Leicester

What was the hardest part about having a torn anterior cruciate ligament? Just being away from baseball for that long. It happened right about a year and two weeks ago. I missed a whole season of baseball. To try to sit there and watch it on the couch is next to impossible.

Positive outing Trying to win a roster spot as a starter or long reliever, Garrett Olson shut out the Minnesota Twins over three innings. He lost some effectiveness in the third, when he threw only nine of 20 pitches for strikes and walked two batters. He did retire nine of the 11 batters he faced and left with a 3-0 lead. Ruling as Rule 5 Orioles manager Dave Trembley expects to wait until the final days of camp before deciding whether to keep reliever Randor Bierd, a Rule 5 pick who must stay with the club all season or be offered back to the Detroit Tigers for $25,000.

Music blared from the speakers at Camden Yards yesterday while the Orioles gathered to stretch along the right-field line, but manager Dave Trembley wasn't in a partying mood. He marched over to the group, summoned his coaches to join him and conducted a meeting - held with no background noise once the tunes were nixed - like none other this season. Trembley wanted to be heard, which meant no heavy metal until after his five minutes were up. He informed the team of his three-game suspension, which he immediately began serving, and implored them to keep working hard and not use unfavorable calls from the umpires, which seem to strike with regularity, as an excuse.

LEICESTER LOSES IT Rookie starter Jon Leicester wanted to make one last impression on the Orioles before the season ended. He did, but it wasn't a good one. He was touched for seven earned runs on eight hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings. In two starts against New York this season, Leicester surrendered 13 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings. Orioles manager Dave Trembley had said the pitcher will get an extended look in spring training, perhaps for a role in the bullpen. He will finish the season with a 2-3 record and a 7.59 ERA. 1,500 TIMES TWO A two-run home run off Leicester in the third inning was not only Alex Rodriguez's 54th of the season, but it gave him 1,500 RBIs for his career.

Orioles pitcher Jon Leicester remembers the exact date of his last major league start. You don't easily forget the first one. It has taken two years for Leicester to get another second chance in a rotation. He'll start Saturday's game against the Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards, taking the spot that went to Kurt Birkins earlier this week. Leicester has made three relief appearances since the Orioles purchased his contract from Triple-A Norfolk last Thursday, most recently pitching a scoreless eighth inning Tuesday.

LEICESTER LOSES IT Jon Leicester had controlled the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels in back-to-back starts, and for three innings it looked as if he might do the same to the New York Yankees. But five of the first six batters he faced in the fourth inning reached base. Doug Mientkiewicz landed the big blow, slamming Leicester's 0-1 pitch into the right-field seats for a three-run home run. Hideki Matsui had a two-run double and Robinson Cano had an RBI single in the six-run inning that marked the end of Leicester's evening.

Positive outing Trying to win a roster spot as a starter or long reliever, Garrett Olson shut out the Minnesota Twins over three innings. He lost some effectiveness in the third, when he threw only nine of 20 pitches for strikes and walked two batters. He did retire nine of the 11 batters he faced and left with a 3-0 lead. Ruling as Rule 5 Orioles manager Dave Trembley expects to wait until the final days of camp before deciding whether to keep reliever Randor Bierd, a Rule 5 pick who must stay with the club all season or be offered back to the Detroit Tigers for $25,000.

Grand fashion If the Orioles wanted to evaluate third baseman Scott Moore by starting him ahead of Melvin Mora, they learned that he can get around on Daisuke Matsuzaka's fastball. Moore hit his first career grand slam, and his first home run since Sept. 18, 2006, to clear the bases in the third inning, break a 4-4 tie and knock Matsuzaka from the game. Moore was the ninth batter to come to the plate in the inning, which began with the Boston Red Sox leading 4-1. No mismatch The Orioles didn't seem to have the advantage in a game pitting Matsuzaka against Jon Leicester, but it played out much differently on the field than on paper.

LEICESTER LOSES IT Rookie starter Jon Leicester wanted to make one last impression on the Orioles before the season ended. He did, but it wasn't a good one. He was touched for seven earned runs on eight hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings. In two starts against New York this season, Leicester surrendered 13 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings. Orioles manager Dave Trembley had said the pitcher will get an extended look in spring training, perhaps for a role in the bullpen. He will finish the season with a 2-3 record and a 7.59 ERA. 1,500 TIMES TWO A two-run home run off Leicester in the third inning was not only Alex Rodriguez's 54th of the season, but it gave him 1,500 RBIs for his career.

