masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgBOWIE, Md. – Day one of his injury rehab stint with Double-A Bowie went fine for Nolan Reimold, even if he didn’t have any hits in the Baysox’s 9-1 loss to Harrisburg.

Serving as the designated hitter and batting third, Reimold struck out swinging on a 1-2 pitch in the first and fanned swinging on an 0-2 pitch from right-hander Paul Demny in the fourth.

In his third and final at bat of the night in the seventh inning, he drove a 3-2 pitch deep to left but it was caught a few steps in front…BOWIE, Md. – Day one of his injury rehab stint with Double-A Bowie went fine for Nolan Reimold, even if he didn’t have any hits in the Baysox’s 9-1 loss to Harrisburg.

Serving as the designated hitter and batting third, Reimold struck out swinging on a 1-2 pitch in the first and fanned swinging on an 0-2 pitch from right-hander Paul Demny in the fourth.

In his third and final at bat of the night in the seventh inning, he drove a 3-2 pitch deep to left but it was caught a few steps in front of the wall.

“I thought it was going to carry farther,” Reimold said of that flyout. “It was a fastball in and I stayed over it. I didn’t hit it perfect, but normally that carries. It was a pretty good swing.

“First two (at-bats) weren’t very good at all, but third one felt pretty good. It’s something to build off of. That guy was pumping out some mid-90s. He looked pretty good. First two at bats, I was searching for it.”

Reimold, who has been out since May 11 with a strained right hamstring, said before the game he hopes he can rejoin the Orioles next Monday when they return home.

He left for the clubhouse after his third at-bat and took a while doing some stretching at that point.

“Yeah, working on some stuff with my upper body, just flexibility,” he said. “When I get up there, I need to be loose. I have a lot of tension (in the shoulder and neck area), but the stuff I am doing now will help a lot when I get up there.

“Hammie felt good. I didn’t really run, but my body felt good. It is just a matter of feeling good at the plate again.”

Reimold was batting just .188 with four homers and nine RBIs in 31 games with the Orioles. He doesn’t want to blame his poor offensive stats on any injury though.

“I don’t like making excuses,” he said. “I had some limitations, my body didn’t feel good at all. But a lot of guys don’t and you just have to keep battling, which I was prepared to do. I was going to keep grinding it out.

“But I sat down with Buck (Showalter) and we had a talk. It was the right decision to go on the DL, especially after the MRI came back. I can say my body feels a lot better now than it did at the start of the year.”

Reimold is expected to start in left field tomorrow for the Baysox at Prince George’s Stadium.