Giavotella and Miley confident they avoided serious injuries

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Second baseman Johnny Giavotella said this morning that his left hand and wrist are fine, and he can play whenever manager Buck Showalter puts him on the field.

It won't be today.

Giavotella, signed to a minor league deal and invited to camp, didn't make the trip for today's game against the Rays. However, he could get back into the action Sunday when the Orioles host the Phillies.

Giavotella took a liner off the bottom of his left palm yesterday in Bradenton. He stayed into the game until Showalter began clearing his bench in the fifth inning.

"They were just kind of concerned that it was in the area of the hamate bone that people break when they swing the bat, but there wasn't any kind of discrepancy in my strength," he said. "When I was holding the bat, it was just a little bit sore. That wasn't the reason why I got taken out of the game. It was just my time to come out. It had no effect on me later in the game. It was a little sore, but nothing I couldn't play through."

Showalter expressed some concerns after the game, but Giavotella calmed them this morning after taking a few swings.

"The ball was pretty well hit," he said. "It got to me pretty quick and it hit me pretty flush, so it was definitely pretty painful, but like I said, nothing that I couldn't play through.

"I could play today if I was on the schedule, but he has me on a scheduled day off, so I'll take it."

Giavotella, the Angels' starting second baseman in the past two openers, has been a solid camp addition and an important depth piece in the middle infield.

"I usually get off to a pretty slow start, so it's nice to get a few under me and feel pretty comfortable in the box," he said. "Hopefully, I just keep having great at-bats and take advantage of playing time while I have it."

There should be plenty of chances with second baseman Jonathan Schoop playing for Team Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. Third baseman Manny Machado is leaving after Sunday's game to join the Dominican Republic team.

"There's definitely the opportunity now that these guys are leaving for the WBC," said Giavotella, who's 5-for-13 with a double and triple in seven games. "There will be a bunch of at-bats up for grabs and hopefully we just take advantage of them and play well."

Wade Miley expects to make his next scheduled start after taking a line drive off his left forearm and rib cage area in the second inning of yesterday's game against the Pirates in Bradenton. He didn't wake up this morning with additional discomfort and no X-rays or an MRI are scheduled for him.

"I'm good. I feel great," he said. "So nothing new. Just going to resume normal activity.

"It's a good bruise."

It could have been a bad injury. Any line drive up the middle is alarming.

"No doubt," he said. "If the ball's hit a couple inches higher, it's your head. A couple inches lower ... But I guess it got me in a good spot, best-case scenario."

For the Rays
Nick Franklin 2B
Jesús Sucre C
Steven Souza DH
Joe McCarthy LF
Daniel Robertson SS
Michael McKenry 1B
Dayron Varona CF
Shane Peterson RF
Jake Hager 3B

Chris Archer RHP