OK, as Buck Showalter says, I get it.

I have been a terrible barkeep lately.

This joint has been open about as often as a Ravens’ wideout in a Steelers’ game.

Blame by bar malaise on spring training. By the time we’ve gotten back to the Sarasota condo each tonight, I was too bushed to serve you bad swill and stale pretzels. But I left the side door cracked and one keg tapped, if you were really thirsty.

I am making it up for it today in an epic Prediction Friday, because today is the season opener for the Orioles in St. Pete. In celebration of no more No. 92s pitching in the eighth, Prediction Friday is going to be a two-parter today, starting with this entry.

Sun O’s writer Jeff Zrebiec, Sun columnist Peter Schmuck and I had dinner together tonight in Tampa and we wrote down our predictions for various Orioles and national baseball categories (we figured it was a working dinner, so we let Schmuck get two desserts).

We made so many predictions we will present one group now and another mid-morning Friday. So check back around 11 a.m. or so to see the second round. These will all focus on the 2011 Orioles. We’ll give you our national predictions later this weekend. (Yeah, long dinner. Ever watched Schmuck eat dessert?)

If you want to join in the frivolity, do so. Provide your own thoughts on each category we suggest. Or just tell us how wrong our predictions are. It’s for amusement purposes only.

Here is Part 1, the first 10 categories. Remember, this one is all about the 2011 Orioles

HR leader: Jones (Jeff); Guerrero (Dan); Reynolds (Pete)

RBI leader: Markakis (Jeff); Lee (Dan); Guerrero (Pete)

Highest Avg.: Markakis (Jeff); Markakis (Dan); Guerrero (Pete)

Wins: Guthrie (Jeff); Britton (Dan); Arrieta (Pete)

Strikeout leader: Arrieta (Jeff); Matusz (Dan); Matusz (Pete)

Team wins: 75 (Jeff); 77 (Dan); 79 (Pete)

Lone All-Star: Jones (Jeff); Markakis (Dan); Matusz (Pete)

Will be traded in 2011: Lee (Jeff); Gonzalez (Dan); Uehara (Pete)

First Norfolk callup: Jakubauskas (Jeff); Tatum (Dan); Drese (Pete)

Showalter’s first ejection: May 16 (Jeff); April 14 (Dan); April 21 (Pete)

Daily Think Special: Prediction Friday: Quick-fire Orioles Prognostications

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (34)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

Orioles Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson, 73, was hospitalized today and released a statement a few moments ago saying he was doing fine.

Here's the statement:

"Thank you for your outpouring of concern. I was originally scheduled for a routine outpatient procedure at Greater Baltimore Medical Center on Thursday, March 31, 2011. The evening before surgery, I developed a fever and infection. My doctors chose to admit me to aggressively treat the infection and I am responding well to antibiotics.

"I am pleased to say that I continue to remain cancer free after my successful treatment for prostate cancer in 2009. I ask that you give me privacy. I look forward to a full recovery and thank you for your prayers."

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (42)
        

ORIOLES
Brian Roberts, 2B
Nick Markakis, RF
Derrek Lee, 1B
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Adam Jones, CF
Luke Scott, LF
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Matt Wieters, C
J.J. Hardy, SS
Jeremy Guthrie, SP

RAYS
Ben Zobrist, 2B
Johnny Damon, LF
Evan Longoria, 3B
Manny Ramirez, DH
Dan Johnson, 1B
B.J. Upton, CF
Matt Joyce, RF
Reid Brignac, SS
John Jaso, C
David Price, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 4:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (37)
        

If you are still looking for a reason why the Orioles hoped veteran left-hander Mark Hendrickson accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk, consider this:

After reporting to the minor league facility at Twin Lakes Park today, Hendrickson made it a point to have lunch with top pitching prospect Zach Britton to discuss different things and dispense a little veteran advice.

Hendrickson takes such matters seriously, which is why many of the Orioles' younger pitchers leaned on him so heavily over the past couple of seasons. Henrdrickson still relishes the opportunity to work with some of the organization's younger players, even if it is in Triple-A Norfolk.

“It wasn’t too difficult because there weren’t a whole lot of options at the Major League level," said Hendrickson went asked about accepting the outright. "I really like the team, I like the direction that we’re going in and I’m confident that I’ll be back up there. That it’s just a matter of time. That’s not wishing anybody up there not to do well. It’s just knowing from experience that it takes more than the 12 guys throughout the year to get through a season.”

Hendrickson said that he had some other options, but none were at the big league level.

"This time of year, it’s not like anybody had any openings up at the big league level," he said. "Most teams have their rosters pretty much set. Nothing really panned out with that. If it comes down to Triple-A, I’m obviously familiar with this organization."

There was some discussion about Hendrickson reporting to Double-A Bowie rather than Triple-A Norfolk because it is closer to his York, Pa. home; however, Hendrickson said that he expects to report to Norfolk. He also said that he'll probably be used in a swing-man type role.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Veteran left-hander Mark Hendrickson, who was outrighted to minor-league camp on Monday and spent two days considering his options, has decided to accept the assignment with Triple-A Norfolk.

Hendrickson, 36, was 1-6 with a 5.26 ERA in 52 games with the Orioles last year. He had a 3.86 ERA in 9 1/3 innings this spring, but lost the long-relief battle to Jason Berken and Josh Rupe.

Hendrickson, who lives in York, Pa. year round, wanted to stay in the area, but first checked out the possibility of signing with another team this week.

It’s possible he could also pitch at Double-A Bowie, because it is closer to his family.

“We’re happy to have him back,” said Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail.

In other Orioles news, right-hander Justin Duchscherer, who pitched just two innings this spring and already has been placed on the disabled list with left hip soreness, has suffered a mild setback while throwing Wednesday.

Duchscherer, who threw two simulated innings on Tuesday, was loosening up on Wednesday when the back pain started. He has been shut down from baseball activities for a day and will visit a chiropractor today.

“We’ll give him 24 hours and see where it goes,” MacPhail said.

MacPhail also said the Orioles have submitted their 25-man roster to the commissioner’s office and he does not anticipate any changes.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
        

The Orioles have announced their starter for Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays: Right-hander Chris Tillman.

That means Brad Bergesen will begin the season in the bullpen, but would be the leading candidate to start April 10, when the team needs a fifth starter.

Tillman, 22, was 2-0 with a 3.93 ERA in five games, four starts, this spring. He allowed 20 hits and nine walks while striking out 10 in 18 1/3 innings.

He obviously will be on a short leash with both Justin Duchscherer (disabled list) and Zach Britton (minors) targeting late April for their Orioles’ debuts.

Bergesen, whose last spring start was cut short Friday when he took a liner off the right forearm, was 1-1 with a 5.82 ERA in six starts. He allowed 25 hits and six walks while striking out seven in 17 innings.

He threw two innings in a simulated game Wednesday against Orioles’ minor leaguers.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

We’re here at Ed Smith Stadium for a simulated game with Jake Arrieta on the hill and Brad Bergesen to follow.

But while we wait for the completion of their outings, we have a little bit of news for you.

Brian Matusz played catch from flat ground and then threw 35 to 40 pitches from a mound and felt good. He'll start Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays as planned. There is still an ugly bruise on his left biceps (where he was hit Monday with a L.J. Hoes liner) but he said he felt no tightness and threw all of his pitches from the windup and stretch.

"I feel like I’m built up right now," Matusz said. "It would have been nice in my last outings to go a little bit longer, but I’ve been able to get extra work in on those off days, just throwing and working on stuff every day. I came in strong and in good shape. I feel like I’m 100 percent ready for the season. Everything is behind me – the finger thing, this arm thing is behind me. I’m not even going to think about it. I’m going to move forward and get back on track. I feel like I’m 100 percent ready to go. I’m just excited for Saturday. I’m really excited."

Matusz admitted that it has been a frustrating spring. He logged only 13 2/3 innings, failing to pitch five complete in any of his starts. He had a wart removed from his pitching finger after one of his early starts and then he was hit by the liner.

"It was a frustrating spring," he said. "I mean, small injuries are out of my control. It just happened. I was able to get past them and that’s the most important thing – just get past them and stay mentally focused. It’s been a tough spring. I’ve been working on some stuff with [pitching coach Mark Connor] and [bullpen coach Rick Adair]. I’m starting to feel comfortable. I feel real good. I feel built up and ready to go for the season."

Brad Bergesen also got through his outing today against Orioles minor leaguers with no incident.

Rick VandenHurk has also cleared waivers and will be sent to Triple-A Norfolk. He will pitch the Tides' rotation along with Zach Britton, Chris Jakabauskas and Ryan Drese. Don't know about the fifth starter.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

It would be a surprise if, during Opening Day introductions on Monday at Camden Yards, Orioles manager Buck Showalter doesn’t get the loudest ovation from the fans.

This is Showalter’s team now. And fans love the attitude that Showalter brings with him.

But Showalter won’t be the most accomplished manager on the field Monday. Or the feistiest. And I am not talking about Detroit’s Jim Leyland either.

The Orioles have just announced that Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver will throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Monday.

The Earl of Baltimore and Showalter bonded some this spring when Weaver spoke to the coaching staff in Sarasota. And we all know how much Buck looks like Earl in the dugout.

Ceremonial pitches are pretty insignificant, but this is a pretty cool choice, at least in this Baltimoron’s opinion.

By the way, Thurmont’s Richard Troxell will sing the National Anthem. The renowned tenor has a tremendous voice and has become a tradition at Camden Yards. This is his eighth Opening Day performance.

Another good choice. As we’ve said in the past, the Orioles always do events and celebrations right.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

The Orioles have a workout this morning before boarding buses late this afternoon and heading to St. Petersburg where they’ll begin a three-game series and their 2011 season on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. The position players will take some batting practice and do the usual defensive drills. It will be a big afternoon for a couple of pitchers in determining where they’ll be and what role they’ll occupy on Opening Day. Brian Matusz, who is supposed to start Saturday night, will try to play catch for the first time after getting drilled in the left arm by an L.J. Hoes liner in a simulated game Monday. Brad Bergesen, who hasn’t pitched in a game since he was hit in the right forearm by a Denard Span liner last Friday, is scheduled to throw two or three innings against Oriole minor leaguers at Ed Smith Stadium. Jake Arrieta is in line to throw about six innings in that game. When the workout/game is done, we should have a better idea on how the final two or three roster questions facing the Orioles heading into Friday will be answered. But for now:

Who will start Saturday?
As of yesterday, Matusz was still saying that he was optimistic that he’ll be able to take the ball for the second game of the season. He got treatment on his arm all day with the hopes of playing catch today. Certainly, the Orioles want the young lefty on the mound Saturday opposite James Shields. However, if he isn’t feeling that great, they have the option of pushing him back a couple of days, possibly to Monday’s home opener. That would allow them to move up Arrieta, the scheduled starter that day, to Saturday, giving Matusz a couple of more days to heal and get ready. Orioles manager Buck Showalter pushed back the start of the minor league/simulated game today because if Matusz is unable to play catch, they would likely scratch Arrieta from that game and establish him as Saturday’s starter. However, if it is deemed that Matusz isn’t ready and won’t be for several days, the Orioles may be forced to put him on the disabled list, thus opening up even more questions.

Who will start Sunday?
The Orioles have held off on this announcement because they want to see how Bergesen looks today. I’m not sure how much they’ll learn watching the right-hander facing minor leaguers for two or three innings, but the big question is whether Bergesen is healthy. The outsider belief had been that they feel more comfortable with Bergesen in the bullpen than Chris Tillman. That would mean Tillman would start on Sunday and then Bergesen would stay in the bullpen until the Orioles need a fifth starter on April 10. However, Showalter has not provided any hints that the club is leaning in that direction. If Matusz heads to the disabled list, both Tillman and Bergesen would start the season in the rotation.

Who will close if the Orioles have a lead Friday night?
Showalter has pretty much side-stepped this question all spring and I don’t expect that to change today. Jim Johnson has looked, far and away, like the Orioles’ best reliever over the past four weeks, but spring numbers don’t mean too much and I think the team is more comfortable with him in the seventh or eighth inning. Michael Gonzalez had an uneven spring, but he avoided any prolonged injuries, which is very important. He’ll start the season as the club’s top lefty specialist. That leaves Kevin Gregg and Koji Uehara as Showalter’s top two options to close. Gregg had some tough outings this spring, but when he got his mechanics in order the past couple of appearances, he was effective. Uehara pitched in only three big league spring training games because of some elbow soreness. I felt coming into the spring that Gregg had the slight lead over Uehara to fill the closer’s role, and I’m not sure anything has changed to alter that. However, it also wouldn’t surprise me at all if Uehara is the guy warming up in the top of the ninth inning Friday if the Orioles have a one-run lead. With David Price on the mound for the Rays, I’m sure Showalter would love to be forced into making that decision.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

When infielder Robert Andino was summoned to Orioles' manager Buck Showalter's office earlier today, he was trying to stay relaxed. However, that became tougher when he got the news that he really wanted to hear.

"This is my third Opening Day, but to be honest, this feels like I really earned this one," said Andino who batted .278 this spring. "The other two was because somebody got hurt and I got traded. To be honest, I was just waiting to see what they were going to say and whatever they said, I would have went from there. I wasn’t stressed or nothing, but fortunately, they said I was on the team. Really, I don’t have no words for it. I am just proud of myself for one of the few times in my life.

"With all the [stuff] I’ve been through, I just felt like I did something right in my life," he said.

Several players came over to congratulate Andino who has a rough exterior but is one of the more popular members of the club among his teammates. The first one to greet him was Cesar Izturis, who stands to lose some at-bats now that another utility infielder is on the roster. However, that didn't appear to be among his concerns as he extended his hand to Andino.

The Orioles dropped their Grapefruit League finale 7-4 to the Toronto Blue Jays today. My game story is on the Web site so I don't feel the need to go into the details. However, here are some comments from manager Buck Showalter, mostly about the roster decisions that he made, which included the jettisoning of top pitching prospect Zach Britton, catcher Craig Tatum and infielder Brendan Harris.

On finishing up the spring at the remodeled Ed Smith Stadium: "You couldn’t ask for a better environment for us to do what we had to get done. We owe that to ownership and the city of Sarasota. I don’t think I have ever gone through a spring where a game wasn’t rained out. I hope this bodes well for the season. I think everything we wanted to attack, we attacked. So we are ready for the bell to ring if we get through tomorrow."

