Obando

The offensive problems that were expected to creep up and bite the Orioles took a large chunk out of them yesterday.Starter Jimmy Key was perfect through five innings and good enough to win under normal circumstances. But what's normal about a team that has to start a backup middle infielder in right field and send up its switch-hitting second baseman batting from the wrong side? Or one that has to give consecutive starts to its reserve catcher and use a player in a horrendous slump as designated hitter?

Sherman ObandoWhat he would be doing if there were no strike: Obando would be in St. Petersburg, Fla., attempting to pin down a spot on the Orioles' major-league roster. The Orioles were leaning toward keeping Obando this year, to fill in for designated hitter Harold Baines against tough left-handers, and as an extra outfielder and one of their primary right-handed pinch hitters. The feeling of some in the organization is that Obando has paid his dues in the minor leagues. At Triple-A Rochester last year, Obando batted .330 with 20 homers and 69 RBIs in 109 games.

Pacific Trading Cards' Spanish-language baseball set has been expanded with a 330-card second series. Included are 22 members each of the expansion Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies. There are two insert sets, 36 "prism" cards (shown is the Orioles' Sherman Obando) and 20 Baseball Amigos (multiple players on each card).

Orioles manager Johnny Oates said yesterday that he plans to get every regular player on the roster into action by the conclusion of this weekend's series with the Seattle Mariners.The most immediate beneficiaries are right fielders Chito Martinez and Sherman Obando, who are scheduled for starts in the Kingdome.Martinez, the left-handed hitter in the Orioles' three-man right-field platoon, will start tomorrow night against Seattle right-hander Erik Hanson. Oates said Obando, a right-handed hitter, will get a start against either John Cummings or Randy Johnson, both left-handers.

BaseballAngels: Activated P Mike James from 15-day disabled list. Optioned P Shad Williams to Triple-A Vancouver.Athletics: Placed OF Damon Mashore on 15-day DL.Brewers: Placed C Kelly Stinnett on 15-day DL. Recalled OF Todd Dunn from Triple-A Tucson.Expos: Activated OF Vladimir Guerrero from 15-day DL. Placed ex-Orioles OF Sherman Obando on 15-day DL.Marlins: Recalled P Rob Stanifer from Triple-A Charlotte.Pirates: Recalled 3B Joe Randa from Triple-A Calgary.Twins: Recalled P Travis Miller from Triple-A Salt Lake.

The glass is half-empty: Sherman Obando is an injury-prone defensive liability who has not proved he can hit off-speed pitches.The glass is half-full: Obando has the best raw power in the Orioles' organization. He tore up Triple-A pitching (.330, 20 home runs, 69 RBIs, .600 slugging average) and in the process erased doubts about his ability to hit more than just fastballs. He also made progress defensively.The glass is half-empty: Mark Smith has no single, attention-grabbing tool and grades out close to average across the board.

On the field: Boston's Wes Chamberlain may include the Orioles in his will, because they are making his season. Chamberlain had three at-bats in the first 11 Red Sox games. But he pinch-hit in the ninth inning Tuesday, hit a game-winning homer against Armando Benitez, and earned a start in last night's game. Chamberlain walked in the third inning and stole second -- only the sixth steal of his career and his first since 1993.In the dugout: Orioles manager Phil Regan said earlier this week that he wanted to find a way to get Sherman Obando's bat in the lineup.

Some of the highlights and lowlights from the Orioles' intrasquad game yesterday:Ups* First base trainee Sherman Obando doubled off the center-field fence and had a home run that was plucked off the wall by Mike Devereaux.* Outfielder Joe Hall had two hits in three at-bats and hit the ball hard in his final intrasquad plate appearance.* Center fielder Brady Anderson had a three-run double in the fourth inning.* Starter David Wells gave up just one hit over two innings against a reasonable facsimile of the Orioles' Opening Day lineup.

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The Harrisburg Senators completed a four-game weekend series sweep of the Bowie Baysox with a 12-4 victory yesterday.The first-place Senators (44-14) scored 11 runs after trailing, 4-1, after 2 1/2 innings. Chris Pride went 5-for-6 with four RBI and Lance Rice went 4-for-4 with four RBI, to lead the Senators.Harrisburg scored four runs in the bottom of fourth, highlighted by a two-run single by Rondell White, which scored Rice and Pride. In the seventh, Pride hit a three-run homer to right, highlighting another four-run rally.