Montanez hasn't played since May 22 after having surgery on his right thumb. He did get some at-bats in rehabilitation games in the minors, but team officials didn't think it was smart to put him against major league pitching after such a long absence. However, Pie's status could force their hand.
Pie was forced out of Friday's game because of back spasms, and he wasn't available to play Saturday, leaving the Orioles with no outfielders on their bench. Jeff Fiorentino started in center field, and Robert Andino, who started at shortstop, was the emergency outfielder.
"I don't feel like I'm OK to play, but I'm feeling better," Pie said. "I can't tell you how long it will be. When I try to swing, it hurts a little bit. We'll see how I feel tomorrow."
Turner's special morning
It was 1:17 in the morning on Saturday when Orioles rookie infielder Justin Turner lined a single into center field off Yankees reliever Michael Dunn for his first major league hit. By that time, all but two Yankees regulars had been removed from the game and very few fans were still in the crowd after two rain delays totaling two hours, 34 minutes.
But the important thing to Turner was that his parents, sister, grandmother, aunt and several family friends, who were in from California, had braved the delays and got to see his big moment.
"It didn't matter to me," Turner said of the circumstances. "I'm still never going to forget it for the rest of my life. Nobody can ever take it away from me."
Around the horn
Third baseman Melvin Mora was held out of the lineup a day after getting hit in the right elbow by a pitch from Andy Pettitte. With his next start at third base, Mora will pass Doug DeCinces and move into second place in games played at third for the Orioles. Mora has played 793 games at third. Brooks Robinson holds the franchise record with 2,870 games played at third. ... Nolan Reimold's solo homer in the second inning ended the Orioles' 42 2/3 -inning stretch without a home run. Before that, the Orioles' last homer came in the third inning Sept. 5, also hit by Reimold off the Texas Rangers' Kevin Millwood.
