Orioles get last blast

BALTIMORE -- On a night when eight homers sailed out of Camden Yards, Ramon Hernandez picked a most opportune time to hit his first for the Baltimore Orioles.

Hernandez connected with one out in the ninth inning, lifting the Orioles past the Los Angeles Angels, 6-5, last night.

Hernandez hit a solo shot on a 3-2 fastball from Scot Shields (1-1). The drive, which landed in the left-field seats, brought an appropriate conclusion to a game that featured four homers by each team.

''How the weather was today, the ball was flying," Hernandez said.

''I kind of figured it would go out. Lucky I hit it in a good spot."

So did seven other players, including Baltimore's Jay Gibbons.

''The ball was traveling well tonight. Usually in April it doesn't go anywhere," Gibbons said. ''But 75 degrees, the ball was jumping."

David Newhan and rookie Nick Markakis also homered for the Orioles, who trailed, 4-0, before rallying for their fourth win in five games.

Los Angeles had gone five straight games without a homer and ranked last in the AL with seven overall before Garret Anderson, Juan Rivera, and Adam Kennedy connected in the first two innings against Rodrigo Lopez.

The Angels' final home run came in dramatic fashion. Los Angeles trailed, 5-4, in the ninth when LaTroy Hawkins entered for Baltimore, seeking his first save. He struck out Tim Salmon and Casey Kotchman and went to 3-2 on Jeff Mathis before the rookie drove a fastball into the left-field seats for his first major league homer.

It was a redemptive hit for Mathis, whose passed ball helped Baltimore take the lead in the eighth.

Tim Byrdak (1-0) got the final out in the ninth. It was his first major league win and came in his 93rd appearance, ending the longest active winless streak in the big leagues.

Hernandez trumped Mathis's homer in the bottom half.

''I went to 3-2 and tried not to walk the guy and he hit it out of the park," Shields said. ''A situation like that, I've got to give him something to hit."