In Bowie, Nolan Reimold talks about beginning his injury rehab assignment

BOWIE, Md. - The last time Nolan Reimold played at Bowie's Prince George's Stadium, he hit three home runs. In his last at-bat here, Reimold hit a grand slam. That was in an Eastern League playoff game for the Baysox against Akron on Sept. 4, 2008. "Man, I should have just ended on a good note. Now obviously I can't live up to that," Reimold joked a few minutes ago in the Baysox clubhouse. He is back in Bowie, but this time not as a player working his way up the minor league ladder but as a major leaguer trying to work his way back to his team. Reimold hasn't played with the Orioles since May 11 due to a right hamstring injury. Tonight when the Baysox play Harrisburg he'll begin an injury rehab assignment with the Baysox batting third as the DH. Reimold is hopeful that when the Orioles return off their current road trip next Monday, he can rejoin them. "Yeah, I've been running, throwing and hitting and doing it all. Now have to go out there and do that at game speed," he said. "I'm hoping, best case, that when they come back off the road that I'll feel good and start playing. But it's a take it as it goes kind of thing. If I need more at-bats I can get them. I'll let them know when I'm ready to go." Reimold is hopeful that tonight he starts putting his injury history behind him and can begin to focus more on baseball than rehab. "When you have an injury, I guess, if you are thinking about it, well, if you're thinking, you're stinking," he said. "That is a motto that is true when it comes to baseball and hitting. If you are thinking about how you feel up there, you are probably not going to be very productive. "I've cleared some issues up with my body, cleared the mind, now go out and play and get comfortable. I can be a productive player down the stretch. The team feels that, too, and that's what I'm working toward down here." With the 2008 Baysox, Reimold hit .284 with 25 homers and 84 RBIs in 139 games. "We had a really good team in '08. I remember (Lou) Montanez left in August and still won the Triple Crown. Just remember having a pretty good time. A good place to play and I had fun," he said. The steady rain of earlier has stopped in Bowie and the grounds crew is trying to get the field ready for an on-time start. That is the plan as of this hour. For Reimold, the plan is get back to the Orioles. Even if he doesn't hit a grand slam tonight.