Arms Race: Lopez, Bedard Vie for 5th

Final Spot in Rotation Remains Undecided

Orioles starter Rodrigo Lopez, runner-up for the 2002 AL rookie of the year, pitched seven strong innings against the Mets. (Evan Vucci -- AP)

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla., March 28 -- The Baltimore Orioles' biggest unresolved issue of the spring -- the identity of their fifth starter -- has been distilled to one question: Who is more deserving, incumbent Rodrigo Lopez, who won 15 games two years ago but has mostly struggled since, or 25-year-old rookie Erik Bedard, who has been the team's most impressive pitcher this spring?

On a day when the front end of the Orioles' rotation became a little clearer -- with Manager Lee Mazzilli revealing that lefty Eric DuBose will follow ace Sidney Ponson and start the second game of the regular season, April 6 against the Boston Red Sox -- the back end remains muddled exactly one week before Opening Night.

Lopez, who appeared to be losing ground to Bedard in recent days, made a strong statement Sunday, shutting down the New York Mets for seven innings in a 7-3 Orioles win. Lopez allowed only five hits and no earned runs.

"I'm exactly where I want to be," Lopez said of his readiness for the season. "Now, it's one more [spring] start, and get ready for the season."

But where exactly will Lopez be at the start of the season? Asked about Lopez's hold on his rotation spot, Mazzilli was noncommittal.

"You have to consider [his] past history," Mazzilli said. "But I think you guys know. . . . I'm not comfortable with complacency, no matter who it may be. This year, it was a clean slate for everybody."

Lopez had been pitching in the number two spot for most of the spring, but a series of shaky outings, plus the Orioles' desire to move a left-hander up in order to break up right-handers Ponson and Kurt Ainsworth, led the Orioles to drop Lopez out of that spot.

DuBose, 27, has made only 10 major league starts, but the former first-round draft pick by the Oakland Athletics posted a 3.79 ERA in limited action last season and has held opposing hitters to a .236 batting average this spring.

"This kid is a quality pitcher," Mazzilli said of DuBose. "He knows how to pitch and he mixes his pitches up well. When you play a team like Boston, you have to have a pitcher who's around the plate."

While it has not been announced, Ainsworth is likely to start the third game of the season, with lefty Matt Riley following in the fourth spot. Mazzilli said he plans to announce his full rotation Tuesday and acknowledged that Bedard has been the biggest surprise of camp.

Just 18 months removed from reconstructive elbow surgery, Bedard leads Orioles starters this spring with a 2.04 ERA and a .200 opponents' batting average.

In his most recent start, Saturday night against the Florida Marlins, he threw six scoreless innings, striking out nine and retiring the last 13 batters.

"He is complicating this decision a lot," Mazzilli said. "Not a little. A lot. I didn't know what to expect coming in."

Still, it would be an exceedingly bold move for the Orioles to drop Lopez out of their rotation. He went 15-9 as a rookie in 2002, finishing runner up for AL rookie of the year, then struggled to a 7-10 record in 2003, with his ERA shooting up nearly 11/2 runs per game, from 3.57 to 5.82.

Both Bedard and Lopez have minor league options remaining and either one could wind up in the bullpen. However, the likeliest outcome is that the team will send Bedard to Class AAA Ottawa with the understanding he will be the first pitcher called up.

"When we came into spring training nothing was etched in stone other than Sidney [in the number one spot]. The guys have pitched well," Mazzilli said. "It's just a process that you have to go through."

Orioles Notes: Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Jim Beattie said Sunday the team has interest in infielder Damian Jackson, who was released Sunday by the Colorado Rockies. Beattie planned to speak later in the day with Jackson's agent, Eric Goldschmidt. Jackson, who was hitting just .143 this spring, could be a more palatable option for the Orioles than Clay Bellinger or Luis Lopez, at least until Mark McLemore (arthroscopic knee surgery) returns in mid- to late-April. . . . .

Longtime Orioles pitcher Scott Erickson, fighting to make the Mets' roster, said his biggest regret about his time in Baltimore was being unable to "live up to" his five-year, $32 million contract, which ran out last season.

Erickson won just 25 games over the course of the contract, mostly because elbow and shoulder injuries forced him to miss the entire 2001 and 2003 seasons. He said he regrets "letting down the fans, Mr. [Peter] Angelos and my teammates. Unfortunately it didn't work out so well as far as my health. The last thing I thought would be a concern was the biggest problem of all." Erickson is unlikely to win the Mets' fifth-starter spot, and the Mets might force him to choose between a spot in Class AAA or a release.