Heaping helping of caution | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

But the Northeast High grad knew something was very wrong as he tried to warm up for the next inning. He felt what he described as "a sharp digging pain every time I threw" and could only reach about 83 mph with his fastball.

He faced two batters in the top of the third, then left the game. It came as quite a relief when the injury was diagnosed as bicep tendonitis, which would improve with rest and rehabilitation.

"It was awful," he recalled. "I literally thought that I had torn something."

As it turned out, the bout of tendonitis brought on its own set of issues. Spoone went on the disabled list the next day after his fateful outing, and was expected to be out for a couple of weeks. Instead, he missed almost two full months.

His recovery regimen included a week of rest, two weeks of strengthening the arm with weights, two weeks of playing catch and bullpen sessions, and then two more weeks of pitching simulated games at the Orioles' extended spring training complex in Sarasota, Fla.

The injury comes at a critical time in Spoone's development. He was coming off a breakout season in 2007, during which he helped pitch Class A Frederick to the Carolina League championship. After the season ended, he was named the organization's top minor league pitcher.

Being sidelined cost Spoone about seven starts, as well as the chance to further impress the Orioles' decision-makers in the interim.

"It's a huge step back, especially with so much excitement coming off last year," he said. "But I have a lot of time left in the season. I'm ready to go."

For the time being, he's been placed on an 85-pitch limit until the Orioles are confident his arm can handle more.

Spoone (2-3, 5.04) was sharp in his first outing back against Reading on June 11. He went five innings and allowed one earned run. His last two outings didn't go nearly so well, though. He allowed seven earned runs in eight innings in those two most recent starts.

"I've come back very strong," he said. "The command's been out of whack, but I think it'll come back with (more) innings."

COSTLY SLUMP: Bowie's recent seven-game losing streak proved much more costly than its six-game skid in late May.

During the May slump, the Baysox lost only 2 ½ games in the standings, going from one game ahead in the Eastern League's Southern Division to a 1 ½ game behind.

The more recent tailspin sent the Baysox tumbling into third place for the first time since April 30 and cost them 6 ½ games in the standings. Bowie went from one game ahead of the pack to 5 ½ games behind.

Since then, though, the Baysox have made up ground nicely. They beat first-place Akron three out of four to climb back within 3 ½ games of first place entering play Friday night.

WHAT'S NEXT: The Baysox complete a brief three-game homestand with a 2 p.m. game today against Altoona. The team won't play at home again until July 4, when I it will begin a four-game homestand against Erie.