THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BALTIMORE — Left-hander Jamie Walker was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday by the Baltimore Orioles, who filled his spot in the bullpen by activating Canadian Adam Loewen from the DL.
Walker has been pitching for several weeks with left elbow inflammation. He hoped to make it to mid-July before receiving treatment, but the timetable was moved up after Loewen, of Surrey, B.C., deemed himself completely recovered from the elbow injury that shelved him April 25.
Walker is 1-0 with a 4.98 ERA in 37 games this season. He last pitched Wednesday, making the move is retroactive to June 26.
“I’ve been pitching with it for probably about a month. Just hurting,” Walker said. “But the move caught me off guard.
“I didn’t know what was going on. They were trying to get me to the all-star break, shoot it up with some cortisone and give it a few days off. But we didn’t make it, obviously. They had to make a move and I don’t blame them.”
Loewen allowed one earned run in 9 2-3 innings over nine games in rehab assignments with single-A Frederick and double-A Bowie. He went 0-1 with a 7.85 ERA in four starts in April for the Orioles before going on the disabled list with left elbow soreness.
“I think I’ve been 100 per cent for a while now. It was just a matter of getting used to throwing out of the bullpen and getting ready quick, and all that kind of stuff,” Loewen said. “I’m excited to get going.”
Loewen has been used as a starter over the past three seasons, but manager Dave Trembley said the 24-year-old would be used exclusively in relief for the remainder of the season, in part because he has experienced elbow problems since May 2007.
“I’ve been told, as far as I know, I’m just coming out of the bullpen,” Loewen said. “I’m not looking too far ahead.
“I think the way things go, I don’t have a problem staying in the bullpen the rest of the year. So if that happens, I’m fine with that. Just whatever. It doesn’t matter.”
Trembley also said right-hander Matt Albers will visit with noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews this week to get a second opinion on the labrum tear that last week put the pitcher on the disabled list.
Albers has not yet decided whether to attempt to rehabilitate the injury or have surgery. If the rehabilitation program goes well, then he will miss two months. Surgery would sideline him from eight to 10 months.
Albers said Monday he would wait to talk to Andrews before choosing a course of action.
