O's Put Loewen On Disabled List

CHICAGO, April 25 -- Even before the Baltimore Orioles made it official, left-hander Adam Loewen seemed resigned that some missed time was likely in his immediate future.

Loewen was placed on the 15-day disabled list with soreness in his left elbow on Friday, before Baltimore's game against the Chicago White Sox was postponed by rain.

"It's a relief that we've got guys who can do as good or better than I'm doing right now," said Loewen, whose struggles began in spring training. "So in that regard it's not that frustrating. But for me, individually, it is."

Loewen, 24, has been dogged in his pursuit to rebound from left elbow surgery that cost him the majority of last season. Even as he posted an 0-1 record with a 7.85 ERA in four starts this season, Loewen insisted that his rough performances were because of inactivity, not pain in his surgically repaired arm.

But after lasting just 2 2/3 innings against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, Loewen admitted for the first time that he has been bothered by various forms of pain. The latest -- a dull sensation in his forearm that grew sharper as games progressed -- affected the way he threw the baseball and hindered him from controlling his fastball.

"It hasn't been a huge problem until now," said Loewen, who will leave the team this weekend so he can fly to Baltimore for an examination with team doctors. "It's gradually getting worse."

Loewen's absence leaves several key decisions to Orioles Manager Dave Trembley and the rest of the Orioles' brain trust, including who will fill in for Loewen in the rotation.

The first move: calling up Class AAA infielder Eider Torres to take Loewen's roster spot. The move brings Baltimore back to 12 pitchers while alleviating a shortage of players on the Orioles' bench.

Torres was hitting .338 in 18 games for the Norfolk Tides and earned the promotion over former major leaguer Alex Cintron and utility player Scott Moore, who had started the season with Baltimore.

"I can't tell you how I'm going to use him, when I'm going to use him, when he's going to play," Trembley said of Torres. "He's part of the club. We'll use him accordingly."

Cintron, who signed a minor league deal with the Orioles earlier this month after he spurned the franchise in spring training, has played only five games at Norfolk.

"Cintron, from my reports, has not played enough and is not ready," Trembley said.