ORIOLES PITCHER JOHNS ARRESTED AFTER OPENER

Charges: DWI, Possession of Marijuana

BALTIMORE, - Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Doug Johns was
arrested late Monday and charged with driving while intoxicated and
possession of marijuana. He was held overnight and released early this
morning, an off-day for the Orioles.

"The organization is in a fact-gathering mode," said Orioles spokesman
John Maroon. "We are looking at the matter internally."

The club has not made a decision on how to proceed. However, Johns, a
31-year-old left-hander, already was a likely candidate to be sent
down to Class AAA Rochester this weekend when the club activates fifth
starter Doug Linton to pitch Sunday. Johns did not pitch in the
Orioles' 10-7 Opening Day victory over Tampa Bay on Monday.

"There's nothing to say," Manager Ray Miller said today. "If you say
anything, it's admitting what you hear is true. He's innocent until
proven guilty. We'll wait and see what happens."

According to Baltimore police spokesman Robert Weinhold, Johns was
stopped for running a red light in downtown Baltimore at about 10:30
p.m. Monday. Johns failed a sobriety test, and a search of his Jeep
Cherokee produced a bag containing marijuana. He was fingerprinted and
held overnight at the Central Booking and Intake Center.

A court date for Johns has not been set, but Weinhold said it would be
approximately 30 days from the date of arrest.

Johns, a 1990 graduate of the University of Virginia, did not return
calls to his Baltimore hotel room Tuesday. He was signed by the
Orioles as a minor league free agent in 1997 after six years in the
Oakland organization and spent most of 1998 with the Orioles, going
3-3 with a 4.57 ERA.

This year, he made the club following a strong spring, in which he
went 1-0 with a 3.07 ERA and only one walk allowed in 14 2/3 innings.

However, the Orioles have committed to going with only 11 pitchers for
now, which means they will have to send a pitcher down when they
activate Linton, who will fill in for injured fifth starter Scott
Kamieniecki. Because Linton isn't needed until Sunday, the Orioles are
keeping him off the 25-man roster this week.