Indians Catch Orioles Sleeping

May 10, 1999 / 11:27 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Two uniform changes later, Albert Belle is still helping the Cleveland Indians win at Jacobs Field.

Belle was picked off first base in the seventh inning by Sandy Alomar and Roberto Alomar followed moments later with a sacrifice fly to bring in the go-ahead run Monday night, giving the Indians a 6-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

Alomar's sacrifice fly off Juan Guzman (1-4) helped him defeat his former teammates and came shortly after Belle, representing the potential go-ahead run, got caught off the bag for the final out in the top of the seventh.

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"I'm not defending Albert," Indians manager Mike Hargrove said. "But that's a tough play for a baserunner. If that had been one of my players, I wouldn't have been upset. I would have been unhappy with the outcome, not the effort. But he's not my player."

David Justice, Richie Sexson and Wil Cordero homered, and Dave Burba (3-1) pitched seven solid innings for the Indians.

Jeff Conine went 3-for-4 with a homer for the Orioles, who lost for just the second time in eight games.

Belle, still a villain in Cleveland, was making his first appearance at Jacobs Field since leaving the Chicago White Sox to sign with the Orioles. He was greeted with the usual taunts of "Jo-ey, Jo-ey," the middle name he used early in his career and detests.

With the score 4-all, Belle walked for the third time with one out in the seventh and, after a popout, he strolled too far off first with Conine at the plate. Sandy Alomar blocked Burba's pitch in the dirt and nailed Belle with a snap throw to first.

"Sandy did a hell of a job on that play," Orioles manager Ray Miller said. "It looked like the ball got away, but he got it. It was more of a good play by Sandy than a bad play by us."

The play fired up the crowd and seemed to energize the Indians, who got a leadoff check-swing double from Kenny Lofton in the bottom half. Omar Vizquel moved Lofton over with a groundout to first, and Roberto Alomar sliced his sacrifice fly into the left-field corner.

"The guys did their jobs and it pai off," Hargrove said.

Roberto Alomar and the Orioles parted on a bad terms last November when the All-Star second baseman signed with the Indians. He reportedly feuded with Miller and alienated himself from his teammates.

However, there didn't appear to be any lingering animosity during pregame batting practice as Alomar warmly greeted many Orioles, exchanging hugs and high-fives.

"It's really hard when you play against people you know," Roberto Alomar said. "But this is a business. You still have to go out and do your job. They are still my friends."

Cordero hit his fourth homer on the first pitch from reliever Jesse Orosco to open the eighth.

Burba settled down from some early wildness and allowed four runs, six hits and six walks. Steve Karsay pitched the eighth and Mike Jackson got three outs for his ninth save. He got B.J. Surhoff to line to center for the final out with a runner at second and Belle on deck.

"I don't think about who's on deck," he said. "I think about the guy in the batter's box."

Burba, who walked four in the first three innings, worked through some early mechanical problems with the help of Indians pitching coach Phil Regan.

"I was lucky in the first three innings that I only gave up one run and gave us a chance to come back," he said. "Fortunately, I threw a ball in the dirt that Sandy dug out and threw Albert out at first. That's the story of the ballgame, some lucky bounces."

Justice hit his sixth homer, and third in three games, in the second off Guzman to tie it at 2. Cordero singled with one out and Justice followed with a shot into the Indians' bullpen in center.

Guzman allowed five runs and seven hits in seven innings.

"For me personally, it was a good game," Guzman said. "I felt good, kept my team in the game, but got a couple of bad breaks."

Notes: Conine is batting .467 (14-for-30) in his last eight games after a 1-for-19 stretch. ... Vizquel was back in the lineup after missing six games with a thigh injury. ... Cal Ripken, on the disabled list for the first time in his career, began a rehabilitative stint at the team's minor-league camp in Sarasota, Fla., on Monday and is expected to rejoin the Orioles by the end of the week. ... Indians pitcher Jaret Wright dropped his appeal and Monday began serving his five-game suspension for instigating a brawl in Boston last month. ... Cleveland has homered in 14 straight games. ... Indians reliever Paul Shuey (strained hamstring) is expected to be activated Tuesday and lefty Ricky Rincon (inflamed left elbow) will pitch for Double-A Akron the next two days. Paul Wagner is likely to be sent to Triple-A Buffalo when Shuey is activated. ... Jim Thome was a late scratch with lower back spasms. His back locked up while running the bases Sunday.