Tejada slam secures sweep

By Gary Washburn / MLB.com

BALTIMORE -- Blame the Orioles for eliciting such a terse reaction from Yankee owner George Steinbrenner, who like many faithful Bronx Bombers fans, did not enjoy the way Baltimore pounded New York over the past three days.

The Orioles used a Miguel Tejada grand slam off Kevin Brown to win 8-4 on Sunday and complete their first three-game sweep over the Yankees since 2000. And moments after the game, the Orioles may have barged their way into a position in Steinbrenner's conscious mind right next to the Boston Red Sox.

Steinbrenner released a strongly worded statement minutes after the game, stating, "Enough is enough," and "They are not playing like real Yankees" in criticizing his team's 4-8 start. Five of those losses are to the Orioles, who are emerging as a factor in the American League East.

Yes, it's early. But the 8-4 Orioles have already matched their 2004 win total over the Bombers and have outscored them 47-26 in the six meetings. Sunday's game capped a glorious weekend at Camden Yards that conjured memories of the mid-1990s when the Yankees and Orioles were archrivals battling for AL East supremacy.

"I have seen this type of atmosphere here before," veteran first baseman Rafael Palmeiro said. "But not recently. But I have seen it before in our playoff years. We have a long way to go, but this is good to see."

On a sun-drenched day, the Orioles set the tone for the game by scoring six times in the first two innings off a rusty Kevin Brown. The former Oriole was activated from the disabled list before the game and had not pitched in a competitive game since April 1.

Melvin Mora greeted him with a long solo home run with two out in the first inning. Tejada then followed with an opposite-field double and scored on Sammy Sosa's seeing-eye single through the hole between third and shortstop.

Before the Yankees even had a chance to really get comfortable against Orioles right-hander Daniel Cabrera, they were already down two runs. And jumping ahead first was a consistent theme in the six games for Baltimore. It has scored first in five of those games.

"You've got to give those guys credit in there," said Orioles manager Lee Mazzilli, who witnessed the famous Steinbrenner intensity as a Yankees coach. "I don't know if we caught the Yankees at the right time or what, but you know what that team can do. So you have to give our guys credit for keeping their intensity."

The O's broke the game open in the second inning when Tejada sprinkled a little more of his magic onto his already impressive stint by walloping his first grand slam as an Oriole. Brown had gotten the first two outs of the inning, but then loaded the bases on a single and two walks.

Tejada jumped on an 0-1 fastball and sent it beyond the center-field fence. Just as the crowd went crazy after Brian Roberts' three-run homer Saturday, it cheered with approval as Tejada rounded the bases. He raised his right arm and pointed to the sky.

"We're just going to enjoy the moment right now and take the field every day, feeling like we can win," Tejada said. "Right now, I just think everybody believes, even the fans. They believe we can win. It's not a coincidence we beat the Yankees; it's because of the way we played in Spring Training and in Tampa. We are playing good baseball."

Perhaps the most encouraging note from Sunday was the performance of Cabrera, who had struggled in his first two starts, allowing nine runs in 8 1/3 innings. He's had problems with giving up runs in the early innings, but after inducing Alex Rodriguez to bounce into a fielder's choice to strand two runners in the first, he appeared to gain confidence.

Cabrera allowed just one run through the first five innings, but his guile was challenged in the sixth. After a Rodriguez double, Ruben Sierra launched a two-run homer to cut the Orioles' lead to 6-3. Tino Martinez then singled, and Cabrera looked headed for another meltdown. But he collected himself and got three quick outs, preserving the lead.

"Today, I just tried to do the same thing I always do -- locate my fastball and throw a good changeup," Cabrera said. "I have the same stuff as before, but it worked better in this game. I have better location with my fastball."

The secret to beating the Yankees may not be such a secret, after all. Orioles starters were 4-0 with a 3.51 ERA in the six meetings with four quality starts.

Pitching had been the team's biggest concern entering the season, but the Orioles are getting enough productive pitching to complement their powerful offense. The O's have scored 66 runs and hit .336 in the past nine games.

No wonder they are getting under Steinbrenner's skin.

"There's going to be times we're not going to hit it, and I think that's when our pitching will come forward," Palmeiro said. "We just need to keep this thing going for as long as we can."