Left Fielder

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- While two charter buses ran idle outside Cooper Stadium here, a throng of fans crowded near the exit of the visiting clubhouse for Orioles' autographs after the team's rare appearance in Ohio's capital city. Brian Roberts, seemingly a fan favorite everywhere, was surrounded as he signed, and so too was hobbled left fielder Jay Payton, who grew up about an hour east of here. Orioles vs. Nationals Today, 2:05 p.m., Norfolk, Va., MASN, 105.7 FM

The debate whether right-hander Jason Hammel intentionally threw at Detroit Tigers left fielder Matt Tuiasosopo's head was markedly one-sided in both clubhouses following the the Orioles' ugly 10-3 loss Saturday. Both dugouts agreed that Hammel had no intent to harm Tuiasosopo in the fourth inning of Saturday's game. The umpires didn't entirely disagree, but claimed that Hammel - intentionally or not - forced them to prevent a wild game from getting out of hand. After allowing three consecutive solo home runs to the Tigers in the fourth inning, Hammel's next pitch - an 82-mph slider - sailed out of his hand and toward Tuiasosopo's head, hitting him on the left shoulder as he ducked away from the pitch.

The Orioles and Montreal Expos have held preliminary discussions about a deal that would bring the Orioles center fielder Milton Bradley. The Expos, in turn, are seeking a left fielder/leadoff hitter, a definition that fits the Orioles' Delino DeShields. The Expos dispatched a scout to the Orioles' three-game series in Detroit and are believed to be ready to move on a deal given their surprising standing within the National League East. One potential hurdle to a deal would be DeShields' salary.

Relievers usually don't throw regular side sessions because they're on call daily, but Patton said he wanted to start after struggling with command of his fastball. In the eighth inning of Thursday night's win over the Washington Nationals, Nate McLouth broke his bat and hit a pop fly into shallow right field that fell between second baseman Danny Espinosa and right fielder Roger Bernadina . McLouth rounded first base and sprinted to second without hesitation, reaching safely for a one-out double.

ARLINGTON, Texas - Orioles left fielder B.J. Surhoff is confronting the most difficult struggle in his tenure as an Oriole. Out of theories on what to do about it, he says the best remaining course is to maintain a consistent approach and wait for a bad run to end. Surhoff set career highs in hits (207), home runs (28), RBIs (107) and runs (104) last season, earning him recognition as Orioles Most Valuable Player and his first All-Star berth. Surhoff constructed the season through consistency.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Orioles left fielder B.J. Surhoff has been on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring, but his return is being delayed because of his left knee. Orioles manager Mike Hargrove said Surhoff injured the knee while running the bases Saturday. On Sunday, Surhoff said he was ready to come off the disabled list, but he remained in Baltimore yesterday to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam. "We'll know more when we get the results," Hargrove said. Surhoff, 38, needed reconstructive surgery on his right knee last year, costing him the final five months of the season with the Atlanta Braves.

MINNEAPOLIS - Vice president of baseball operations Syd Thrift said last night that the club has no intention of trading outfielder Delino DeShields as part of a deal for Montreal Expos center fielder Milton Bradley. "We're not talking about trading DeShields there. We've never talked about that," he said. The Orioles have had longstanding interest in Bradley, who recently unseated Peter Bergeron as the Expos' starting center fielder. The Expos continue to search for a left fielder/leadoff hitter, but Thrift, concerned that early trade rumors might sidetrack DeShields' recent offensive surge, insisted that no ongoing effort exists to unload him or his $4.33 million salary for this season.

Defending county champion Atholton kept itself within a game of first place in the county standings yesterday with an extra-inning victory against visiting Howard. Today, the eighth-ranked Raiders have a chance to catch league-leading Long Reach when they visit the unbeaten Lightning. "I think the girls are pumped," said Atholton coach John Zitko after his team edged the Lions, 2-1, in eight innings. "You can't ask for a better steppingstone going into tomorrow's game." Atholton (6-1)

AMERICAN LEAGUE Who's hot Mariners closer Kazu hiro Sasaki set a ma jor-league record with his 13th save in the month of April. Who's not The Athletics fell a season-high eight games below .500 and are off to the second-worst start in Oakland history. Line of the day Chuck Knoblauch, Yankees left fielder AB R H RBI HR 5 2 4 3 1 NATIONAL LEAGUE Who's hot The Reds have won nine straight road games. Who's not Cardinals reliever Mike James suffered his second consecutive extra-inning loss against New York.

