``I have to pitch the day before. I'm not going to go for one day,'' said Guzman, who will make an exhibition start on March 27 against the New York Mets at Port St. Lucie.
Guzman lives in Miami, a city with a heavy Cuban population, but he said that wasn't a factor in his decision.
``It's getting close to the regular season, and we have to set it up so I can make my regular start,'' he said.
However, according to the current rotation, Guzman's regular start would have come on the day of the game in Cuba.
Orioles manager Ray Miller on Tuesday selected Scott Erickson as his starter for the game. That decision allows him to set up his rotation so staff ace Mike Mussina is followed by Guzman and Erickson once the season starts April 5.
Guzman admitted he has shared reservations with teammates and members of the Orioles organization.
``I brought up the question -- am I going to (have) any problems if I go down there because I live in Miami,'' Guzman said. ``They don't think so.''
Since the Orioles received clearance from major league baseball and the U.S. State Department for the exhibition game, many Cuban-Americans have criticized the trip, citing the oppressive regime of Fidel Castro.
Protestors demonstrated outside Fort Lauderdale Stadium before the team's home exhibition opener on March 7.
Mussina, the team's player representative, said that players are allowed to make their own decisions about participating in the first major league baseball game in Cuba in 40 years.
``I don't have a problem with him not going,'' Mussina said.
Meanwhile, the Orioles continued the process of seeing that approximately 30 team personnel without passports had the proper applications. More than 60 sets of passport photos were taken of members of the team's traveling party before a game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Miller said he will take a squad of 31 players to Cuba.
``I want a representative club out there,'' Miller said. ``They are playing the Baltimore Orioles and it's going to get worldwide attention. ... We'll let out players know that it'll be like the seventh game of the World Series for their country.''
The Orioles will play host to Cuba's national team on May 3 at Camden Yards.
© Copyright 1999 The Associated Press