Sarfate Appeared 'Rattled'

BALTIMORE, July 20 -- Orioles right-handed reliever Dennis Sarfate appeared only briefly Saturday night, but the images from his performance -- a throwing error on an attempted pickoff, struggles against the three batters he faced -- have lingered.

"I'm more concerned about the mound presence, poise, those kind of things," Manager Dave Trembley said before Sunday's game against the Detroit Tigers. "To me, last night, he looked rattled. And that's something that he needs to outgrow. It's time for him to take the next step."

Sarfate was handed a 9-7 lead Saturday but yielded three earned runs on 13 pitches and exited. He also tossed into the outfield a pickoff throw to second base, a play Trembley said was "the kind of stuff you would think would happen in [Class] A ball."

The Orioles are still seeking a replacement for versatile reliever Matt Albers -- "the ghost of Matt Albers is haunting me," Trembley said -- and lately Sarfate (4-1, 4.06 ERA) has not helped fill the void. Saturday provided the latest example in a string of difficult outings for Sarfate, who has allowed eight runs in eight innings in July. Sarfate said he is not lacking for confidence, just struggling to perform.

"It's frustrating because you know you have good stuff and things happen," he said, adding: "It's a game. That's why you play 162 of these things, is to try to battle through it. You're going to scuffle. Guys scuffle."

Injured Jones Scratched

Center fielder Adam Jones, who rolled his right ankle when he stepped awkwardly on first base Saturday night, was scratched from the lineup Sunday, replaced by Jay Payton. Trembley was unsure about the seriousness of the injury, and Jones declined to comment after the game. Jones will be evaluated again on Monday.

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