ANGELS NOTEBOOK: DERAILMENT DELAYS ANGELS-ORIOLES SERIES.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

BALTIMORE - Friday night's scheduled game between the Angels and Baltimore Orioles was postponed as the city's fire department and Hazmat crews continue work to extract smoldering train cars from a tunnel near Camden Yards.

A train carrying hazardous materials derailed Wednesday evening, and no baseball has been played at the park since.

``We're very much being directed by public officials, and rightly so,'' said Joe Foss, the Orioles' chief operating officer. ``This is a very, very serious accident. They're concerned about the chance of chemical spills, the integrity of the tunnel. They don't want to have any public-safety issues put in jeopardy. They want to make sure this area is safe for our fans.''

The Angels and Orioles are tentatively scheduled to play tonight, then play a day-night doubleheader Sunday and an afternoon game Monday. But Foss acknowledged tonight's game and possibly the entire series could be postponed.

``In a crisis like this there is so much speculation going on,'' he said. ``The best course of action is to take it one step at a time, one day at a time. Right now, we are optimistic we'll play (tonight).''

Foss added that the option of playing the series at an out-of-town ballpark remains viable.

During a news conference outside the ballpark Friday afternoon, fire and safety officials said the cleanup crews will use a ``less aggressive strategy in removing the cars'' from the tunnel after a couple of firemen were injured Friday. There are 45 cars still underground, which they now will try to remove about five at a time.

Rob Gould, a spokesman for the train company CSX, said there is no timetable for when the accident will be cleaned up.

``We're going to do it right and we're going to do it safe,'' Gould said. ``Safety for the firemen is the most important.''

--Ignorance is not bliss: Many Angels worked out at the ballpark and returned to the team hotel by the time Ramon Ortiz, the Angels' scheduled starting pitcher, showed up in the clubhouse.

Ortiz walked into a near-empty clubhouse at about 4:50 p.m., unaware the game had been postponed nearly two hours earlier. A few of the remaining players ribbed an obviously agitated Ortiz, who immediately turned around and left.

--Some good in everything: The Angels are riding a four-game winning streak, but the unexpected day off isn't entirely bad, manager Mike Scioscia said.

``It's good for the guys to catch their breath ... the pitching staff is running on fumes,'' Scioscia said. ``But we will have an expanded workload this weekend. We have to pay a price for this breather.''

--Itching to play: Tim Salmon was one Angel who didn't need a breather. Salmon, who hasn't played since June 30 because of a strained left shoulder, was activated and would have been in the lineup.

``I didn't need a break,'' he said. ``I haven't played in three weeks.''

ANGELS vs. BALTIMORE

Time: 4:05 p.m., at Camden Yards

TV/Radio: No TV; 570-AM, 1090-AM (Spanish).

Matchup: Ramon Ortiz (7-7, 4.30 ERA) will start for Anaheim against Baltimore's Josh Towers (6-4, 2.65), a product of Oxnard College. This weekend's series will not be the final time the Angels will play against Orioles' third baseman Cal Ripken, who is retiring after the season. The Angels and Orioles play next Friday-Sunday in Anaheim.

-Joe Haakenson

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ANGELS vs. BALTIMORE (see text)