JUPITER, Fla. -- It's never too late to make adjustments, even for a 41-year-old pitcher who has every right to be set in his ways.

Jesse Orosco has been working on a cut fastball this spring, throwing it on the side, during batting practice and in games. He had experimented with one a few years ago, but not until after the season began. By then, it was too late for positive results.

"It wasn't very good so I quit on it kind of early," he said after the Orioles' 12-3 loss to St. Louis yesterday. "This time I've started a month and a half early. For a couple weeks I was trying to work on it at home. I've had a much bigger head start, and by the time the season starts, it'll tell me whether I should use it in games or not.

"It's just something to show them [batters]. I don't want to make it my favorite pitch. I just want to use it at times."

Orosco added a changeup two years ago "and it's one of my better pitches now," he said. He stopped relying so much on his breaking ball about three years ago.

"I've made adjustments along the way. This sure isn't the first time," he said.

Orosco turned in another scoreless inning yesterday, retiring the Cardinals in order in the sixth. He hasn't allowed a run in 5 1/3 innings.

The ball didn't leave the infield yesterday. Among his victims was Mark McGwire, who grounded to second. "We were making faces at each other," Orosco said.

The left-hander also got Willie McGee on a grounder in one of the more seasoned spring matchups. Combined age of the combatants: 81 years.

"I was screaming at him, too," said Orosco, who turns 42 next month. "I went, 'Hey, I feel pretty good out here. I've got somebody my own age.' He couldn't hear me.

"This is a fun time. I was talking to Will Clark about that. I said, 'You know, as many years as we've played and as many people as we run into, ex-teammates, it's fun. You see them and laugh. But when it's time to throw that pitch to them or take that swing against them, your whole mind-set changes. You've got to get back to business."

Orosco continues to take care of business.

Turning up the heat

In the latest protest against the club's trip to Cuba, New Jersey Rep. Bob Menendez has written to each Oriole, urging him not to play Sunday.

"At a time when the Cuban regime is struggling to retain control and when the Cuban people are risking their welfare and personal freedom to be heard, it is not the time to play ball with Cuba," Menendez wrote.

So far, pitcher Juan Guzman is the only player who has decided not to accompany the team to Cuba.

Evans bends, a little

David Evans gave up his first two runs this spring after six scoreless innings. He got the last two outs in the fourth to complete Scott Erickson's line, but allowed singles to three of the first four batters he faced in the fifth.

If there was any consolation, Evans wasn't exactly getting raked. "One was a broken-bat hit, and another hit was with the infield playing in," Evans said. "I felt good. That's just the way they fell today."

Vinas catches on

By not playing yesterday, Julio Vinas' at-bats held at seven this spring, with most of his work coming behind the plate in the late innings. His most recent trip, in the eighth inning of Saturday's game against Los Angeles, resulted in a single to right that scored the tying run. An error on the play brought in the winning run.

Afterward, manager Ray Miller joked about hitting coach Terry Crowley being right in his assessment that Vinas could handle the bat. The numbers at Triple-A Rochester would have been another clue. Signed on May 6 after being released by Pittsburgh, Vinas hit .352 but failed to qualify for the International League's batting crown because of his late start.

"Ray's trying his hardest to get me in there. I know that. But this is a heck of a team and I appreciate the time he's gotten me in there already," said Vinas, 26, whose single represents his only hit this spring.

"It is tough to go in there with only seven at-bats and contribute, but you've got to do what you've got to do. Take your chance and do the best you can with it."

His best, he concedes, won't be enough to stay with the Orioles.

"I'll be back in the minor leagues. I'll end up going back to Triple-A. I'll do my best and hopefully I've made a good enough impression here that if anything happens, maybe I'll get the nod," he said.

"It's been fun. Big-league camps are always more fun than minor-league camps. I've known that for years."

Before Vinas returns to the Red Wings, he'll go to Cuba for Sunday's exhibition game. Vinas, a Cuban-American whose grandparents fled the island when Fidel Castro took power, informed Miller of his decision this week. He could have remained in Fort Lauderdale if uncomfortable about making the trip.

Otero back in running

The winning run in Saturday's game was scored by Ricky Otero, who pinch ran for Chris Hoiles and hustled around from first when the ball scooted past Dodgers right fielder Scott Livingstone. Otero scored from first again yesterday on a third-inning double down the right-field line by Clark.

This is further indication that Otero is recovered from last summer's arthroscopic knee surgery that ended his season at Rochester.

"It's like a new leg for me," said Otero, who has spent parts of three seasons in the majors, most recently with Philadelphia in 1997. "My speed's come back."

Otero played center field and batted leadoff yesterday, going 0-for-4 with a walk and run scored. He's 2-for-17 this spring.

"I'm happy they're giving me the chance to play," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Pub Date: 3/23/99