On Britton: "I think he (was thankful) for the chance to come in, pitch and the opportunity we gave him to take the ball. He was impressive."

On Britton working on his secondary pitches: "He’s made some real progress with some of his secondary stuff … We are certainly glad he is on our side."

On how Britton's contract situation affected the roster move, a question that Buck worked around like a leadoff walk: "I think Zach, there are some things he needs to fine tune. We sit down and evaluate where we are as a staff. We certainly aren’t going to put him in the bullpen out of spring training. He’ll go down and do his part and we’ll see where he is down the road."

On Tatum: "What happens this time of year, they dwell so much on the finality on the 29th of March and not what could happen shortly, we’ll see. When we get our rotation … where it kind of settles in and some things in our bullpen (settle) we will be tweaking some things as they go. But they don’t really want to hear that right now. Craig did some good things for us last year and will get an opportunity again if he takes care of his end of the bargain."

Showalter did not rule out the possibility that either Bergesen or Matusz could start the season on the DL: "Bergesen or Matusz, we have to see how they feel tomorrow or the next day. Something could change real quickly with somebody who is not here today. We feel good about the majority. The percentages are on our side. Until we get through tomorrow I am not basically going to commit to that yet."

Showalter said that Bergesen will throw two or three innings against Orioles' minor leaguers tomorrow and Jake Arrieta could throw six innings. If Matusz hasn't improved by tomorrow, the club could opt to hold Arrieta back and then start him Saturday in Game Two of the season. That would give Matusz a couple of extra days to get ready for Monday's home opener.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

The Orioles have made what appears to be their final three cuts of the spring.

Lefty pitcher Zach Britton, who has been the club’s best starter this month, reserve catcher Craig Tatum and infielder Brendan Harris were told that they were being re-assigned to minor-league camp this afternoon.

That means the other players on the roster bubble – pitchers Chris Tillman, Brad Bergesen and infielder Robert Andino – will all break camp, if healthy, with the Orioles.

It also means utility man Jake Fox, who has hit a major-league leading 10 spring homers, will be the club’s lone back-up catcher.

Tatum is considered better defensively than Fox, but Fox is out of options and Tatum still has a minor-league option remaining.

Tatum hit .216 in 37 at-bats this spring and missed a week after tweaking a side muscle. The 28-year-old catcher made the team out of spring last year, but was sent to the minors in July for three weeks – again primarily due to a roster crunch. He hit .289 with no homers in 43 games with the Orioles in 2010.

Britton, 23, allowed just three runs in 20 spring innings (1.35 ERA) further establishing himself as the club’s best pitching prospect. He has made just 12 starts above Double-A, however, and will start at Triple-A Norfolk. If he stays in the minors for at least 20 days, it will delay his service-time clock, essentially making him eligible for free agency in 2017 instead of 2016.

Harris, 30, was not on the Orioles’ 40-man roster after coming over from the Minnesota Twins in the J.J. Hardy deal. He hit .226 in 53 spring at-bats with two homers and 10 RBIs.

Andino was one of the more intriguing players on the roster bubble. He is out of options and the club did not expect the 26-year-old utility infielder to clear waivers. However, he serves a similar role as veteran Cesar Izturis, who was signed to a $1.5 million deal this winter to be the club’s reserve infielder.

Andino hit .283 with two homers and 11 RBIs in 53 spring at-bats.

Tillman, 22, and Bergesen, 25, were battling for a spot in the Orioles’ four-man rotation. Now, they both likely will make the team, assuming Bergesen (right forearm contusion) feels fine after a simulated game Wednesday.

Either Tillman or Bergesen will start the third game of the regular season on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that hasn’t been determined yet, but Bergesen seems more of an option to pitch out of the bullpen.

The Orioles won’t need a fifth starter until April 10. Tillman or Bergesen could make that start.

The Orioles also put pitcher Justin Duchscherer on the disabled list with left hip soreness. He hopes to be ready to pitch in a big-league game by April 20.

Also, technically on the camp roster is pitcher Rick VandenHurk, who has been put on waivers. The Orioles will know Wednesday whether he has cleared and will go to Triple-A Norfolk. They have not announced the waiver move yet.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Buck Showalter just spoke to the media and said he expects to make three cuts at lunch today.

The Orioles currently have 30 players in camp, but Justin Duchscherer will be placed on the DL and Rick VandernHurk has been put on waivers and the club will find out if he clears on Wednesday.

So that really leaves 28 guys left – therefore three cuts today will give us the Orioles their 2011 25-man roster.

The guess is that Zach Britton, Brendan Harris and Craig Tatum will be sent to minor-league camp. Tatum’s wife is expected to give birth on Thursday in Mississippi, so Tatum is leaving the club regardless on Wednesday.

If Brad Bergesen (right forearm) is healthy, Bergesen and Chris Tillman both make this team. Tillman is being considered more of a starter while Bergesen can do both, so Tillman could be in line for Sunday’s start while Bergesen could begin in the bullpen.

That will work itself out Wednesday, Showalter said, once the Orioles see how Bergesen throws in a simulated game against minor leaguers. Showalter said Bergesen is also still being considered for Sunday’s start against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Mark Hendrickson does his best thinking on the golf course so after learning Monday that he would not be part of the Orioles’ Opening Day roster, that was the first place he went. And it rained on him there, too.

“I thought today would be easier, but it’s worse,” said Hendrickson after reporting back to Ed Smith Stadium today to pack up his locker and say goodbye to his teammates. “I think yesterday just really didn’t sink in. It was one of the things where I don’t know, there was too many things to take into consideration. I just had to leave and play golf. Today, I thought it would be a little easier, but coming back here and not knowing what’s going on, it’s kind of hard. But I wanted to see everybody. It’s something I wanted to do.”

Hendrickson, the 36-year-old lefty who has made 105 appearances for the Orioles over the past two seasons, had a March 30 opt out clause in his minor league contract that stipulated that he could search for a job elsewhere if he didn’t make the big league club. That became a reality yesterday, leaving Hendrickson to spend the next couple of days considering his options. He still hasn’t ruled out reporting to one of the Orioles’ minor league affiliates, but that’s certainly not his preferred option.

“It’s certainly a possibility, but obviously my first intention is to find a big league job somewhere,” he said. “If that doesn’t happen, you just kind of go down to the next option. You just try and consider what’s the best avenue. I’d never rule anything out. I’m just trying to find the best opportunity, the best fit. That could be still with the Orioles but obviously the first order of business is not breaking with the club. I have to deal with everything else after that.”

Hendrickson admitted that his decision is complicated by his family situation. He and his wife welcomed a baby girl this past December, and they have another high school-aged daughter. The family lives fulltime in York, Pa. Their home’s proximity to Camden Yards was one of the main reasons Hendrickson re-signed with the club.

“Those are situations that I haven’t really been in, I haven’t really thought of,” he said. “I think what I’ve learned when I’ve gotten older – that maybe these guys haven’t experienced – is once you have a child that is in school, to ask them to pick up and move is not something that is good for them. In a sense, it makes decisions like this a little bit more challenging, a little bit more difficult because there are so many factors to consider. But they are supportive right now. I think it was harder to tell my wife than even hearing the news myself. That didn’t make for a good day, but she’s doing OK, she’s supporting me. We’ll have to decide what’s best for us."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

ORIOLES
Brian Roberts, 2B
Nick Markakis, RF
Derrek Lee, 1B
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Luke Scott, LF
Adam Jones, CF
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Matt Wieters, C
J.J. Hardy, SS
Chris George, SP

Former University of Maryland standout and Dunkirk native Brett Cecil will start for Toronto.

Brian Matusz, who was nailed in the left arm by an L.J. Hoes liner in a simulated game yesterday, arrived at Ed Smith Stadium and immediately started icing his arm. He won't throw today.

"I feel pretty good about it today," he said. "It's not too swollen. It's a little bit black and blue. It's starting to bruise a little bit. The trainer said, 'It's a little bit warm,' which means there's a chance for a little more inflammation, so they want to keep ice on it all day so we can prevent that. That's pretty much all we can do, just take it day-by-day."

Matusz is expected to start Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays, the second game of the Orioles' season. He still feels like he'll be able to take the ball, but the Orioles have options if he doesn't. They could opt to have another starter, like Jake Arrieta, pitch that day and move Matusz back to Opening Day in Baltimore on Monday, giving the young lefty a couple of extra days.

"I don't think it's going to be something that's going to push me back too far," Matusz said. "Hopefully today's the one day that I can't throw, but all we can do is take it day by day. Like I said yesterday, you can't predict how it's going to feel."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Orioles catcher Jake Fox hit his Grapefruit League-leading 10th home run today in the Orioles 14-9 rout of the Detroit Tigers at Ed Smith Stadium. However, he left a pretty poor impression on both managers because of one sequence in the eighth inning.

The Orioles had runners on second and third and no outs in the eighth inning today when Fox came to the plate against Tigers minor leaguer Chance Ruffin. The most important aspect of this story is the score was 13-3 at the time, and both teams had subbed out most of their regulars. Ruffin started the at-bat with three straight balls, but Fox decided to take a rip at a 3-0 pitch in a clear take situation.

It certainly qualified as a breach of baseball etiquette. Swinging 3-0 in a 10-run game with no outs in the eighth inning with a minor league pitcher on the mound is a decent way to make sure you get a fastball in the ribs in your next at-bat. The average fan may not think it was a big deal but Orioles manager Buck Showalter and Tigers manager Jim Leyland certainly did.

Showalter angrily yanked off his hat, and was seen yelling in the home dugout to anyone in particular. His hat off the whole time, he kept shaking his head and muttering throughout the rest of Fox's at-bat, which resulted in a walk Leyland, meanwhile, yelled at Fox from the top step of the dugout.

When Fox was removed for a pinch runner, Showalter made sure that he was one of the first people to meet him in the dugout and he gave him an earful. The Orioles manager was still fuming about it after the game as it apparently wasn't the first time this spring where Fox ignored a clear take situation.

Fox is obviously going to make this team, but I'm guessing that it's things like this that Showalter, a big proponent of playing the game right, is not going to tolerate in the long run.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (98)
        

Brian Matusz just talked with reporters about the liner that hit him in the left biceps on the 29th pitch of a simulated game today against minor leaguers.

It was L.J. Hoes' liner that struck him.

Here's what he had to say:

“It was in the second inning. I was feeling good, I was starting to get in a good grove and L.J. Hoes came up and hit a fastball right back at my arm. It was kind of similar to the situation in Toronto last year. I put ice on it right away. I got a couple of treatments. We put a pressure pad on it, just to keep the inflammation down. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow.”

“I’m optimistic. I don’t even think it is going to set me back at all. If anything, I’m upset about not continuing to get my work in. I was starting to feel good. I was starting to get in a good groove. I wanted to get in a little more work. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow and just go from there. That’s pretty much all you can do.”

Matusz hasn’t pitched more than 4 2/3 innings this spring due to a wart on his middle pitching finger and ineffectiveness:

“It’s been a frustrating spring in that aspect, but at the same time, it’s been a very productive spring. I’ve been able to work with Mark Connor and Rick Adair and I feel like I’ve made a lot of strides, a lot of improvements. I’m starting to feel good out there. The wart thing and the line drive back in the arm, it’s things that just happen. There’s nothing you can do about it. It’s just a matter of being able to take care of it and move forward. I’m just hoping I’m ready for my first outing on Saturday. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow but I’m not sensing that it’s going to be any different from the situation last year when I got hit. It bruised up a little bit and swelled. You don’t know how your body is going to react to a line drive in the arm, but I don’t think it’s going to be any different from that situation last year.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Buck Showalter talked about Brian Matusz getting hit with a liner in the biceps during the second inning of a simulated game Monday against six Orioles minor leaguers. It happened on the 29th pitch against L.J. Hoes.

"Two innings with Duchscherer went fine. Then Matusz's second inning he got hit on the biceps with a line drive. Doctors looked at him and didn't think there was a need for x-rays."

Has he pitched enough in the spring to make Satuday's start if healthy: "I think so, if he's OK. But we've still got something going on there with Bergesen and Matusz."

Would Zach Britton get an opportunity if Matusz and Bergesen (who was hit by a liner on his forearm on Friday) can't go: "Or another pitcher. I don't know. He'd be one of the candidates ... he threw the ball well with the lead we had. He had a good spring. You can tell why people think a lot of his potential and future, including me now. He has a chance to be a good one."

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Just when the Orioles thought they were getting healthy, Brian Matusz had to have his simulated game on Monday cut short when he took a liner off his biceps during the second inning on the back fields.

He said he could keep pitching, but the Orioles shut him down. He had only lasted 1 1/3 innings in his last start and was supposed ot pitch up to six innings in a minor-league game Monday. But those games were canceled due to rain.

So he pitched on the back fields against six minor leaguers and lasted only until he was struck by the liner.

At this point, X-rays weren't needed. That could change tomorrow if there is swelling. He is scheduled to pitch Saturday's second game of the regular season.

Brad Bergesen was hit by a liner on Friday and his status is uncertain for the start of the season.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Orioles are putting the finishing touches on a rout of the Detroit Tigers - it's 14-3 in the bottom of the eighth - but I wanted to put up a couple of quotes from starter Zach Britton before I go down to the field and interview manager Buck Showalter.

Britton allowed two earned runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out four over six innings today. He finished the spring with a 1.35 ERA. However, he's still expected to start the season at Triple-A Norfolk with the Orioles not wanting to blow through a year of his service time.

Below are a couple of comments from Britton

On whether he showed what he can do this spring: "Yeah definitely. Coming in they told
me it was competition. I was going to work on stuff but at the same time, I knew it was competition and I felt like I came out here and competed and gave myself a good chance to make the team. I guess we will see what happens after today. Obviously, I know the rumors and stuff like [that] so when they tell me to my face I guess we will see how it goes."

On his first big league spring training: "This was a great experience. I’m really happy [Orioles manager Buck Showalter] threw me against some good lineups. Or necessarily just good lineups, but being able to face the big league teams that I’m going to face in the AL East this year. I think that’s a big confidence booster that I can go up there and compete. I felt like I can
hang right up there with everybody."

