Javy

Lopez

Prior to that, Lopez had homered in 19 of 31 games. He remains one of the NL’s elite catchers, but beware a wearing down in the second half.

He said he felt a little better, but not well enough to play. Robert Machado will continue to start behind the plate in Lopez’s absence and B.J. Surhoff, who hasn’t caught in decades, will back him up.

Bothered by back spasms, Lopez conceded that he’ll be dealing with the pain for the rest of the season. The discomfort intensifies whenever he begins to rise from his crouch to make a throw, or uses his hips more to swing at an inside pitch. He hopes that DHing will ease the pain on his back and allow him to stay in the lineup.

Javy Lopez’s bat is too valuable to keep out of the lineup for a playoff game.

Baltimore could wrap up a deal with Lopez or Ivan Rodriguez as soon as Monday.

It’s believed that Rodriguez, knowing he has no other big-time suitors if the O’s pick Javy, has lowered his asking price. However, the Orioles may still prefer Lopez. Baltimore is also still talking to Vladimir Guerrero and Miguel Tejada, with Guerrero the much better bet to sign with the team. Since it looks like Gary Sheffield will end up in New York, it might not be long before a Guerrero deal gets done.

It’s likely that the Marlins will end putting the money toward a decent closer and arbitration raises for their starting pitchers. However, if a big name is willing to accept a creative contract, then something could get done.

“We’ve had a couple of conversations [with the Orioles],” Lopez’s agent, Chuck Berry, said yesterday. “There’s no offer out on the table, but I think we’ll be talking soon about some dollars and cents.” Lopez to Baltimore would make plenty of sense, but no offer will be made until after the arbitration deadline passes.

“We have talked,” agent Chuck Berry said. “I’d say it’s kind of exploratory. I think they’re trying to decide what they’re going to do now that they’ve gone from Plan A to Plan B. There could be a good fit there with Javy, but then again maybe not. It depends what some of their other plans are.” The Marlins have Ramon Castro, so they should just sit back and see what happens with Javy. If it looks like he’s going to be forced to accept a one-year deal in the $5 million-$6 million range, they can jump in then.