FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- He threw his 25th pitch and then quickly campaigned minor league pitching instructor Dave Schmidt for permission to throw a couple of more. His request was denied, so left-hander Adam Loewen walked slowly off the mound before settling into the first row of bleachers.
After having this feeling wrested away from him for nearly 10 months, Loewen wanted to cherish the moment. He faced hitters at the Orioles' workout yesterday, another important step in his recovery from surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left elbow. Loewen, 23, hadn't pitched with anybody in the batter's box since May 1, the night his 2007 season came to an abrupt end.
"It was a big deal to get back on the mound and face hitters," Loewen said. "It feels good to get through it and feel good. I felt really comfortable, and that was the biggest thing."
Loewen threw all of his pitches during the session, communicating regularly with Schmidt, who was stationed behind the mound. Hitters rotated into the batter's box, but rarely swung at Loewen's offerings. The purpose of the exercise was for the starting pitcher to get comfortable again throwing to actual hitters. In Loewen's case, the session was a big success.
"It was exciting to see Loewen throw and to see how comfortable he looked on the mound and the way he finished his delivery and pitches," manager Dave Trembley said. "He looked very good. I saw him throw a couple of very good breaking pitches. Loose arm, nice delivery. And he walked off the mound with a smile on his face. It was a big day for him."
The Orioles' rotation remains unsettled largely because of the trade of ace Erik Bedard, so Loewen's work over the next five weeks and his ability to head north healthy is one of the team's biggest spring issues. Loewen, the club's No. 1 pick (fourth overall) in the 2002 draft, appeared headed for a breakout season last year, posting a dominant spring and going 2-0 with a 3.20 ERA in his first five starts. But he was forced to leave his sixth start against the Detroit Tigers after five innings because of elbow pain that was later diagnosed as a stress fracture.
He initially tried to rehabilitate the injury, but he then decided to have season-ending surgery June 14. A screw was inserted to allow the bone to heal faster, and Loewen wasn't cleared to resume baseball activities until September.
