Bynum, 'El Bencho' Get a Shot

BALTIMORE, June 10 -- Three hours before the first pitch, Freddie Bynum walked into the hallway outside the Baltimore Orioles' clubhouse to check out the lineup posted on the wall and observed, "Man, all the El Bencho is playing today."

The "El Bencho" includes Bynum, Paul Bako and Chris Gomez and reflects the reality of their typical roles on the team.

"We've been joking that we usually are El Bencho," said Bako, who started his third straight game at catcher for the injured Ramon Hernandez. "With Ramon out, I'm going to have to play, and Freddie had a good game [in Seattle], so it's nice for him to get back out there."

For the fourth time this season, Bynum started in center field, though he had not played there since April 18 at Tampa Bay. An infielder by nature, Bynum said he has grown accustomed to roaming the outfield grass and that he preferred playing the role of traffic cop.

"I love center field better than left or right because you see balls good," Bynum said. "Everything goes off you. All you got to do is say, 'I got it! I got it!' and 'Get . . . out of the way!' and hope that they get . . . out of the way."

More out-of-the-ordinary for Bynum was his No. 2 spot in the batting lineup, a slot he said he has not filled since last season. Bynum, who went 2 for 4 in his last start on June 6 at Seattle, went 0 for 4 in Baltimore's 6-1 loss to drop his average to .231.

"The people that are in there aren't getting it done, so we've got to try something," Manager Sam Perlozzo said. "Freddie swung the bat for us good up in Seattle, so we'll give him a shot at it."

While Gomez did not agree that "El Bencho" was the trio's nickname, he did allow that he was glad to see Bynum crack the lineup.

"I'm always excited to see Freddie out there," said Gomez, who started at third in place of Melvin Mora. "I don't worry about myself, but for me as a teammate, to see how hard he works and the great attitude he's had for getting limited playing time, I'm just happy for him to be able to get out there and show what he can do."

Mora's Day of Rest

---

Mora requested a day off after Saturday night's game, according to Perlozzo. He said Mora hadn't been swinging the bat that well and that his third baseman probably just needed a day off to "clear his mind."

UP NEXT Tomorrow vs. Nationals7:05 p.m. Cabrera (5-6) vs. Bowie (2-2) MASN, MASN2 Wednesday vs. Nationals7:05 p.m. Traschel (5-4) vs. Chico (3-4) MASN, MASN2