GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: AL: TAMPA BAY (38-61) at BALTIMORE (45-53)

Bedard does it again as Orioles top Devil Rays

<h3>BALTIMORE 6, TAMPA BAY 1</h3>BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- Erik Bedard has to be hoping that thesummer never comes to an end.


Bedard pitched six solid innings and Ramon Hernandez drove intwo runs as the Baltimore Orioles topped the Tampa Bay DevilRays, 6-1, on Wednesday.


It was the fourth win in as many starts for Bedard (10-4), whoallowed one run, six hits and two walks while striking outeight. The lefthander improved to 6-0 with a 1.97 ERA in hislast eight starts and has allowed just two earned runs in hislast 29 innings.


"It was a battle from the first pitch of the game," Bedard said."I was getting lucky, just throwing strikes. My fastball was alittle erratic. I was depending on my curve more than on myfastball."


Baltimore, which improved to 17-13 under interim manager DaveTrembley, wasted no time in giving their staff ace a lead.

After Tampa Bay starter Andy Sonnanstine (1-6) loaded the baseswith two outs in the first, Hernandez delivered a two-run singleon a high pop fly that dropped between left fielder CarlCrawford and shortstop Brendan Harris.


"You try to forget about that (play)," Sonnanstine said."Things are going to go that way sometimes."


Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon was less forgiving of his defense,stating that it was "a play you have to make."


Jay Payton made it a 3-0 advantage moments later with an RBIsingle before Jay Gibbons popped out to end the frame.

Highlighted by Corey Patterson's fifth home run of the season,one of three hits by the No. 2 hitter, Baltimore tacked on a runapiece in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to pull away.

Patterson was batting .205 when Trembley took over as managerand, 30 games later, he's batting .264.


"I haven't changed anything," Patterson said. "As players, wejust go through rough stretches here and there."


Trembley had another take on Patterson's success.


"He's a lot more relaxed. He's using the whole field and he'snot chasing pitches out of the strike zone," he said.

Bedard departed after throwing 109 pitches and, unlike earlierin the season, the effort was enough to secure the win. Duringa span of 11 starts from April 23-June 15, Bedard posted a 3.06ERA over 70 2/3 innings but had just one win to show for it.

"We're just scoring some runs for him," Trembley said. "I thinkthat's the big difference. He got a bunch of no-decisionsbecause we didn't score any runs for him."


The only mistake Bedard made Wednesday occurred in the thirdinning, when he allowed a mammoth home run to Raul Casanova.

The 28-year-old also improved his major league-leading strikeouttotal to 175 and is positioning himself to become the firstBaltimore pitcher since Bob Turley (185) in 1954 to lead theleague in strikeouts.


Bedard also is threatening the franchise record for strikeoutsin a season, held by Mike Mussina, who fanned 218 batters in1997.


"I thought he was very special tonight because he didn't give inat all," Trembley said. "Tonight shows why he's such a goodpitcher. He pitches, he doesn't throw."


Sonnanstine (1-6) lasted six innings, allowing five runs, sevenhits and three walks while striking out four. The rookierighthander is 0-6 in eight starts since getting his first majorleague victory on June 10.


The Devil Rays have lost five straight, 22 of 27 and havedropped their last eight games in Baltimore.