Jay Gibbons, Baltimore's right fielder, experienced all of the above on a key play in Friday night's game, and he slowly took inventory when he met the media after his team's 5-2 loss. Gibbons hit the short right-field wall on a dive attempt in the eighth inning and had to leave the game early, but not before Vladimir Guerrero made it all the way around the bases.

Guerrero's two-run inside-the-park homer -- the first of his illustrious career -- broke open a tie game and ultimately gave the Angels a series-opening win. But the main topic in Baltimore's clubhouse wasn't the loss, it was relief that Gibbons wasn't hurt worse. The outfielder stayed on the turf briefly after the injury, but he isn't expected to have any long-term repercussions.

"I know I'm going to be sore tomorrow -- I can tell you that," said Gibbons, his shoulder and hip caked in ice. "Hopefully, I'm sore but I'm fine. Hopefully, it's nothing. I'm a little bit worried about my hip, but that's about it."

It looked much worse when it happened. Gibbons tracked a tailing drive toward the right-field stands, and he dove at the last moment. The ball bounced in front of him and eluded his glove, and Gibbons careened hard into the wall, shoulder first. He stayed on the ground for a moment before getting up and giving chase.

When he reached the ball -- in deep right -- he turned and fired a looping relay over the cut-off man's head. After that, Gibbons immediately went to the turf and stayed there, and first baseman Kevin Millar's throw to the plate was too late to get Guerrero. A few of Baltimore's fielders went out to see if Gibbons was OK, and he walked off the field under his own power.

"I really haven't seen a replay, and I don't think there is a good one. I have no idea how I hurt my hip," he said. "I didn't have time to brace myself and just hit [the wall]. My back locked up on me a little, my [trapezius], my back spasmed, and I just kind of didn't know where I was for a second."

"He was trying to cut it off on one bounce before it hit that wall -- and who knows where it was going to go -- and trying to keep a run from scoring," said Brian Roberts, Baltimore's second baseman and one of Gibbons' best friends. "To catch it in that area, no chance, but he did everything he could to get it before it started rolling.

"That corner's very tricky, when it hits the wall."

That play, in a nutshell, was the game. Starting pitchers Bruce Chen and Ervin Santana left with a 2-2 tie, setting up a battle of the bullpens. Los Angeles (20-28) survived the first scare, when the Orioles got runners to the corners with one out in the eighth. Angels manager Mike Scioscia summoned Scot Shields, who struck out Gibbons and Ramon Hernandez.

That set up the bottom half, which was earmarked for Baltimore reliever Todd Williams. Williams (1-2) allowed a single and got a flyout, bringing up Guerrero, who swung and lined the first pitch. The slugger was running hard out of the box and never hesitated, rounding third and scoring easily. The Angels scored once more, but the damage was already done.

"I saw the overthrow when I peeked over my shoulder, and I saw the arch of the ball," said Guerrero, the American League's MVP in 2004, via a translator. "Even if Millar picked up the ball, I knew it would be high. I knew that Gibbons was hurt, but it was the arch of the ball that gave me the chance to score on the play."

"I wanted to keep it down. I wanted to come in a little more on him," Williams said. "I didn't really make the pitch I wanted on him. He's a pretty free swinger and a [real] good hitter. He got the job done by getting the ball out there. What happened to Gibby was just a hard effort -- [Guerrero] scoring on it was just caused by Gibby trying hard to get to the ball."

Lost in the moment was the human element. Gibbons' mother passed away earlier in the week, and he had just returned to the lineup on Thursday. He's expected to leave the Orioles (22-27) on Sunday to be with his family.

"At this point, with what's going on surrounding him -- playing under such strain and with everything that's going on -- that's the last thing you want to see," said Roberts. "He was playing the game hard, and sometimes that happens. I don't think it's anything major, but I'm sure, when he was lying on the ground, he was saying, 'What in the world? One more thing?'"

Chen threw six innings for the second time all year -- and the first since April 13 -- but he wasn't around for the key rally. The southpaw stranded runners in scoring position in two different innings, and he ended three innings on strikeouts. After allowing a home run in the fourth, Chen retired seven of the last eight batters he faced.

"We lost today, but I'm encouraged by today's outing. I feel like I can help this team," Chen said. "I was able to throw all my pitches for strikes. I was able to use my changeup. I was able to use my off-speed [pitches] behind in the count. It made it a lot easier. I knew, later in the game, they couldn't just go out there and sit [on a] fastball.

"Today was, by far, the best outing of the year for me."