FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Orioles did most of their damage offensively yesterday when they were doing the very least.

Four consecutive walks by Florida Marlins left-hander Armando Almanza in the fifth inning followed leadoff singles by B. J. Surhoff and Lenny Webster and helped the Orioles to a 6-1 victory in their home exhibition opener.

The game was scoreless when Almanza entered and shook up the proceedings. A balk moved Surhoff to second, and Webster's single gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Free passes were given to Mike Bordick, Brady Anderson, Charles Johnson and Calvin Pickering -- the last two with the bases loaded. A sacrifice fly by Albert Belle upped the lead to 4-0, and a poor throw by shortstop Benji Gil on a potential double-play ball from Chris Hoiles produced another run.

Scott Erickson turned in three shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out two. Left-hander Doug Johns blanked the Marlins over the next three innings, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the sixth.

"I'm just trying to throw strikes, keep the ball down and work on my velocity and arm strength and not get hurt," Erickson said.

Webster singled twice -- he was the only Oriole with more than one hit -- and Anderson and Belle each had a single and a stolen base. Pickering singled and walked, and Willis Otanez had a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning -- his second RBI in two games.

Manager Ray Miller did more rotating at second base, starting Jeff Reboulet and bringing in Jerry Hairston and Carlos Casimiro. Hairston committed an error but also walked twice and scored two runs.

Davis added to roster

Tommy Davis was told Friday that he had been added to the spring-training roster, but it felt more official yesterday as he dressed in the home clubhouse.

Davis had been confined to the visitors' quarters with the rest of the players from the early minor-league camp until learning from Miller that he wouldn't be traveling to Sarasota later that day. Yesterday, he took over the space previously occupied by Dominican scout Carlos Bernhardt, who had been here as an instructor before leaving Saturday morning.

"I was hoping something like this would happen," he said. "Whatever I am, I always want to go above that. Staying there is the least you can do. I'm always looking to move a level up."

The next level for Davis could be with the Orioles. With second baseman Delino DeShields expected to be on the disabled list when camp breaks, and with the uncertainty surrounding Hoiles' status, there should be at least one opening.

"I just wanted to go out and work hard and show what I can do. I'll keep doing that, and hopefully things will work out. This is a real good opportunity for me," he said.

Davis, a corner infielder until being switched to catcher last spring, was 4-for-8 with a homer and three runs scored in three intrasquad games. He's also proven to Miller that he can handle the first-base and catching duties if needed.

Yesterday, Davis replaced Webster behind the plate in the seventh inning. He flied to left in the eighth.

"He hasn't done anything wrong," Miller said.

Davis, 25, hit .304 with 15 homers and 62 RBIs at Rochester in 1997, but appeared in only 37 games at Bowie last season before having arthroscopic surgery to repair a tear in his left rotator cuff and labrum. The injury dated to the previous spring when he slid awkwardly, but it didn't prevent Davis from putting up huge numbers with the Red Wings.

"It would have been a lot worse if it had been my right shoulder," he said. "I played with it the whole year and had problems with it off and on. I went home and tried to rehab it, but it got to the point where I couldn't even turn on anything. It got so bad I had to go ahead and get something done."

So far, Davis has gotten quite a bit done in camp.

"I'm just happy they want to give me a look," he said.

Johnson honored

Though he wasn't in the lineup yesterday, Charles Johnson ended up being the center of attention. The South Florida native was given a day named in his honor.

A member of the Marlins' 1997 world championship team, Johnson was greeted at the ballpark by two bus loads of family and friends. He also caught the ceremonial first pitch from his younger brother, Jamil.

The first 7,000 fans who passed through the gates were given a color picture postcard of the four-time Gold Glove winner, and 300 fans received an autographed version of the card.

Johnson pinch-hit for Reboulet in the fifth inning. Greeted by a loud ovation, he drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead.

Clark to sit today

Miller said first baseman Will Clark won't play today against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. He'll watch from the bench as a reunion of sorts takes place.

Davey Johnson will pay a visit here for the first time as Dodgers manager. Joining him will be hitting coach Rick Down, who held the same job with the Orioles until being fired after last season, and former Orioles catcher Rick Dempsey, who is on Johnson's coaching staff.

Reliever Alan Mills signed with the Dodgers as a free agent over the winter after seven seasons in Baltimore, but might not make the trip.

Pub Date: 3/08/99