BOSTON -- The Baltimore Orioles arrived in Boston upset

about their recent struggles and with just the right pitcher to end

them.

Rodrigo Lopez came through again at Fenway Park, pitching eight

innings in an 8-1 victory over the Red Sox on Monday night. He

improved to 6-1 at Boston's ballpark and posted his second win in

two starts after going winless in his previous seven.

"I like to come here even if I'm not pitching because these

fans have intensity," Lopez said. "We all like to compete, and

when you feel those fans root for them, you want to go out and do

your job."

His teammates were fired up to do that, especially after being

swept at home by Detroit in a three-game series, their longest

losing streak of the season.

"This team, I think, was a little ticked off over the

weekend," Orioles manager Lee Mazzilli said. "They don't like

losing."

David Newhan entered with a .169 batting average, two homers and

six RBI in 59 at-bats, but drove in a career-high five runs with

his first career grand slam and a single in the eighth.

His homer on a 3-2 pitch made the score 7-0 in the third and

knocked Bronson Arroyo (4-2) out of the game after retiring just

eight batters.

"I was just trying to put the barrel on [the pitch]," Newhan

said. "And when I do that better things happen than when I'm

really trying to go out and do too much, which I've probably been

doing."

Arroyo has struggled in two starts since serving a six-game

suspension for hitting Tampa Bay's Aubrey Huff with a pitch on

April 24. Arroyo returned May 25 and lost 5-0 at Toronto, ending a

stretch in which he went 9-0 over 17 starts.

"I just got killed," Arroyo said. "They hit every pitch like

they knew it was coming."

Lopez (4-2) allowed one run and six hits in eight innings. He

was 0-2 in seven starts after beating the New York Yankees on April

10, then defeated Seattle 3-1 last Wednesday. Steve Kline pitched a

perfect ninth to finish the six-hitter.

Lopez said good location with his offspeed pitches has been the

key to his turnaround.

"I'm more concerned to hit my spots instead of throwing hard,"

he said. "Today I couldn't make it with my fastball, but with my

breaking ball I had good location."

The win boosted Baltimore's AL East lead to four games over

Boston, New York and Toronto. The Orioles had 14 hits and improved

to a major league-best 14-5 on the road.

Arroyo "didn't locate very well and against a good-hitting team

he paid the price," Boston manager Terry Francona said.

Coming off a three-game series at New York in which they

outscored the Yankees 27-9 and outhit them 52-21, the Red Sox

didn't score until the eighth, when Manny Ramirez singled in an

unearned run with two outs after shortstop Miguel Tejada's throwing

error.

Lopez "has just been a pain in the neck. We can't figure him

out," said Johnny Damon, who had two of Boston's hits.

Boston, which has lost five of seven, has not been shut out at

home in 106 games since Sept. 17, 2003, against Tampa Bay.

Brian Roberts began the game with a double, took third on Melvin

Mora's sacrifice and scored on Tejada's single. Tejada went to

second on Sammy Sosa's single but was thrown out by right fielder

Trot Nixon as he tried to score on B.J. Surhoff's single.

The second inning began with another leadoff double, by Jay

Gibbons. Newhan walked, Roberts hit a groundout that moved up the

runners, and Mora hit an RBI single to left. Newhan also tried to

score and was thrown out by Ramirez.

Tejada tripled leading off the third and scored on Rafael

Palmeiro's single for a 3-0 lead. A double by Surhoff and an

intentional walk to Gibbons loaded the bases. Sal Fasano struck

out, and Newhan followed with a drive over the short right-field

fence for his third homer of the season.

Game notes
The shortest start of Arroyo's career was 2 1/3 innings for

Pittsburgh in an 8-1 loss at San Diego on April 28, 2001. ... John

Halama followed Arroyo and pitched 4 1/3 hitless innings. ...

Fasano was Baltimore's only starter without a hit through three

innings.