On it being frustrating to know the odds are against him making the team: "Yeah, it’s very frustrating. Because as an athlete, you compete and you feel like you deserve to be
somewhere and you are not, it’s kind of a slap in the face, I think. But there’s a business side of the game, and those guys are hired to go out there and make business decisions. I go out there to pitch and do it well. Like I said it’s frustrating, but it is what it is. I got to take what they are going to give me after this game."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

It's gotten ugly early at Ed Smith Stadium, where the Orioles treated Detroit Tigers young right-hander Max Scherzer like he was a Little League pitcher.

Scherzer allowed 12 runs (11 earned) on nine hits and a walk. He allowed three homers, two of them by Luke Scott. The Orioles left fielder hit a grand slam in the first inning, and a three-run shot in the second. Scott's seven RBIs in the first two innings were one more than he had in his previous 16 spring games.

Brian Roberts is 3-for-3 with three runs, an RBI and a stolen base. Nick Markakis is 2-for-3 with an RBI. Derrek Lee is 0-for-1 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Vladimir Guerrero is 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Mark Reynolds has a double and Jake Fox has his 10th Grapefruit League home run.

Not bad for three innings of work.

The Orioles currently lead 13-1. And by the way, it's expected that Zach Britton will be sent to minor league camp after the game, but he continues to impress. He's allowed one run on five hits over four innings. He's also struck out four. It won't be long before we see him in the big leagues.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

OK, lots of roster stuff to digest and, frankly, I got a little confused.

So let's break it down.

Right now there are 30 players remaining in camp. That includes INF Brendan Harris and LHP Zach Britton, who are expected to be sent out after Monday's game or by tomorrow. RHP Rick VandenHurk will be waived but must clear waivers before he can be reassigned. And RHP Justin Duchscherer will start the season on the DL.

That takes it to 26.

Those who are on the roster for sure are (12): C Matt Wieters, C/INF Jake Fox, 1B Derrek Lee, 2B Brian Roberts, SS JJ Hardy, 3B Mark Reynolds, INF Cesar Izturis, LF Luke Scott, CF Adam Jones, RF Nick Markakis, OF Felix Pie and DH Vladimir Guerrero.

And pitchers: (10) starters Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta and relievers Kevin Gregg, Koji Uehara, Jim Johnson, Mike Gonzalez, Jeremy Accardo, Jason Berken and Josh Rupe.

That means there are three spots left with four guys on the bubble: Brad Bergesen, Chris Tillman, Robert Andino and Craig Tatum.

Bergesen and Tillman are being considered for the other rotation spot (the club will break with four starters). If Tillman gets it, Bergesen could go to the bullpen or the minors. If Bergesen gets it, Tillman would go to the minors (they don't want him pitching out of the bullpen). If they both make it, then Andino or Tatum will be the odd man out.

Tatum is not out of options so that makes him more likely than Andino be sent out. Andino is out of options and would most likely be claimed by another team. You can't rule out him being dealt, however.

Technically, Fox could be on the bubble list, but I think he is in. Hope that clarifies things.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

The inevitable just occurred. Outfielder Nolan Reimold has been reassigned to minor-league camp.

Reimold was in a battle with Felix Pie to be the fourth outfielder, but truthfully, the decision was pretty much made before players reported to camp.

Reimold had a rough season last year and has a minor-league option remaining. So he was the obvious choice to go down since Pie has no options left and would have to be exposed to waivers if they attempted to send him down.

Still, Reimold got back on the Orioles’ radar with a strong spring that included rekindling that burst of speed that was gone in 2010, the season after Achilles surgery.

Reimold batted .315 with a .448 on-base percentage and .537 slugging percentage. He had three doubles, three homers and 10 RBIs.

Pie has batted .254 with three doubles, a triple, a homer and eight RBIs. His on-base percentage is .274 and his slugging, .390.

The Orioles made their eight cuts official:

Among those, outfielder Randy Winn asked for and was granted his unconditional release.

Mark Hendrickson and David Riske have been reassigned to minor-league camp but are deciding whether to choose that option or become a free agent and look for another job.

Clay Rapada, Ryan Drese, Nick Green and Pat Egan have been reassigned to minor-league camp. Rapada and Green will hang around for the final two spring games. Drese has left for minor-league camp and will pitch at Norfolk.

The Orioles are down to 30 players in camp, including 28 on the 40-man roster. Pitcher Josh Rupe, who has likely made the club, and Brendan Harris, who likely will be reassigned, are non-roster invitees.

There are 15 pitchers, five outfielders, seven infielders and three catchers remaining.

Take out Justin Duchscherer (expected to start season on DL), Zach Britton (expected to be sent down after today's game), Harris (expected to reassigned) and Rick VandenHurk (will be waived, but nothing is officially set until he is cleared waivers) has to clear waivers first) that leaves 26 players for 25 spots.

It's basically now down to Robert Andino, Jake Fox, Craig Tatum, Brad Bergesen and Chris Tillman for four spots.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (38)
        

By the end of the day, the Orioles' camp roster will be down to 27 or 28 players, according to Buck Showalter.

There is still some moves to sort out, but here is what we do know: David Riske has been informed that he will not make the team. He returned to Las Vegas to attend to a personal matter and the Orioles have given him some time to deal with that and to see if he can get a big league job elsewhere. If not, the Orioles would love to have him at Triple-A.

Rick VandenHurk has also been informed that he didn't make the club. He has to be put through waivers because he is out of options. Left-handed relievers Clay Rapada and Mark Hendrickson have been reassigned to minor-league camp, meaning that Michael Gonzalez will be the lone lefty in the Opening Day bullpen.

Hendrickson has an opt-out clause on March 30 so the Orioles have given him 48 hours to find a big league job elsewhere and ponder his options. They would like him to report to Triple-A Norfolk, but Hendrickson is not contractually obligated to do so.

Ryan Drese has been reassigned to minor league camp and will begin the season in Norfolk's rotation.

Infielder Nick Green has been told that he won't make the club, though he will stay for the rest of spring training before getting reassigned. Outfielder Randy Winn also has left the team and went home after he was informed that he won't make the roster. It's not known yet whether Winn will stay in the organization or play elsewhere.

The Orioles will make a decision soon on outfielder Nolan Reimold and infielder Brendan Harris. I'd suspect that both are headed to Triple-A.

The only thing that is preventing Showalter from revealing his Opening Day roster is the health of Brad Bergesen. He got through a brief bullpen session today and he's scheduled to pitch a couple of innings on Wednesday. Brian Matusz, whose minor league game today was rained out, will throw six or seven innings in a simulated game. Justin Duchscherer will throw two innings in that same simulated game.

There is a lot going on, so I'll have to get back to this blog shortly, but the Orioles' Opening Day bullpen is just about set. It includes Kevin Gregg, Koji Uehara, Michael Gonzalez, Jim Johnson, Jeremy Accardo, Josh Rupe and Jason Berken.

Bergesen could join that group if the club opts to keep Chris Tillman in the rotation. Or if Bergesen goes to the rotation, then Tillman probably goes to Triple-A.

If both Tillman and Bergesen make the club, it will probably be at the expense of a roster spot for Craig Tatum or Robert Andino.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Some morning blogging for you.

The Orioles are expected to announce cuts at some point today.

This morning, pitchers Rick VandenHurk and David Riske and weren’t in the clubhouse and their lockers were cleared out. Outfielder Randy Winn also wasn’t there.

Winn and Riske signed minor-league deals and both would be welcomed at Triple-A Norfolk. They are both respected, professional veterans. Riske would have a spot in relief, but in Winn’s case, he’d likely be stuck being a fourth outfielder for the Tides. They’ll have to make the call on whether they want to continue playing with the organization at a level below the majors.

Some other updates: It rained viciously overnight and it is overcast right now. Rain is still in the forecast but we expect a game today against the Detroit Tigers. Zach Britton is pitching. One can assume this is it for the lefty phenom and he gets sent to minor-league camp shortly thereafter (with an expected return after April 21).

Don’t have lineups yet for either side, but Jim Leyland is famous for bringing much of his A lineup on the road. He feels it is disrespectful to do otherwise.

Brian Matusz is pitching in a Triple-A game against the Tampa Bay Rays this morning. We’ll get you updates on that, too.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Orioles’ roster has to be set in preparation for Opening Day by Thursday afternoon, giving manager Buck Showalter and his coaching staff about four more days to evaluate their options. There will likely be another round of roster cuts today, though I would be surprised if it takes the roster all the way down to the 25-man limit. I'd suspect a couple of decisions could go down to the very last day.

There are currently 37 players still in big league camp, but the way I see it, there are probably 31 players competing for 25 spots. You can take off starting pitcher Justin Duchscherer, who will start the season on the disabled list. I also think it’s pretty obvious that pitchers Rick VandenHurk and Ryan Drese, infielders Nick Green and Brendan Harris, and outfielder Randy Winn are not making this club. That gets you down to 31 if you eliminate those names.

This is what you’re left with:
Infielders (6): Robert Andino, J.J. Hardy, Cesar Izturis, Derrek Lee, Mark Reynolds, Brian Roberts.
Outfielders (5): Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Felix Pie, Nolan Reimold, Luke Scott.
Designated hitter (1): Vladimir Guerrero.
Catchers (3): Jake Fox, Craig Tatum, Matt Wieters.
Starters (6): Jake Arrieta, Brad Bergesen, Zach Britton, Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman.
Relievers (10): Jeremy Accardo, Jason Berken, Michael Gonzalez, Kevin Gregg, Mark Hendrickson, Jim Johnson, Clay Rapada, David Riske, Josh Rupe, Koji Uehara.

Obviously, it’s extremely unlikely that all five of those outfielders make the club. Barring a trade, the assumption is that Pie stays and Reimold goes because Reimold has an option left on his contract. Then, the final decision for the position players would depend on whether the Orioles carry a third catcher (I’d have to think Fox has secured a spot on the team and Tatum is in the most jeopardy) or an extra infielder (Robert Andino) or both. They’d have the luxury of carrying a five-man bench with the decision to go with only four starters until April 10.

Now to the starters, Arrieta, Guthrie and Matusz are locks, and it appears that if Bergesen is able to pitch Tuesday or Wednesday and looks decent and healthy, he’d be the fourth. That would mean Tillman and Britton, who would be on the Opening Day roster if not for his contract situation, start in Triple-A.

The bullpen is where the toughest decisions will have to be made. The first one is will the Orioles carry seven or eight relievers? After that, Gregg, Uehara (assuming he’s healthy), Johnson and Gonzalez will occupy four spots. The feeling is that Accardo who can pitch multi innings and has had a nice spring is also in good shape. If those five are on, that leaves the five other pitchers – Berken, Hendrickson, Rapada, Rupe and Riske – competing for either two or three spots. Rupe, who hasn’t given up an earned run this spring, and Berken are the clear frontrunners from that group. Riske is probably in the worst position, but he’s pitched well at times and Showalter and pitching coach Mark Connor like him.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Jeremy Guthrie is officially done for the exhibition season.

In his last outing before Friday’s regular season opener against the Tampa Bay Rays, Guthrie allowed 12 hits and four earned runs in five innings against the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla., on Sunday.

He walked a batter, hit another and threw a wild pitch that scored a run. He also gave up a homer to Yunel Escobar.

Guthrie struck out three and threw 96 pitches, 67 for strikes.

“I would have liked to have been able to get more quality pitches, would have loved to have gotten more outs and been a little more efficient in the strike zone,” Guthrie said. “But overall it feels all right.”

Guthrie got out of several jams including one in the fifth in which he had runners on second and third and one out and fanned both Edwin Encarnacion and JP Arencibia. The defense behind Guthrie – which included Robert Andino in left field for the first time this spring and Nolan Reimold struggling in unfamiliar territory in right – had trouble all afternoon. At least four times, the Orioles’ defense failed to make a play while Guthrie was on the mound.

He finished with a 6.43 ERA in 14 major league innings this spring. He also allowed three runs in 11 minor-league innings this spring. Most important, he finished the spring healthy.

“I feel good out there, healthy and strong and ready to start the season,” Guthrie said. “It’s been a good spring training and I think everyone is excited for the season to start.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

With the club not wanting Zach Britton to use up a year of service time and Brad Bergesen still questionable with the bruised forearm, Chris Tillman could wind up winning the Orioles' final rotation spot by default.

However, he certainly isn't doing much to help this chances this afternoon. Through four innings, Tillman has allowed three runs on six hits and three walks as the Orioles trail 3-1 against a Boston Red Sox lineup that includes five regulars.

Sure, J.D. Drew's two-run homer in the top of the third was wind-aided, but it's not like Tillman looks sharp otherwise.

He has two strikeouts, both in the first inning. He got one out on Matt Wieters' gunning down Marco Scutaro at second base, and another on a sliding play by Luke Scott in left field. His fastball has been consistently in the high 80's and he's thrown 70 pitches, only 43 for strikes.

Tillman is only 22 and I understand that there are going to be growing pains. But if you are the Orioles, it would certainly be nice to see the young right-hander seize one of the opportunities that he's getting. Britton has certainly done that this spring.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

And you thought the fallout from Orioles manager Buck Showalter's comments in Men's Journal was over.

Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona, whose team is at Ed Smith Stadium today to face the Orioles likely Opening Day lineup, told Boston reporters that he was "kind of aggravated a little bit" after seeing Showalter's comments about his boss, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein.

“Just thought that was a little bit out of line — I don’t think he’d be appreciating if I said something about [Orioles President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail], which I wouldn’t,’’ Francona said. "None of my business. And for the record, I think Andy’s really good."

Showalter's comments in the magazine surfaced a couple of days ago. He said, “I’d like to see how smart [Boston GM] Theo Epstein is with the Tampa Bay payroll. You got Carl Crawford ’cause you paid more than anyone else, and that’s what makes you smarter? That’s why I like whipping their asses: It’s great, knowing those guys with the $205 million payroll are saying, ‘How the hell are they beating us?’ ”

Francona originally joked a little bit about the comments on Thursday but that was before he had viewed the exact quote.

“Actually I was kind of aggravated a little bit,’’ said Francona. “I don’t think that’s anybody’s place. That’s my boss. It’s not the end of the world, I just thought it shouldn’t have been done.’’

Told that the Orioles went 3-3 against the Red Sox during Showalter's final two months at the helm of the club, Francona said, "Way to go. I don’t remember them beating us that much. Maybe there was some different schedule, I don’t know.’’

Showalter discussed the matter on Thursday and it was not brought up again today.

