Hamstring Injury

When Luke Scott finally touched home plate in the seventh inning, his left leg trailing behind his right one, the Orioles designated hitter clapped his hands and pointed to the sky. It was symbolic of a painful Orioles performance that ended on an upswing. Ty Wigginton tied the score with a two-run shot in the seventh inning, the first home run by an Orioles first baseman all year. Scott followed with a solo homer to give the Orioles the lead on their way to a 9-6 victory over the Oakland Athletics before an announced 21,392 Wednesday night at Camden Yards.

The Orioles have gotten one relief pitcher back and have sent another to the starting rotation at Triple-A Norfolk. After Sunday's 11-4 loss to the New York Mets, the club activated closer Alfredo Simon, who has been on the disabled since May 25 with a strained left hamstring. To make room for Simon, the Orioles demoted right-hander Brad Bergesen to Norfolk, where he'll re-join the rotation after two games as a big league reliever. Simon was 1-1 with a 2.92 ERA and six saves in seven opportunities before injuring his hamstring covering first base May 23 in Washington.

Koji Uehara, who was attempting to make the switch from Orioles starter to reliever this spring, will begin the season on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring, opening a spot for a right-hander on the roster bubble. Uehara, who hadn't pitched since he hobbled off the mound mid-batter March 18 against the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, has been getting treatment for the strain but has not been able to run at full speed or throw from a mound. Before Monday night's game against the New York Yankees, Orioles manager Dave Trembley said that if Uehara could not pitch by midweek, then he would not be ready for next Tuesday's season opener in St. Petersburg.

When Dave Trembley took over as Orioles manager in 2007, I'm pretty sure he never imagined that the job would require a knack for international diplomacy. Take today, for instance. Japanese pitcher Koji Uehara was scheduled to play catch on flat ground two days after walking off the mound at Dunedin Stadium with another twinge in his troublesome left hamstring. Trembley was asked for an update and proceeded to explain that he is not the least bit worried that Uehara might not be ready to open the regular season on time.

When the Ravens open the preseason against the Washington Redskins tonight, fans at M&T Bank Stadium will welcome a new defensive coordinator, another highly touted first-round draft pick and perhaps a different quarterback. Last season, it was Joe Cool who led the Ravens to the AFC championship game. But at this year's training camp, Fiery Flacco has surprisingly surfaced at times. One day after not reading the defense properly, Flacco walked to the sideline and threw down his helmet in frustration.

At the beginning of the season, when the Ravens won two in a row, this town was already buzzing about playoffs. It was way too early. But now after the Ravens beat the Houston Texans, 41-13, on Sunday, you can actually start thinking about the p-word. Go ahead, let it roll off your tongue. The picture is starting to become a little clearer. If the Ravens had lost to the Texans, there would be few scenarios remaining that had the Ravens in the postseason, even with the Indianapolis Colts knocking off the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said yesterday that the hamstring injury suffered by senior quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada in last week's 24-17 win at Wake Forest isn't as serious as the one that kept him out of the first two games this season. It is still not known whether Kaheaku-Enhada will play in Saturday's game at Air Force. "We're going to continue to have him get as much treatment as he can and see what happens," Niumatalolo said before practice. "It's going to be day-to-day.

Brian Rimpf was a major contributor in 2005, starting the final seven games at right guard in place of injured Keydrick Vincent, but missed the 2006 season with a hamstring injury. How frustrated were you by the injury, which occurred during training camp? Before the 2006 season started, I was pretty excited about the season after all the playing time I got the year before. But when the injury hit before the season even started, that was probably the most disappointing time. But you get over it quick.

When the Ravens open training camp Friday, a familiar face will be back in the center of the defense. Ray Lewis is scheduled to practice for the first time since tearing his hamstring nine months ago, coach Brian Billick said yesterday. The former All-Pro linebacker had missed all of the team's spring workouts because he was still recovering from the injury. COMING TOMORROW A preview of Ravens training camp, with a look at how Brian Billick will handle camp, a fans' guide and more.