Baltimore ? Baltimore will play the New York Yankees during the day today instead of at night to avoid the worst of Hurricane Isabel.

The game, originally set for 7:05 p.m. EST, was rescheduled for 12:35 p.m. after the team consulted with the commissioner’s office and Yankees officials. Gates at Camden Yards will open at 11 a.m.

The Yankees will have to bus to an airport outside of Baltimore following the game, New York manager Joe Torre said. Philadelphia is a likely destination before the Yankees can fly to Florida for a weekend series against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Torre added.

“Everybody’s scratching their heads as to why we’re cutting it so close,” Torre said. “But it’s not our decision.”

Pitcher Mike Mussina, the Yankees’ union representative, said the Major League Baseball Players Assn. had no input as to whether the game time was changed.

But Mussina questioned the logic of attempting to start a game when conditions were expected to include high winds and heavy rains.

“Even if we play this game, can we safely get out of here on an airplane?” Mussina asked.

Mussina has been through this before. In 1999, when he played for the Orioles, an impending storm caused the cancellation of a game against Oakland. The game was postponed so Oakland could fly to Tampa Bay and the Orioles could leave for Anaheim.

The Orioles’ flight aborted on takeoff from Baltimore-Washington International Airport because of dangerous winds, Mussina said.

“It’s not fun going that fast and hitting the brakes,” he said.

Baltimore manager Mike Hargrove, whose team stays at Camden Yards for a weekend series against Toronto, appeared indifferent when asked about the predicament.

“I don’t care one way or another. It makes sense given the forecast,” he said.

Torre would prefer scrapping today’s game and making it up when the Orioles visit Yankee Stadium next week for the final series of the regular season.

“I don’t know what the right thing to do is. I really don’t,” Torre said. “If it was my choice, I’d get out of here and play it as a home game.”

Fans unable to attend because of the time change can exchange tickets for one of the last three home games against Toronto this weekend or for any home game in April 2004, except opening day.

Officials will wait to see how the storm progresses before making any changes to Friday’s game, Orioles spokesman Kevin Behan said.

Meanwhile, the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens decided to leave the city, flying to San Diego two days early for their game against the Chargers.

The team has no indoor practice facility and would be unable to prepare for Sunday’s road game because of the storm.