Byline: Mark Zuckerman, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

BALTIMORE - There is perhaps no greater commodity in baseball than good, young pitching, which explains why teams are always so reluctant to part ways with young hurlers who are slow to develop.

The Orioles' pitching staff is loaded with young arms, some of them struggling, some of them succeeding in the major leagues. Rookies Rodrigo Lopez (6-1, 2.51 ERA), Jorge Julio (3.26 ERA, 12 saves), and emerging sensation Travis Driskill are undoubtedly succeeding right now. Relievers Willis Roberts and B.J. Ryan were not on top of their games last night, but Tony Batista saved the day by homering in the bottom of the 10th to give the Orioles a 6-5 win over the San Diego Padres.

Batista led off the inning by belting a 2-2 slider to left field off J.J. Trujillo, a 26-year-old Padres right-hander making his major-league debut.

"I was waiting for that pitch," said Batista, who leads the team with 16 homers. "He got it inside, and I hit it pretty good."

Trujillo, a sidearming right-hander who was called up earlier in the day from Class AA, was a complete mystery to the Orioles. When Batista came to bat in the 10th, the Baltimore third baseman knew nothing about the man standing on the pitcher's mound, other than...