For now, Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo has apparently decided to go with the nine guys who are swinging the bat the best, a decision that has pushed veteran Jay Gibbons into a reserve role. Gibbons didn't play in the Orioles' 10-1 loss to the Cleveland Indians yesterday, the third straight game the outfielder-designated hitter remained on the bench. He hasn't played since going 1-for-4 with three strikeouts in Friday's series opener. Gibbons is 3-for-his-past-37, with his average sitting at .188.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The game ended essentially how it started: with pinch hitter Melvin Mora grounding into a double play, just as Miguel Tejada had done in the first inning to take away a scoring opportunity. In between, the Orioles had plenty of chances to get on the scoreboard and reward Jon Leicester's solid pitching performance in their final road game of the season. But they stranded eight base runners, hit into three double plays and went hitless in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position.

LEICESTER LOSES IT Jon Leicester had controlled the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels in back-to-back starts, and for three innings it looked as if he might do the same to the New York Yankees. But five of the first six batters he faced in the fourth inning reached base. Doug Mientkiewicz landed the big blow, slamming Leicester's 0-1 pitch into the right-field seats for a three-run home run. Hideki Matsui had a two-run double and Robinson Cano had an RBI single in the six-run inning that marked the end of Leicester's evening.

Music blared from the speakers at Camden Yards yesterday while the Orioles gathered to stretch along the right-field line, but manager Dave Trembley wasn't in a partying mood. He marched over to the group, summoned his coaches to join him and conducted a meeting - held with no background noise once the tunes were nixed - like none other this season. Trembley wanted to be heard, which meant no heavy metal until after his five minutes were up. He informed the team of his three-game suspension, which he immediately began serving, and implored them to keep working hard and not use unfavorable calls from the umpires, which seem to strike with regularity, as an excuse.

Grand fashion If the Orioles wanted to evaluate third baseman Scott Moore by starting him ahead of Melvin Mora, they learned that he can get around on Daisuke Matsuzaka's fastball. Moore hit his first career grand slam, and his first home run since Sept. 18, 2006, to clear the bases in the third inning, break a 4-4 tie and knock Matsuzaka from the game. Moore was the ninth batter to come to the plate in the inning, which began with the Boston Red Sox leading 4-1. No mismatch The Orioles didn't seem to have the advantage in a game pitting Matsuzaka against Jon Leicester, but it played out much differently on the field than on paper.

Orioles pitcher Jon Leicester remembers the exact date of his last major league start. You don't easily forget the first one. It has taken two years for Leicester to get another second chance in a rotation. He'll start Saturday's game against the Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards, taking the spot that went to Kurt Birkins earlier this week. Leicester has made three relief appearances since the Orioles purchased his contract from Triple-A Norfolk last Thursday, most recently pitching a scoreless eighth inning Tuesday.

Orioles pitcher Brian Burres saved a ball from his first major league start last weekend. He has time to embellish its importance, whether it involves a milestone strikeout total or a victory. "I can make that stuff up later," he said, grinning. Burres didn't get the win Sunday, not after allowing five runs in 3 2/3 innings. But he is scheduled to receive another chance tonight in Boston. "I feel a little better coming into this one," he said. "I've been working in the bullpen and I feel like I'm getting myself under better control and doing what I need to do."

Elisabeth Welch , 99, the American-born singer who introduced the Charleston on Broadway and had show-stopping success with songs such as Harold Arlen's "Stormy Weather," died Tuesday in London. The cause of death was not reported. Born in New York to a Scottish-born mother and a father of African-American and American Indian descent, Welch's first big part on Broadway was in the chorus in Lew Leslie's Blackbirds. She went with the show to Paris. Welch made her London debut in an all-black review, Dark Doings at the Leicester Square Theatre in 1933, in which she introduced Harold Arlen's haunting "Stormy Weather" to British audiences.

What was the hardest part about having a torn anterior cruciate ligament? Just being away from baseball for that long. It happened right about a year and two weeks ago. I missed a whole season of baseball. To try to sit there and watch it on the couch is next to impossible.