Big Victory Is Sweet Music for Orioles

The music floating through the Baltimore Orioles’ clubhouse said it all: “There’s something happening here, what it is ain’t exactly clear. . . .”

Those appropriate lyrics, from a classic tune by the Buffalo Springfield, were music to the Orioles’ ears after Rafael Palmeiro homered with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday night to give Baltimore its 12th win in 13 games, 5-4 over Oakland at Camden Yards.

Exactly what is happening in the AL wild-card race? It’s hard to fathom, really. The Orioles emerged from the All-Star break 15 1/2 games behind Boston, but the deficit was reduced to eight games after Boston lost to Cleveland, 4-3, Wednesday night.

Palmeiro hit a 2-and-2 pitch from Mike Fetters (1-4) over the center-field wall, his 31st homer and second in two games.

Jeff Reboulet also homered for the Orioles, who moved within a game of .500 (50-51) for the first time since May 16. Baltimore has won nine in a row at home.

“I think everyone in this clubhouse believes we can make up the difference,” catcher Chris Hoiles said. “We’ve been getting great pitching, great offense and great defense.

“We’re pretty much hitting on all cylinders, which is how it should have been all year.”

Armando Benitez (3-2), the fifth Oriole pitcher, worked a perfect ninth inning.

Oakland’s Rickey Henderson stole his 39th base to become the second-oldest player to steal as many bases as his age. Davey Lopes stole 47 at age 40.

Cleveland 4, Boston 3--Jim Thome’s 27th homer capped a three-run rally in the seventh inning at Cleveland and gave Charles Nagy his first victory since May 31.

Nagy (8-6) was 0-4 with four no-decisions since beating Toronto, 8-3, on May 31. The major league leader in homers allowed did not yield one in his second consecutive strong outing. The right-hander gave up three runs and six hits in seven innings.

Nagy walked five and struck out three, working out of several jams and stomping off the mound with a fist-pump or two. It was the kind of quality outing and emotion the Indians have wanted from Nagy since signing him to a four-year, $24-million contract extension on May 13.

Nagy, sporting bleach-blond hair in recent weeks, improved to 6-1 with a 2.64 earned-run average against the Red Sox in his career.

Toronto 4, Chicago 0--Roger Clemens pitched eight shutout innings to win his seventh decision in a row and Jose Canseco homered at Toronto.

Clemens (12-6) gave up three hits, struck out four and walked two. Paul Quantrill gave up one hit in the ninth.

After giving up a leadoff double to Ray Durham in the first, Clemens didn’t give up another hit until Magglio Ordonez’s infield single with two out in the seventh.

Canseco gave the Blue Jays a 4-0 lead in the third with his 27th homer, a 431-foot shot into the fourth deck of SkyDome.

Tampa Bay 7, Seattle 5--Bobby Smith’s two-run single capped a four-run seventh-inning rally against Randy Johnson at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Randy Winn and Miguel Cairo also had run-scoring singles in the seventh as the Devil Rays won for only the third time in 18 games this month.

Five of Tampa Bay’s seven runs off Johnson (9-9) were unearned, including all four in the winning rally.

The Seattle starter gave up 10 hits, struck out five and walked none before departing after the seventh.

New York 13, Detroit 2--Chuck Knoblauch, Darryl Strawberry and Jorge Posada homered in a rout at New York.

Orlando Hernandez (5-2) was staked to a 5-0 lead after two innings and when the Tigers narrowed the gap to 5-2, Knoblauch hit a three-run homer in the Yankees’ third to make the score 8-2.

Hernandez gave up seven hits in six innings, walking two and striking out seven and also balked in the second run in the Tigers’ two-run third.

Brian Powell (1-2) threw 100 pitches in the first four innings, giving up seven hits, 10 runs--nine earned--walking five, striking out two, hitting two batters and giving up Knoblauch’s 10th homer and Strawberry’s 13th, a two-run shot in the fourth.