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Maine ready for debut with Orioles Date published: 7/23/2004 By STEVE DeSHAZO N. Stafford grad makes Orioles debut While speculation swirled all week about his immediate future, John Maine was out of the loop. The Baltimore Orioles needed a starting pitcher for tonight's home game against Minnesota, and the 23-year-old Stafford County native was a prime candidate after a strong recent month with the Triple-A Ottawa Lynx. Not that he knew it. "I don't get the Internet in Canada," Maine said last night, "and if it's not about Toronto or Montreal, [Canadian newspapers] don't cover it much." The headline Maine was missing was that he will indeed make his major-league debut tonight against the Minnesota Twins at Camden Yards. "I'm just trying not to think about it too much," he said by phone from a hotel in Baltimore. "I'm just going to prepare and not let the nerves build up too much. I'll probably be a little nervous when I get to the ballpark." He might be comforted by some familiar faces and the success he's enjoyed at every level of a brief pro career. Maine was named the Orioles' 2003 minor-league pitcher of the year after compiling a 13-4 record and a 2.25 ERA in two Class-A stops. He led all minor-leaguers with 195 strikeouts in 147 innings and earned a non-roster invitation to the Orioles' 2004 spring training. After posting a 4-0 record at Double-A Bowie to start this season, Maine was promoted to Triple-A Ottawa in early May. But he struggled early on. At one point, he was 1-5 with an ERA near 6.00 while facing hitters who are far more patient than those at lower levels. But in his last five starts, he's 2-0 with a 1.48 ERA. Overall, he's 4-5 with a 4.28 ERA at Ottawa. "My mental approach has been better," Maine said. "That's basically it. I was still making good pitches, but mentally, I was giving the hitters too much credit. As a pitcher, that's bad." Baltimore needed an extra pitcher after yesterday's doubleheader in Boston. Manager Lee Mazzilli also considered Ottawa left-hander Bruce Chen, who has big-league experience.
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