Orioles release designated hitter Gibbons

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Baltimore Orioles released designated hitter Jay Gibbons on Sunday, a day before the start of their regular season, the team said on its Web site (www.baltimore.orioles.mlb.com).

Gibbons, an outfielder, played for seven seasons with the Orioles. He hit .230 with 28 runs batted in last year before undergoing shoulder surgery.

"The decision was essentially down to two players and we made a baseball decision," Andy MacPhail, Baltimore's president of baseball operations, told MLB.com after deciding to retain infielder Scott Moore on the Orioles' roster.

Gibbons was suspended in December for the first 15 days of the 2008 season for use of a banned substance under MLB's drug policy. Major League Baseball and the Players Association agreed on Friday to put the punishment on hold for 10 days to allow for further negotiations.

(Writing by Gene Cherry in Salvo, North Carolina; Editing by Ed Osmond)