Beerer not the blueprint for Markakis

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter stopped by the Ed Smith Stadium complex Thursday and ate lunch with a few of his rehabbing players. He got caught up with the likes of Nolan Reimold, Matt Lindstrom and Taylor Teagarden. He found out that Tsuyoshi Wada was going to visit teammates before tonight's game against the Rays. At another part of the complex, minor league outfielder Scott Beerer continued to rehab his surgically repaired left wrist and sympathize with Nick Markakis, whose broken hamate bone got a lot more publicity. Beerer had the same surgical procedure May 4 and he isn't projected to return for two more weeks, but he had other issues that slowed his progression. "I developed arthritis in my hand and needed a cortisone shot, so that put me a week behind," he said. "The hamate heals fast. You just have to wait for the incision to heal. The hand itself, doctors tell you that once they take out the bone, there's not much else they can do for it. You just have to wait for the incision. "If you swing too soon, you'll open the incision back up and that's obviously a setback you don't want. And that's especially true with baseball players. You have to give it time to heal." Beerer is hitting off a tee now and plans to rejoin the Tides in two weeks, as long as he doesn't experience any setbacks. The Orioles are hoping that Markakis makes it back to them in three to four weeks. Beerer's cortisone injection last week put him at more of a disadvantage. "It could take less than a month for Nick," he said. Beerer was hitting .215 with seven RBIs in 18 games. The wrist bothered him in spring training, but he kept playing. He fouled off a pitch with Norfolk and "felt it go." "I could almost feel it break," he said. "But of all the bad things that can happen to your hand, this is one of the best things. I just developed different issues than Nick. Everyone is different. "I think the average is four-to-six weeks, but some guys are three-to-four weeks. Hopefully, his will be right around a month at the most." The Orioles purchased Bill Hall's contract for the second time this season and started him in right field last night. Steve Tolleson played left for the first time in the majors. Rule 5 pick Ryan Flaherty has started in left and right this season. Wilson Betemit started in left Wednesday. Endy Chavez just came off the disabled list, and Reimold remains on it. Beerer tries not to think about the opportunities that slipped past him and the teammates who have been injured. "It's been a rough month watching guys go down," he said. "The last thing I wanted to see was guys getting hurt. I love all our players. "I would have had a much different opportunity if I stayed healthy, but my hand hurt all April. I wasn't hitting the way I wanted to. But it's time to hit the reset button and try to finish strong the last three months." The Orioles could use a modified reset button and go back at least six games, all losses. They're in the midst of their longest losing streak since July 4-15, 2011, when they dropped nine in a row. They've totaled 14 runs during the current streak. Meanwhile, the starters have allowed 23 earned runs in their last 25 2/3 innings. Are you more concerned about the starting pitching, the offense, the defense, the injuries or none of the above? Maybe you'd rather order a combo meal.