In their search for a new manager, the Orioles brought in two candidates Thursday, one who was previously in Cleveland and one who has been around here for a long time.
Eric Wedge, the 2007 American League Manager of the Year with the Cleveland Indians, was interviewed in the morning, and Rick Dempsey, the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network broadcaster who coached and played for the Orioles, interviewed in the afternoon.
"We had two interviews," said Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, who wouldn't reveal specifics. "As always, they are informative and insightful. It's an interesting process, not one you want to go through on a regular basis. It's an interesting process. That's about the extent of it."
Dempsey, who has interviewed for the post three previous times, met for two hours Thursday with MacPhail and the team's general counsel, H. Russell Smouse, at the downtown law office of principal owner Peter Angelos.
Angelos did not sit in on the meeting.
"Everything went great; I am very happy with it. It was definitely a legitimate interview," Dempsey said. "I felt it went better than any other interview I have ever had. Even if I don't get the job, I think they listened to a lot of things I had to say about the ballclub and getting it back on track. Whoever they pick hopefully will use that information to help the team get better."
Dempsey said he wasn't given an indication of when a replacement for Dave Trembley will be named.
"There is no timetable on this thing. They have some more people to go yet," Dempsey said. "They will keep me informed."
Wedge, who could not be reached for comment, also interviewed at the law offices with MacPhail and Smouse while Angelos briefly sat in on the meeting. It was Wedge's second interview for the job in a month. He met with MacPhail in Cleveland on June 9.
The Orioles fired Trembley on June 3 and replaced him on an interim basis with third base coach Juan Samuel. Since, the Orioles are 9-14 and had won five of their past six heading into Thursday night. MacPhail was evasive when asked whether the recent run has helped Samuel's cause to keep the managerial job for the rest of the season.
"I think the energy level has picked up some since Juan has been here, and certainly the results," MacPhail said. "There are certain little keys that I look for in terms of the energy level. We have played far from flawless in a lot of respects, and we certainly have a lot of work to do, but there are some things that you look for, and those signs are positive.
MacPhail called the timetable for making a hire "open-ended."
Pie stays in Bowie for now
Left fielder Felix Pie, who has been on the disabled list since April 16 with a torn muscle in his back, was at Camden Yards before Thursday's game, hoping he would be activated.
"Felix Pie was in the workout room, he came to me and said, 'I've got two hits for you tonight,'" Samuel said. "I'm like, 'Tell you what, grab your stuff and go back to Bowie and we'll see you in few days."
Pie good-naturedly headed to Double-A on Thursday afternoon while the club promoted third baseman Josh Bell from Triple-A Norfolk when Luke Scott was placed on the disabled list.
"We'd like to see [Pie] play the outfield a little bit more," Samuel said. "We'd like to see him get some playing time in the field."
Pie, who hit .400 in 20 at-bats with the Orioles before his injury, has hit 10-for-21 in five combined games at Single-A Frederick and Bowie, playing left field three times and designated hitter twice. He is scheduled to fly to Detroit on Sunday and will meet with the team before its game against the Tigers on Monday afternoon.
"I'm very excited because I spent a lot of time doing nothing," Pie said. "I want to come back to help my team win more games."
Scott out at least two weeks
When Scott rounded first base after his seventh-inning homer Wednesday and felt a sharp pain in his left leg, he immediately assumed he would be hitting the 15-day DL.
The Orioles made it official Thursday. Scott, who was hitting .274 with 12 homers and 30 RBIs in 66 games, will go to Sarasota, Fla., on Saturday for treatment of an injury that has a tendency to linger.
"Right now, we have to expect at least two weeks. These things have a history of leaking out a little longer than that," MacPhail said. "Hopefully, the sooner, the better. As we all know, Luke is hot and cold. When he's hot, you hate to see him out of the lineup. He's swinging the bat well right now. The timing isn't great."
Scott, who was not available for comment, has brought his average up nearly 100 points in the past six weeks. In his past three games, he went 4-for-8 with three walks and appeared to be entering one of his good grooves.
"It's very unfortunate. We feel like he was swinging the bat very good here the last couple of days," Samuel said. "He felt the same way. … He had the feeling back. Unfortunately, he pulled that hammy."
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