BALTIMORE | Luke Scott was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday by the Baltimore Orioles, who recalled infielder Josh Bell from Triple-A Norfolk and promptly placed him in the starting lineup against Oakland. Scott strained his left hamstring Wednesday night after hitting a key home run in the seventh inning of a win over the Athletics. Unsure if the ball was going to go over the fence, Scott hurt his leg while running hard to first base. The ball cleared the wall, giving Baltimore a 7-6 lead, and Scott completed his jaunt around the bases with a noticeable limp. Scott is batting .274 with 12 homers and 30 RBIs. He has split time this season playing left field, first base and designated hitter. Scott will receive treatment for the injury at Baltimore’s spring training complex in Sarasota, Fla. “Those things can linger for a little bit. The one thing with a hamstring, you do not want to come back too early because they can get worse,” Orioles interim manager Juan Samuel said. Bell was obtained last season from the Los Angeles Dodgers along with pitcher Steve Johnson for closer George Sherrill. He was batting .266 with 24 doubles, 10 home runs and 44 RBIs with Norfolk. The 23-year-old Bell was to make his major league debut as Baltimore’s starting third baseman on Thursday night. “It being my first time, I’m anxious and ready to go,” Bell said. “I thought I’d be a little bit more nervous, but I’m trying to control it. I’m trying to focus.” With outfielder Felix Pie (back) expected to come off the disabled list as soon as Monday, Bell might be headed back to the minors after this weekend. “This move is strictly Luke Scott blowing a hamstring after hitting a home run and Felix Pie likely to come off in the next few days and how do we get from point A to point B,” Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said. “In essence, you are dealing with primarily losing your DH. So you can go down and reach and get any bat you wanted,” MacPhail said. “Josh had two home runs the other day, one being a grand slam, (and is) swinging the bat pretty well. It just seemed like the natural thing to do. “We tried to explain to Josh, don’t buy a house here yet. This isn’t necessarily going to be a permanent assignment, because Felix isn’t that far behind you.” With Bell at third base, Miguel Tejada served as the designated hitter against Oakland. “It’s just to give Miggy a break, get him off the field, get him off his legs,” Samuel said.
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