ScoringYankees first: Raines doubled to left. Boggs grounded out to pitcher Erickson, Raines to third. Williams grounded out to shortstop C.Ripken, Raines scored. Martinez grounded out to pitcher Erickson. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Yankees 1, Orioles 0.Orioles second: Palmeiro walked. Bonilla popped out to catcher Leyritz. C.Ripken doubled to left center, Palmeiro to third. Murray grounded out to shortstop Jeter, Palmeiro scored, C.Ripken to third. Surhoff grounded out to second baseman Duncan.

TORONTO -- I've often heard that Rogers Centre is one of the toughest places for a visiting outfielder to play because the fans in the two decks beyond the outfield wall feel like they're right on top of you. One player I used to cover said some brutal hecklers exist in the outfield stands there. Another said that it's more like a hockey crowd than your typical baseball crowd. There was at least one idiot there in the Orioles' 12-6 loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday night.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Left fielder Nate McLouth is one of the Orioles' hottest hitters at the plate over the past two weeks, but it still hasn't been enough to earn everyday starts against left-handed pitching. Over his past 10 games entering Thursday, the left-handed hitting McLouth had recorded a .432/.523/.676 batting line. He's reached safely in 17 of the 20 games he's started this season. "When you see guys spitting on balls a couple inches off the plate….you can tell he's seeing the ball good and letting it travel," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.

SARASOTA, Fla. - When outfielder Nate McLouth joined the Orioles from Triple-A last August, he was just another one of executive vice president Dan Duquette's attempted reclamation projects. His new teammates knew who he was, though. Heck, one even dabbled as McLouth a few years back. "I don't think I ever told Nate this, but I used to play video baseball games and I always had him as my center fielder," said Orioles first baseman Chris Davis. "Because he's all the things I am not. He is fast; he's got a six-pack [sculpted abdomen]

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nolan Reimold hasn't played left field since last Friday, and if he can't get out there consistently this spring, he could end up on the disabled list when the Orioles break camp. That's so far away in Reimold's mind, however, that he's not even slightly worried. “What do we still got, four weeks [left]? I think I'll be all right,” said Reimold, who has been dealing with right shoulder tightness and has been limited to designated hitter duties. “I'm not really concerned about not being able to play the field.

SARASOTA, Fla. -  Orioles left fielder Nolan Reimold was removed from Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after just two innings with soreness in his right, throwing shoulder. Reimold's early exit was odd, especially considering Reimold had just hit his first homer of the spring, a towering two-run shot to left off James McDonald that gave the Orioles a three-run lead in the bottom of the second inning. “He said it feels fine,” manager Buck Showalter said after the Orioles' 6-5 win over Pittsburgh at Ed Smith Stadium.

When the ball came off Orioles left fielder Xavier Avery's bat in the eighth inning of Friday night's game against the Indians, he wasn't sure whether he got enough of it for his first major-league home run. He came out of the batter's box sprinting - thinking he could get a triple if the ball hit off the left-field wall - but as he rounded first, he looked up and saw his sprint could turn into a trot. “I looked up I was like, 'Oh snap,'” Avery said. “I caught that one.” Avery's solo homer proved to be the winning run in the Orioles' 9-8 victor over Cleveland on Friday night, snapping the O's three-game losing streak.

The Orioles received good and bad news on the ever-puzzling health of left fielder Nolan Reimold, who has been out of all baseball activites for nearly seven weeks with a bulging disk in his neck. An MRI showed that the disk has shrunen and the inflammation is gone - the good news - but the club now has no reason why Reimold is still experiencing spots of tingling in his left arm and hasn't been able to regain his strength. So Reimold - who has spent his DL time in and out of doctors offices - will now see a neurosurgeon to see if his problems are nerve-related.

CHICAGO - Orioles left fielder and leadoff hitter Nolan Reimold attributes his recent offensive tear to making one small step forward. Literally. Reimold, who entered Wednesday's game against the White Sox with home runs in each of his last four games, said he's made a small adjustment at the plate that is helping him see the ball better. "I have been striding too far, and it was making my head move a little bit and I was pulling off," Reimold said. "So I've been working on having a smaller stride.