And on another matter that will surely impact the Orioles more than comments in a magazine, Brad Bergesen, who was hit in the right forearm by a Denard Span liner on Friday, got through a "very encouraging" flat ground session. He could throw a bullpen session tomorrow and then pitch in a game Tuesday or Wednesday.

"I got to 120 feet and I did flat ground afterwards," Bergesen said. "Everything felt OK, a little tight, a little tender. But it’s nothing I can’t throw through. I think right now the plan is hopefully a bullpen tomorrow. That’s just where we are right now."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Brad Bergesen, who was hit in the right forearm with a Denard Span liner on Friday, says that he's getting increasingly better and he'll try to play catch today. If all goes well, Bergesen could pitch on Tuesday in the Grapefruit League finale or on Wednesday in a minor league game. Either way, he still could start Sunday in game three of the regular season.

"Obviously, my goal is to throw on Sunday. How I get to that point, I’m not too concerned about it," Bergesen said. "Whether I throw Tuesday, that would be great, or Wednesday, maybe a few less innings. I’m not sure what it’s going to be. Obviously, that’s my goal, not to push myself for Tuesday, but to be ready for the season."

Bergesen admitted that he was real relieved because things could have been worse.

"That’s what happens when you have tiger blood, I guess," he joked. "That’s a huge relief. Taking it off the arm initially, I look down and see in two seconds, there is a big old lump there. I didn’t know what it was going to be. To have it look like there’s nothing there and to be optimistic, I’m really happy about it. I feel like I dodged a huge bullet."

The Orioles have split-squad games today, at home against the Boston Red Sox, and in Dunedin against the Toronto Blue Jays. Obviously needing some more players, they summoned some of their better prospects, including shortstop Manny Machado, to join the club.

Here are the minor leaguers staying at Ed Smith: Ryan Adams, Machado, Xavier Avery, Kyle Hudson, Trent Mummey, Tyler Townsend, Wynston Sawyer, Brandon Waring, Michael Ohlman, Blake Davis.

Here are the minor leaguers headed to Dunedin: Greg Miclat, Mychal Givens, L.J. Hoes, Carlos Rojas, Jacob Julius, Steven Bumbry, Tyler Henson, Michel Hernandez, Ronnie Welty, Adam Donachie.

Here are the two Oriole lineups for the split-squad games, followed by the Red Sox's lineup. The Orioles-Red Sox game will be shown on MASN, and it wouldn't surprise me if the home lineup that manager Buck Showalter will trot out will look a whole lot like the one you'll see on Opening Day on Friday at Tropicana Field.

HOME ORIOLES
Brian Roberts, 2B
Nick Markakis, RF
Derrek Lee, 1B
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Luke Scott, LF
Adam Jones, CF
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Matt Wieters, C
J.J. Hardy, SS
Chris Tillman, SP

Also scheduled to pitch for Orioles: Kevin Gregg, Koji Uehara

RED SOX
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Marco Scutaro, SS
J.D. Drew, RF
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Darnell McDonald, LF
Nate Spears, 2B
Paul Hoover, C
Drew Sutton, 1B
Brandon Duckworth, SP

Also scheduled to pitch for Red Sox: Matt Albers

AWAY ORIOLES
Robert Andino, LF
Randy Winn, DH
Nolan Reimold, RF
Jake Fox, 1B
Brendan Harris, 3B
Felix Pie, CF
Nick Green, 2B
Craig Tatum, C
Cesar Izturis, SS
Jeremy Guthrie, SP

Also scheduled to pitch for Orioles: Mark Hendrickson

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Starting pitching prospect Matt Hobgood, the Orioles' top pick in the 2009 draft, saw team doctors today and was given clearance to begin a throwing program early next week.

Hobgood, who went 3-7 with a 4.40 ERA in 21 starts for Single-A Delmarva, was diagnosed with a right shoulder strain during the offseason. He has been on a rehab and therapy program to strengthen the shoulder.

The standard throwing programs last from six to eight weeks before pitchers are ready to face hitters. Barring any setbacks, the burly 20-year-old could be ready for game action by mid to late June.

"He got through the first phase and we hope the next phase shows continued improvement,” said Orioles Director of Player Development John Stockstill.

Hobgood, who has been widely criticized for his conditioning, is ranked as the Orioles' 15th best prospect by Baseball America.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

David Riske just got the final six outs to secure the Orioles' 7-2 victory over the Rays before an announced 5,726 at the Charlotte Sports Park. It completed a nice afternoon for the Orioles' bullpen as three relievers combined to pitch six scoreless innings, allow just three hits and strike out seven.

Jason Berken allowed two hits and struck out three in two innings to lower his spring ERA to 3.46. Josh Rupe allowed just one hit and struck out one (Evan Longoria) over two innings and he hasn't allowed an earned run in 13 2/3 innings this spring. And then Riske finished it off by striking out three in two perfect innings.

Ryan Drese was the starter, but it was the three relievers that Orioles manager Buck Showalter focused on in his comments following the game.

"The last inning was good," said Showalter when asked about Drese's performance. "He’s struggling a little with his release point on his sinker, but he kept us in it. It didn’t get away from him. But I thought the three guys after him were real good. Boy, Riske has been impressive. Rupe continues to throw the ball well. I think that’s as crisp as I’ve seen Berken this year. His breaking ball really has some depth and some tilt on it. We had a lot of good at-bats at the end. We’re getting closer to where we want to be."

Berken and Rupe have put themselves in pretty good position to make the club in long relief roles with Rupe particularly standing out

"Fortunately, I’ve seen him do this before," Showalter said of Rupe. "He’s just trusting [catcher Matt Wieters]. Put it down and let’s go. When a guy has that many quality pitches in his arsenal, sometimes you can have too many. He threw, I think, six straight sinkers to Longoria. That’s Matt as much as it is Rupe. Pretty good. Let’s go. Why do you want to mess with anything else? He’s got a quality arm. Some time like that, a 28-year-old kind of figures it out. You can’t overthink it. Just trust your pitch quality." We’ll see if it carries over to the season if he makes the club."

As for Berken’s chances, Showalter said, "You guys see the numbers. The competition is there. He brings some length and a guy that is flexible. Rupe’s got some length, too. I don’t think it’s a competition between both of them. I think both of them could make it."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Right-hander Ryan Drese finished up his outing today against the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing two earned runs on five hits over three innings.

He gave up a leadoff homer to Ben Zobrist in the bottom of the first and an RBI single from B.J. Upton in the second.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter keeps reminding reporters that Drese remains in the conversation for that final rotation spot, but I think it is more out of respect for the veteran who hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2006.

Drese got the spring off to a good start, allowing just one run on four hits in his first three outings spanning seven innings. However, in his last three outings, he's surrendered 13 earned runs and 18 hits in 7 2/3 innings.

Still, Drese feels like he remains in the competition for an Opening Day roster spot.

"I’m sure hoping my name is called, whether it’s starting or relieving. Nobody’s heard anything yet," he said. "It’s going to come down to the last few days. It may even come down to the intrasquad game we play [Thursday]. Still hoping, and hopefully get one more shot out there. I don’t know. We’ll see what happens.”

Drese said that he has a verbal out clause where he can opt out of his contract if he's not selected on the big league club.

"I’m not even thinking about that right now," he said. "I feel really good and that’s the important thing for me, being out for a while. Just coming back and getting consistent work.”

Jason Berken relieved Drese and pitched a scoreless bottom of the fourth with the help of a running catch by center fielder Felix Pie on Kelly Shoppach's long drive to the wall with two men on.

The Orioles just tied the game with a run in the top of the fifth on J.J. Hardy's RBI double off Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson. Pie led off the inning with a single and scored on the play.

Brian Roberts accounted for the Orioles' first run with a solo homer in the third.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter just met the media before today's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. There were no huge revelations.

Showalter said that he was surprised that there wasn't more swelling on Brad Bergesen's forearm. The hope is that Bergesen would be able to pitch on Tuesday on three day's rest.

Koji Uehara, who pitched in a minor league game yesterday, is expected to pitch an inning tomorrow against the Boston Red Sox. Kevin Gregg is also expected to throw in that game in relief of Chris Tillman.

Catcher Craig Tatum will not play today because of back spasms, but he should see some action in one of tomorrow's split-squad games.

Injured starter Justin Duchscherer will start the season in extended spring training with the intent of being ready to join the big league club on April 21. Showalter said that the club wants to keep him in warmer weather for a little longer.

Showalter also confirmed that Jake Arrieta will start the Orioles' home opener. That's not exactly a huge surprise because he had said that the Orioles were leaning in that direction a couple of days ago.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The morning after getting hit in the right forearm by a Denard Span liner, Orioles starter Brad Bergesen said that his arm "feels a little stiff."

Bergesen, one of the top candidates for the final Orioles' rotation spot, will ice his arm today to try and keep the swelling down. He's hoping his arm improves enough to play catch tomorrow.

The Orioles play the Rays today in Port Charlotte. Ryan Drese and Jason Berken are expected to pitch today for the Orioles. Here are the lineups:

ORIOLES
Brian Roberts, 2B
Nick Markakis, RF
Derrek Lee, 1B
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Luke Scott, LF
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Matt Wieters, C
Felix Pie, CF
J.J. Hardy, SS
Ryan Drese, SP

RAYS
Ben Zobrist, 2B
Johnny Damon, LF
Evan Longoria, 3B
Manny Ramirez, DH
Dan Johnson, 1B
B.J. Upton, CF
Matt Joyce, RF
Kelly Shoppach, C
Sean Rodriguez, SS
Jeremy Hellickson, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The big news coming out of Fort Myers on Friday revolved around right-hander Brad Bergesen, but not how we expected.

Bergesen was in line for what was probably his most important start of the spring as he battles Chris Tillman for a spot in the Orioles’ rotation and the chance to pitch Sunday, April 3 at Tampa Bay (Jeremy Guthrie will start the season opener on Friday, April 1; Brian Matusz will start April 2 and Jake Arrieta will start the home opener versus the Detroit Tigers April 4).

But Bergesen lasted just one batter, because that batter, Denard Span, hit a crushing liner that bounced off Bergesen’s right forearm and forced him from the game.

It looked pretty scary, but X-rays were negative and it’s being called a right forearm contusion. Bergesen even joked about it afterwards, when he was asked if he were disappointed that he didn’t get a chance to show what he could do against a tough Twins lineup.

“It was a no-hitter,” he deadpanned.

He said he is optimistic about returning soon – though a timetable won’t be determined until the swelling subsides.

“The doctor said he hit me in probably the best spot,” said Bergesen, who has a 5.82 ERA in 17 innings this spring. “He said any higher would have been a deep muscle bruise, and that would have caused some damage. And a little bit lower would have been ligaments, and lower than that would have caught the bone flush by itself. He said to get in the right arm, that's the best spot.”

This isn’t the first time Bergesen has dealt with a vicious comebacker. His banner rookie season in 2009 was cut short in July when a liner by Kansas City’s Billy Butler caromed off Bergesen’s left leg and caused a deep contusion. Bergesen said he thought about that play after the Span liner, but isn’t concerned about pitching again.

“It's not going to be one of those things when I get back on the mound again, I'm going to be scared or tentative,” Bergesen said. “I'll put it away and go forward with it.”

While that was the ugly part of Friday’s game – along with a brutal second inning in which Mike Ballard gave up six runs – there were a few positives. Jake Fox (ninth of the spring), Adam Jones (fifth) and Nolan Reimold (third) all homered.

But, perhaps most impressive, was lefty Chris George, who allowed one walk and one hit in 3 2/3 innings. He now has now pitched 10 spring innings without giving up an earned run.

“I have never thrown the ball better than I am throwing it right now,” said George, 31, who was a first round pick of the Kansas City Royals in 1998. “My consistency with all my pitches is so much better right now than it ever was at any point in the big leagues.”

George, who last pitched in the big leagues in 2004, has already been sent to minor-league camp but was kept around as insurance. He’s expected to pitch in Triple-A Norfolk, as he has done each of the past two seasons, but Buck Showalter said it hasn’t been determined whether he’ll be in the Tides’ bullpen or rotation.

“It’s an uphill climb. I’m having to overcome some years of poor performances, but I have never thrown the ball better,” George said. “I know that (pitching coach Mark Connor) and Buck have given me some positive feedback and I think they know I can come in there and throw strikes and get big league hitters out. I have done it. I have done it before and now I am featuring more consistency. I feel great about this spring.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

On the fourth pitch of the bottom of the first inning, Brad Bergesen was struck on the right forearm arm by a screaming liner from Denard Span.

The ball caromed in the air and Robert Andino caught it for an out. But Bergesen, in visible pain, immediately held the top of his forearm, nmear the elbow.

It is being called a right forearm contusion and his X-rays have come back negative. There are no broken bones in the arm.

Double-A trainer Pat Wesley sprinted on the field and Bergesen briskly walked to the dugout with him without throwing a test pitch.

He dodged a bullet, but it is still a tough blow for Bergesen, who was hoping to pitch well today against a stocked Twins lineup to cement his spot in the rotation.

He was replaced on the mound in the first by Mike Ballard.

Bergesen is no stranger to pain on the pitcher’s mound. Bergesen’s impressive 2009 season was ended on July 30 when he was hit on the leg by a Billy Butler liner and missed the rest of the year.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Right-handed pitcher Ryan Berry, the Orioles’ ninth best prospect according to Baseball America, will have a ganglion cyst drained from his right shoulder tomorrow and is unlikely to be ready for the start of the minor league season.

Berry, 22, went a combined 2-5 with a 3.22 ERA in 25 games (20 starts) between Single-A Delmarva and Single-A Frederick last season. He was tentatively scheduled to begin the season at Double-A Bowie, but he’ll likely be behind his other teammates.

The cyst, according to Orioles Director of Player Development John Stockstill, is “associated” with the shoulder injury that Berry had as a collegian at Rice University. Berry was considered first or second-round talent but a strained shoulder in the spring before the 2009 draft caused him to fall into the ninth round, where the Orioles selected him and signed him to an above slot $417,600 deal.

Berry has been shutdown for the last seven to 10 days after having some shoulder discomfort. An arthrogram taken Monday revealed the cyst. Team officials are hoping that Berry will be able to resume throwing next week.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

The Orioles will oppose the Minnesota Twins this afternoon at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers. It is a huge start for Brad Bergesen, who is competing with Chris TIllman and Zach Britton for the final rotation spot.

