FORT MYERS, FLA. -- Outfielder Luke Scott was in the Orioles' lineup Thursday because ace left-hander Johan Santana was pitching for the New York Mets. Scott was scheduled to face Florida Marlins left-hander Mark Hendrickson on Saturday before the game was rained out.
Scott made the trip here yesterday with left-hander Francisco Liriano on the mound for the Minnesota Twins, and he's expected to be in the lineup tomorrow to oppose Marlins left-hander Scott Olsen.
Orioles manager Dave Trembley wants to give Scott, a left-handed hitter who was platooned last year by the Houston Astros, every opportunity to face left-handers and prove he deserves to be in the lineup every day, regardless of who is on the mound. His other option would be to platoon Scott with right-handed hitting Jay Payton.
"I'm trying to get a real good look at him against left-handed pitching," Trembley said. "He's going to be the regular everyday left fielder, but that doesn't mean he's going to play seven days a week. I'll have to look at the matchups. If Payton has better numbers against some lefties than Luke Scott does, that's a no-brainer."
Over his career, Scott is a .259 hitter against left-handers with a .372 on-base average and a .431 slugging percentage. Against right-handers, he is a .276 hitter with a .364 on-base and a .534 slugging percentage. Last season, he had a .271 average against left-handers but in only 59 at-bats.
"It's going to be hard whenever you haven't faced them in a long time. There's adjustments to be made, as with any part of the game of baseball," Scott said. "Even in 2006, when I got called up and played pretty much every day, I hit lefties very well. It's just getting consistent repetitions."
Scott struck out in all three of his at-bats against Santana on Thursday and went 0-for-2 against Liriano yesterday with one strikeout.
"I expect to be in there the majority of the time," Scott said. " My hope is to play every day."
Changing it up
The big smile that Daniel Cabrera wore after the Orioles' 3-1 loss to the Twins yesterday was largely a result of the success of his changeup, a pitch he just recently has gotten the confidence to throw regularly with the urging of pitching coach Rick Kranitz.
Cabrera allowed three runs (just one earned) on five hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings and also made two fielding errors that ultimately cost him a couple of runs. But he overlooked the results after getting several swing-and-misses and a handful of ground balls because of his changeup.
"The things that me and Kranny have been trying to put together this spring training came today. I'm not looking at the couple of walks they got, the errors they got. I'm feeling strong and everything's working," Cabrera said. "My last four spring trainings, I've tried to work on my changeup and I never got it. Now I'm feeling like I got it, and that makes the difference."
Cabrera said that yesterday was the best he felt in any of his five spring training starts and described himself as "ready to roll" for the season.
Around the horn
Luis Hernandez, who is competing for the starting shortstop job, is out of minor league options, so he'll have to make the team or be exposed to waivers, where the Orioles would likely lose him. ... Trembley said he doesn't expect much roster activity until Wednesday, which is the last day for teams to request unconditional release waivers on a player without having to pay his full salary. ... Jay Gibbons (back spasms) is expected to return to the Orioles' lineup shortly. ... Center fielder Adam Jones is in an 0-for-11 slump.
jeff.zrebiec@baltsun.com