"Orioles designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero picked up his 2,500th career hit with an RBI double Thursday afternoon against the Toronto Blue Jays.

His 2,501st may come as a pinch-hitter.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he would speak to Guerrero on the flight home Thursday about Guerrero's role in the next six games, which will be played in National League parks without the option of using the DH. A final decision has not yet been made, Showalter said.

But Guerrero won't be starting Friday against the Washington Nationals and it's likely he won't start most, if any, of those games in the outfield against the Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Guerrero has started 63 of the Orioles' 66 contests this year, hitting .288 with six homers and 27 RBIs. All of those games have come as a DH. He has started 18 games in the outfield since the beginning of 2009, with 16 of those coming last year.

While playing in the field in 2010, Guerrero batted .234 with four homers in 64 at-bats. As a DH, he hit .306 with 25 homers in 523 at-bats. He also saw a serious drop in power between his first and second halves of 2010."