"Center fielder Adam Jones was scratched Wednesday from the Orioles' lineup with a right hip strain less than an hour before their series finale with the New York Yankees. Jones called it precautionary and said he expects to be in the lineup Thursday night, when the Orioles begin a four-game series against the Minnesota Twins. "It was just smarter not to play today," he said. "I'd end up hurting myself more than I need to." Jones said he hurt his hip while taking a swing during his second at-bat in Tuesday night's game and it became more uncomfortable as the game progressed. "I'm swinging out of my [butt] all the time, and it felt uncomfortable," Jones said. "I just battled through it the rest of the game. We'll get it taken care of [to] make sure I don't miss any more time than I need to." With Jones out, Lou Montanez, normally a corner outfielder, made his first start in center field, and he had a tough day defensively. He sprinted back toward the right-center-field wall in the fourth inning and appeared to have a play on Mark Teixeira's drive, but he pulled up and lost the ball in the sun. The two-run double gave the Yankees a 6-1 lead. "I feel like if that sun wasn't there, I would have made the play," Montanez said. "I was right there, but that's the way we're rolling right now."" http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-notebook-0506-20100505,0,2176446.story
