BALTIMORE (AP) – Orioles ace Erik Bedard has stopped throwing, increasing the likelihood that the AL strikeout leader will soon be shut down for the season with a strained muscle near his right rib cage.

Bedard has not pitched since Aug. 26, when he allowed six runs in six innings in a loss to the Minnesota Twins. The defeat ended his career-high nine-game winning streak.

An MRI exam Tuesday revealed a strained right oblique muscle. Bedard has not yet ruled out returning this season.

, but with three weeks left and Baltimore in the midst of a terrible skid, it seems pointless.

“I don’t know how long it would take for him to start resuming his throwing program and being able to pitch,” manager Dave Trembley said. “Obviously, there comes a point in time where common sense has to take over.”

The injury could cost Bedard a shot at the AL Cy Young Award. The left-hander is 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA and 221 strikeouts in 182 innings. Opponents are batting .212 against him.

His 221 strikeouts are a club record for one season, breaking the mark set by Mike Mussina in 1997.

In other Orioles pitching news, right-hander Jaret Wright has left the team, ending a horribly disappointing season and perhaps closing out his career.

Traded to Baltimore from the New York Yankees during the offseason, Wright went 0-3 with a 6.97 ERA before being placed on the disabled list April 30 with an injury the Orioles described as right shoulder soreness.

He pitched three one-inning rehabilitation stints with Double-A Bowie – two at the end of August and one in September. But he never made it back to the Orioles.

“Jaret Wright went back to California,” Trembley said.

Wright, who pitched in 30 games with New York last year, has experienced shoulder problems throughout much of his career. His contract expires after this season.

AP-ES-09-06-07 2033EDT