ANAHEIM, Calif. - - Orioles third baseman Melvin Mora was out of the lineup Thursday for a second consecutive game after he asked Dave Trembley for a night off, according to the manager.
"Because of the length of the trip coming out here, he wanted another day as well, so he's getting it," said Trembley, who also didn't play Mora in Wednesday's series finale against the Boston Red Sox. "It's not very often that somebody asks me for a day off. It's more times that I see it and I go to that player and say, 'Hey, I think tomorrow we should give you a break and I'm going to play so-and-so.' But I like the lines of communication being open. I don't mind someone coming to me and saying, 'I need a break today.' Hey, if that helps, I'm all for it."
Mora didn't specify the reason he wasn't in the lineup, though he did say he was healthy. "I don't know if it will clear my head or whatever, but I [will] come today to work out and see what happens," he said.
Mora, 37, is batting .266 with two homers and 22 RBIs. He entered Thursday 0-for-9 in his past three games, and he hasn't hit a homer in 43 games, tying the longest stretch of his career.
"I don't worry about it," he said. "The only thing that I worry about is every time I see the paper, I see the Orioles 13 or 15 games behind. When you see that, I'm not able to do my job and help my team win some games. I don't worry about home runs. I just worry about the team being in last place."
Asked whether Mora might see reduced playing time, especially after Ty Wigginton hit .405 (17-for-42) in June, and homered on Wednesday, Trembley said: "I don't see that. I see Wigginton playing better. I see me having to get opportunities for Wigginton to get in there."
Still early on Sano
The Orioles did not make an offer Thursday to Dominican shortstop Miguel Angel Sano, a 16-year-old who is considered one of the top international free agents available, though they probably will in the coming days.
Thursday marked the first day teams are allowed to sign international free agents, but the Orioles, like some other teams, are waiting for Major League Baseball to conclude its investigation into Sano's age before tendering an offer. The Orioles, who worked out Sano for three days at their Dominican baseball academy and came away impressed, want to make sure there are no discrepancies that might make it difficult for Sano to get a visa to get into the country.
