Shoulder may force Daal out

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Omar Daal could be headed for another trip to the disabled list.

Daal, who is seeking a spot in the Baltimore Orioles’ starting rotation, experienced soreness in the back of his left shoulder while throwing on a back field yesterday. He will undergo an MRI today to determine the extent of the damage and whether surgery will be required.

“I am really worried. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow or what the doctor is going to say,” Daal said.

Daal last pitched Saturday against a minor league contingent of Minnesota Twins. The left-hander yielded six runs, three earned, in five innings. He also gave up two homers.

Daal is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA and has allowed 13 hits in nine innings over three starts.

“After I pitched on Saturday, I was feeling OK. Then the next day I thought it was regular soreness,” Daal said. “Then today in the bullpen, I could only throw about 10 pitches and that was it. I feel sore in the same spot as last year — in the back and the front.”

Daal spent more than two months on the disabled list last season with tendinitis in his rotator cuff.

Notes — The Expos beat the Orioles 3-0 yesterday. Montreal improved to 14-6 — the best spring training record in the major leagues. …

Orioles utility player Mark McLemore underwent surgery Monday to repair torn cartilage in his right knee. McLemore is expected to be out until late April.