Perlozzo

JUPITER, Fla. -- Eric DuBose didn't help the Orioles make any decisions about their bullpen yesterday. The left-hander had pitched well in his previous three spring appearances but allowed two runs on four hits and two walks in three innings of work against theSt. Louis Cardinals. On the bright side, the three hits in the first inning were modestly struck singles. "I thought he looked fair," manager Sam Perlozzo said. "Not bad, just not his best." DuBose and John Halama, who will start today against Washington, are candidates to pitch in long relief.

A day after the Orioles clinched their ninth straight losing season, club vice president Jim Duquette pledged his support for his manager and Sam Perlozzo was adamant that he is the right man to lead the team out of its losing ways. Duquette said that Perlozzo will return next year for his second full season, acknowledging that the Orioles' manager has been handcuffed at times in 2006 because of a lack of depth and roster inflexibility. Red Sox@Orioles Tonight, 7:05, Comcast SportsNet, 1090 AM Starters: Red Sox's Lenny DiNardo (1-2, 7.42)

Where do the Orioles go from here? Firing manager Mike Hargrove yesterday is the perceived first step in changing the direction of a franchise that keeps slamming into fourth place. Now comes the hard part: finding a replacement. They may not have far to look, unless they decide to rummage through their past. Club sources have indicated that bench coach Sam Perlozzo and former Oriole Eddie Murray, the Cleveland Indians' hitting coach, are leading candidates to run the team in 2004. Though Murray has no managerial experience beyond one stint in the Arizona Fall League, he'll apparently be a finalist for the job. The Orioles are expected to consider no fewer than 10 candidates, but may trim that list to four or five, including Perlozzo and Murray, before conducting interviews.

When Orioles pitching coach Leo Mazzone came here from Atlanta in October 2005, he had two goals: He wanted to win a World Series title with his best friend, manager Sam Perlozzo, and he wanted to retire as an Oriole. Hopes of accomplishing the first evaporated last week when Perlozzo was fired, but Mazzone said yesterday that he still expects to achieve the latter. "The way I look at it now is I love this city, I love this pitching staff and I hope to finish my career here," Mazzone said in his first public comments since Perlozzo's firing.

Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo is expected to make several decisions on the composition of his coaching staff as early as today, including likely announcing the return of longtime hitting coach Terry Crowley. Perlozzo and Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Mike Flanagan acknowledged that there will be some changes to the staff, but no final decisions had been made as of last night. "We're working through a bunch of different scenarios," said Flanagan. "Sammy has leeway with the staff.

On his first day without the "interim" tag attached to his name as Orioles manager, Sam Perlozzo had the status of one of his coaches foremost in mind. Orioles pitching coach Ray Miller had surgery yesterday at Johns Hopkins Hospital for an aneurysm below his heart. Miller, 60, came out of the surgery fine, team spokesman Bill Stetka said, and is expected to make a full recovery. The estimated recovery time is eight weeks, leaving his status with the team in question. But yesterday, that was the last thing on Perlozzo's mind.

April 7 Yankees 10, Orioles 7, Yankee Stadium: The Orioles took a four-run lead into the eighth inning and Danys Baez got a quick out before losing his control. He walked Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez, bringing left-handed slugger Jason Giambi to the plate. Jamie Walker was ready in the bullen, but Perlozzo stayed with Baez, who served up a three-run homer to Giambi. Given only a one-run lead to work with in the ninth, Chris Ray surrendered a two-out grand slam to Rodriguez. April 11 Tigers 4, Orioles 1, Camden Yards: Adam Loewen was matching Justin Verlander in a pitchers' duel, but the Orioles starter had to leave a scoreless game after five innings because of an elevated pitch count.

A pre-Christmas lunch for Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo consisted of breaking bread and cracking jokes. And it went a long way toward satisfying the team's hunger for a power-hitting outfielder and first baseman. Taking a suggestion from team executives Mike Flanagan and Jim Duquette, Perlozzo met with free agent Aubrey Huff at a Tampa, Fla., restaurant. The food was good, the conversation better. "We got to know each other. He could see what I'm about and I could see what he's all about," Perlozzo said.

The decision not to invite Elrod Hendricks back to his coaching staff was so gut-wrenching for Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo because Hendricks isn't just a longtime colleague, he is one of Perlozzo's closest friends. However, on a day when the Orioles announced that their veteran bullpen coach will be reassigned, they took a necessary first step toward possibly reuniting Perlozzo with another one of his closest buddies. Executive vice president Mike Flanagan confirmed last night that the Orioles yesterday asked the Atlanta Braves for permission to speak to Leo Mazzone, regarded as one the league's premier pitching coaches and one of Perlozzo's childhood friends.

TORONTO -- Though unsure of what it will entail, Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo said yesterday that he has no issue with talking to investigators in the probe of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. The group, headed by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, is expected to meet with personnel from all 30 major league teams, with the Orioles' turn coming Wednesday and Thursday in Baltimore. Investigators have requested interviews with Perlozzo, pitching coach Leo Mazzone, strength and conditioning coach Tim Bishop, executive vice president Mike Flanagan, vice president Jim Duquette and director of minor league operations David Stockstill, according to team sources.