It was initially reported that the Baltimore Orioles could target right-hander Derek Lowe, who was recently designated for assignment by the Cleveland Indians, but Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com passes on word that the club has dismissed any potential interest in the veteran starter:

While #orioles starters string together scoreless innings, team official dismisses idea of any potential interest in Derek Lowe.

— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) August 7, 2012

Lowe has ties to Orioles general manager Dan Duquette and his personal pitching coach, Chris Correnti, is currently Baltimore’s rehab pitching coordinator. These things, along with the fact that O’s starters had struggled and Lowe is a groundball pitcher, led Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun to say he wouldn’t be surprised to see the Orioles pursue the right-hander.

However, Orioles’ starters have since strung together several impressive performances, leading a team official to dismiss possible interest in Lowe.

Indians general manager Chris Antonetti confirmed he’s exploring trade options for Lowe and veteran outfielder Johnny Damon, who was also DFA’d recently, reports Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.

Beyond the Orioles, Lowe has been tied to one of his former clubs, the Boston Red Sox, as well as the Chicago Cubs.

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Which team should take a flier on Lowe?

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