ORIOLES
Robert Andino, 2B
Felix Pie, LF
Adam Jones, CF
Matt Wieters, DH
Jake Fox, C
Nolan Reimold, RF
Brendan Harris, 1B
Nick Green, 3B
Cesar Izturis, SS
Brad Bergesen, SP

Now, for a couple of other things: Mark Reynolds wasn't going to make too big of a deal about his first homer of the spring, but he admitted that it was nice to get it out of the way.

"Obviously, that's kind of what they brought me in to do, is to hit homers and drive in runs," he said. "I haven't had that good of a spring yet. So it's nice to get that first one out of the way. Now, I can just relax at the plate and keep having fun."

The homer came after a session with hitting coach Jim Presley that was more mental than mechanical.

"It was more of a talk," Reynolds said. "My mechanics are there. It's just kind of from my shoulders up, struggling a little bit. It's tough when you are not getting results. You try to change but the results aren't there. You just have to keep working and plugging away."

Also, Justin Duchscherer, who will start the season on the disabled list, threw a 40-pitch bullpen session and felt good. He's hoping to throw two innings, probably in a minor league game on Monday, but the goal remains for him to be ready by April 21.

"I go day-to-day," he said. "Yeah, there's something out there for me, but right now, I'm just taking it day-by-day. I see how I feel and go from there."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Orioles starter Jake Arrieta got off to a terrible start by giving up three first-inning runs, steadied himself and retired 14 of 15 batters at one point before allowing a home runs and two walks to end the outing.

Here are a couple of his comments:

On his recovery from a bad start that included a two-run homer by Lyle Overbay and a solo shot by Neil Walker: "Just kind of got in a zone. The first inning, I started out just real sloppy. I threw a lot of good pitches to [Andrew] McCutchen. I missed the [groundball] there. That’s the thing I’m most upset about because I proud myself on that kind of stuff. Then, I just left a couple of pitches up. Overbay drove the ball to left, the same thing to Walker. I just couldn’t execute pitches there. I got to get the ball inside more to a guy like Overbay who likes to get extended. The second through the fifth, I really got comfortable, started throwing everything for strikes, my delivery was really good, I was staying on top of the ball. I’ve been working on a good changeup that I threw well tonight. The sixth inning, I talked to [pitching coach Mark Connor] and he said I was getting a little sloppy on my delivery, falling off to the first base side which was causing me to cut off my pitches. That’s just one of those things I have to self correct and try to get back on track when I feel something like that."

On whether he was pleased with his outing: "Absolutely. I made a lot of strides. From the second to the fifth inning, I feel like I was throwing like I was in midseason form. That’s a good sign. I just have to iron out some kinks in the first inning, I have to attack better and stay down with the ball. When the wind is blowing out like it was early in the game, you have to be down and I wasn’t down in the first, but I settled in after that."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter answered questions today about an article in Men’s Journal magazine in which he is quoted discussing Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein and Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.

First, here are the quotes in the magazine:

“The first time we went to Yankee Stadium, I screamed at Derek Jeter from the dugout. Our guys are thinking, ‘Wow, he’s screaming at Derek Jeter.’ Well, he’s always jumping back from balls just off the plate. I know how many calls that team gets – and yes, he [ticks] me off.”

And on Epstein: “I’d like to see how smart Theo Epstein is with the Tampa Bay payroll. You got Carl Crawford ’cause you paid more than anyone else, and that’s what makes you smarter? That’s why I like whipping their butt. It’s great, knowing those guys with the $205 million payroll are saying, ‘How the hell are they beating us?’”

Showalter said today that the interview occurred a few months ago at lunch in Dallas with the writer. He doesn’t deny making the comments:

“We were sitting down at a table laughing about different stuff and three or four months later somebody brings it up as a quote and it’s newsworthy. I can’t remember if I said it or not, but I am 55 years old, I probably did.”

He said he hasn’t read the article, but on the urging of director of media relations Monica Barlow, he thumbed through it.

“I think I just glanced through it today for the first time because Monica thought it would be a good idea. I didn’t read it all,” Showalter said. “Two quotes. How was the rest of it?”

In response to the printed comments, this is what Showalter said today: “Maybe it is envy or something on my part. But obviously you all know what I think of Derek and the success the Red Sox have had. Hopefully, we can get to their level one day.”

Showalter said he doesn’t think he’ll need to address it with Jeter.

“No, I know Derek. He knows there are a lot of things you talk about in clubhouses and what have you, jokingly, kind matter-of-factly and everybody understands it within the arena. But when they get out there publicly, it’s not particularly comfortable.”

Showalter said he understood why people have asked him about it since the story was published:

“It doesn’t surprise me, but that’s OK. I wouldn’t say way too much (has been made of it). If you had asked me about it on the other shoe, I would have kind of looked at you, smiled and went out on the field. Unfortunately, it is something people find newsworthy I understand that and move on.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter held court for about 12 minutes, answering some lingering questions about the Opening Day roster.

As expected, Showalter said that Jeremy Guthrie will pitch the opener for the Orioles against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field and Brian Matusz will start in Game Two of the season. Jake Arrieta is secured a spot in the rotation, and he'll likely start the home opener against the Detroit Tigers.

The Orioles will begin the season with a four-man rotation. The final spot, according to Showalter, is between Brad Bergesen, Chris Tillman, Zach Britton and Ryan Drese. Bergesen and Tillman are the front runners because of Britton's contract situation. The Orioles won't need a fifth starter until April 10.

Showalter said that Justin Duchscherer will start the season on the disabled list, but if all goes well, he could rejoin the club on April 21.

The cuts today include Mike Ballard, Chris Jakubauskas, Alberto Castillo, Chris George, Michel Hernandez and Josh Bell. Rule 5 pick Adrian Rosario cleared waivers and was returned to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers returned their Rule 5 pick, reliever Pat Egan, back to the Orioles. The Orioles will reveal a couple of more cuts closer to tonight's first pitch.

Tillman and Guthrie will start the split-squad games Sunday. On Monday, Matusz will pitch in a Triple-A game while Britton will start at Ed Smith against the Detroit Tigers.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

The Orioles made some cuts today.

The official list isn’t out yet, but looks like the headliner is third baseman Josh Bell. It’s no surprise that Bell will be going down to Triple-A Norfolk to play every day.

Bell played in 21 games this spring, batting .225 with no homers and 3 RBIs in 40 at-bats. He did, however, have four doubles, two triples and a stolen base and got glowing reviews for how much thinner and faster he looked.

When the Orioles traded for third baseman Mark Reynolds, it became likely that Bell would not start the season in the majors. Still, Bell said he’d use this spring to show what he could do, and he came to camp 30 pounds lighter.

“You can’t feel any other way but to prove yourself. That’s just the way I feel about it. You have to prove people wrong. If you’re winning other people over, whether it be another team or the front office, whoever it is, you just have to prove yourself,” Bell said. “I just want to go down and prove myself in Triple-A and when I get back out there, I can get some of those guys to trust me, too.”

Another player expected to be cut from camp is Rule 5 pitcher Adrian Rosario, who allowed two runs in two spring innings, walking three and allowing three hits. The Orioles like his arm, however, he has not pitched above Single-A and is considered too raw to keep on the major-league roster all season.

He’ll have to clear waivers – if he doesn’t, the team that claims him must keep him on its roster all season -- and then the Orioles would have to offer him back to the Milwaukee Brewers for $25,000 (half of what they paid). They would like to work out a deal to keep him on the roster, but that won’t be pursued until he clears waivers.

The Brewers also have an Orioles farmhand, Pat Egan, as a Rule 5 pick. He is not expected to make the Brewers roster but it looks like another Rule 5 from the Orioles, pitcher Pedro Beato, may be retained by the New York Mets.

Here’s the lineup for tonight’s game at Sarasota against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

2B Brian Roberts, RF Nick Markakis, 1B Derrek Lee, DH Vladimir Guerrero, LF Luke Scott, CF Felix Pie, 3B Mark Reynolds, C Matt Wieters, SS J.J. Hardy. Jake Arrieta is pitching.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

The Orioles will play their final Grapefruit League night game of the season tonight against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium. The clubhouse will open at 2 p.m., at which time, we should hear about the latest round of roster cuts. Orioles Buck Showalter said that there could be as many as 10 cuts, but that group will probably include the guys over from minor league camp who have joined the team for much of the spring. Those guys – Chris Jakubauskas, Alberto Castillo, Chris George, and Mike Ballard – were never technically given big league camp invites so I’m not sure they’d qualify as cuts. But there still could me some big names heading out to Twin Lakes Park as Zach Britton and Josh Bell certainly have to be among the players in the discussion.

As for tonight’s game, Jake Arrieta is pitching for the Orioles and first baseman Derrek Lee and second baseman Brian Roberts are both expected to be in the lineup.

Now to just a few random thoughts/opinions/facts about the Orioles and roster composition as Opening Day draws near:

It’s not been a good spring for the Orioles projected back-end of the bullpen as Michael Gonzalez has allowed runs in three consecutive Grapefruit League outings, Kevin Gregg has a 16.00 ERA and Koji Uehara has only pitched once in a big league spring training game because of elbow trouble. However, the Orioles have to be encouraged by how good Jim Johnson has looked. He’s been, far and away, their best short reliever this spring, allowing just one earned run and six hits in six innings. He’s walked none and struck out five and he’s been burying his sinker on hitters all spring.

Speaking of relievers, I thought lefty Clay Rapada was a near lock to make the team about two weeks ago, but now, he’s either squarely on the bubble or he’s fallen behind. In his last three appearances spanning 2 2/3 innings, Rapada has allowed four earned runs, four hits and a walk. Showalter has said that he’ll have to show that he can defend himself against right-handed hitters to make the club, and Rapada just hasn’t done that.

I’m not exactly breaking news with this tidbit here, but it’s become pretty clear that Robert Andino and Jake Fox will either be on the Orioles’ Opening Day roster, or they’ll be on another team. Both Fox and Andino are out of options and I – or any of the other baseball people that we talk to – see no way that both clear waivers. There are several teams that are looking to add to their catching and infield depth. At this point, I think Fox is pretty much on the team. If Andino makes it, it’s probably going to be at the expense of Craig Tatum because the other three bench spots are probably set with Fox, Cesar Izturis and either Felix Pie or Nolan Reimold.

By now, it’s a formality that Rule 5 reliever Adrian Rosario will not make the Opening Day roster so the Orioles will either have to work out a trade with Milwaukee for him or send him back. It’s unlikely that reliever Pat Egan, who Milwaukee took from the Orioles in the Rule 5 Draft, will make the Brewers’ roster either. So both will likely be back with their original teams or the two club could hope both clear waivers and try to work out a trade to keep their respective Rule 5 picks. It would surprise me, however, if the Brewers were willing to do that as Rosario is younger and has more upside than Egan. Meanwhile, reports out of New York are that reliever Pedro Beato, who the New York Mets took from the Orioles’ roster in the Rule 5, most likely will make the Mets’ Opening Day roster.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

Manny Machado got the news around 3 p.m. today, and in about 10 minutes, he had to pull on his uniform, catch a bus over to Ed Smith Stadium and inform friends and family members that he was joining the Orioles’ big league club for the very first time.

Less than 10 months after the Orioles made him the third overall pick in the 2010 draft, Machado, the 18-year-old shortstop who is considered the organization’s top prospect, was summoned for the night to give the team a little more infield depth. Minor leaguer pitchers Brandon Cooney and Sean Gleason, catcher Brian Ward, infielder Tyler Townsend and outfielder Ronnie Welty also made the trip from minor league camp.

“Oh man, it was great,” Machado said. “I was out there with a bunch of veterans and I felt great. I learned a lot from them from this game.”

Machado entered at shortstop in the eighth inning and made a slick play to field Jason Repko’s slow roller up the middle. However, Repko was ruled safe on the play despite the fact that it appeared Machado’s throw had beat him. Machado then led off the top of the ninth and grounded out against Chuck James. Machado said that he was too patient during the at-bat.

But not reaching base did little to mar his night.

It was a good feeling to be called up and come play here with a bunch of veterans and pro guys," he said..

Scheduled to start the season at Single-A Delmarva, Machado also took batting practice with the Orioles and spent some time during the pregame working with Brian Roberts on turning the double play, and talking base stealing.

“It’s like [Billy Martin] told me long ago, ‘Try as you may, you ain’t going to screw up the good ones.’ We hope all of them, and the other guys we’ve brought over here, impact the Major League club,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said before the game on Machado. “Some guys may benefit, some may not.”

Here is a commentsfrom Showalter on Brian Matusz's outing.

"I don’t know about rhythm. He was rushing," Showalter said. "You could tell he was a little out of tempo. [Francisco] Liriano threw 70-80 pitches and struck out nine. You don’t like to see either one of them. We know he’s better than that. He went down to the bullpen and got some more work in, got some more ups and down. At least, he is feeling a lot better than he did when he left the game. I just didn’t want to take any chances. That’s too many pitches in two innings."

And finally, Showalter said that both Derrek Lee and Brian Roberts felt great in getting their four at-bats and will be in tomorrow night's lineup.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Not long after he was yanked from the game following his dismal 1 1/3 inning performance, Orioles starter Brian Matusz went down to the bullpen with pitching coach Mark Connor to get some more work in. He insists that it was there where he located what he's been doing wrong.

"Right away, boom, boom, boom, right where I wanted it," Matusz said. "I finally got that angle back and I was doing what I needed to do. I was just too tense and amped up. I couldn’t find that flow. It’s going to happen."

Still, the young left-hander looked visibly shaken after he allowed four earned runs on five hits and three walks and needed 56 pitches to get just four outs.

"During the game, I wasn’t in my rhythm at all. I’ve been working on some things with my mechanics, just trying to get in a good rhythm and a good flow. But from the get go, I didn’t get to where I wanted to be," Matusz said. "I wasn’t in that rhythm like I was five days ago. When you’re out there on the mound, it’s tough to work on stuff. You got to be able to just focus and make outs and face your hitters. I was thinking about it too much today. I was too tense, I was thinking about it, trying to just get out of the innings so I can take a break and kind of get in my flow, and I never did. I just didn’t have it today. You’re never happy with an early exit like that. I’m not happy and a little frustrated. I’m upset at myself, but at the same time, it’s nice to get this out [of the way] at spring training."

