Aubrey Huff

Day Time TV Starters Today 3:05 13 Scott Kazmir (10-9, 3.77 in 2005) vs. Rodrigo Lopez (15-12, 4.90) Wednesday 7:05 CSN Seth McClung (7-11, 6.59 in 2005) vs. Erik Bedard (6-8, 4.00) Thursday 7:05 CSN Mark Hendrickson (11-8, 5.90 in '05) vs. Kris Benson (10-8, 4.13) Radio: All games on WBAL (1090 AM) Devil Rays update A good finish to 2005 and the continued growth of their young talent has created some optimism around the Devil Rays, who finished the spring with a 13-16 record. Rookie manager Joe Maddon, a longtime Angels coach, puts out a lineup filled with young talent, including 24-year-old left fielder Carl Crawford (.301 with 15 homers, 81 RBIs and 46 steals in 2005)

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- Two weeks from the start of the season, the Orioles had an open date yesterday. Without a game to play, the club and its observers could analyze the Orioles' performance at spring training, something not measured by the team's 9-8-2 record. If signs of progress aren't readily apparent in a balky offense, the starting rotation and bullpen clearly are improved, and the only remaining questions about the roster involve the last spots on the bench and in the bullpen.

HAVE THE ORIOLES IMPROVED ENOUGH TO MAKE WAVES IN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST? The consensus answer now is "no." Sure, the bullpen is drastically better and the offense also looks more dangerous with the addition of Jay Payton and Aubrey Huff. Before the news of Kris Benson's injury, the rotation also seemed stronger, if for no other reason than Erik Bedard, Daniel Cabrera and Adam Loewen are a year older and Jaret Wright likely will be an upgrade over Bruce Chen. The problem is the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox also figure to have improved since last season, and while the Toronto Blue Jays lost some pitching, they gained slugger Frank Thomas.

In need of a starting pitcher after Adam Loewen went on the disabled list and strong rains punched more holes in their rotation, the Orioles reached into their farm system and plucked left-hander Garrett Olson, who started last night in the series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. They already had snatched Olson's teammate at Triple-A Norfolk, Jim Johnson, when deciding to protect the bullpen this month by going with a 13-man staff. The options were plentiful. Radhames Liz is waiting for his next chance after striking out 10 batters over seven innings in Thursday's start with the Tides.

While maintaining that struggling Freddie Bynum is still his shortstop, Orioles manager Dave Trembley said he plans to give more starts at the position to Alex Cintron. Cintron started last night for the second straight game and the 10th time this season. That number should increase in the coming days with Bynum hitting just .158 in 15 games this month. The fact that Cintron went 3-for-4 with a home run last night shouldn't hurt his chances either. "I want to take a little better look at Cintron," Trembley said before the game.

The Orioles had been down this road before, the nightmare of being the only franchise besides the long-scattered Cleveland Spiders to have dropped almost half a month of games to end the season. Hours after their boss said this lost year wasn't as bad as he expected it to be, the Orioles sidestepped infamy and broke a 10-game losing streak thanks to an unrelenting rain and a pitcher trying to make a splash. Rookie Brian Bass pitched six strong innings, and the Orioles caught a break when their 2-1 game was called because of rain with a Toronto runner on second and nobody out in the top of the seventh and much of the announced crowd of 18,378 under cover.

The Orioles had the bases loaded and no outs in the first inning and managed just one run. Catcher Chad Moeller led off the second inning with a triple and the seventh inning with a double - and didn't score either time. Nick Markakis, the potential tying run, was thrown out attempting a stolen base for the second out of the eighth inning after his single had cut the Los Angeles Angels' lead to one run. An Orioles team that spent the first week and a half of the baseball season finding ways to win is now discovering ways to lose on a daily basis.

Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis took a couple of steps back toward the wall before his head shifted to the ground just as Michael Young's game-winning, two-run homer off George Sherrill disappeared into the right-field seats. It should have never gotten to that point. Not for the Orioles, who had a three-run lead on the Texas Rangers in the seventh inning but squandered multiple opportunities to break the game open. And not for Sherrill, who had four chances to put away Ian Kinsler with two strikes and couldn't get it done.

NEW YORK -- One week before Friday's nonwaiver trade deadline, the Orioles are in their usual position as sellers, looking to move a couple of their veterans to augment their young nucleus. The Orioles haven't made a major trade-deadline deal since sending Larry Bigbie to the Colorado Rockies for Eric Byrnes in a swap of outfielders on July 30, 2005, almost two years before Andy MacPhail took over the club's front office. "This is the time of the year that general managers live for, really," said MacPhail, the Orioles' president of baseball operations.

JUPITER, FLA. -- Only once was Orioles pitcher Hayden Penn reminded about his sprained left ankle yesterday. His memory received a jolt, as did the ankle, when he threw a full-count curveball to the Florida Marlins' Joe Borchard in the fourth inning. Borchard walked. So did Penn a short time later - back to the dugout, without a limp. And without allowing a run in his first appearance of the spring. "I felt it give a little," he said, "but other than that, it was fine." Finally cleared to pitch, Penn replaced starter Erik Bedard and went one inning in the Orioles' 2-2 tie with the Marlins.