in memory of Hall of Fame shortstop Phil Rizzuto, New York was taken out of the game early by Daniel Cabrera and the Baltimore Orioles' bats. Cabrera pitched two-hit ball into the seventh inning, Aubrey Huff hit a grand slam, and the Orioles cooled off the Yankees with a 12-0 win last night. The loss matched the Yankees' largest margin of defeat this season and was their worst shutout loss since Oakland beat them, 12-0, Sept.

Sidney Ponson shut down the team that has pounded him by pitching a four-hitter and Javy Lopez homered again, leading the Baltimore Orioles past the Yankees, 9-1, last night in New York. Melvin Mora drove in four runs, Lopez had three RBIs, and Miguel Tejada hit a pair of RBI singles for Baltimore. The Orioles won for just the second time in 10 games against the AL East leaders this season. After going 0-3 with an 8.83 ERA in three outings against the Yankees this season, Ponson (6-12)

Struggling Alex Rodriguez got the Yankees going with a bunt single and New York held on to beat the White Sox, 11-8, last night in Chicago after scoring seven first-inning runs. The Yankees got back to .500 with their biggest first inning in nine years as they routed Mark Buehrle (1-1) in a game delayed twice by rain -- 12 minutes at the start and 72 minutes after the second inning. Jorge Posada drove in four runs and had three hits, including a two-run single in the first and a solo homer in the eighth.

Derek Jeter made up for a rare blown save by Mariano Rivera with one perfectly placed grounder. Jeter's infield tapper to the right of reliever Chad Bradford scored Melky Cabrera in the bottom of the ninth inning and gave New York a 7-6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles last night at Yankee Stadium. Rivera had converted 19 consecutive save opportunities before Brian Roberts's run-scoring single tied it at 6 in the ninth. It ended up being just a minor nuisance for New York, which has won four straight and nine of 10. "We've been on the balls of our feet," manager Joe Torre said.

NEW YORK -- Once Johnny Damon and the New York Yankees saw Erik Bedard leave, it was time to break out the big bats. Damon hit a tying home run off a familiar victim and Robinson Cano sliced an RBI double in the seventh inning as the Yankees battered Baltimore's beleaguered bullpen and sent the Orioles to their fifth straight loss, 6-3, last night. "This was a big win because you beat one of their best pitchers," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "We didn't beat him, but we won the game he pitched.