Right Hander

New York -- Several gritty comebacks and one of the American League's highest-scoring offenses have hidden a truth so far about the Orioles. Through 19 games, the starting rotation, expected to be the team's anchor, hasn't been very good. Right-hander Daniel Cabrera delivered the latest disappointing outing on a cold and wet afternoon yesterday at Yankee Stadium, again struggling with his command in a 6-1 loss to the New York Yankees. More inside O's, Mora closer to contract extension.

Orioles right-hander Jason Hammel, who returned to the club Sunday after two days away with a stomach virus, said he is doubtful he will be able to make his scheduled start Monday against the Tigers in Detroit. Manager Buck Showalter said a decision on who will start that game will be made after Sunday's series finale against Boston. “He feels obviously a lot better than he did,” Showalter said. “We've got some things in place. A lot depends on how we get throw the day today, so we've got two or three ways to go. There's a potential for us to give him an extra day and push him to Tuesday, but we could pitch him tomorrow.

BOWIE -- Orioles right-hander Sidney Ponson pronounced himself fit and ready last night after pitching four scoreless innings for the Bowie Baysox in a Double-A Eastern League game against the Akron Aeros at Prince George's Stadium. "I felt pretty good," said Ponson, who has been on the major-league disabled list since April 17 with elbow tendinitis. "They sent me down here to face some hitters, and hopefully my next start will be for the Orioles." Ponson allowed three hits, all singles, in the Baysox's 5-3 win over the Aeros before a crowd of 8,979 spectators.

Right-hander Jake Arrieta will join the Orioles today as an extra-bullpen arm for tonight's game against the Red Sox, according to an industry source. If Arrieta, who will replace right-hander Kevin Gausman on the team's 25-man roster, does see action tonight, he would be working on normal rest after he last pitched Sunday for Triple-A Norfolk. Right-hander Freddy Garcia, who went to the bullpen Wednesday night in extra innings, will also be available out of the bullpen tonight in a pinch.

The Orioles had sought a high-profile free agent to bolster their pitching staff, only to be left holding the rosin bag. With spring training less than three weeks away, they were prepared instead to lower their sights and sift through the farm system. In the end, they found comfortable footing on middle ground, signing veteran right-hander Pat Rapp to an incentive-laden one-year, $750,000 deal yesterday and plugging the final hole in their rotation. The club also has a $2.3 million option for 2001.

Indians: Rookie right-hander Jim Brower will make his first major-league start tomorrow in the series finale against David Cone.

On deck -- Indians@Yankees -- Right-hander Mike Mussina goes for his ninth victory as he faces Cleveland today.

Livan Hernandez Nationals pitcher The right-hander allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings to get his third straight win. Taylor Buchholz Astros pitcher The right-hander was 1-3 in six May starts, allowing 30 runs in 32 innings.

CALIFORNIA ANGELSSpring priorities: The Angels need to reconstruct their starting rotation in the wake of the trade that sent left-hander Jim Abbott to the New York Yankees. . . . Promising Damion Easley was expected to switch from third base to second this spring, but he's back at third now that Kelly Gruber is out of the picture after shoulder surgery. That, incidentally, is a big break for former Oriole Rene Gonzales, who should get more playing time with Gruber out.New faces: Pitcher Russ Springer, first baseman J. T. Snow and reliever Jerry Nielsen (acquired from Yankees in Abbott deal)

CLEVELAND -- The Orioles are trying to put together a deal to acquire a No. 4 starter in the very near future, club sources said yesterday.In a related move, Orioles general manager Roland Hemond yesterday called at least two of the seven teams that had expressed a desire to acquire left-hander Brad Pennington, thanked them for their interest and indicated the Orioles were working on something bigger.The Orioles hope to include Pennington in whatever package they put together for the No. 4 starter, with outfielder Damon Buford or left-hander Arthur Rhodes other likely principals.

Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez said there really is no time when it is not on his mind - even when he is on the mound, even when he is turning in what was arguably his best performance of the year in a 3-2 victory against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night. Sometime in the next week or so, the 29-year-old Gonzalez will become a father for the first time. Limiting Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton and company to four hits, one walk and one run in eight standout innings pales comparatively.

