Mora

Not right in left Jay Gibbons had a first inning he'd rather forget. Starting in left field against Chicago, he almost robbed Jim Thome of a home run after reaching above the fence, but did not get much lift on his jump. He was booed after committing an error on Jermaine Dye's run-scoring single, and couldn't catch Rob Mackowiak's fly ball near the line, pulling up at the last instant as the ball fell in for a two-run double. Guthrie impostor That had to be somebody else starting for the Orioles last night.

Orioles interim manager Dave Trembley unveiled his plans for the starting rotation after the All-Star break, and they include Garrett Olson. The rookie left-hander, who got a no-decision in his major league debut Wednesday in Chicago, will again face the White Sox Sunday in the finale of a four-game series at Camden Yards. Jeremy Guthrie will get the second half started Thursday, followed by Erik Bedard, Daniel Cabrera and Olson. "I didn't know exactly what they wanted or expected of me after the All-Star break," said Olson, who got the news Saturday night.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- For most of the night, Miguel Tejada, Brian Roberts and Ramon Hernandez watched another disappointing Orioles offensive effort from the bench, as all were kept out of the starting lineup by manager Dave Trembley. With just a week and a half left in a season that became a lost cause long ago, Trembley has vowed that it's time to give others opportunities to play, but he said the goal of winning remains unchanged. So with the Orioles being shut out and down by a run in the ninth inning, Trembley called on Roberts and Tejada, who helped tie the game in the ninth.

Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo tries to make the rounds in the clubhouse each afternoon to notify certain veteran players that they'll be out of the lineup the next day. It's more of a courtesy than a requirement. It also can become an issue if he accidentally skips someone. Third baseman Melvin Mora grew agitated yesterday upon learning from a reporter that he wasn't starting against Oakland Athletics right-hander Dan Haren. Mora criticized Perlozzo for a general lack of communication, and they engaged in an animated conversation near third during batting practice.

BOSTON -- Orioles third baseman Melvin Mora ran the bases without pain before last night's game and could begin a rehabilitation assignment as early as tomorrow. Mora, who is on the disabled list with a sprained right foot sustained in a collision at the plate July 1, will report to Fenway Park today, and if he gets clearance to resume playing, he could join one of the Orioles' minor league affiliates through the weekend. "Melvin ran the bases today, ran them real good. He ran hard," interim manager Dave Trembley said.

Mora meltdown Already under scrutiny for bunting Monday with the tying run on third base, Melvin Mora booted a potential double-play ground ball in the first inning yesterday that allowed a run to score. He also failed to cover third base while venting about his mistake, allowing Eric Chavez to move up, and a sacrifice fly increased Oakland's lead to 2-0. Mora twice slammed his glove on the dugout floor after the inning, then hit into a double play in his first at-bat. Mental lapse The Orioles surrendered two more runs in the sixth inning that could have been avoided.

A long bus ride isn't supposed to bring much joy to a minor league pitcher, but hearing that you've been called up by the Orioles makes every bump and tedious mile seem worth it. The Orioles promoted right-hander Jim Johnson from Triple-A Norfolk yesterday and placed reliever Scott Williamson on the disabled list with tightness in his right triceps tendon. Johnson got the news while traveling from Louisville to Indianapolis. "I still don't know what's going on," he said. "It was something I didn't really expect.

For much of the past week and a half, the Orioles have done nearly everything right. But in a frantic ninth inning last night at Camden Yards, when it again looked like the home team would find a way to win, everything went horribly wrong. Corey Patterson, the Orioles' fastest runner, couldn't score the tying run from second base on a single. Melvin Mora, one of the team's best bunters, opted to lay one down on his own, but it wasn't good enough to bring Patterson home. And Miguel Tejada, the Orioles' best hitter, made the game's final out after the batter in front of him was walked intentionally.

BOSTON -- On a day when Josh Beckett was bidding to become the fourth Boston Red Sox pitcher to win his first eight starts, Jeremy Guthrie, the other starter, dominated one of the league's best teams for 8 1/3 innings. Guthrie had allowed no earned runs and only three hits and two walks when Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo surprisingly decided to take him out after catcher Ramon Hernandez's error. Relievers Danys Baez and Chris Ray then coughed up a five-run lead, and the Orioles lost a stunning 6-5 game.

ATLANTA -- Sorting through the rubble and debris that's left from Game 6 of the National League Championship Series will be much easier once all the smoke has cleared. That shouldn't take longer than another week or so. Inhale at your own risk.By then, the Atlanta Braves won't have much interest in looking back. They're already gearing for the World Series, which begins Saturday on their home field against the New York Yankees. There's no time for reminiscing and replaying.That will come later.

