DATE: Sunday, October 5, 1997               TAG: 9710050213

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C10  EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Column 

SOURCE: Bob Molinaro 

DATELINE: BALTIMORE                         LENGTH:   68 lines

ORIOLES HOPING TO TURN JOHNSON INTO BIRDSEED ONCE AGAIN TODAY

If you believe that Randy Johnson is due for a good game against the Orioles, this Seattle-Baltimore playoff series may be about to get just a little too interesting for the Birds.

``It's my opportunity to, in a sense, redeem myself,'' the big lefthander said Saturday night, after a less celebrated lefty, Jeff Fassero, dominated the Orioles to prolong Seattle's season at least one more game.

If, with his flamboyant goatee and long, shaggy hair, Johnson brings the George Armstrong Custer look to baseball, the games against the Orioles have been his Little Big Horn.

He may be one of the world's most intimidating strikeout artists, but to Baltimore his pitches have been so much Birdseed. Four times this season Johnson has faced the Orioles. Four times Baltimore has won.

In losing Game 1 of the Divisional Series, Johnson dropped to 0-3 against the Orioles.

Johnson shrugged when asked what he might do differently this afternoon. ``Get ahead of the hitters,'' he said. ``I'll just go out there and pitch the way I know how.''

If he can come close to matching Fassero's performance, Baltimore may begin to feel the heat.

Fassero, at times, was masterful. After getting out of a couple of tough spots in the first three innings, the 34-year-old former Montreal Expo retired 18 Orioles in a row.

``This is the biggest game I've pitched in my life,'' he said following Seattle's 4-2 victory.

In his first postseason appearance, it took Fassero a while to feel at home on the national stage. He was wild early, but the Orioles helped him survive by leaving five men on base in the first three innings.

``Finally,'' Fassero said, ``I got settled down and got into my groove.''

His left arm did the job, but not before Fassero's foot saved the first inning.

With the bases loaded and two outs, the Orioles' B.J. Surhoff scorched a grounder up the middle. With a kick save, Fassero kept the ball from rolling into centerfield.

Then the excitement began. Fassero lost sight of the ball, and his first instinct was to look skyward.

``After seeing so many ground balls go off pitchers, it seems they always go up in the air,'' Fassero explained. ``Finally, when I didn't have anywhere else to look, I looked down.''

And found the ball. A quick throw to first and Surhoff was narrowly out.

With Seattle ahead, 1-0, the third inning began promisingly enough for Baltimore - a Brady Anderson single followed by a Roberto Alomar double.

But with runners on second and third, Fassero retired the next three hitters, two on strikeouts, allowing Seattle's suspect bullpen to relax.

``I think that was kind of deflating,'' said Orioles manager Davey Johnson.

Deflating for Baltimore, but invigorating for Fassero, who began grooving over the next five innings.

Now, with Lou Piniella throwing his franchise pitcher on three days rest, Davey Johnson will do the same. For Game 1 winner Mike Mussina, it represents his first start of '97 on short notice.

``You gotta go with your horse,'' said Johnson, speaking for both teams.

Just as importantly, Baltimore's manager is expected to go with his crazy-quilt Randy Johnson Lineup, benching three of his best hitters, lefthanded swinging Rafael Palmeiro, Surhoff and Alomar, in order to load his lineup with righthanded bats.

Asked if this would again be his plan of attack, Davey Johnson said, ``More than likely. I'll have to sleep on it.''

He can sleep on this: What are the odds the Orioles can rough up Randy Johnson a fifth consecutive time?

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