Rodrigo Lopez, 2005 Donruss #113

Time for another quick round of "When Was This Card?", America's favorite baseball card guessing game. This is an easy one. As the photo was taken in 2004 (evidenced by the Orioles' 50th anniversary patch on Rodrigo Lopez's left sleeve), and assuming that the blurry first base coach in the background belongs to the Chicago White Sox, this had to be the afternoon of Thursday, May 13, 2004. It was the middle game of a three-game series at the new Comiskey Park, and the hastily rescheduled first half of a day-night doubleheader. The previous night's game had been rained out, and the O's made only the one visit to the Windy City that year.

This was an especially eventful game. Needing an emergency starter, the Birds recalled hard-throwing Daniel Cabrera from AA Bowie to make his big league debut. The tall youngster frustrated the White Sox for six innings, permitting only two singles and three walks and working in a streak of eleven straight batters retired. He was matched by Chicago's Jon Garland, who allowed a run on singles by Brian Roberts and Melvin Mora in the first inning but nothing else in his seven innings of work.

Rodrigo Lopez, pitching out of the bullpen despite a 15-win rookie campaign in 2003 2002, was up to the task of protecting a one-run lead. He stranded the tying and go-ahead runs in the seventh and tacked on a 1-2-3 eighth to earn a hold. Jorge Julio stepped in for a breezy ninth-inning save to deliver the first win of Cabrera's career, 1-0.

This card offers it up for posterity. A shutout win by the slimmest of margins, delivered by a trio of pitchers that caused loads of frustration for O's fans.