Hargrove Doesn’t See Having Belle on Oriole Roster

It appears that the Baltimore Orioles will be starting the season without outfielder Albert Belle, who has not played in their first three spring training games because of his arthritic right hip and hasn’t even attempted a slide during workouts.

“Given the events of yesterday and today . . . it would be difficult to project Albert on our 25-man roster,� Oriole Manager Mike Hargrove said.

Belle, 34, developed an inflamed bursa sac in his right hip last July. He let the injury go untreated and sat out 20 games in September.

“This isn’t an ordinary injury. It isn’t a muscle that’s hurt and you bring it along slowly,� Hargrove said. “This is a hip, from what I understand bone on bone, and there’s nothing in there to heal.�

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Mike Hampton, whose off-season signing with Colorado made him baseball’s richest pitcher, threw three perfect innings in his exhibition debut in the Rockies’ 2-2, 10-inning tie with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Tucson. Hampton’s contract is for $121 million contract over eight years. . . . San Diego Padre left-hander Sterling Hitchcock faced batters for the first time since he had reconstructive elbow surgery June 6. Hitchcock, the most valuable player of the 1998 National League championship series but only 1-6 with a 4.93 ERA last season, threw 25 pitches during batting practice at Peoria, Ariz. . . . Padre starter Adam Eaton struggled through his first spring start, giving up four runs in 1 1/3 innings of an 18-3 loss to Seattle. He hit two batters with the bases loaded in the first, getting Bret Boone on the helmet and David Bell on the arm. Boone was taken out of the game, but said he felt fine. . . . Josh Beckett, Florida’s top pitching prospect, rejoined workouts after spending a night in the hospital with a viral infection. A CT scan determined Beckett didn’t have an inflamed appendix, as doctors first feared. . . . Right-hander Scott Elarton had his contract renewed by the Houston Astros.