For the Orioles, There's Give and Take

There is only thing to do when Vladimir Guerrero is up at the plate, Melvin Mora said several hours prior to the Baltimore Orioles' 7-6 win against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, and that is to walk him. It had seemed a silly argument from Mora at the time. He sat in a chair in front of his locker and playfully recounted how a line drive from Guerrero had almost taken off his head on Saturday, which had led him to this particular theory because, after all, he has six children and any time Guerrero comes up to bat, the third baseman wishes he could play somewhere in shallow left field.
And it was Mora who joined Ramon Hernandez, Miguel Tejada and Chris Ray on the mound when Guerrero came to the plate in the ninth inning with two men on base in a one-run game with only one out. There would be no visit from Manager Sam Perlozzo on this one. He had been ejected in the fifth inning after arguing a bunt play. Mora made a suggestion that everyone had agreed to.
"That guy can kill you," Mora said. "You don't let the best guy kill you."
The Orioles walked Guerrero to load the bases. That brought up Garret Anderson, who of course is also a dangerous hitter, the cleanup batter in Los Angeles's order, but he certainly isn't Guerrero.
"Sometimes you have to take chances," Hernandez said.
On the first pitch from Ray, Anderson sent a ground ball to second baseman Brian Roberts, who turned a double play to end the game. Ray recorded his first two-inning save, his 13th overall this season, and Mora had proved quite the sage.
"Don't let Vladdy beat you," Mora said. "Let the other guys try to beat you."
An eruption from Perlozzo had been coming. He had seemed more prickly this week than at any other point in the season. While in Seattle he yelled at several players who had been playing cards a day after he held a postgame meeting following a loss in which he thought the team lacked effort. Players seemed more aware of him than usual.
Perlozzo seemed combustible and he finally blew up in the fifth inning. With two runners on base and no outs, Angels center fielder Chone Figgins sent a bunt down the third base line. The ball crawled up the line with Mora, pitcher Kris Benson and catcher Hernandez converging, and on replays, it appeared to cross into foul territory. Benson appeared to have a clear view.
"That was foul," Benson said. "You could tell there was dirt between the ball and the line."
Hernandez tapped the ball with his glove and as soon as he did so, home plate umpire Tim Timmons ruled that the ball was in play and that Figgins was safe.
"I think it was foul," Hernandez said. "As soon as it left the line I hit it with my glove because it was looking like it was coming back in."