Adam Loewen took the next step in his daunting transition from pitcher to hitter yesterday, spending an hour in the Camden Yards inside cage with hitting coach Terry Crowley.
"It's weird, but I think the challenging part is going to be when I face live pitching and that's going to be a strain for me," said Loewen, who hasn't hit regularly since playing junior college ball in 2002. "But I'm not expecting anything significant. From the start, I know I'm not going to be that great. Crow just told me to work on the same swing and eventually, I'll develop my own swing and my own style."
Loewen's time with Crowley was split between hitting and listening.
"It was basically an instructional period about how to hit pitches on different parts of home plate," Crowley said. "He hasn't hit on a steady basis in a long time. He actually got a little tired today when we were working. But he looked pretty good and I think he's got a shot."
Loewen, who learned this season his left elbow wasn't structurally sound enough to keep pitching, will spend the week with the team and Crowley. He'll then play in the instructional league and a fall-winter league, playing outfield and first base.
"I'm just going to be a normal minor leaguer now, so I'm sure it'll be tough at first not playing in the big leagues," said Loewen, 24, who pitched in the Arizona Fall League in 2005. "But I've accepted that fact already and I've moved on. I'm not going to have any regrets."
Orioles manager Dave Trembley said that by the end of the week Loewen might hit on the field. But Trembley is not planning to watch.
"It's going to be a long process with him making some adjustments," Trembley said. "Sure, we're interested in how he does ... but I don't expect him to go out there and look like Lou Gehrig."
Huff's mind clear
Aubrey Huff was in the cleanup spot after missing two games because of the birth of his first child, Jayce Aubrey. Huff's wife, Baubi, first experienced early contractions in mid-August when the Orioles were in Cleveland, so the family has been anxious for the past few weeks.
"That call in Cleveland really kind of freaked me out," Huff said. "I was almost telling Dave I needed to get out of here."
But everything worked out. Jayce arrived the day after the team got back from a six-game trip.
Albers visits Yards
Matt Albers, who has been on the disabled list with a slight ligament tear in his right shoulder since June 25, threw a side session at Camden Yards.
