Hamstring Injury

Left guard: Top draft pick Jonathan Ogden opened at his new position to mixed reviews last week against Philadelphia. While his strong pass protection reflected his All-America days as left tackle at UCLA, his run blocking left something to be desired. Is he physical enough to play inside?Offensive line: Ogden was far from alone in his suspect run blocking. No Ravens runners had room to operate out of the backfield. As much as the starters struggled up front -- typical in preseason openers -- the second unit was worse in the second half.

Marlins: Shortstop Edgar Renteria missed the game with a hamstring injury and is listed as day-to-day. He was replaced by Kurt Abbott, who opened the season at shortstop before losing his position.Mets: Jose Vizcaino, who was 2-for-3, has hit .348 in his last 55 games, raising his overall average to .328 from .239.Pirates: Pittsburgh has lost four straight at Montreal this season, being outscored 33-10.Reds: Eric Davis, who has hit safely in a season-high seven consecutive games, but has been bothered by a sore back, was out of the lineup.

On the field: The Yankees' Wade Boggs pulled up lame after Cal Ripken threw him out from deep in the hole in the fourth inning yesterday. Boggs, who has been bothered by a hamstring injury since Wednesday, played one more inning in the field before leaving the game.In the dugout: Yankees manager Buck Showalter compensated for Boggs' absence by inserting Pat Kelly at second base and moving Randy Velarde to third. Darryl Strawberry pinch-hit for Kelly in the ninth, walking amidst a chorus of boos.

They got the hitter they wanted (Bobby Bonilla) and added a durable starter (Scott Erickson) to their pitching staff, but the Orioles haven't been able to solve a problem that has dogged them since the start of the season.The real discouraging news is that there is no sign of a resolution before the year is over.Everyone has acknowledged the lack of consistency with which a contender is usually identified. But that other "C" word also comes into prominent play.With only 54 games left, the Orioles lineup has even less continuity now than it did at the season's start -- when the club opened with almost a 60 percent turnover in playing personnel.

Coming up as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning Monday night whet the appetite of Chris Hoiles.Last night was the feast. His first start for the Orioles since going on the disabled list July 17 with a strained left hamstring. Back in his customary position behind the plate. Batting seventh, he would see whether he could settle back into the same groove as before the injury, when he had hit safely in eight of nine games, going 12-for-30 with four doubles and two home runs.His average had crept up to .208 after reaching a low of .171.

Worthington focuses on rehab, not Gomez's play, trade talkCraig Worthington's primary concern is his injured left hamstring -- not what's going on back at third base in Baltimore, where Leo Gomez's hitting has sparked talk that Worthington might be traded."

3/8 TC CHICAGO -- Baltimore Orioles first baseman Glenn Davis was absent from the starting lineup for the first time this year, apparently because manager Frank Robinson wanted to give him more time to recover from a nagging hamstring strain."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Baltimore Orioles are steering toward an April 22 debut for right-hander Ben McDonald, who took another step yesterday in his recovery from elbow soreness.McDonald threw on the side for 18 minutes at Arlington Stadium, reporting no pain as he used his breaking ball for the first time since he was sidelined with a strained flexor muscle.If all continues to go well, he will throw again Sunday and pitch in a minor-league game Wednesday, which could set him up for his first regular-season start against the Chicago White Sox at the new Comiskey Park five days later.