Oriole Victory Sets Up a Diamond Jubilee

If Mike Mussina keeps pitching this way, the Baltimore Orioles might have to keep Neil Diamond in the rotation.

Mussina struck out nine and scattered seven hits for his first nine-inning complete game of the year, and Albert Belle and B.J. Surhoff backed him with solo home runs Friday as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox, 3-2, at Chicago.

“He’s what’s considered an ace,” White Sox Manager Jerry Manuel said. “We’d probably have to be flawless in everything we do. We gave him a run early, and he made it difficult for us the whole day.”

It was the Orioles’ eighth victory in nine games, so Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” was blaring in the clubhouse afterward. A few weeks back, when the Orioles were starting their climb out of last place, Diamond was on the stereo after a victory. The next day, after another victory, Diamond happened to be playing again.

Now the Oriole clubhouse is all Neil, all the time.

“Now we’ve got the box set, so I think we’re ready,” Mussina said. “I’ll listen to Neil Diamond every day if it means we’re going to win.”

With the way Mussina (9-3) pitched Friday, he doesn’t need much help. His nine strikeouts were a season high, and he kept the White Sox off-balance all day. He took a shutout into the sixth inning, but Magglio Ordonez ended it with a homer to right.

His only real trouble came in the ninth. Frank Thomas led off with a double, the 300th of his career, and he scored two outs later on Carlos Lee’s groundout to cut the Orioles’ lead to 3-2. Chris Singleton singled, but Mussina got Greg Norton to strike out swinging to end the game.

“I really didn’t think about taking him out,” Manager Ray Miller said. “It was a difficult situation and the sun was tough. I thought with the difficulty of seeing, I had one of the best guys out there and he got the job done.”

Texas 4, Boston 1--In his first start at Fenway Park since giving up Carl Yastrzemski’s 400th home run, Mike Morgan gave up three hits in 6 1/3 innings at Boston.

Morgan, 39, last started at Fenway on July 24, 1979, when Yastrzemski homered in Boston’s 7-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

Morgan (7-5) beat the Red Sox for the first time in seven decisions. Tampa Bay and Arizona are the only teams in the majors he has not defeated.

Morgan, who had lost his previous three decisions, won for the first time since May 13. He struck out two and walked three.

He left with a runner on first in the seventh. Reliever Jeff Zimmerman got Darren Lewis to ground into an inning-ending double play. Zimmerman closed for his first major league save, finishing the combined three-hitter.

Kansas City 6, Toronto 5--Rookie Jeremy Giambi hit a two-run homer and Mike Sweeney had a two-run double at Toronto as the Royals ended a five-game losing streak.

The Blue Jays, who had their four-game winning streak ended, scored three runs in the ninth, but Darrin Fletcher grounded out with the bases loaded to end the game.

Though the Royals were swept by the Orioles in their last series, Manager Tony Muser held a clubhouse meeting and told his players he was proud of them for trying to overachieve. The youthful Royals have won only six of their last 20 games.

Giambi, the brother of Oakland’s Jason Giambi, ended a one-for-19 slump with his first homer of the season.

Jay Witasick (2-5), acquired from Oakland on March 30, pitched six strong innings. He won for the first time in seven starts, giving up two runs and six hits in six innings before leaving in the seventh because of a blister.

Detroit 8, Oakland 3--Dean Palmer’s homer started a three-run sixth inning for the Tigers at Detroit.

Damion Easley and Gabe Kapler also homered for the Tigers, who ended a three-game losing streak while handing the A’s their fourth consecutive loss.

Detroit trailed, 3-2, when Palmer led off the sixth with his 18th homer, a high drive against Mike Oquist (6-5) that hit the left-field foul pole.

All of Palmer’s homers have come in his last 51 games, nine in his last 18.

A walk and a hit batter set up Kapler’s sacrifice bunt, and an intentional walk loaded the bases. Doug Jones relieved and walked Deivi Cruz on four pitches, and Luis Polonia’s sacrifice fly gave the Tigers a 5-3 lead.

Minnesota 8, Tampa Bay 5--Rookie Corey Koskie had a pinch-hit double to start a three-run eighth inning for the Twins at Minnesota.

With the score tied at 5-5, Koskie hit a shot down the right-field line against Scott Aldred (2-2) to start the eighth. Javier Valentin walked and Torii Hunter moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt.

Rookie Jacque Jones drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly and Cristian Guzman followed with an RBI single. After Todd Walker singled, Marty Cordova made the score 8-5 with a single up the middle.