When Cesar Izturis heard "La Vida Es Un Carnaval," by Celia Cruz after the sixth inning Sunday afternoon, the Orioles shortstop acknowledged sheepishly that his eyes began to water. And that started a chain reaction: When his friend and teammate, third baseman Melvin Mora, saw Izturis get teary, he started to choke up. Then there was the female fan near the Orioles' dugout who was bawling as Mora stepped onto the field after the sixth, waved to the crowd and touched his heart as Cruz's salsa tune - the one that is played before Mora's at-bats at Camden Yards - blared.

When he joined the Orioles in July 2000, Melvin Mora was one of 14 unfamiliar commodities received in the club's now infamous trade-deadline fire sale that sent six high-priced veterans to various contenders. Mora was considered the key to the Mike Bordick deal with the New York Mets, but he was viewed in baseball circles as nothing more than a late-blooming utility man. Nine years later, Mora, 37, is about to end his Orioles career as the lone member of that regrettable group to make an impact.

Outfielder Nolan Reimold's first big league season, and most likely his chances of becoming American League Rookie of the Year, ended Friday, when he was placed on the 15-day disabled list. He will have surgery in Baltimore on Wednesday to repair the Achilles tendon in his left heel and will be sidelined for three to four months. Reimold, who leads all AL rookies in homers (15), on-base percentage (.365) and slugging percentage (.466), is hopeful that he will be ready for the start of spring training in February.

Third baseman Melvin Mora has four more weeks left before his ninth and likely final full season with the Orioles is over. Brian Matusz's Orioles career is just starting, but he's part of a young nucleus that the organization hopes will bring better days. With the Orioles one loss away from clinching their 12th straight losing season, the two players at vastly different stages of their careers helped push aside the inevitable for one more day. Matusz, making his sixth career start, rebounded from a rocky first and turned in seven quality innings.

Seconds before Orioles closer Jim Johnson reared back to throw a ninth-inning, two-out fastball that would undo an entire night's worth of hard work, Melvin Mora had one thought running through his head: Call timeout! Mora noticed that Cleveland Indians first baseman Andy Marte had opened his stance just a hair and was going to try to crank the next pitch over the left-field fence. In that instant, Mora wanted to freeze frame his pitcher and walk to the mound. He would tell Johnson to relax, take a deep breath and bust Marte inside.

TORONTO - -Aubrey Huff, Melvin Mora and Danys Baez, three veterans in the final guaranteed years of their contracts, have cleared waivers, according to league sources, meaning they can be traded to any club if the Orioles find a suitor. The two infielders and the reliever clearing waivers isn't at all surprising as the Orioles didn't find much interest in any of the veterans before last month's nonwaiver trade deadline. All three have struggled at times this season and are still owed a decent chunk of money for the rest of the season.

DETROIT -- A day after third baseman Melvin Mora publicly called out manager Dave Trembley for disrespecting him, the two met behind a closed door for about 15 minutes to clear the air. "We had a very nice conversation today. I always feel that 24 hours after, you have an opportunity to communicate and express some thoughts and concerns," said Trembley, who was joined in the meeting by third base coach Juan Samuel. "I think [Mora] did that and I did that, and I think everything is completely understood."

Orioles third baseman Melvin Mora wants to play baseball for four more years; he's just not sure what's going to happen in the next four days. In the final season of a guaranteed contract, Mora has not been asked by the club about potentially waiving his no-trade clause, meaning he almost certainly will remain with the Orioles after Friday's nonwaiver trade deadline passes. But he's taking nothing for granted. "In this business nobody knows," Mora said. "In this business, it's crazy."

Melvin Mora was expecting an extra-base hit off the right-field wall in the 12th inning of Saturday night's 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays when the ball kept carrying. By the time he rounded first base, Mora realized he had just hit the second walk-off homer of his career and his first home run of any kind in 189 at-bats spanning a career-worst homerless drought of 51 games. "When I was running and I crossed first base, I just think, 'Oh my god, all the questions I have to answer today after the game,' " said Mora, who has three homers in 2009 after 23 last year.

SEATTLE -- In the end, for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, climbing Mount Rainier was every bit as hard as he thought it would be. And much more. Goodell, who made it to the summit of the 14,411-foot peak Wednesday morning, called the accomplishment the most difficult "physical, emotional and probably mental" challenge of his life. He said he gave serious consideration to giving up just into the middle-of-the-night, 4,000-foot final push from base camp to the top. "It was a battle, a constant battle," he said after arriving back at base camp.