Top job on mop-up duty

For John Halama, the only drawback to his Memorial Day relief performance was its timing. The Red Sox lefthander entered Monday's 8-1 loss to Baltimore moments after televisions and radios around New England clicked off when David Newhan cracked a grand slam off starter Bronson Arroyo to give the Orioles a 7-0 lead.

What fans missed was arguably Halama's finest outing in Boston. He worked 4 1/3 innings and didn't allow a single hit by the thunderous Baltimore bats. Halama eliminated his one mistake, his plunking of Rafael Palmeiro to start the fifth inning, when he scooped up a ground ball by B.J. Surhoff and started a 1-6-3 double play.

''I'm tired but I'm fine," said Halama, who had a 64-pitch outing, throwing 40 strikes.

Halama lowered his ERA nearly a full run from 6.29 to 5.34. Yet his game wasn't all about improving his statistics. He also bailed out his bullpen mates, as only Alan Embree and Mike Timlin were needed to close out the loss.

''If he struggles and we go to everybody, that's not good," said manager Terry Francona. ''He did a great job for us. He knows his responsibility on nights like that and he did a great job."

Halama closed out May with nine appearances, including a spot start against the Detroit Tigers May 3 in which he allowed two runs over five innings and earned the win. But he's also had his stumbles, including a road appearance against the Seattle Mariners in which he gave up five runs in 1 1/3 innings (four hits, two walks). While he felt strong against the Mariners, Halama said he might not have controlled his emotions and as a result left his pitches high in the zone.

''I spent four years there, and since then I haven't pitched well in Seattle, period," Halama said. ''When I was with Oakland and went back to Seattle, I didn't pitch well. I didn't pitch against them last year when I was with Tampa, but obviously this year I continued my bad pitching against them. I think it's emotional spending four years there and growing up with the Mariners. I think that's what you'd attribute that to."

On Monday, Halama didn't feel as strong against the high-octane Orioles, but the results were much better. He struck out the American League's leading hitter, Brian Roberts, with a slider away in the third inning. He got Melvin Mora to swing and miss at a changeup in the sixth inning. The 33-year-old capped his performance with a seventh-inning showdown against Sammy Sosa, whom Halama credits with altering the potency of Baltimore's offense.

According to Halama, Sosa's middle-of-the-lineup presence takes pressure off surrounding hitters, making forces like Mora and Miguel Tejada even stronger. On Monday, however, Halama surprised Sosa with a sneaky inside fastball for a called third strike.

''He wasn't looking for the fastball in," said reliever Mike Myers, whose locker is next to Halama's.

Halama will take the strikeouts, but the statistic that best indicated his efficiency Monday was 9 for 10: the number of batters he retired via ground outs vs. fly balls, thanks to the sink on his pitches.

''I've always been a ground-ball guy," Halama said. ''If my sinker's flat or up in the zone, I'm going to give up a lot of line drives or home runs. Things have been down for me lately. It's a good sign for me and it's a good sign for the team. If I'm putting it on the ground, you've got five guys in the middle of the infield who can catch the ball."