Jay Payton

Confusion at first The Orioles caught a break in the fourth inning when the Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman was called out after reaching first base on an errant throw by shortstop Miguel Tejada. Tejada fielded Zimmerman's leadoff grounder cleanly, but his throw sailed over the head of first baseman Kevin Millar. Zimmerman reached the bag safely, but Millar tagged him out after he appeared to turn toward second base. Orioles starter Steve Trachsel retired Dmitri Young and Ryan Church to close out the inning.

When the rains came in the top of the third inning, Russ Ortiz was on the ropes. He had already squandered a three-run lead in what manager Sam Perlozzo deemed an important start in as sessing the veteran's future in the rotation. He did not return to the mound following a delay that lasted nearly an hour and a half. Did the club see enough to decide his days in the Orioles' rotation are numbered? The question will mostly likely be answered in the coming days by Perlozzo, who was ejected in the eighth inning last night by home plate umpire Ted Barrett for arguing balls and strikes.

JUPITER, FLA. -- A day after acknowledging that Jay Gibbons will not be playing first base anytime soon, Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo took his strongest stance yet on the left-field situation, saying Jay Payton will get the majority of starts there. "We got Jay Payton to play left field most of the time, I would think, or at least a good portion of the time," Perlozzo said. "I think that is a normal assumption. We didn't go out and get him to sit [on] the bench." It was originally thought Aubrey Huff, another free-agent addition, could get a lot of starts in left, but it appears he'll play mostly at first base.

BOSTON -- Kevin Millar reminded reporters all spring that lineup forecasting was pointless, because "things have a way of working themselves out." Millar was expected to be the odd man out this season, losing at-bats in the first base, designated hitter and left-field shuffle to Jay Gibbons, Jay Payton and Aubrey Huff. However, all he's done is become the club's everyday first baseman and a fixture in the middle of the lineup. He entered last night's game with 449 plate appearances. He signed a one-year $2.75 million deal this offseason with a 2008 guaranteed option that will vest at 475 plate appearances.

Of all the sights that caught the attention of Orioles manager Dave Trembley yesterday, none was more pleasing than Seattle Mariners pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre moving to the top step of the visitors' dugout after the eighth inning and extending a hand to starting pitcher Felix Hernandez. It was a casual gesture that easily could have gone unnoticed if it didn't have such a pronounced impact on the game. Hernandez had gone from brilliant to finished. And so, too, did the Mariners, though they weren't yet aware of it. Shut out until the ninth, the Orioles completed a three-run rally when light-hitting shortstop Luis Hernandez lined a single off reliever Mark Lowe with two outs to score Jay Payton and provide a 3-2 victory before an announced 19,215 at Camden Yards.

SAN DIEGO -- Jeremy Guthrie stepped out of the dugout in the first inning last night and resisted the urge to pinch himself. If this was a dream, he didn't want to wake up. Just go directly to the mound, with no sudden movements, and bask in a moment that didn't seem real. The Orioles scored three runs before Guthrie threw a pitch. He had a lead. He had some offensive support. He had a chance to win without needing a shutout. Guthrie wasn't taking any chances, though. He held the San Diego Padres scoreless until Russell Branyan led off the eighth with a home run, and the Orioles ended a nine-game losing streak with a 7-1 victory at Petco Park that included a possible injury to shortstop Miguel Tejada.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Orioles' worst fears were confirmed yesterday with the news that center fielder Adam Jones has a fractured left foot, an injury that could end his impressive first season with the club. Jones, who was injured Saturday when he fouled a pitch from the Seattle Mariners' Felix Hernandez off his foot, will wear a walking boot and be on crutches for the next two weeks before having another CT scan performed on his foot. "I think he's looking at a minimum of four weeks out," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said.

VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Technically, they are fighting for the same role: the Orioles' vacant fifth starter job. But Brian Burres and Matt Albers, who each threw two innings in yesterday's 4-4 tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers, aren't concerned if they don't end up with the coveted spot. Both just want to head north with the team at the end of the month - and both could, as relievers instead of starters. "Just making the major leagues is my goal," Albers, 25, said. "Wherever I can help the team, that is where I'd go. I want to be a starter.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- On the morning before Daniel Cabrera's second spring start, Orioles manager Dave Trembley predicted that his enigmatic right-hander would "have a big season this year." "I've been saying this: If he repeats his delivery and commands his fastball, everything is going to come for him," Trembley said. The Orioles have been waiting for Cabrera to take the next step in his development since he won 12 games as a rookie in 2004. But his inconsistency has been maddening, often from start to start.

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.