The Orioles have recalled 25-year old switch hitting infielder Eider Torres from AAA to replace Adam Loewen on the roster. Torres will likely steal playing time at shortstop from light hitting Luis Hernandez and Brandon Fahey. Torres has played in 18 games in AAA this season and he is 25 for 74 (.338 avg, .795 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 11 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Luis Hernandez hasn’t hit much at all this season for the Orioles. Hernandez has played in 19 games for the Orioles this year and he is 8 for 39 (.205 avg, .529 OPS) with 5 runs scored and 3 RBIs. Brandon Fahey also hasn’t hit a lick this year. In 12 games for the Orioles, Fahey is 4 for 20 (.200 avg, .488 OPS) with 1 RBI. If Torres can’t beat out Hernandez and Fahey, Alex Cintron will and he’s getting ready in AAA as we speak.

24-year old righty reliever Randor Bierd is off to a good start to his major league career. The Orioles snapped Bierd off the roster of the Detroit Tigers’ in the Rule 5 Draft last winter and they are looking really smart so far this year. Bierd has pitched in 7 games (0 starts) for the Orioles this year and he is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. If Bierd keeps pitching well the Orioles will likely give him more responsibility in close ball games.

The Orioles have placed lefty starting pitcher Adam Loewen on the 15-day disabled list with left forearm stiffness. Loewen has started 4 games this season for the Orioles and he is 0-1 with a 7.85 ERA and a 1.91 WHIP. Loewen walked 15 batters and allowed 5 homers in only 18.1 innings this season and that is pathetic. The Orioles will likely turn to Matt Albers or Jim Johnson to replace Loewen in the rotation. Albers is the likely bet as he made a decent start for the Orioles earlier this season. Albers has pitched in 7 games (1 start) for the Orioles this year and he is 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. Johnson has a 0-0 record with 1 save, a 0.00 ERA and a 0.35 WHIP. Either of these guys will likely pitch better than Loewen has this season.

The Orioles have released outfielder Jay Gibbons. Gibbons was linked to HGH shipments which he admitted he received and that led the Orioles to believe that he wasn’t good enough to make the team this season. He played in 84 games for the Orioles last year and he was 62 for 270 (.230 avg, .620 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 6 homers and 28 RBIs. Gibbons played all 779 games of his major league career with the Orioles and he was 724 for 2,787 (.260 avg, .767 OPS) with 348 runs scored, 121 homers and 405 RBIs. The Orioles won’t miss Gibbons at all in 2008.

The Baltimore Orioles have signed 29-year old switch hitting Alex Cintron to a minor league contract. Cintron played in 68 games for the White Sox last season and he was 45 for 185 (.243 avg, .605 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 2 homers and 19 RBIs. He has now played in 598 games in his major league career and he is 525 for 1,897 (.277 avg, .716 OPS) with 231 runs scored, 32 homers and 212 RBIs. Look for Cintron to take over as the Orioles starting shortstop job in May if Luis Hernandez and Brandon Fahey can’t hit their weight. This was a good move for the Orioles.