BALTIMORE – He’s a No. 9 hitter playing as if he’s in the cleanup spot.

Mike Bordick long ago established his expertise with a glove. This season, however, he’s been most impressive with his bat.

Bordick, who grew up in Winterport and starred at Hampden Academy and the University of Maine, has driven in more runs than teammates Harold Baines, Will Clark and Cal Ripken combined. He had 20 RBIs entering Friday night, tied for the AL lead with Oakland’s Jason Giambi. His .731 slugging percentage and .358 batting average both ranked fifth.

Move over, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. Bordick is currently the best-hitting shortstop in the league.

“I would say this is probably the best start I’ve had,” said Bordick, a lifetime .255 hitter in April.

Bordick had at least one hit in each of the Orioles’ first 13 games, a streak that ended Thursday in Baltimore’s 8-4 win over Tampa Bay. But he had a sacrifice fly and drew a walk, amply contributing to an offense that has relied heavily on the last man in the lineup.

“During the spring, I worked hard on finding a good approach, something I felt comfortable with,” Bordick said. “Last year, I had a lot of success with the approach I had. I stayed with it, worked hard on it this spring, and fortunately it carried over into the season.”

That’s because Bordick, 33, never stops striving to make himself a better player.

Earlier this week, after the Orioles postponed a night game several hours before the scheduled opening pitch, several players and manager Mike Hargrove quickly hit the road. Bordick used the unexpected day off to lift weights and run on the treadmill.

“I’ve always taken the approach of trying to improve myself every day,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past.”

Bordick hit .277 with a career-high 77 RBIs last season, but thus far he’s outdone himself. He hit second in the lineup for much of 1999, yet most of his damage this season has come from the ninth spot behind Clark and Charles Johnson.

“It says a lot about the players in front of him,” Hargrove said. “They’re giving Mike good opportunities, and he’s taking advantage of it.”

Bordick batted second for two straight games against Minnesota while Delino DeShields was tending to a family matter, but the shortstop has since returned to the bottom of the order.

“It doesn’t really matter to me,” Bordick said. “I think Delino at the top of the order really makes our lineup strong.”

The same can be said about having Bordick at No. 9. This is the last year of his contract with the Orioles, and he’s doing a fine job in convincing them to bring him back.

“I feel like I can be an everyday shortstop for a few more years. Hopefully, I get the opportunity to do that,” he said. “With some players, the love of the game fades a little bit. But I certainly love being out there. Until that fire burns out, I want to play every day.”