Perlozzo

BOSTON -- Hoping to get his No. 5 starter back on track, Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo informed Bruce Chen yesterday that his next turn in the rotation is being skipped. Chen was scheduled to start Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers but with the Orioles having an off day tomorrow, Perlozzo decided to move the left-hander to the bullpen for the next several games before allowing him to make his start Saturday against Kansas City. The rest of the rotation will now be on its regular four days' rest and Rodrigo Lopez will start Wednesday.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- About an hour and a half before his team's 6-3 victory over the Dodgers yesterday at Fort Lauderdale Stadium, Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo greeted Los Angeles first baseman Nomar Garciaparra behind the batting cage. The two exchanged kind words and went on their way. Perlozzo had hoped to have the former Boston Red Sox star in an Orioles uniform this season. He called Garciaparra twice and tried to recruit the free agent to Baltimore. However, the lure of playing on the West Coast, where he is from, was too much, and Garciaparra decided to sign a one-year, $6 million deal plus $4 million in incentives with the Dodgers.

My friends, today's homily is one of those life-lesson tales about frying pans and fires. In this case, the frying pan is Orioles baseball, admittedly a decade-long purgatory where the hopes and dreams of Baltimore fans have been stomped on and ground into the pavement like a spent cigarette butt usually by the All-Star break. The fire, however, is Seattle - a veritable baseball Hades this year - where the Mariners have lost about two-thirds of their games, are hopelessly buried in last place in the American League West and are on pace to reach triple digits in defeats.

Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo isn't committed to running out the same lineup for every game, with a surplus of outfielders giving him enough options that the look can change almost nightly. Who figured that David Newhan would become a constant? After fighting to make the team as a utility player in spring training, Newhan has relinquished his seat on the bench and started five of the past six games. He started in left field again Friday night for the series opener against the Los Angeles Angels and hit his second homer of the season.

Disappointed with his lack of playing time, Orioles outfielder Luis Matos met with Sam Perlozzo on Tuesday to discuss his role on the team. Matos, the club's Opening Day center fielder, has started just four times in the past 11 games and just nine times in 23 games since coming off the disabled list May 5. He's hitting .169 on the season in 65 at-bats and .194 since rehabbing his inflamed right shoulder. "When you play and then you don't see your name in the lineup, it's hard," Matos said.

TORONTO -- As expected, Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo announced yesterday that Daniel Cabrera will start today's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. It will be the 25-year-old's first start since July 13 against Texas, a game in which he gave up four earned runs in 5 1/3 innings. After that start, Cabrera admitted his confidence was down, a factor that led to his demotion to Triple-A Ottawa. In four starts for the Lynx, Cabrera was 3-1 with a 4.07 ERA, allowing 20 hits, walking nine and striking out 27 in 24 1/3 innings.

With the composition of their front office coming into sharper focus, the Orioles are ready to eliminate the haziness inside the manager's office. Their choice is clear. In time, they'll learn whether it was a wise one. Two weeks after completing another losing season, the Orioles are expected to reintroduce Sam Perlozzo as manager today, removing the interim tag from his title. "We're deep into contract negotiations, and it's progressing well," said Mike Flanagan, whose promotion to executive vice president of baseball operations became official yesterday.

The Orioles' rotation no longer will include its Opening Day starter. Manager Sam Perlozzo has assigned Rodrigo Lopez to the bullpen, perhaps using him in the late innings, while keeping Erik Bedard, Adam Loewen, Hayden Penn, Kris Benson and Daniel Cabrera in their current roles. Benson will make Monday's start against the New York Yankees. "It's very difficult to go with six guys on seven days' rest," Perlozzo said. "He's the only one who can pitch out of the 'pen. And quite honestly, we could use a little help out of the 'pen.

FORT MYERS, FLA. -- Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo still hasn't decided whether he can afford the luxury of carrying two left-handed relievers in his bullpen this season. If Jamie Walker is deemed sufficient, Perlozzo most likely will choose among Todd Williams, Jeremy Guthrie and Rob Bell for the two available openings. Otherwise, John Parrish or Kurt Birkins could be the second left-hander. Dodgers@Orioles Today, 1:05 p.m., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

As Sam Perlozzo scanned his cell phone messages yesterday, he redialed a number that he mistakenly assumed would connect to the last caller. Instead, he ended up in a conversation with the man who beat him out for the Orioles' managerial job. Lee Mazzilli hadn't left a message, figuring he would try again later. But they needed to talk, so Mazzilli could be certain that Perlozzo wanted to return as bench coach. So he could be sure there were no hard feelings. "I'm coming back," Perlozzo said.