Borkowski's pitching, Javy Lopez' two homers propel O's

09:14 AM EDT on Thursday, July 29, 2004

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

AP photo The Red Sox' Johnny Damon breaks his bat on a groundout during the ninth inning of last night's games against the Orioles at Camden Yards. The 4-1 defeat cost Boston a chance to make up ground on the first-place Yankees, who lost to Toronto. The Sox trail New York by eight games in the A.L. East.

BALTIMORE -- In the previous four games before last night, the Red Sox' offense was rolling, accumulating 39 runs and never managing fewer than nine in any one game.

But on a warm night at Camden Yards, the Sox' offensive momentum was ground to a halt by journeyman Dave Borkowski, who limited the team to a mere three hits over seven innings, sending the Baltimore Orioles to a 4-1 victory over the Sox.

Boston lost a chance to make up ground on the first-place Yankees, who lost to Toronto last night. The Red Sox remain eight games out in the A.L. East.

The Red Sox averted a shutout with two outs in the ninth when David Ortiz blasted a solo homer to straightaway center. That was only the second extra-base hit of the night for the Sox, who came within an out of being shut out for only the second time this season.

Curt Schilling, twice touched for home runs by Javy Lopez, lost his second straight outing, marking the first time this season that he has lost back-to-back starts. He

allowed all four of the Orioles' runs, over seven innings.

Until collecting the 21st multi-homer game of his career, Lopez hadn't hit a homer since July 11, the last day before the All-Star break.

The win was the second of the season for Borkowski, who went three seasons without pitching in the major leagues before being promoted from Triple A by the Orioles earlier this month. Only last week at Fenway Park, the Sox got to him for four runs over six innings in a 4-0 Boston victory.

Last night, Red Sox hitters looked feebled against him. They didn't collect a hit until Nomar Garciaparra singled with one out in the fifth.

"He kept hitting his spots," said outfielder Johnny Damon, who went hitless. "He had good control (no walks) and he didn't have to come over the heart of the plate. He did a good job.

"It was a bad game for us. We were swinging (at pitches) out of the zone. We didn't have any oportunities. Nothing was going right for us."

"What a job he did," marveled Baltimore manager Lee Mazzilli, "especially against this offense. It was pretty impressive. He really mixed up his pitches, and that's what you have to do against a club like this."

The closest the Sox came to doing anything against Borkowski came in the sixth, when Bill Mueller led off with a double to right. But after Gabe Kapler's attempt for a bunt base hit rolled foul, Damon rolled out to first and Mark Bellhorn popped to short.

A leadoff single by Kevin Millar in the eighth was similarly wasted.

"It seemed like you looked up and it was the fifth inning," said Millar. "It just didn't seem like the Sox' night. We couldn't get anything going. We couldn't get a couple of runners on base in the same inning."

Schilling (12-5) was nearly as good through the first five innings, allowing only a solo shot by Lopez in the fifth, on a hanging curveball.

In the sixth, the O's got a leadoff double from Jerry Hairston Jr., a sacrifice from Brian Roberts and a sacrifice fly by Luis Lopez.

"We get a runner on second and can't get him across," said Schilling, "and then they executed and got the run home in the bottom of the inning. Going from (being down) 1-0 to 2-0 is a big jump, but with this offense, I'm not thinking that's the game."

It was by the seventh, when Miguel Tejada opened with a double and, one out later, Lopez drove a split-finger fastball from Schilling out to center.

"That was shin-high," said Schilling. "I've gotten more swings and misses than contact on that pitch over the years. I was trying to get a strikeout there and didn't make the pitch I wanted to. It didn't work tonight."

Baltimore reliever B.J. Ryan, who retired all three Red Sox hitters he faced in the eighth after inheriting Millar on first, got Damon to ground out and Bellhorn to fly to right in the ninth.

Ortiz then hammered a pitch into the center-field bleachers to spoil the shutout. Prior to the homer by Ortiz, which moved the DH into a tie with Manny Ramirez for the team lead with 27, left-handed hitters were 2-for-63 (.032) against Ryan this season.

It would be Boston's only offensive achievement of the night.