Indians Hand Orioles Another Loss

May 6, 1998 / 1:46 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Omar Vizquel gave Lenny Webster and the Baltimore Orioles another nightmare in their House of Horrors.

Armando Benitez, haunted by Cleveland to the tune of a 12.00 ERA in the AL championship series, walked in the tying run and gave up Vizquel's game-winning single with two outs in the ninth as the Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-5 Tuesday night.

Cleveland's second straight last at-bat win at home came after the Orioles went ahead in the top of the ninth on Webster's two-out RBI single off Paul Assenmacher. It was the Indians' 10th comeback win of the year and fifth in their last at-bat at home.

"If this situation had come up a week ago, we probably wouldn't have gotten it done," Cleveland's Brian Giles said. "We're building on this."

Webster appeared to get redemption for Vizquel's missed squeeze bunt in the 12th inning of Cleveland's 2-1 victory in Game 3 of the AL championship series last fall. Marquis Grissom scored the winning run in the game, but Webster maintains to this day that Vizquel foul-tipped the ball.

The Indians won the series in six games, setting an LCS record with four one-run victories.

"We've got to get through these guys," said Baltimore's Jesse Orosco, who played for the Indians in the early '90s. "They've got a lot of spirit over here."

Vizquel was the spoiler again, pulling an inside fastball from Benitez (1-1) to right to drive in Jim Thome with the winning run.

"I threw my best pitch, a fastball inside, and he hit it," said Benitez, who also gave up a grand slam to Albert Belle in the 1996 AL division series against Cleveland.

"I was looking for something inside and pretty hard," said Vizquel, who lost a cap to a tooth while taking a bite out of an apple in the third inning. "This is a team that's offensive. It's hard to sneak a fastball by any guys here."

Sandy Alomar led off Cleveland's ninth with a bloop single. Thome walked, Travis Fryman was hit by a pitch and pinch-hitter Giles walked to force home the tying run.

After Shawon Dunston struck out and Kenny Lofton fouled out, Vizquel gave Benitez (1-1) another bad Cleveland memory.

"I thought it was going to be over before I came up," Vizquel said. "I was telling the guys, `Pack up, pack up, pack up. It's over.' "

Orioles manager Ray Miller had Norm Charlton and Arthur Rhodes ready in the bullpen, but elected to stay with Benitez.

"I talked to Jim Leyland before the season, and he said you don't get involved in playing yourself," Miller said. "You get everybody in the right place and live with your decisions. That's it."

Paul Assenmacher (2-3) got one out in the ninth for the victory, Cleveland's fourth straight. They beat Tampa Bay 10-8 on Snday five runs in the ninth, including Alomar's grand slam.

Strange things happen to the Orioles when they come to Jacobs Field. Webster also was the catcher in Game 4 of the playoff game when David Justice and Alomar scored on a wild pitch in Cleveland's 8-7 victory.

"Last year was last year," Indians manager Mike Hargrove said. "They're a very good team."

Mike Bordick hit a one-out single in the ninth off Mike Jackson and scored on Webster's line drive to center off Assenmacher. Lofton fielded it on a hop and threw a one-bounce strike home, but Bordick slid in safely.

In the bottom of the eighth, Justice tied it at 4 with a sacrifice fly off Orosco that scored Dunston.

Dunston, who tripled and scored Cleveland's first run in the third, led off the eighth with a sharp single off Alan Mills. Orosco came on to face Lofton, who was 1-for-12 in his career against the lefty. Lofton singled to center.

Vizquel sacrificed for Justice 0-for-4 in his career against Orosco. After Charlie Greene saved a run by scooping a slider in the dirt, Justice hit a flare to left that was snared by a sliding B.J. Surhoff, whose throw home hit Dunston's leg. Surhoff was charged with an error as Dunston slid home headfirst with the tying run.

Benitez knocked down Manny Ramirez's shot to the mound and threw him out to end the rally.

Surhoff hit a two-run homer in the third off Jaret Wright, who has followed his playoff heroics with a 6.03 ERA in seven starts this year. Jeffrey Hammonds broke a 3-3 tie with an RBI single in the sixth, a two-out grounder through the hole at shortstop that scored Joe Carter.

Cleveland's comeback denied Jimmy Key his fifth victory. Key, who got a no-decision in his only start in the AL championship series, allowed three runs and five hits in 6 1-3 innings. He has allowed only four runs in his past three starts for a 1.77 ERA.

Wright, whose only poor outing of the postseason came against Baltimore, allowed four runs and seven hits in seven innings.

Notes: Cal Ripken played his 2,573rd game, tying Ozzie Smith for 33rd on the career list. With 372 career homers, he needs two to tie former Indian Rocky Colavito for 40th all-time. ... Baltimore's Eric Davis, who did not start, is 3-for-29 in his career against the Indians, including 0-for-16 last season. ... The Indians placed outfielder Geronimo Berroa and left-handed reliever Alvin Morman on the 15-day disabled list and recalled right-handed pitcher Jason Rakers from Double-A Akron.