Fahey

Managing the Orioles never has felt like a tryout to Dave Trembley, so hearing that new team president Andy MacPhail intends to evaluate him at least through next month, with no interviews set up with other candidates, doesn't bring a sense of relief. "I still feel like the first day when Mike [Flanagan] and Jim [Duquette] called me in and asked me to do this," he said. "Obviously, I'm very appreciative of the opportunity and I'm very confident in our abilities and very grateful for the cooperation I'm getting from the players.

Looking to provide depth at shortstop and second base, the Orioles recalled infielder Brandon Fahey from Triple-A Norfolk yesterday and optioned outfielder-first baseman Jon Knott to the Tides. Fahey was hitting .227 with seven doubles, six triples, two homers and 24 RBIs in 76 games. He had a .296 on-base percentage and a .315 slugging percentage. Over his past 10 games, however, Fahey hit .359 with three doubles and two triples. Knott struck out twice and walked Sunday in his only start since rejoining the Orioles.

JUPITER, FLA. -- Orioles officials have spent part of the spring boasting about their improved depth, which has given manager Sam Perlozzo more options and harder decisions on his roster makeup. He made a couple of those decisions yesterday, informing infielder Brandon Fahey and reliever Kurt Birkins, who played key roles for him last season, that they won't be on the Orioles' Opening Day roster. Top pitching prospect Hayden Penn was also optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, while pitchers Jon Leicester and Rob Bell were reassigned to minor league camp.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- The last spot on the Orioles' roster is being fought over like the last crumb tossed in the middle of a starving group of men. Maybe the fastest gets to it first. Or the strongest. Or the guy who's versatile enough to figure out more than one way to snatch it. The Orioles are in the process of choosing the characteristics that work best for them. They have plenty of options. Eventually, they'll need some answers. A 12-man pitching staff would leave manager Sam Perlozzo with four reserves on his bench.

Hardly on the radar when last season began, Brandon Fahey was recalled from Triple-A Ottawa on April 30 when Brian Roberts went on the disabled list, and got a hit off Seattle Mariners veteran Jamie Moyer in his first at-bat. He wound up staying with the Orioles for the rest of the season, starting games at second base, shortstop, third base, left field and right field. The son of former major league catcher Bill Fahey, who played 11 seasons in the majors, Fahey, 26, hit .235 with two home runs and 23 RBIs last year.

The Orioles have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with utility man Chris Gomez, who will return for his third season in Baltimore. "It's nice to be in a place for a few years," said Gomez, who received a modest raise from the $850,000 he made last year. "I was bouncing around for a few years, and I didn't like that a whole lot. Being in a place for three years is very appealing." After missing most of the first half after breaking a bone in his left hand, Gomez, 35, finished with a .341 average, two home runs and 17 RBIs in 55 games.

Reaching first base Saturday after his run-scoring single in the seventh inning should have brought great joy to Orioles left fielder Brandon Fahey, not a conflicted feeling. But that's what happens when you're mired in a lengthy slump and almost expected to fail in the clutch. Fahey is batting .170 since the All-Star break after going 0-for-3 and being hit by a pitch in yesterday's 9-4 loss to New York Yankees at Camden Yards. He was 4-for-43 before lining a pitch into center field in Saturday's game.

His average down significantly since the All-Star break, Brandon Fahey also has sunk in the Orioles' batting order, going from second to eighth. Yesterday, it turned out to be a good spot for him, and the team. Fahey singled with one out in the sixth inning to end Toronto starter Roy Halladay's bid for a perfect game. Halladay had retired all 16 batters he faced before Fahey's ground ball scooted into center field. "It's great to see a guy like Fahey break up the no-hitter," shortstop Miguel Tejada said.

Brandon Fahey was so scrawny when the Orioles took him in the 12th round of the 2002 draft that it was hard to envision him being anything more than an "organizational player" - a guy who would play hard on minor league teams from Bluefield to Bowie, but probably never make the majors. Fahey surpassed those expectations when the Orioles called him up early this season. Once he made it, no one, not even Fahey, expected him to last longer than two weeks, but he has surpassed those expectations, too, becoming so valuable as a do-anything rookie that it is increasingly rare for Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo not to write him into the lineup.

Like many of us, Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo has been impressed with Brandon Fahey's rapid and smooth adjustment to playing left field. Fahey started at shortstop yesterday, but it looks like he'll continue to be a regular in left. Perlozzo learned by accident earlier this season that Fahey had outfield experience. "It was one of those things where, I don't know what even made me do it, but I went over and asked him if he ever played the outfield," Perlozzo said. "I was looking for ways to get bats in the lineup at the time, and he said, `Actually, I have a couple years in junior college.