O’s may face fine for mistake

From combined dispatches

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles could be fined by the commissioner’s office after inadvertently using an ineligible player during Saturday’s 11-3 win over Tampa Bay.

Baltimore optioned left-hander Erik Bedard to its Class AAA Ottawa farm team March30 with the intention of recalling him April10 when the Orioles needed a fifth pitcher.

The Orioles, whose game against the Red Sox in Boston was rained out last night, thought the relevant rule allowed them to recall a player 10 days after his option to the minors.

But the commissioner’s office informed the Orioles they misinterpreted the rule — the clock for those 10 days began when the Orioles opened their season April 4.

“It’s highly unlikely that any action would result in a forfeit or replay of the game in question,” Sandy Alderson, executive vice president of baseball operations in the commissioner’s office, said yesterday.

Alderson said a fine is possible.

“It was more confusion about the rule than any sort of intentional violation,” he said.

The team will rescind outfielder Jack Cust’s designation for assignment and option Bedard to Ottawa until his next scheduled start Saturday, Orioles spokesman Bill Stetka said. Cust will not return to the team; he either will be released, traded or outrighted depending on whether he clears waivers.

Bedard allowed three runs and six hits in three innings against the Devil Rays in his first major league start.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox did not announce when last night’s rainout would be rescheduled. Derek Lowe had been scheduled to pitch for Boston against Baltimore’s Kurt Ainsworth in what would have been the first of a three-game series.

The series instead will begin tonight with Lowe facing Baltimore’s Sidney Ponson. Ainsworth will miss the Red Sox series, and Matt Riley will make his scheduled start tomorrow against Pedro Martinez.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona could have used the rainout to delay Martinez’s next start by a day but decided against it. That would have allowed his ace to pitch in a nationally televised game against the New York Yankees on Friday.