Perlozzo out as skipper; MacPhail hired as COO  —  Sam Perlozzo's brief tenure as Orioles manager ended Monday.  —  The team has called a 1 p.m. news conference where it will announce that Perlozzo has been fired.  Orioles executives Mike Flanagan and Jim Duquette informed Perlozzo of the decision Monday …

Manuel to O's?  —  In the wake of all these losses piling up for the Mets, could they lose bench coach Jerry Manuel, too?  It appears that the firing of manager Sam Perlozzo is imminent in Baltimore — possibly today — and Manuel could be at the top of the Orioles' list.

Orioles News Conference  —  I just received a tip that the Orioles are going to hold a news conference at 12:30 PM Eastern to announce a change in managers.  ESPN says it's Girardi, but my source says Tom Trebelhorn.  It's possible Trebelhorn is temporary until Girardi gets to Baltimore.

SUPERMAN A-ROD IN LINE FOR $30 MILLION A YEAR  —  IT is easy to forget now in the fusillade of more homers, more RBIs, more greatness that Alex Rodriguez actually slumped for nearly a month this season.  —  Yet embedded in that slump were signs that Rodriguez would not only come out in a powerful way …

Bonds Strikes, But Sox Sweep  —  BOSTON — Fifteen years and 571 home runs ago, Barry Bonds and Tim Wakefield were teammates in Pittsburgh.  —  The last game Bonds won in a Pirates uniform was Game 6 of the 1992 National League Championship Series, when Wakefield, a rookie, threw his second complete-game victory of the series.

Donnelly's sore forearm needs relief  —  Brendan Donnelly has the old-time baseball thing going.  A sense of vengeance and, apparently, a distaste for interleague play.  —  When approached before the game for his take on his move to the disabled list , which came down yesterday, Donnelly would say only, "I don't do interleague play."