BOWIE - John Parrish keeps a row of shirts hanging inside his locker at Prince George's Stadium, as if his closet at home has been moved into a minor league clubhouse. An empty suitcase lies on the floor behind one of the sofas.
If the Orioles decide to promote the left-handed reliever from their Double-A affiliate in Bowie, he wants to be ready at a minute's notice. He resists the urge to leave his car running in the parking lot during games.
Not that Parrish has anything against the Baysox, but he often wonders why he's still here, why his 1.57 ERA and resilient arm haven't gotten him beyond the Eastern League.
He's pitched in long relief, in matchup situations, in a setup role and to close out games. His manager is convinced that if Parrish were given the chance, he'd take the ball every day.
"I've been throwing a lot, getting my work in," Parrish said. "I'm not getting gypped on that."
He's just getting a little confused.
Removed from the Orioles' 40-man roster, Parrish wasn't invited to spring training after spending the 2002 season rehabbing from knee surgery. The Orioles have three left-handers in Triple-A Ottawa's bullpen - journeymen Bill Pulsipher, Mike Mohler and Todd Rizzo - so there's no room for him.
Pulsipher is 2-4 with a 6.05 ERA in 40 games. Mohler is 6-3 with a 3.06 ERA in 37 games. Rizzo is 1-3 with a 4.33 ERA in 41 games.
When the Orioles decided to add a third pitcher to their bullpen last week, they recalled Eric DuBose from Ottawa despite earlier insistences that he was better served in the Lynx's rotation.
Meanwhile, Parrish has gone 3-2 with six saves in 42 appearances. Mixing in a 92-93 mph fastball with a power slider, he has allowed 47 hits and struck out 75 in 68 2/3 innings.
He also keeps attracting scouts to Bowie's games, "sometimes 10 a night," said manager Dave Trembley. They leave the ballpark wondering why he's in Double-A.
"There are a lot more of them with the trade deadline coming up," said Parrish, who becomes a free agent after the season.
Club officials blame Parrish's exclusion from the spring training roster on former vice president Syd Thrift's long list of pitching invitations.
While manager Mike Hargrove sifted through the likes of Rigo Beltran, Rendy Espina, Mike Garcia, Fernando Rijo and Rafael Pina, a pitcher who appeared in 24 games with the Orioles over two seasons was ignored.
