BALTIMORE -- Rick Bauer finally won as a starter, and in the process gave the Baltimore Orioles something to think about during the offseason.
Bauer allowed three hits over six innings, and the Orioles completed a doubleheader sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays with a 4-0 victory Wednesday night.
The second game featured a pitching duel between Bauer, making his first start since August 2002, and rookie Adolfo Chacin, working in his second major league game after beating the New York Yankees on Sept 20.
Bauer (2-1) prevailed, recording a career-high seven strikeouts and allowing only one runner past first base. The right-hander was 0-6 with a 5.08 ERA in his previous seven career starts.
"If I'm on, I can definitely start at this level," Bauer said. "Usually I get too amped up, but tonight I just told myself to keep the ball down and relax."
Bauer hopes his fine performance will enable him to get a shot at making the starting rotation in 2005.
"It doesn't hurt," Orioles manager Lee Mazzilli said.
Doubles by Javy Lopez and Jay Gibbons gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning, and Baltimore pulled away with a three-run eighth against reliever Justin Miller.
Gibbons, who went 3-for-3, led off the eighth with a double and scored on a pinch-hit single by B.J. Surhoff. David Newhan then tripled in a run and scored on a sacrifice fly by Melvin Mora.
Buddy Groom gave up one hit in the seventh, Jason Grimsley worked a perfect eighth and B.J. Ryan got three outs to finish the four-hitter.
The victory kept alive the Orioles' slim chances of finishing without a losing record for the first time since 1997. To do so, they must build on a 6-1 run by winning their final five games.
"These guys haven't quit. They're trying hard," Mazzilli said.
Chacin (1-1) yielded one run and four hits in seven innings.
"He did a great job. The only mistake that sticks out, he hung a curveball to Gibbons that he hit for the double," Toronto interim manager John Gibbons said. "Other than that he showed something again, against a good hitting lineup."
The Blue Jays are 8-10 against Baltimore, their first losing season against the Orioles in four years. Toronto had won six straight at Camden Yards before Wednesday.
Notes
Toronto has been blanked 12 times, and the Orioles have thrown 10 shutouts. ... The opener was a makeup of Tuesday night's rainout.
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