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Tempers flare in the rain as the Tigers beat the Orioles

May 1, 2007 - 3:52 AM DETROIT (Ticker) -- The Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles came out swinging. In more ways than one.

Gary Sheffield highlighted a rain-soaked victory with an emphatic homer on the heels of a benches-clearing brawl as the Tigers beat the Orioles, 8-4, on Monday.

Tempers flared in the top of the fifth when Jeremy Bonderman's fastball forced Miguel Tejada to jump out of the batter's box. Tejada, who leads the Orioles in hit-by-pitch (3) this season, had taken a similar pitch around his legs before fighting off a fastball up around the letters in his previous at-bat, grounding out to the catcher while his bat shattered.

"What you saw on the field, that's what happened," Tejada said. "That's all I have to say."

Baltimore's shortstop did not take kindly to the ball being thrown at his legs, immediately pointing his bat and shouting out at Bonderman. The benches emptied and some pushing and shoving occurred.

"I wasn't throwing at him," Bonderman said. "It was just a sinker that missed."

Sheffield, who had been hit by a pitch by Daniel Cabrera in the third inning - presumably in response to Tejada's third-inning at-bat - began shouting at the Orioles' tall righthander and the two had to be separated.

"They had been throwing inside to Miggy (Tejada), even at our park," Orioles designated hitter Jay Gibbons said. "I guess he had had enough."

Sheffield got the last word, hammering a fastball from Cabrera into the left field seats in the bottom of the fifth for a two-run homer, giving Detroit the lead for good at 5-3.

Sheffield stayed at the plate for a few moments before beginning his home run trot, and he and Cabrera stared at each other as he made his way slowly around the bases.

"I remember what Dave Parker once told me," Sheffield said. "If you hit one like that, you have the right to watch it."

The Tigers' enigmatic slugger scored three runs and lifted his average to .200 for the first time since April 7.

Bonderman (1-0), who suffered through his worst start of the season last time out, had problems with his command in the rainy conditions, throwing 90 pitches through the first five innings and surrendering a solo homer to Jay Gibbons on his second pitch of the sixth frame before being lifted for Wilfredo Ledezma.

Bonderman lasted five-plus innings, yielding four runs and nine hits while striking out four. It marked the righthander's shortest outing of the season, but his first win after five straight no decisions to open the season.

On Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Bonderman was tagged for seven runs and 11 hits in six innings.

Baltimore jumped on Bonderman early, plating two runs in the top of the first. Tejada and Ramon Hernandez each smacked RBI singles before Bonderman forced Gibbons into a groundout to end the inning. The Orioles added a run in the fourth on Cory Patterson's RBI single.

"It wasn't one of my better starts," Bonderman said. "I tried to make quality pitches and keep us in the game."

Cabrera (1-3), who has struggled with control problems throughout his young career, walked three in the first inning, including a bases-loaded walk to Magglio Ordonez to open the scoring for the Tigers with none out.

Carlos Guillen followed with a fielder's choice grounder to plate a second run before Cabrera forced Ivan Rodriguez to ground into a double play.

Cabrera was removed following the fifth inning. The 25-year-old Dominican allowed five runs - four earned - and a season-high six walks, managing only 56 strikes among his 108 pitches.

"I thought Cabrera labored all night," Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo said. "But they obviously thought he was throwing at (Sheffield) and Miggy (Tejada) thought they were throwing at him."

Ledezma and Fernando Rodney combined to throw four scoreless innings of relief for the Tigers, who tacked on three insurance runs off Baltimore reliever John Parrish in the seventh.

"The bullpen was really good tonight," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "Rodney was outstanding. He got the job done. He worked a few things out with (pitching coach Chuck Hernandez) and looks to be back."

Ordonez picked up two RBI to push his team-leading total to 26 - second in the American League behind New York's Alex Rodriguez.

"I'm feeling really good," Ordonez said. "I'm relaxed and seeing the ball really well. I think that everything I hit will fall in."