PHILADELPHIA - Orioles pitcher Rodrigo Lopez got a reprieve when his scheduled start tomorrow in Arizona didn't pair him with one of the Diamondbacks' imposing aces. Now, he might miss the entire team.
Lopez has been moved to Thursday's game because of a sore middle finger on his right hand, and pitching coach Mark Wiley indicated he might be held back until Friday's series opener in San Francisco against the Giants.
If he pitches in Arizona, he would oppose four-time Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson rather than Brian Anderson.
The Orioles' revamped rotation has Jason Johnson facing Anderson tomorrow and Sidney Ponson opposing Curt Schilling on Wednesday. Because of today's open date, Johnson and Ponson still will be working on normal rest despite moving up.
Lopez split the nail on his finger around the fourth inning Wednesday against the San Diego Padres. He continued to pitch without discomfort, going the distance in a 2-0 loss, but the finger became more tender after he cut off the broken portion of the nail.
"It was fine during the game. Everything was working," he said.
How soon Lopez pitches again hinges on the nail's growth. He lost about half of it, making it impossible to grip the ball without pain.
"It depends now on how I feel," said Lopez, who's 6-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 15 games. "It broke a little bit, but by the end of the game it was almost halfway. With my finger pushing on [the ball], it's going to hurt because of the pressure."
Miguel Batista was scheduled to start tomorrow, but Arizona manager Bob Brenly moved Anderson into that slot. Anderson is 1-6 with a 5.37 ERA.
Schilling and Johnson are a combined 22-4.
Leon's shot at the bigs
Jose Leon was preparing to take batting practice before Saturday's game in Charlotte when Triple-A Rochester manager Andy Etchebarren pulled him aside.
Leon would be joining the Orioles in Philadelphia, making him the 10th rookie to wear the uniform this season. Seven remain with the club.
Leon, acquired in a July 2000 trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for first baseman Will Clark, was batting .300 with 14 doubles, eight homers and 35 RBIs at Rochester. Primarily a third baseman, he also can play first base and the outfield. He replaced Ryan McGuire at first base in the seventh inning during a double switch and bounced out in his only plate appearance.
"I've been waiting for this for a long time, and it's a good feeling," said Leon, 25, who hit .364 in April. "I never expected this yesterday. I'm going to take advantage of the opportunity."
Leon's best chance will come when the Orioles return to the American League and manager Mike Hargrove can offer third baseman Tony Batista some rest by using him as the designated hitter. Batista has played all but one inning this season.
Leon's parents flew to Rochester from Puerto Rico to watch him play, but he had already left for Philadelphia.
McGuire gets hit, RBI
A little more rust fell off McGuire yesterday. Not only did he head toward the batter's box, but he actually got to swing the bat again. And he collected his first hit and RBI as an Oriole.
Called back to the dugout before pinch hitting on Friday, McGuire made his first start yesterday since May 24 in Seattle against the Mariners. He got a late at-bat on June 4 after replacing Jeff Conine at first base, and struck out as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning on Saturday.
McGuire went 1-for-3 yesterday, leaving him 1-for-10 with the Orioles. His opportunity to play yesterday came with Conine on the disabled list and Jay Gibbons starting in right field.
"I thought he had a really good at-bat last night against [Jose] Mesa. He showed good quickness with his bat," Hargrove said before the game.
Getting into the act
With the home team's mascot harassing McGuire during pre-game stretching, Chris Singleton got into the act.
Singleton grabbed the Phillie Phanatic from behind, lifted him into the air and dropped him fuzzy-face-first into the artificial turf. Singleton then proceeded to land several carefully guided left hands into the Phanatic's ample body.
The Phanatic pretended to be disoriented, wobbling across the turf and sitting backward in his four-wheeler.