Mahoney hopes for a Sunday return to the Bowie lineup

It was the second game of the season for the Double-A Bowie Baysox. That's when first baseman Joe Mahoney, the Orioles' 2010 minor league Player of the Year, came up injured running the bases. The quad injury has forced Mahoney to the seven-day disabled list and he has missed the last five Baysox games. "It happened in Harrisburg, when I got my first hit, a double, rounding first. It's early, it's cold and they just want to make sure that I get it back to 100 percent so I am not dealing with it for months and months," Mahoney said last night on my radio show, "Baltimore Baseball Tonight" on 105.7 FM the Fan in Baltimore. The DL move was announced yesterday but made retroactive to Monday, so Mahoney could return to the Baysox lineup as soon as this weekend. "Sunday is the day it's looking like right now, if rehab keeps going the way it has. Feeling better and better every day, so Sunday is the day we are aiming for. It's just important to stay positive about it. It's a long year and I'll still get my 500 or 600 at-bats this year," he said. Mahoney, who hit .307 last season with 30 doubles, 18 homers and 78 RBIs between Single-A Frederick and Bowie, went 1-for-7 in this season's first two games. He made a solid impression in his first major league camp with the Orioles, going 7-for-17 in spring exhibitions with three extra-base hits and three RBIs. "It was a lot of fun," he said of the experience in Sarasota. "Just to get to know all the guys there and the coaching staff, just to be around the big league atmosphere for that month or so was tremendous. "To see my name on a locker next to Nick Markakis was a cool moment. Just a great learning tool and hopefully at some point I can help them out this year." Hope you join me tonight for the radio show when I take calls and your questions and comments on the Orioles from 10 p.m. to midnight on The Fan. Follow me on Twitter: @masnsteve.