Nick Markakis

Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis, out for the rest of the regular season with a broken left thumb, is scheduled to fly down to Sarasota, Fla., on Monday and have surgery Tuesday in hopes that he could return if the Orioles go deep in the postseason. Heading into the day, surgery appeared to be a season-ending option. But Orioles manager Buck Showalter said the doctor that performed Markakis' right wrist surgery in June reviewed the X-rays and CT scan on the thumb and believed surgery could give Markakis a chance to speed up the recovery.

In the midst of their worst losing streak of the season, the Orioles will now be without their most durable player for as long as a month. Starting right fielder Nick Markakis will miss two to four weeks with a broken bone in his right wrist and make his first trip to the disabled list in his major league career. Markakis suffered a fractured hamate bone and is scheduled to have surgery Friday morning performed by nationally renowned hand specialist Dr. Brian Schofield in Sarasota, Fla. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he was actually pleased with the news.

Manager Buck Showalter was gone from the Orioles' 3-2, 10th-inning, sweep-busting victory over the Los Angeles Angels by the sixth inning Sunday, long before Nick Markakis had two key hits to guarantee the club a winning record on what could have been a brutal road trip. Showalter may still qualify for a save, however. The Orioles manager jumped out of the dugout in the top of the sixth to protest a questionable strike call by home-plate umpire Angel Campos against Markakis, who had already jawed with Campos in an earlier at-bat.

Nick Markakis doesn't want your sympathy, though he definitely deserves some. The guy suffered through so many of those terrible years when the Orioles organization was wandering through the desert, and then he had to sit in the dugout last October and watch his teammates enjoy the team's first playoff run since 1997. That's just not fair. Markakis has been the good soldier since he broke in with the Orioles in 2006. He has led by example. He has provided production and stability in an otherwise dysfunctional environment for most of his career.

The moment seemed perfectly scripted for Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis. With Monday night's game against the Toronto Blue Jays on the line on a chilly night at Camden Yards, the steadiest of the Orioles' bats resonated calm at the plate. Down to his last strike, Markakis delivered the Orioles their second walk-off win in five games as his game-winning, two-out, bases-loaded single off Toronto reliever Aaron Loup gave the Orioles a 2-1 win over the Blue Jays and their fourth win in their past five games.

A comparison of Nick Markakis and Adam Jones through 38 games in their first seasons as Orioles. Markakis was a true rookie in 2006, while Jones played 73 games with the Seattle Mariners over the previous two seasons. Markakis Jones Age 22 22 Batting avg. .221 .223 Home runs 2 2 RBIs 8 11 Walks 10 7 Strikeouts 18 31 Stolen bases 0 3 On-base pct. .296 .271 Slugging pct. .327 .362

Nick Markakis, Orioles right fielder After being on the bench last year in the opener at Camden Yards, how is this Opening Day at Camden Yards different for you? It's definitely a good feeling. I am definitely excited. ... Things have changed a lot [since last year]. I've seen the pitchers a couple of times. We just need to go out there and play hard and try to come up with some wins.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.-- --Adam Jones walked into the Orioles' clubhouse wearing a brown designer T-shirt, a crisp pair of jeans, loafers that matched his shirt and a silver chain, earrings and watch. Cleanly shaven aside from his thin mustache and with his hair neatly gelled into place, Jones greeted several teammates, trading barbs and laughs. Two minutes later, Nick Markakis made his entrance. He had several days of growth on his face, wore an orange T-shirt, black gym shorts, faded tennis shoes and a baseball cap that was pulled tightly over his sleepy eyes.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.-- --The Orioles didn't do anything untoward here, certainly nothing other teams haven't done. They took advantage of a system that in most ways benefits the players and not management. Even so, the Orioles are playing a dangerous game by unilaterally renewing outfielder Nick Markakis' contract. It's well within their purview because he is a "zero-to-three" player, meaning he has fewer than three years of major league service and won't be eligible for arbitration until this winter.