Just like the 2001 Orioles, the "Why Not's" began the month of May with a challenge from the defending World Champs, except in 1989, this meant the Big Mean Green Machine of the Oakland A's, with the Bash Brothers, Rickey Henderson, Dave Stewart, and the Eck.
The O's go into the series having lost seven of nine, yet no one around Birdtown is panicking, because the last seven games have been decided by a total of only four runs difference. No one is hitting, but the O's are staying in every game (sound familiar?).
The trend continues in Game One, however, losing 6-1 while mustering a mere four hits. National media ridicule the Baby Birds, saying it's all over.
On May 9, the O's are on the brink of loss number six, as the A's take a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth...but then, a miracle happens. The intermittent rain becomes more insistent, and Don Denkinger stops play. Tony LaRussa goes ballistic, saying certainly another half inning can be played, but Denkinger says no. It rains all night, and the O's dodge a bullet, as the game is called. Likewise, the next night is also rained out, so the A's only get to play again on Thursday in the afternoon, drawing a scant 1201 people to Memorial Stadium (As I mentioned in "This Week in Orioles History, I was one of the 1201 as it was my day off.) The Orioles, as has been their wont in recent years, tee off on star pitcher Dave Stewart, amassing 12 hits (the most Stewart had even surrendered to that time), while Jeff Ballard scatters nine hits in seven innings to win, 6-2.
The explosive White Sox are next in, and the Birds explode for nine runs as Bob Melvin returns to the lineup and picks up where he left off before his DL trip as the Orioles' hottest hitter. The White Sox are scoring at will, too, however, until Kevin Hickey, the 33 year old White Sox castoff who was last pitching semi-pro, stopped the ChiSox cold with 2 1/3 innings of hitless relief.
The week ends badly, however, as both Bob Milacki and J.J. Bautista get shelled in their starts.
Things still look bleak at week's end. The O's have lost 10 of 14. For seven straight games, the pitching allowed 10 or more hits, while the team ERA ballooned from 3.97 to 4.35. And Jeff Ballard has strained his groin, and will miss at least one start. It's on to Texas, and hopefully some sort of miracle.