Orioles designated hitter Luke Scott will have a magnetic resonance imaging performed on his left shoulder Monday to determine the severity of an injury that forced him out of the game and into a sling.
Scott hurt the shoulder sliding headfirst back into first base on Joba Chamberlain's pickoff throw in the first inning, and he acknowledged after the game that he's concerned the injury could keep him out for an extended period.
"It hurt to the point where I can't swing a bat," said Scott, whose first-inning single raised his average to .303 to go along with five homers and 15 RBIs. "I couldn't even swing a bat. A difficult situation, but at the same time my attitude is good, and I'll focus on the solution."
Scott described it as a "deep, throbbing pain" in the back of his shoulder and rotator-cuff area.
"As soon as I hit the ground, I knew something was hurting," he said. "I've iced it twice. The first time after I iced it, it felt really terrible. The second time, it felt better. Right now, I can lift my shoulder, and that's a plus for me right now. When it first happened, I couldn't do it."
If Scott goes on the disabled list, that would give the Orioles an opportunity to call up outfield prospect Nolan Reimold, who is hitting .381 with eight homers and 25 RBIs for Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles could also choose to give Scott's DH at-bats to Ty Wigginton and call up a minor league veteran such as Oscar Salazar (.374 with five homers and 25 RBIs at Triple-A) to serve as a reserve.
Big day for Hill
On what manager Dave Trembley described as a big day both for Rich Hill and the Orioles, the left-hander pitched six shutout innings for Norfolk in a rehabilitation start against Buffalo and could make his next start with the Orioles.
In his fourth rehab start, Hill allowed two hits and three walks while striking out seven in the 95-pitch effort. Trembley said before the game that Hill's status will be a topic of discussion among team officials during Monday's day off.
Nothing personal
Two days after Trembley said Chad Moeller could be Jeremy Guthrie's regular catcher going forward, Guthrie praised Moeller and Gregg Zaun, and said he enjoys throwing to both.
"I've never expressed a desire to throw to a particular catcher," Guthrie said. "In fact, I'm almost opposed to the idea [of personal catchers]. All I do is show up and pitch on game days and the lineup is written out. I'm happy to pitch to whomever. I've been impressed with both guys with their veteran experience and the hard work they put in."
Around the horn
Outfielder Lou Montanez had some swelling in his right thumb after getting jammed in his last at-bat Saturday, so he was given the day off. Felix Pie started in his place and went 2-for-3 with a walk. ... Several of the Orioles used pink bats to promote breast cancer awareness for the Mother's Day game. Players also wore pink wristbands and had a pink ribbon on the front of their uniforms. ... The Orioles are 2-9 in series finales this season.
