BALTIMORE (AP) -- If not for a sinking liner that barely eluded the grasp of his center fielder, Tim Hudson might have earned himself a place in baseball's record book.

Instead, he had to settle for his fifth straight victory.

	Tim Hudson remained unbeaten since April 20 by allowing one hit over 7 1/3 innings.

Hudson allowed one hit over 7 1/3 innings to remain unbeaten since April 20, and Oakland ended the Baltimore Orioles' four-game winning streak with a 4-0 victory Saturday night.

The lone hit off Hudson was a fifth-inning single by Will Clark. The sinking liner to center popped out of the glove of a diving Terrence Long, who was prone as he attempted to make a sensational catch.

"That was a tough play. He gave it a good effort out there," Hudson said. "He makes that play a lot. He kept it in front of him, which was huge."

Long tried to keep the no-hitter intact, but missed by inches.

"I knew I had to dive to make the catch. I wanted to make the catch, but I didn't want it to get past me," he said. "Timmy said, 'Nice try' and that's all I needed to hear."

Hudson (6-2) walked four and struck out five. He was lifted after issuing a one-out walk to Greg Myers in the eighth.

Jeff Tam immediately gave up a single to Mike Bordick and walked Delino DeShields to load the bases with two outs before striking out B.J. Surhoff. Tam completed the two-hitter with a perfect ninth.

Hudson, a 6-foot right-hander, allowed only two balls out of the infield and permitted only one runner past second base in improving to 5-0 over his last six starts.

"It's a big confidence-builder for me," he said. "If you can't throw a strike with your fastball, they'll spit on it and wait for your offspeed stuff. I've just been aggressive going after the hitters lately."

Hudson came in with an AL-high average of 5.50 walks per nine innings, but he was unusually sharp at the outset.

He retired the first 13 batters before walking Harold Baines in the fifth. A walk to Cal Ripken and Clark's single loaded the bases before Myers ended the threat by bouncing into a double play.

Hudson threw 112 pitches. It was only the second time in 47 games this season that the Orioles failed to get an extra-base hit.

"He had a real nasty sinker and his split-finger fastball was effective all night," Baltimore manager Mike Hargrove said. "That's as good a performance as anyone has had against us this year."

Hargrove was ejected for the first time as manager of the Orioles in the fifth inning for arguing the call of a pitch by home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez.

"I felt he was wrong and he disagreed," Hargrove said. "He won. He's the umpire."

Oakland took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-out, two-run double by Olmedo Saenz, subbing for the injured Jeremy Giambi (sprained thumb) at first base.

Eric Chavez ended a 4-for-29 skid with a two-out triple in the Oakland fourth and Jason Johnson (0-3) issued two straight walks before Frank Menechino was retired on a fly ball.

Johnson, starting for the first time in two weeks, allowed two runs and eight hits in six innings.

"The way Hudson was pitching tonight, Jason couldn't afford to give up any runs," Hargrove said.

"Tim just pitched a gem of a game," Oakland manager Art Howe said. "He threw strikes while staying ahead in the count."

Oakland made it 4-0 in the eighth when Miguel Tejada doubled in a run and scored on a single by Ramon Hernandez.

Game notes
Orioles C Charles Johnson, hit in the groin by a foul ball Friday, was sore still Saturday but hoped to play Sunday or Monday. ... Oakland 2B Randy Velarde was excused for the weekend to attend his daughter's high school graduation in Texas. ... Oakland improved its AL-best road record to 15-9. ... It was the second shutout against Baltimore and the second by the A's this season.