A group of players from the Aberdeen IronBirds spent Wednesday taking a tour of Camden Yards. Val Majewski is pretty certain he'll be returning, though not as a guest.

Majewski, the Orioles' third-round draft pick in June, was batting .312 with 14 RBIs in 27 games going into the weekend. So far, he has been as good as advertised.

"I was waiting for a long time to start playing professional ball," he said, "and once it started, it was everything I expected it to be. It's a great atmosphere. I don't know how you can't have fun playing baseball. It's so much fun.

"Now, your job is playing baseball. You go to the park and you're getting paid to play a game."

Majewski crafted a 12-game hitting streak that ended on Aug. 10. He batted .356 with four doubles, two triples, a homer and 10 RBIs. Going into the weekend, he was leading the team with a .338 average in August and had committed one error in center field all season.

Summers spent playing in the Cape Cod and New England Collegiate leagues made his transition to the lower Single-A level a lot easier.

"Getting the feeling of playing every day and living away from home kind of prepares you for it," he said.

His focus during Wednesday's visit was just as sharp as when he plays.

Standing behind the cage as the Orioles took batting practice, he said: "I don't know how any minor-league player wouldn't want to work his [butt] off to get here. I'll give it everything I've got. But I'd rather not just come up here for a cup of coffee. I want to come up here to stay."

Majewski, who played collegiately at Rutgers, didn't sign with the Orioles until July 22 - and not until majority owner Peter Angelos got involved in the negotiations.

"We weren't really negotiating the month after the draft. I was just waiting to hear back," he said. "In the middle of July is when I heard back from the scouting director [Tony DeMacio] and the owner, and things got settled. It took a lot longer than a lot of people expected, but I'm happy everything got done.

"I really wanted to start playing, so I was anticipating when I was actually going to get on the field. I knew I wasn't going to go back to school. I was just so anxious for the day to arrive, every day hoping for the phone call saying, 'A deal's getting finished.' But I wasn't getting nervous. I knew it was going to happen."

Though he's still playing in the New York-Penn League, Majewski already can brag about making his first catch in a big-league ballpark.

Shortly after he signed, Majewski was sitting in front of the press box at Camden Yards when a foul ball headed in his direction. Instinctively, he reached out and made a bare-handed grab.

"I forget who it was, but someone hit a line drive right over the screen," he said, his eyes lighting up. "I just stuck out my hand and caught it."

Next time, he'll probably be wearing a glove. And occupying space in fair territory.

Triple-A Rochester

The Red Wings had won five in a row, and seven of eight, before yesterday. ... Outfielder Darnell McDonald was named the International League's Player of the Week for Aug. 12-18 after batting .619 (13-for-21) with four doubles, two homers and five RBIs. He went 5-for-5 on Aug. 17, and became the Red Wings' first Player of the Week since Willis Otanez in May 1998. A leg injury prevented McDonald from racing thoroughbred Zippy Chippy, but he returned to the Red Wings' lineup. ... Outfielder Darryl Brinkley went 5-for-8 with three stolen bases in Monday's 15-inning loss to Pawtucket. Third baseman Shane Andrews threw two scoreless innings to get the win, showing off an 88-mph fastball and a knuckleball. At 4 hours, 57 minutes, it was the longest game in Frontier Field history. ... Jacobo Sequea threw seven hitless innings against Syracuse on Tuesday, but because he's on a 100-pitch limit, manager Andy Etchebarren removed him before the eighth with Sequea's count at 97. Reliever Leslie Brea allowed a two-out hit. Sequea, who spent 25 days on the disabled list with a biceps injury at Double-A Bowie, retired 17 in a row after a leadoff walk. ... Howie Clark was batting .211 in 10 games this month, and the Red Wings listed him as day-to-day with a sore hand.

Double-A Bowie

Reliever Eddy Rodriguez arrived from Single-A Frederick after Beau Hale went on the disabled list. Rodriguez had 11 saves and a 2.23 ERA with the Keys, and opponents were batting .169. ... Matt Riley struck out a season-high 10 in an Aug. 18 victory. He allowed one run and two hits over 6 1/3 innings. ... Tim Corcoran allowed six unearned runs and five hits in two-thirds of an inning on Aug. 16. ... First baseman Doug Gredvig and second baseman Josh Hoffpauir had 10-game hitting streaks end Tuesday. ... Shortstop Ed Rogers' eight-game hitting streak was stopped last Monday. He batted .324 with three doubles, a homer, six RBIs and seven runs scored. ... Going into the weekend, third baseman Napolean Calzado was batting .325 with 12 RBIs, 16 runs scored and seven stolen bases this month. His 37 steals ranked fourth in the Eastern League.

Single-A Frederick

The Keys were outscored 45-27 in a four-game series against Kinston. ... Left-hander Jason Cierlik, drafted in the 23rd round this year out of Minnesota State, was promoted from short-season Aberdeen last weekend. Cierlik had a 3.21 ERA in 14 innings, with six walks and 16 strikeouts. ... Jancy Andrade had five consecutive losses going into the weekend, with a 7.77 ERA. ... Richard Bartlett ended a personal four-game losing streak in Tuesday's 15-2 win over Lynchburg. He allowed one earned run and struck out eight in 7 2/3 innings. ... Matt Schwager had allowed 12 earned runs over his past two starts, covering 7 2/3 innings, before permitting three runs in six innings against Lynchburg on Wednesday. ... Outfielder Mamon Tucker's six-game hitting streak ended Thursday. He batted .375 with four RBIs and four runs scored. ... Outfielder Tony Mack led the Keys with a .438 average in August.

Single-A Delmarva

The Shorebirds remained in first place in the South Atlantic League's Northern Division going into the weekend. ... Center fielder Woody Cliffords rejoined the Shorebirds on Friday after missing seven weeks with a broken bone in his right foot. ... John Maine, drafted in the sixth round in June, earned his first win with Delmarva after allowing one earned run and striking out six in a 4-2 victory over Columbus. On Saturday, he held Lexington to one run in six innings, striking out nine. ... The Shorebirds lost to Columbus on Tuesday, 2-1, on Jonathon VanEvery's walk-off homer off Dan Marchetti. Starter Kurt Burkins settled for his sixth consecutive no-decision after allowing one unearned run and striking out eight over 7 1/3 innings. ... Left-handed reliever Rommie Lewis extended his scoreless streak to 25 2/3 innings on Saturday. The league record is 39 2/3 by Savannah's Henry Carson in 1984. ... Tripper Johnson went into the weekend leading all SAL third basemen with a .962 fielding percentage.

Short-season

Aberdeen pitcher Martin Berube had lost his past four starts, posting a 5.32 ERA, going into the weekend. ... Michael Russell had the IronBirds' first multi-homer game last Monday. He also combined with Manny Del Rosario for the team's first back-to-back homers. ... Bluefield catcher Tommy Arko and outfielder Luis Jimenez were named to the Appalachian League's All-Star team. Jimenez had a 14-game hitting streak. He led the league with a .387 average, and was batting .443 this month.