Matusz still hasn't been able to make it through five innings this spring, which is an ominous sign when he's in line to start game two of the season next Saturday.

”I don’t think it’s a concern," Matusz said. "I wanted to get six ups today. That was my goal, to get six innings, so yeah, that’s not a positive at all, but I was able to get some extra work in on the side there. It’s just motivation for me to work hard and get myself back together. I don’t see it as too much of a negative thing to get ready for the season. I still know what I need to do to get ready. I learned so much from this and I’ll just move forward and stay positive, learn as much as I can from this and get better this week.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

I'm sure the Orioles won't publicly fret too much about young left-hander Brian Matusz, but I'd certainly be concerned after what I witnessed tonight.

Matusz managed to get just four outs, getting knocked out of the game on Joe Mauer's two-run single off the base off the wall. He surrendered four earned runs on five hits and three walks, and it could have been worse, but Alberto Castillo came in and got Justin Morneau to hit into an inning-ending double play.

Matusz faced 12 batters and eight of them reached base and five of them went to a full count. He threw 56 total pitches, 31 for strikes.

This was supposed to be his second to last start of the spring and Matusz was more than likely going to get the ball in the second game of the season. But he's yet to throw five innings in a game this spring.

After he left the game, he went straight down in the bullpen to get his pitch count up and to work on his mechanics.

Meanwhile, the Orioles are trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the third. Adam Jones just put them on the board with a mammoth shot off Twins lefty Francisco Liriano. The ball run off the top of the hitter's eye in center field.

Liriano has gotten nine outs, all on strikeouts. he also has allowed four hits and three walks.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter probably didn't think he'd have to get the bullpen ready in the first inning tonight with Brian Matusz on the mound, but that's exactly how it played out.

Alberto Castillo was warming during the first as Matusz threw 34 pitches (18 strikes), went to full counts with four of the six batters that he faced and walked two of them. The Twins scored only one run in the inning on Joe Mauer's RBI groundout, which scored Denard Span.

Span led off the first with a walk and then stole second base without a throw. Matusz obviously didn't do a good job of holding the runner.

Matusz hasn't been able to five complete innings yet this spring and he's going to have to start getting some quick outs to do it tonight.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Starter Justin Duchscherer (hip) got through his bullpen session today with no problems. He threw half of it on the half mound and then finished it off on the full mound. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that club will have "more of a definitive plan" for Duchscherer tomorrow when he comes in and reports back to team officials on how he feels.

Second baseman Brian Roberts wasn't initially supposed to be in tonight's lineup but he called Showalter yesterday evening and asked to play tonight. With Francisco Liriano on the mound for Minnesota, Roberts wanted to get some more at-bats as a right-handed hitter.

Reliever Koji Uehara felt good today a day after his one-inning outing in a minor league game. Uehara will pitch in another minor league game Friday. Showalter said that if there are no setbacks going forward, Uehara would be in position to break camp with the club.

Brendan Harris, who had a growth removed from his back on Monday, remains a "day or two away," Showalter said.

Showalter said that today's meeting with the coaching staff lasted about an hour and a half, though cuts won't be announced until tomorrow. Asked about the number of cuts, Showalter said, "Depending how you look at it, it could be more than 10." Several of the cuts could be from the group of minor leaguers that have come over from Twin Lakes Park. That group includes Chris Jakubauskas, Chris George, Alberto Castillo and Mike Ballard. Technically, those guys were never on the Orioles' big league camp roster so I'm not sure they'd qualify as cuts if, in fact, they are on the list.

Manny Machado, the organization's top prospect who has joined the team from minor league camp, spent a lot of time in pregame near second baseman talking to Brian Roberts. I haven't seen him play in a game yet, but the kid certainly looks the part.

Asked about the decision to bring Machado up for the game, Showalter said, "We’ve moved everybody in here. He had a work day scheduled and he did all his work there. [Instructors Bobby Dickerson and Brady Anderson] were over there anyway this morning so they just put those four guys in the car and brought them here. He’s a guy that is able to play infield for us obviously. You guys know the other part of it."

When asked if Machado will get into the game, Showalter said, "If the need arises, just like all of the guys. We’ve got just about all of them in there – maybe, maybe not. Sometimes it’s a crisp, fast-moving game. I judge it not necessarily by the number of at-bats, but how the game moves. If it’s 13-9, you’ll probably see all of them. "

Showalter made sure not to single out the 18-year-old shortstop too much.

"It’s like [Billy Martin] told me long ago, ‘Try as you may, you ain’t going to screw up the good ones.’ We hope all of them, and the other guys we’ve brought over here, impact the Major League club. Some guys may benefit, some may not. Once they sign a contract, regardless of where they are drafted, they have certain things that are asked of all of them."

Finally, Showalter volunteered that the club gave expected Opening Day starter Jeremy Guthrie the day off today. He quipped, "We gave Guthrie off day today. He worked on his off day. We also needed a day off from Guthrie."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I have another name to add to the list of Oriole minor leaguers added to their roster for tonight's game and it's a rather big name: Manny Machado.

The organization's top prospect and the third overall pick in the 2010 draft will be in uniform tonight. It's obviously too early to know whether he'll play or not, but it's interesting to know that he's here.

Below is the Twins lineup that Brian Matusz will face tonight

TWINS
Denard Span, CF
Tsuyoshi Nishioka, 2B
Joe Mauer, C
Justin Morneau, 1b
Delmon Young, LF
Jason Kubel, DH
Michael Cuddyer, RF
Danny Valencia, 3B
Alexi Casilla, SS
Francisco Liriano, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

First things first, here is the Orioles lineup today against the Minnesota Twins at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers:

ORIOLES
Brian Roberts, 2B
Adam Jones, CF
Derrek Lee, 1B
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Jake Fox, LF
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Nolan Reimold, RF
Craig Tatum, C
Cesar Izturis, SS
Brian Matusz, SP

Also scheduled to pitch for Orioles: Jim Johnson, David Riske, Clay Rapada

The interesting aspect of this lineup is not only that Lee feels good enough to play, but Roberts is also in there. Orioles manager Buck Showalter had told us yesterday that Roberts would likely get the day off, so his inclusion is probably a sign that he's feeling pretty good.

Minor league pitchers Brandon Cooney, Sean Gleason, first baseman Tyler Townsend, outfielder Ronnie Welty and catcher Brian Ward will join the club for tonight's game.

The coaching staff had a long meeting today to discuss the composition of the Opening Day roster, but we're told that there will likely be no announcement of cuts today.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

We have a very simple question today at the bar.

We have asked around this one in the past, tiptoed a little bit. I am, after all, timid and unassuming.

But it looks like the verdict on this subject could be in Wednesday -- or shortly after Sunday’s split-squad games.

So here’s the big question of the spring for the Orioles: What do you do with 23-year-old lefty Zach Britton?

He has been the talk not only of Orioles’ camp, but also of a good faction of the baseball world, at least those of us in Florida. I have spoken to a few scouts who say Britton (one earned run in 14 big league innings) has impressed them more this month than any other young player.

This is what the New York Yankees’ Nick Swisher said about Britton after facing him Tuesday: “Wow. His ball moves anywhere. He is one of those guys where the ball feels like it is coming out of his ear. Good movement. Fastball’s pretty good. Everything has got movement.”

I have been on the Britton bandwagon for a couple of years now. He’s a good kid with the proper balance of confidence and respectfulness. He’s wide-eyed, yet not intimidated. He expects to be great, but he also doesn’t fear the work that needs to be done along the way.

I think he is going to be a very good pitcher. I’ve actually gone on record predicting that this guy is going to be the best of the bunch -- and it is a good bunch.

All that said, there’s absolutely no way Britton should start 2011 on the Orioles’ Opening Day roster. Not when he can be kept at Triple-A Norfolk for three weeks, which would guarantee he doesn’t get a full season of service time in 2011, meaning he wouldn’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2017 season.

If the Orioles put him on the Opening Day roster and he sticks in the big leagues all year and beyond, he becomes a free agent after the 2016 season.

I know a lot of fans want to see him at Camden Yards all year. And, yes, the fans deserve to watch the best team possible throughout the season. But it’s a no-brainer to sacrifice three starts in April for a full year in 2017.

By the way, I’m sure some of you will say this decision will leave a bitter taste in Britton’s mouth and that he’ll really resent the organization. Well, Britton is smart enough to know baseball is a business. He also knows that if he is patient, he’ll be up shortly.

And here’s one more thing about Britton: When he didn’t get a spring training invitation last spring after a great 2009 at Single-A, he was ticked. So what did he do? He busted his butt and won the organization’s 2010 Jim Palmer Prize.

He may view the decision to send him out of camp as a slight. But he’ll use it as motivation. I am sure of that.

That’s my take. I send him down until late April. Let’s hear what you think.

Daily Think Special: Zach Britton, up or down?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (52)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

I've joked several times this spring that Zach Britton could rattle off 15 scoreless and hitless innings in the Grapefruit League and he still probably wouldn't be in the Orioles' Opening Day rotation.

Britton, the 23-year-old who is the Orioles' top pitching prospect, has certainly tested that line of thinking by allowing just one earned run in 14 innings. That run came today in an otherwise solid five-inning effort in a 6-2 win over the New York Yankees.

The Yankees brought only two regulars (Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira), but Orioles officials have seen enough of Britton this spring to believe that he could handle himself against major league lineups. However, that will have to wait, even if it's for just a couple of weeks.

The Orioles are expected to make another round of cuts tomorrow, and manager Buck Showalter didn't exactly shoot down the suggestion that the young lefty could be among the players jettisoned to minor league camp. But for now, Britton is tentatively scheduled to pitch in one of the split-squad games Sunday.

"He’s scheduled, but something could happen in the meeting where that may change," Showalter said.

Britton has made only 12 starts at Triple-A, so the Orioles still want to see him get a little more experience under his belt. That obviously will be the reason that is given if Britton is cut tomorrow, and there is some truth to that. Britton still needs to work on his secondary pitches and getting outs quicker in the count.

But I think I'm stating the obvious in saying that Britton's demotion would be motivated largely by business reasons. At this point, the Orioles don't really care about calling Britton up early enough in 2011 that he would achieve Super 2 arbitration status and get four years of arbitration instead of the normal three. That would cost them some money, for sure, but that wouldn't prevent them from choosing him for the Opening Day roster.

What they do care about -- and this clearly is a legitimate concern -- is Britton earning a full year of major league service time and being eligible for free agency a year earlier than normal. To prevent him from getting a full year of service time, all the Orioles would have to do is keep Britton down in the minors until April 21, 20 days after the start of the baseball season.

I have been so impressed with Britton over the past five weeks. His stuff today drew raves from Teixeira and Swisher, as it isn't often you see a power left-hander who is throwing in the mid-90s with movement. I think he has a great future, and it wouldn't surprise me if he's the ace of the Orioles' staff one day.

However, it really is a no-brainer to start him in the minors. The Orioles don't need a fifth starter until April 10, and it would be absolutely foolish to start Britton with the big league club and blow a year of service time just for him to make two starts. Bring him up in late April and enjoy almost seven full seasons of him in your rotation before he is due to hit free agency. In the time being, see whether Justin Duchscherer can give you a couple of starts. Give Brad Bergesen and/or Chris TIllman a longer look. If you have to, keep stretching out Josh Rupe and have him make the two starts until you get to April 21 and can bring Britton up.

I know some fans are going to be all over the Orioles if -- or it probably makes more sense to say when -- Britton is demoted. But it is the right move, and if you don't believe me, I've talked to many baseball executives from different clubs over the past couple of weeks who acknowledged that the Orioles would be foolish to blow a year of a promising pitcher's service time just so he can be in the big leagues two weeks earlier.

Sure, it's a move motivated by the almighty dollar, but it also makes a ton of sense.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Note: Orioles left fielder Luke Scott was inadvertently omitted. He is considered a roster lock.

Posted by Steve Gould at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Chris Tillman had a solid outing against a team of Boston Triple-A players today at Twin Lakes Park, going six innings and allowing one earned run on seven hits. He walked none and struck out four. He actually got 22 total outs as several innings were prolonged to allow Tillman to get his pitch count up.

Meanwhile at Ed Smith Stadium, the Orioles lead the New York Yankees, 6-1 heading into the top of the fifth inning. J.J. Hardy just sent a Joba Chamberlain pitch over the wall in left center field for his second homer of the spring. Jake Fox hit his eighth of the spring in the Orioles' four-run bottom of the third.

Zach Britton has looked pretty filthy at times this afternoon. Heading into the top of the fifth, Britton has allowed one run on five hits and zero walks while striking out four.He's retired three of the last four Yankees that he's faced.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Orioles reliever Koji Uehara threw a scoreless inning today against a low-level minor league club for the Boston Red Sox. Uehara, who hadn't pitched since Feb.28 after having a cortisone shot in his right elbow, struck out one and threw 11 of his 12 pitches for strikes.

"Physically, I felt real good. The elbow felt good," Uehara said through interpreter Jiwon Bang. "I threw fastballs and splitters only. I expect to be facing better hitters in future."

Meanwhile, reliever Kevin Gregg also threw in a minor league game at Twin Lakes. He faced five batters, allowing two hits and hitting one. He threw 23 total pitches, 16 for strikes.

"I felt good today," Gregg said. "I got my mechanics back to where they used to be."

Josh Rupe and Chris Tillman are also throwing in minor league games at Twin Lakes Park today.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Veteran first baseman Derrek Lee go through batting practice with no issues. He won't start today, but he will get a couple of at-bats in the designated hitter's spot once Vladimir Guerrero is done for the day.

Right-hander Justin Duchscherer will throw a bullpen session tomorrow. He's been sidelined with a sore left hip. There is obviously not enough time left for Duchscherer to build up enough innings to be in the Opening Day rotation. However, Duchscherer said that his goal is to be ready on April 10, the first day the Orioles need a fifth starter.

“We discussed it," Duchscherer said. "He had me come in the other day and we went over how I’m feeling, what I’m thinking. They probably won’t need a fifth start until the 10th, so I told them I’ll do everything I can to get well by then, and hopefully I can. That’s the goal.”

Duchscherer sounded as optimistic as he has in a while about how he's feeling.

