Erik Bedard pitched six strong innings allowing just two runs on four hits, while striking out eight and walking three to win his first game since July 23 at Tampa Bay as the Baltimore Orioles pounded the New York Yankees 9-4 Friday night at Camden Yards.

The Orioles also flexed their muscles. Melvin Mora, Jay Gibbons and David Newhan all homered for the O's off three different Yankee pitchers. Yankees' starter Corey Lidle didn't get out of the second inning as the Orioles built a 7-0 lead after two innings.

Lidle (3-3) lasted just 1.2 innings and gave up six runs on six hits. He struck out two and walked one. He was continually pitching from behind in the count to the Orioles' line up. It was Lidle's quickest exit from a game this season.

"If you look at the line score, it looks brutal. The fact is, I made decent pitches and they just hit them where we weren't," Lidle maintained to reporters. "On any given night those might have been double plays and it would have been a different story. I don't feel it was as bad as the line looks."

Bedard (13-9) started quickly and put the Yankees down in the first two innings. He ran into trouble in the third. The Yankees loaded the bases with no outs. New York got two runs on the board with an RBI single by Derek Jeter and a one-out, sacrifice fly by Alex Rodriguez before Bedard escaped further damage by getting Jason Giambi to foul out to first.

Melvin Mora got Baltimore's night started with a 2-run home run after Brian Roberts led off with a single. After the Orioles got runners on first and second Lidle was able to retire Kevin Millar and Newhan on ground outs.

In the bottom of the second, the Orioles sent eight batters to the plate and scored five times knocking Lidle out of the game in the process. Lidle only retired five batters before heading to the showers.

With two on and two outs, Nick Markakis singled to load the bases. Miguel Tejada smacked a 2-run single to center with Markakis taking second. Jose Veras relieved Lidle, and gave up a 3-run home run to Gibbons.

After the Yankees scored twice in their half of the third inning, the Orioles got a run back when Newhan hit a solo shot off Sean Henn to right giving the Orioles an 8-2 lead.

Kevin Millar added an RBI single in the seventh to give the Orioles a 9-2 cushion.

Craig Wilson, who had a 2-for-3 night, took reliever Brian Burres deep with a 2-run shot to left to make the final score 9-4.

Lidle is 0-2 versus Baltimore since the July 30 trade that brought him to New York from Philadelphia, and 1-5 lifetime at Camden Yards.

"He [Lidle] was making some pitches and they weren't swinging at them, so evidently he wasn't close enough to where he wanted to throw the ball," Torre said to the media. "It's all about command for him. When I say command, he could throw the ball down the middle on every single pitch but he tries to just paint the corners."

Bedard is 1-1 against the Yankees. He lost a 6-3 decision on Aug 15 in New York. Bedard was stuck on his 12th victory for nearly seven weeks. In his last seven starts Bedard allowed three runs or fewer in five of them. All he had to show for it was three "Ls."

"I couldn't win a game," he told reporters. "That happens."

The Yankees remained nine games ahead in the A.L. East. The Boston Red Sox lost at home to the Kansas City Royals Friday night. The Yankees magic number to win the division was reduced to 14.

Notes: Baltimore's record against New York is 6-7....Jay Gibbons is 11-for-24 (.458) with four home runs and 14 RBIs against Lidle lifetime....Mike Mussina was scheduled to pitch in Sunday's game, but was backed up one start due to soreness he experienced arm soreness during his last start in Kansas City this past Sunday. Jaret Wright will start instead....Jeter extended his hitting streak to 18 game with a single in the third inning. It's the longest streak by a Yankee since Bernie Williams hit in 19 straight games in 2002.