Rotation

In 2008 and 2009, Maryland rotated Jason Carter and Brian Phipps in the net. The Terps' season-opening opponent this Tuesday may be taking a similar approach. Mount St. Mary's plans to open tomorrow's contest with freshman Will Rego in the cage. But coach Tom Gravante said freshman Frankie McCarthy may play in the second half. “We may play [Rego] the first half and then come in with the other freshman, Frankie McCarthy, for the second half and see what happens,” Gravante said Monday afternoon.

Although it looks as if Ravens coach Brian Billick has settled on Kipp Vickers at right guard and Sammy Williams at right tackle, a form of the right-side offensive rotation will likely continue. Previously, guard Bennie Anderson and tackle Erik Williams had been rotating with Vickers and Williams. But Erik Williams was inactive for Sunday's 13-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Anderson was in for just a handful of plays, leaving the vast majority of playing time to Vickers and Sammy Williams.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Jeff Robinson said it was a false alarm. Monday he woke up with a sore arm and flashed back to the stress fracture that diminished his 1990 season, but he was healthy enough to take the mound yesterday and pitch two innings in intrasquad competition."

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Right-hander Bob Milacki is waiting patiently for the day when he moves back into the Baltimore Orioles starting rotation, but what choice does he have?"

The Orioles officially added a veteran pitcher to their 40-man roster yesterday, announcing that left-hander Mark Hendrickson passed his physical and has agreed to a one-year contract worth $1.5 million. It could increase to $2 million if he pitches and/or starts enough games to earn incentives. Hendrickson, 34, has a career 50-63 record and a 5.07 ERA over parts of seven seasons. He went 7-8 in 2008 with a 5.45 ERA in 36 games (19 starts) for the Florida Marlins. The versatile pitcher, 6 feet 9, could get an opportunity to win a spot in the rotation behind Jeremy Guthrie but for now is being penciled in as a long reliever.

Attempting to cobble together a starting rotation for the last month of the season, Orioles manager Dave Trembley said yesterday that he's looking at several options, including a six-man rotation. "To be honest with you, we're getting into a situation now where we're taking it series by series," Trembley said. He said he's not sure whether last night's starter, Brian Burres, just recalled from Triple-A Norfolk, will continue to start for the remainder of the season. He also wasn't sure about the extended role of left-hander Chris Waters, who is 2-1 with a 4.71 ERA since being recalled earlier this month.

JUPITER, Fla. - Not long after Adam Eaton expressed frustration at his rocky performance Saturday, manager Dave Trembley reminded everyone the decision-making process that will determine the regular-season rotation is not over. "There are decisions to be made," Trembley said after the Orioles' 10-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, "and that's why these last starts everybody makes will go a long way in determining which way we go." Does that mean Eaton is not certain to be in the No. 3 slot when the season opens next week?

Pitchers Dave Johnson and Jeff Ballard lost their jobs in the Baltimore Orioles starting rotation this year, but both might get a chance to close out 1991 with one last starting assignment.Manager John Oates said yesterday that he probably will give Johnson a start against the Boston Red Sox at Memorial Stadium during the three-game series Sept. 23-25. Ballard could start when the Orioles face the New York Yankees in their final road series of the year.Oates had indicated earlier this week that the club might deviate slightly from its original intent, which was to turn the remaining month of the season over to the pitching youth movement.

THE OAKLAND Athletics just showed the Orioles the difference between a great starting rotation and a merely adequate one, which should remind Jim Beattie and Mike Flanagan that the acquisition of a marquee starting pitcher this winter is not an option ... it's an absolute necessity. That the message was delivered by the A's could even be considered serendipitous, since that is the team that just might have a premier starter to spare. Remember those Barry Zito rumors? You'll be hearing them again.

During the long, hot summer months, Kenny Cooper studied game films, training routines, game strategy and players' work habits in an attempt "to find that little bit of an edge," he said, that could help the Baltimore Blast win a second Major Soccer League championship.The 11th-year Blast coach said that this season he will substitute more freely -- using a three-line rotation that he hopes will keep his players fresher and prevent injuries.A three-line rotation has forwards and midfielders playing two minutes and sitting four, instead of playing two minutes and sitting two. Most MSL teams use a two-line rotation.