Right-hander Jason Hammel was ejected in the fourth inning Saturday when he hit the first batter he faced after allowing three consecutive home runs to the Detroit Tigers in Saturday's 10-3 loss. Hammel hit Tigers left fielder Matt Tuiasosopo in the shoulder with an 82 mph slider, and home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt immediately tossed Hammel. The pitch appeared to get away from Hammel as it left his hand and tracked toward Tuiasosopo's head. Designated hitter Victor Martinez, shortstop Jhonny Peralta and catcher Alex Avila hit three consecutive solo home runs off Hammel before Tuiasosopo's at-bat to take a 4-1 lead.

The debate whether right-hander Jason Hammel intentionally threw at Detroit Tigers left fielder Matt Tuiasosopo's head was markedly one-sided in both clubhouses following the the Orioles' ugly 10-3 loss Saturday. Both dugouts agreed that Hammel had no intent to harm Tuiasosopo in the fourth inning of Saturday's game. The umpires didn't entirely disagree, but claimed that Hammel - intentionally or not - forced them to prevent a wild game from getting out of hand. After allowing three consecutive solo home runs to the Tigers in the fourth inning, Hammel's next pitch - an 82-mph slider - sailed out of his hand and toward Tuiasosopo's head, hitting him on the left shoulder as he ducked away from the pitch.

WASHINGTON -- After Kevin Gausman's indoctrination into the big leagues hit a thoroughly rough patch Tuesday night against the Washington Nationals, Orioles manager Buck Showalter was definitive in saying that the heralded right-hander will remain in the Orioles starting rotation. Gausman was shelled for seven runs over four innings in a 9-3 loss at Nationals Park, but Showalter said that the 22-year-old will make his next scheduled start Sunday against a Detroit Tigers team that leads the majors in batting average (.284)

Let's start with the obvious: the first two starts of Kevin Gausman's Orioles career didn't go quite as planned. The 22-year-old right-hander, who had allowed just six earned runs in his final five starts at Double-A Bowie before the Orioles called him up last week, doesn't appear to be overwhelmed by being on the biggest stage of his young career. Gausman has gone after big league hitters. The problem is they have gone right back at him, hitting his high heat hard like they were Andre Agassi slapping a 130-mph serve back over the net. After allowing three home runs in eight starts at Bowie, Gausman allowed three in Tuesday night's 9-3 loss to the Washington Nationals, who had been struggling so much offensively that superstitious manager Davey Johnson said he would be retiring his razor until his team started hitting again.

WASHINGTON -- Highly anticipated Orioles rookie Kevin Gausman still hasn't appeared in a game at Camden Yards, but his education at the major league level continued Tuesday night just a short drive down the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. What has he learned so far? Well, he found out in his second big league start that it doesn't take long to get up to your ears in line drives if you can't locate in the lower third of the strike zone. The Washington Nationals don't have the firepower of the Blue Jays lineup he debuted against in Toronto last week, but they greeted him with a string of hard-hit balls in the first inning, then punctuated that early onslaught with a long three-run homer by Adam LaRoche.

The season started late, the air was chilled and the opponent was the two-time defending state Class 2A champions.North County had plenty of excuses at hand in case of a loss at Northeast yesterday, but the Knights didn't use any of them.When a baseball team wins by 22 runs, the last thing it needs is a good alibi.The 15th-ranked Knights scored five runs in the second inning, six more in the fourth and rolled to its most lopsided win in the school's three-year history, 22-0, over No. 7 Northeast in the season opener for both teams.

TORONTO -- Now that Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman has his major league debut behind him, he can concentrate on building off his first start. The powdered mini-doughnuts were gone from his locker, a few boxes still straggling around the visitors clubhouse. Gausman will remain in the starting rotation for the foreseeable future. If the Orioles stay on schedule, his next start would be Tuesday night in Washington against the Nationals. Before Friday's game in Toronto, Gausman reflected on his major league debut and his goals moving forward.

TORONTO - Kevin Gausman's first moments as a big league pitcher mixed a combination of rare talent with a slice of naivete needed to remind you he's just 22 and less than a year removed from being a sophomore in college. In the first inning of his major league debut Thursday night at the Rogers Centre, Gausman baffled veteran Blue Jays hitters on back-to-back at-bats, striking out Edwin Encarnacion looking on a 97-mph inside fastball and then Adam Lind swinging on an 85-mph changeup.