“Everything’s good," he said. "It’s more flexibility than anything. I think what was happening was as I throw, my left hip was really tightening up on me, so my range of motion had gotten really bad and I didn’t know. I went to throw and I was trying to get full range with my pitches, and it was irritating my hip. So we’ve been really focusing on stretching, and then we’re going to start doing some strengthening, so that when I start throwing again, it doesn’t start tightening back up. Everything’s really good so far, to where I think I’ll throw a bullpen tomorrow.”

Infielder Brendan Harris had a mole removed from his back yesterday. He should be sidelined for a couple of days.

Chris TIllman, Josh Rupe, Koji Uehara and Kevin Gregg are all pitching in minor league games at Twin Lakes Park today. Pitching coach Mark Connor will be over there watching them.

Now for the lineups:
ORIOLES
Brian Roberts, 2B
Nick Markakis, RF
Matt Wieters, C
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Luke Scott, LF
Adam Jones, CF
Mark Reynolds, 3B
J.J, Hardy, SS
Jake Fox, 1B
Zach Britton, SP

Also scheduled to pitch for the Orioles: Michael Gonzalez, Jason Berken.

YANKEES
Melky Mesa, CF
Nick Swisher, DH
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Andruw Jones, RF
Jesus Montero, C
Greg Golson, LF
Eduardo Nunez, SS
Ronnie Belliard, 2B
Brandon Laird, 3B
Sergio Mitre, SP

Also scheduled to pitch for Yankees: Joba Chamberlain, Boone Logan, Mark Prior and Luis Ayala.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

In an attempt to put the ball in play more and increase his average from a career worst .198 in 2010, new Oriole third baseman Mark Reynolds tweaked his mechanics this spring, replacing his usual toe-tap for a leg kick as he prepared for a pitch.

After half a spring with no homers and little offense to show for his troubles, he is scrapping the experiment and going back to an altered toe-tap as a timing mechanism. He felt he wasn’t generating the power he normally had when he drives the ball.

“I am comfortable and I think I can give myself more of a chance this way,” Reynolds said. “I am still trying to throw a few things out, but as far as now, I am feeling comfortable. I’m not going back to my old, ‘swing and hope I hit it’ thing. It’s more of a comfort-level thing. It’s what I have been doing throughout my career.”

Reynolds was 8-for 41 (.195 average) heading into Sunday. He went back to the toe-tap and had two hits in four at-bats against the Tampa Bay Rays and hopes it is a sign of breaking out of his spring slump.

Orioles hitting coach Jim Presley said Reynolds put on a power display in batting practice Sunday, with some slightly refined mechanics.

“He was just crushing the ball in BP,” Presley said. “He went back to his way that he feels comfortable and I think that is going to help him.”

With last year’s toe tap, Presley said Reynolds was drifting too far out front, his head was moving “a foot forward,” making him imbalanced and making a 92-mph fastball, “look like it is 96.” Now, the toe tap is less dramatic, but it is still present, allowing him to stay comfortable.

“He wanted a leg kick, and the leg kick wasn’t good for him,” Presley said. “He felt like he wasn’t getting enough load, so he went back to the other way. As long as you do a toe tap and you don’t drift forward and have a big stride, you are good.”

Reynolds is still looking for his first homer in a regular exhibition game this March.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

The Orioles have yet to post their lineup for the game today against the New York Yankees at Ed Smith Stadium. Part of the reason may be that veteran first baseman Derrek Lee's status is still in the air with his sore left foot.

"It's feeling good," Lee said. "I'll test it out today and hopefully get in there today. If not today, tomorrow. If I can run and hit, I'll play."

Lee admitted that he was concerned when the doctor said that he saw something suspicious with the X-ray.

"I said, 'Oh boy.' But it's fine. The next day, it was very sore, but now it's getting better all the time."

The Yankees had a game last night in Port Charlotte against the Tampa Bay Rays so their top lineup won't be represented at Ed Smith today. However, Orioles top pitching prospect Zach Britton will face a Yankees' lineup that includes Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira and Andruw Jones. Sergio Mitre will start for the Yankees.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Every now and then, we’ll have a conversation in the press box about how a former Oriole is doing this spring.

There are so many ex-Orioles out there that it would take forever to compile a list.

So I decided to limit one to guys that were on the 2010 team. This list includes the two players traded in the middle of the season, three dealt in the offseason, two taken in the Rule 5 draft and two who left in free agency.

Of the Orioles' seven free agents at the end of 2010, two (Ty Wigginton, Corey Patterson) signed with other teams, three (Koji Uehara, Cesar Izturis and Mark Hendrickson) re-signed with the Orioles and two (Kevin Millwood and Julio Lugo) have not found jobs.

Here are some spring stats for some 2010 Orioles who are in other camps:

Hitters
Miguel Tejada, SFG, 44 At-bats, 0 HR, 4 RBIs, .227 avg/.277 on-base/.273 slugging
Ty Wigginton, COL, 39 abs, 3 HRs, 9 RBIs, .282/.333/.590
Corey Patterson, TOR, 41 abs, 0 HR, 4 RBIs, 2 SBs, .195/.195/.268
Lou Montanez, CHC, 30 abs, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .233/.250/.333
Scott Moore, CHC, 37 abs, 3HRs, 9 RBIs, .351/.400/.676
Garrett Atkins, PIT (released Monday), 31 abs, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, .129/.182/.290

Pitchers
David Hernandez, ARZ, 8 games, 1.13 ERA, 8 IP, 2H, 1 ER, 5BBs, 7Ks
Kam Mickolio, ARZ, 8 games, 6.14 ERA, 7 1/3 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 6 BB, 10Ks, 2 HBP
Will Ohman, CWS, 6 games, 1.50 ERA, 6 IP, 4H, 1 ER, 1BB, 0K
Matt Albers, BOS, 7 games, 1.80 ERA, 10 IP, 8H, 2 ER, 0BB, 11 Ks
Pedro Beato, NYM (Rule 5), 8 games, 4.70 ERA, 7 2/3 IP, 9H, 4ER, 3BBs, 3Ks
Pat Egan, MIL (Rule 5), 6 games, 0.00 ERA, 6 1/3 IP, 6H, 0BB, 2Ks, 2 Saves

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Orioles likely Opening Day starter Jeremy Guthrie just finished his outing against Minnesota Twins minor leaguers.

In six innings, the right-hander allowed one earned run on four hits and no walks while striking out four. He actually got 20 total outs as several of the innings were prolonged to get Guthrie's pitch count up. He threw 82 total pitches, 56 for strikes.

"I enjoyed building up again and trying to get six innings, which we did," Guthrie said. "I was working on the execution of pitches, working on a couple of sequences. I felt a lot better today. I felt strong throughout the outing. That was good to throw 81 or 82 pitches, and feel the same consistently throughout the outing."

In his previous outing, Guthrie tired at the end and started to get hit around a little by Triple-A Boston Red Sox hitters. He finished much stronger today, allowing his only run in the second inning. After a Dustin Martin RBI single with two outs in the second, Guthrie retired nine straight batters.

"That was important to me, to not feel tired in the last innings," he said. "I didn’t feel that today where the last game in the fifth inning, I felt like I had thrown more pitches than I had. That’s good. That means the body is getting built up and prepared to hopefully work deep ito the games."

Guthrie's next start - and his final tune-up before Opening Day - will likely be on Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin. As I wrote earlier, if he stayed on four day's rest, he'd face the Tampa Bay Rays in his final spring outing on Saturday. But no way Orioles manager Buck Showalter would allow that so close to Opening Day. So he'll probably pitch on five day's rest against the Jays, a team the Orioles don't play for the first time until June.

"That would be a more likely scenario," Guthrie said of facing the Jays next Sunday. "I have to talk to Buck and [pitching coach Mark Connor] and figure out what the exact plan is. But obviously that would be a more likely scenario than pitching five days from now against Tampa."

Showalter also said that first baseman Derrek Lee came to the park today to get treatment on his sore left foot. Showalter said that he feels better and there is a chance that he could play tomorrow as the designated hitter against the New York Yankees. Showalter also said that if it was the regular season, Lee likely would be playing.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

Today is the Orioles’ one scheduled camp-wide off day this spring. However, likely Opening Day starter Jeremy Guthrie will still go to work and throw in a minor league game this morning against the Minnesota Twins at Ed Smith Stadium. I’ll have a quick update on the blog after his outing is done, hopefully with some comments from the right-hander.

Guthrie’s next start after today, if he stays on the regular four-day schedule, would fall next Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays. However, he will not be pitching in that game obviously because the Rays will be his opponent on Opening Day and you don’t want them to get a look at Guthrie so close to the opener. So there is a good chance Guthrie takes five days in between his next start and pitches in one of the Orioles’ split-squad games next Sunday – at home against the Boston Red Sox; or on the road against the Toronto Blue Jays. My guess is it will be in Dunedin against the Blue Jays because the Orioles don’t face them until early June. They have two series versus Boston before their first against Toronto.

Also today, veteran first baseman Derrek Lee is supposed to be at the Ed Smith complex to get treatment on his sore left foot. I suspect we won’t hear anything definitive on Lee until tomorrow. Orioles manager Buck Showalter is hoping to have him and Brian Roberts in the lineup Tuesday as the New York Yankees visit Ed Smith.

The Orioles will face the Pittsburgh Pirates at home on Thursday night, but you won’t see Garrett Atkins at that game. The infielder, who flopped with the Orioles last season, didn’t do much better with the Pirates this spring, hitting .129 in 17 games and getting his release today.

And one final thing: The website Stadium Journey publishes reviews of pro and college sports stadium, and recently posted a review of Ed Smith Stadium. Check that out here, and if you were lucky enough to attend a game there this spring, feel free to leave your comments. I’ve said it several times to anyone who will listen, but I couldn’t be more impressed with the job the organization and everyone involved did with the stadium.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Orioles picked up veteran Ryan Drese after his seventh-inning meltdown by scoring two runs in the ninth inning to beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 9-8, today at the Charlotte Sports Park. Mike Ballard pitched a perfect ninth to finalize a solid 2 1/3-inning outing in which he allowed just one hit.

Brendan Harris started the top of the ninth with a single off Rays reliever Mike Ekstrom. After Nolan Reimold liner in the gap was run down by center fielder Sam Fuld, Xavier Avery singled to put runners on first and second with one out. Brandon Waring struck out and Josh Bell quickly fell behind before working a full-count walk. Nick Green then lined a single to center to score two runs. The Orioles improved to 10-11-2 this spring.

Brad Bergesen started the game and allowed two runs on eight hits and a walk over five innings. It was a decent performance, but manager Buck Showalter understandably wants to see a little more improvement from his projected third or fourth starter.

“He had some counts in his favor and couldn’t quite finish it off,” Showalter said. “I’d like to see, when he gets himself in some good counts, and not necessarily strikes the guy out, but make quality pitches. There were some firm balls hit off him today. Hopefully, we’re getting there. I’ve seen him more crisp, which is normal. He’ll get the ball a couple more times and we’ll see where we are with it.”

Also after the game, Showalter said that first baseman Derrek Lee is feeling a little bit better and could play tomorrow in a minor league game started by Jeremy Guthrie. However, it is probably more likely that Lee waits until Tuesday to return and then joins a lineup headed by Brian Roberts.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 4:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

The Orioles now trail 8-7 here in the bottom of the seventh as Ryan Drese just served up a six-run seventh inning, including a go-ahead, three-run homer to Justin Ruggiano.

However, the most important news for the Orioles is second baseman Brian Roberts said that he felt good after his first game action since March 7. Below are some of his comments:

On how he felt: "Better than sitting on the sidelines. It was a beautiful day, good atmosphere.
It was fun to get out there and play. I figured I’d swing at some point. I wasn’t sure if it’d be a strike or not but I figured I’d swing."

On how important it was to get back and see pitches: "Obviously, very. You know, I
don’t want to walk out there without seeing any pitches on Opening Day, so it was good to get out there and track some pitches."

On whether he is concerned how back will feel tomorrow: "No, I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t feel good. It felt fine every day since and I haven’t done that much different [today] than what I had done the last three, four days."

On whether there was anything he wanted to make sure he did: "Not really. Obviously you are going to have to pass tests as you go, steal a base or slide or make a play, or whatever
for the most part, Just getting out there and seeing game speed and swinging the
bat game speed, is as big an adjustment as any."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The Orioles currently lead the Tampa Bay Rays 7-2 today heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.

In his return to the lineup, second baseman Brian Roberts went 0-for-2 with a strikeout and a walk. He saw a total of 10 pitches and swung at one of them, but he looked comfortable.

The hitters behind him, however, are enjoying a pretty nice day. Adam Jones went 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI. Nick Markakis went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Luke Scott and Mark Reynolds had two hits each.

Meanwhile, starter Brad Bergesen had a better day. He allowed a plethora of hard-hit balls and was in trouble often, but he surrendered just the two earned runs on eight hits and a walk over five innings. He got out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth by retiring Manny Ramirez on a flyout to right field. He threw 74 total pitches, 50 for strikes.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

First, here is the Rays lineup that Brad Bergesen and Ryan Drese are going to have to contend with this afternoon Charlotte Sports Park. I gave the Orioles lineup earlier and it still doesn't include Derrek Lee.

RAYS
Ben Zobrist, 2B
Johnny Damon, DH
Evan Longoria, 3B
Manny Ramirez, LF
Matt Joyce, RF
B.J. Upton, CF
Dan Johnson, 1B
Kelly Shoppach, C
Reid Brignac, SS
Jeff Niemann, SP

More on the Orioles, the list of pitchers from big league camp throwing in minor league games today is growing. It now includes Rick VandenHurk, Clay Rapada and Mark Hendrickson in addition to Adrian Rosario, Jeremy Accardo and Jim Johnson. This will mark back-to-back outings for both Rapada and Johnson.

By now, you've read that Derrek Lee, who was supposed to play for his second straight day, is dealing with a sore left foot after fouling a ball off it yesterday. Here is Showalter's direct quote on the situation:

"Derrek goes home last night and [head athletic trainer Richie Bancells] called me and said, ‘We got a problem,’" Showalter said, this morning. "He said that [Lee] was fine when he left here but he was sitting in a chair or whatever and he said, ‘Richie, this thing is killing me. [It] is throbbing, I don’t know what’s going on here. I’ve never had anything like this.’ I’m [saying], ‘perfect.’ Anyway, it was a long night. He went to get an X-ray and the X-ray had said everything looked OK with the exception of one spot the guy was concerned with. He had an MRI this morning at 8 o’clock, and we just got the results back and that’s clean. So we dodged a bullet there, it looks like."

