VIERA, Fla. -- Orioles club officials were shocked and disappointed when they learned on Friday that right-hander Sidney Ponson was stopped for driving under the influence of alcohol on Jan. 21 in Fort Lauderdale.

The DUI arrest is the latest brush with the law for Ponson, who is the team's third-highest paid player and projected as the No. 2 starter. Ponson spent 11 days in jail after a Dec. 25 altercation on an Aruban beach.

On Tuesday night, Ponson got into a scuffle with a restaurant patron who apparently yelled insults and attempted to assault him. Ponson did not file charges in the restaurant incident.

Club officials were totally unaware of the DUI arrest until a reporter from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel approached Ponson on Thursday with the arrest report and then approached executive vice president Jim Beattie with the same information.

Orioles manager Lee Mazzilli, who is depending on Ponson to be the anchor of his young rotation, expressed his displeasure on Friday morning.

"Number one, I am not happy about it," Mazzilli said. "I don't like it. This club stands for tradition. It has a long history. It's a black eye for us. And we'll deal with it internally."

Ponson was driving on Interstate 95 when he was clocked by a Florida State trooper going 85 mph in a 65 mph zone. According to the arrest report, when an officer began tailing Ponson, he slowed his vehicle to 25 mph. The minimum speed on a Florida highway is 40 mph.

According to the report, Ponson failed the sobriety test and then refused to take a Breathalyzer. Florida law states that refusal to take a Breathalyzer results in confiscation of a driver's license. Ponson's Maryland driver's license was confiscated during the stop. Ponson has since received a limited license that restricts him to drive to and from work.

Ponson admitted to the DUI, but he blamed the media for invading his personal life.

"I got [the DUI] because I didn't blow in the thing," Ponson said. "I wasn't drunk. The thing is going to go to court and my lawyer said to be quiet. You have one beer and you can be over the limit. That doesn't mean I'm drunk. You guys are making such a big deal out of everything."

Ponson again defended the way he acted on Tuesday at the restaurant, when he apparently retaliated by hitting the person who attempted to assault him.

"If people are going to be a [jerk] to me when I go out, I might as well stay home," Ponson said. "I ain't going to do it. I have all the rights to go out and eat, too."

Despite two public altercations in the past three months, Ponson said he will continue to enjoy the nightlife.

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"Like I told you guys before, I am going to go to Baltimore, I am going to go to dinner," Ponson said. "You get a drunk guy who comes and talks to me, I'll take it. If he touches me, we have problems. You guys can take it the way you want to take it. I am sick and tired of this. I might as well be in jail."

Orioles vice president of baseball operations Mike Flanagan said the matter will be handled.

"We were not aware of the incident," Flanagan said. "It was news, certainly, to us, and I guess at this time all I can say is we're going to handle it internally. I'd like to go there, but I can't."

Game report: The Orioles beat their new rivals, the Washington Nationals, 5-1, in a rain-shortened game at Space Coast Stadium on Friday. The game did extend into the sixth inning, but a second downpour washed the game out for good. Although the sixth inning was not completed, the runs scored in the innings count, meaning Javy Lopez's solo homer off Antonio Osuna and Geronimo Gil's RBI single to score David Newhan are official statistics.

Steve Kline also gave up a solo home run to Jose Guillen in the bottom of the sixth, one batter before the rains struck. It was Baltimore's second game in three days to be shortened by rain.

Rodrigo Lopez, who will oppose Oakland's Barry Zito in the April 4 season opener, looked sharp. He allowed five hits in five shutout innings. Lopez tossed 73 pitches, then threw another 27 in the bullpen during the first rain delay.

Coming up: The Orioles will travel to Jupiter on Saturday to take on the Marlins for the fifth time this spring. Rick Bauer, still competing for the final spot in the starting rotation, will start for Baltimore. Bauer is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in five spring starts.