Brian Roberts looked fine taking batting practice today so it will be interesting to see how that translates to the game. Roberts will get either two or three at-bats. Let's hope for no head-first slides.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

First baseman Derrek Lee, who made his Orioles' debut yesterday and was supposed to play again today, is no longer in the lineup because of a sore left foot. Lee fouled a ball off his left foot during his first at-bat against Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels.

Lee was in significant pain last night, and had both an X-ray and a magnetic resonance imaging performed. Manager Buck Showalter said both came out clean. The X-ray originally turned up one area of concern; however, it apparently checked out fine in the MRI. It's still too early to make any determinations as far as Lee's availability. Showalter didn't totally rule him out from playing today, but that appears unlikely. If Lee is shutdown for any more time this spring, it probably means that he'll start the season on the disabled list. But again, much too early to make that determination.

Some other tidbits: The Orioles will likely make another round of cuts on Wednesday or Thursday. .... Minor leaguers Eddie Gamboa, Sean Gleason, Xavier Avery, Carlos Rojas, Brandon Waring and Kyle Hudson are scheduled to join the big league team today in Port Charlotte ... Adrian Rosario, Jim Johnson and Jeremy Accardo will pitch today in a minor league game. That will represent back-to-back days for Johnson ... Koji Uehara will pitch in a minor league game on Tuesday, and it's likely Chris Tillman will as well. Zach Britton will probably start the big league game that day against the New York Yankees. ... Showalter said that the club will continue to stretch out Josh Rupe, who has emerged as a serious candidate to come north with the club. Rupe also will likely throw in a minor league game on Tuesday.

Brian Roberts will make his return today. Below is the lineup for the Orioles game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Port Charlotte.

ORIOLES
Brian Roberts, 2B
Adam Jones, CF
Nick Markakis, RF
Luke Scott, DH
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Felix Pie, LF
Jake Fox, 1B
J.J. Hardy, SS
Craig Tatum, C
Brad Bergesen, SP

Pitching for the Rays: Jeff Niemann.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

The Orioles have been searching for years to re-create the old “Oriole Way” of instruction and development that dominated the organization from the late 1960s until the early 1980s.

Real tough to do that. Probably impossible in this day and age of free agency and millionaire draftees.

But the last two days have served as a nice reminder of what once was.

Former Oriole manager and Hall of Famer Earl Weaver has been at the Ed Smith complex each of the past two days. On Saturday, he spent 30 minutes talking with the Orioles’ minor-league and major-league staffs.

“We had fun with Earl today,” said current Orioles manager Buck Showalter. “I asked him some questions after a while, to give him a little breather. He was having as much fun as we were.”

Showalter said Weaver spoke about a variety of topics, including Weaver’s experience in the minors in player development. They also had a spirited interaction about umpires, one in which Weaver was asked which umpire was his favorite.

We didn't get specifics, but let’s just say his answer about the men in blue apparently ncorporated some blue language.

Showalter said Weaver also had some fun joshing with former Orioles nemesis Willie Randolph, now Showalter’s bench coach, and former hitting coach and current special hitting instructor Terry Crowley.

The current manager said he took a lot from listening to the organization’s winningest skipper.

“I asked him about the Oriole Way and, ‘tell me what it meant to you,'” Showalter said. “The more you are around things like that, the more you realize there are reasons why. He obviously has a lot of passion for the Orioles.”

Showalter has often been compared to Weaver, especially their physical appearances. Weaver made that point on Friday while waiting in the lobby of the club’s offices.

“I thought that might have been me sitting over there,” Weaver said about Showalter in the dugout. “You couldn’t tell.”

Weaver, who is 80 and lives in Fort Lauderdale, said he still follows the Orioles every day during the season. That’s the first thing he looks at in his morning newspaper. He knows many of the players’ names and a couple – pitchers Brad Bergesen and Jason Berken – asked him for an autograph this week. That, too, was a pretty cool moment.

Overall, Weaver said he thinks Showalter was a great hire.

“He did a heck of a job the second half of last season when he got here,” Weaver said Friday. “I hope it continues.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

Jake Arrieta left in the fifth inning Saturday after walking his first two batters of the inning and then getting a pop-up from Jimmy Rollins.

Clay Rapada entered in relief and the Phillies’ Shane Victorino hit Rapada’s second pitch over the left-field wall to tie the game at 5-5. It was the third homer yielded by Rapada in 6 2/3 innings pitched this spring.

Arrieta was charged with four runs on four hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out two.

Arrieta threw 79 pitches, 48 for strikes in his longest outing of the spring. He hadn’t walked any batters until the fifth. He twice had perfect innings against a Philadelphia team that had four regulars in the lineup.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 2:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Derrek Lee’s first Orioles’ game ended in the bottom of the fourth inning, when Jake Fox entered to pinch-hit.

Lee, who hadn’t played this spring due to a sore right wrist, walked in his first plate appearance and later scored the Orioles’ third run of the first inning. Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels struck out Lee in his second trip to the plate in the second.

Lee also fielded two groundballs at first base; one unassisted, one a flip to Jake Arrieta.

He is scheduled to play again on Sunday.

Fox, by the way, doubled as a pinch-hitter, chasing Hamels from the game with the Orioles leading 4-2 in the fourth. Hamels struck out five, walked three and allowed seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. Hamels was charged with five runs when former Oriole Danys Baez allowed a RBI single up the middle to Vladimir Guerrero.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 2:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Orioles first baseman Derrek Lee (sore wrist) took his first spring at-bat moments ago against Philadelphia lefty Cole Hamels.

He came to the plate with runners on first and second and no outs in the first and fouled off his first pitch. He swung through a second and then took the next four to draw a walk and load the bases.

Vladimir Guerrero followed with a RBI single and teh Orioles took a 1-0 lead. The Orioles tacked on two more in the first on a Nolan Reimold RBI walk and a Randy Winn RBI groundout.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said today that not only will Lee likely go to Port Charlotte tomorrow to play the Tampa Bay Rays, but Brian Roberts (back) is also expected to make the trip.

He hasn't played since March 7.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Orioles have announced five cuts today.

Outfielder Matt Angle and infielder Brandon Snyder have been sent to AAA Norfolk and infielder Ryan Adams and pitcher Armando Gabino have been sent to minor league camp.

Adams, a former second-rounder, opened eyes with his bat in camp, batting .500 with two homers in 18 at-bats. Snyder, a former first-rounder, hit .343 this spring in 35 at-bats.

After the game, the Orioles sent Wynn Pelzer to the minors. The right-hander was 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA in four games.

The Orioles current spring roster is down to 40 players.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

Former Orioles shortstop Mike Bordick, who replaced Cal Ripken Jr. at shortstop in 1997 and set a major league record for errorless games at the position in 2002, will be inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame this year.

Bordick, 45, played with the Orioles from 1997 to 2000 and again in 2001 and 2002. He is in his second year as the club’s coordinator of offensive fundamentals.

“I got a phone call a few days ago and they said I was inducted and I had to make sure they had the right guy, to be honest with you,” Bordick said. “I don’t know what I did to actually deserve that, but it’s definitely a great honor.”

Bordick actually played longer with the Oakland A’s than he did with the Orioles. But he has made his home in Baltimore for nearly 15 years and considers himself an Oriole. A non-drafted free agent in 1986 who signed with Oakland, he was a .260 career hitter in 14 big-league seasons. He had one of the greatest years as a defensive shortstop in 2002, making just one error and setting a major-league record for shortstops with 110 consecutive errorless games.

“I guess the errorless streak means something because I guess I hung my hat on my defense. That’s what got me to the big leagues,” Bordick said. “But maybe just being a pro and learning from some of the greatest guys, their work ethic and all with Oakland.

“Guys like Carney Landsford and Terry Steinbach and Dave Stewart, seeing how they went about their business on a daily basis. And then to come over and have the greatest one of all time, Cal Ripken, and see how he handled it, both on and off the field, I think helped a player like me.”

Bordick will forever be known as the man who moved Ripken from shortstop to third base in 1997.

Also on the ballot this year for the Orioles Hall of Fame were Bordick’s former teammates Rafael Palmeiro, Roberto Alomar and Jesse Orosco. To be eligible, a player must have spent at least three seasons with the Orioles. Selected Members of the Orioles Advocates and the local media vote on the Orioles' Hall of Fame each year.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

First baseman Derrek Lee, who has not played in a game due to right wrist soreness, will make his Orioles’ debut this afternoon against the Philadelphia Phillies at Ed Smith Stadium.

He is playing first base and batting third.

“It’s good. Get some work for April 1. I get to play instead of practicing all the time,” said Lee, who the Orioles signed to a one-year free agent deal this winter. “It’s what, March 19th, and I haven’t been out there yet so it will be good to get my feet wet.”

He won’t have any easy assignment for his first game: He’ll be facing the Phillies’ lefty Cole Hamels.

“It doesn’t matter, I just have got to get out there and get some at-bats,” Lee said. “Get out there on defense. Hopefully, running the bases, get the feel back.”

Also in today’s lineup is catcher Craig Tatum, who hadn’t played in a week due to a tweaked muscle in his side.

Here is the lineup for the Orioles and Phillies:

Orioles:
Robert Andino 2B, Adam Jones CF, Derrek Lee 1B, Vladimir Guerrero DH, Mark Reynolds 3B, Nolan Reimold LF, Randy Winn RF, Brendan Harris SS, Craig Tatum C. Jake Arrieta P.

Phillies:
Jimmy Rollins SS, Shane Victorino CF, Raul Ibanez LF, Ross Gload DH, Ben Francisco RF, John Mayberry Jr. 1B, Pete Orr 2B, Josh Barfield 2B, Erik Kratz C, Cole Hamels P.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said after Friday’s game that first baseman Derrek Lee may make his spring Orioles debut on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Lee, who is dealing with a sore wrist, took batting practice Friday and said he felt good. If he feels fine when he comes to the park Saturday morning, Showalter said Lee will be in the lineup and should “get two to three at-bats.”

Brian Roberts (back) is improving but won’t play Saturday. Monday’s minor league game is a more realistic target. Catcher Craig Tatum will play in that Triple-A game Monday; he’ll catch Jeremy Guthrie.

Here’s Showalter on Brian Matusz’s performance on Friday, in which he struck out eight and allowed six hits, one run and no walks in 4 2/3 innings – the longest outing in a big-league game this spring by an Oriole. Matusz threw 80 pitches, 54 for strikes.

“He was pretty effective. He had more of a downhill plane. He was pretty good. I’d like to see him get through the fifth inning. He had 80 pitches. He wasn’t very pitch efficient,” Showalter said. “I thought the command of his fastball is really what I’m looking for. 80 pitches in four and something, he’s going to have to get better at that.”

Here is Showalter on his disappointment with left fielder Luke Scott, who threw to the wrong base in the Minnesota Twins’ two-run seventh and on his disappointment with Jake Fox, who grounded out to third with no outs and Scott on second in the seventh.

“The two things that cost us the ballgame is we had the throw to third base, cost us a run, and the bad at-bat with a man on second and nobody out. We can’t have that. We should win that game, 3-2, and we lost it, 3-2. We can’t have that during the season because it’s going to turn around real quickly.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Orioles young lefty Brian Matusz was smiling broadly as he discussed his outing tonight against the Minnesota Twins at Ed Smith Stadium. Matusz allowed one run on six hits and no walks over 4 2/3 innings, and he struck out eight. He now has a 3.65 ERA this spring.

Here are some of his comments
On whether tonight was the best he has felt: "I felt good out there. This last week, working with [bullpen coach] Rick Adair and [pitching coach] Mark Connor a lot to be honest with you …
I just had a good rhythm today. I had a good rhythm and a good delivery, and that’s the ultimate goal to get in that rhythm so you’re ready for the season. Today was the first time out there I really had that this spring and it felt good. It felt really good. I was throwing all my pitches, it’s the best my changeup has been in a while. I threw a couple good sliders."

On importance of having good results: "It’s huge. It’s confidence. It’s everything. I’m right on track. I’m working hard, I’m trying to get my delivery back toward having a good groove. I don’t believe I walked a guy, and that’s important, too. I got to a couple three-ball counts and I was able to just make pitches. And not give out free passes, it’s huge. I’m finally getting in a groove."

On refining his mechanics: "It felt natural today because everything was working together. I had that good flow, that consistent groove to where I’m not yanking or jerking my body or anything like that. So that’s the ultimate goal, to get in that groove where you feel it on every pitch and it’s consistent. I feel like I made huge strides in these last few days to get there."

On Opening Day looming: "It’s time to really get in that groove and feel it and start stepping it up a little bit. Take that next level. It’s nice to have that outing today. And it doesn’t stop here, it’s going to continue every day. Just got to keep working, understanding that feel and keep it going. Keep it going."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Lefty Brian Matusz became the first Orioles pitcher to go more than four innings in a big-league spring training game, allowing six hits and one run while walking none and striking out eight Minnesota Twins in 4 2/3 innings.

He threw 80 pitches, 54 for strikes and was pulled after striking out the last batter he faced, Matt Tolbert. He now has 13 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings this spring.

Tolbert hit a solo homer in the third, an inning in which Matusz fanned the other three batters he faced.

Matusz left with two outs and a runner on second in the fifth. Reliever Alberto Castillo walked Justin Morneau and plunked Jeff Bailey to load the bases before striking out Luke Hughes to end the inning.

It’s 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth. Vladimir Guerrero had a RBI single in the fourth, scoring Nick Markakis, who had doubled.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Some highlights from Buck Showalter’s pre-game session

Derrek Lee (wrist) is taking live batting practice on the main field today; Brian Roberts (back) is taking live BP on the back field. Showalter didn’t rule out one of them playing in a game tomorrow – assuming the batting practice session goes well.

Roberts said earlier today that he assumes he’ll go through a few more days of drills, so the guess is that if someone plays tomorrow it will be Lee.

Showalter will make cuts tomorrow. He said there will be more than three and less than 10 taken off the roster.

When told of Justin Duchscherer’s proclamation earlier today that he still expects to make the Opening Day rotation despite pitching just two innings because of left hip soreness, Showalter said he is “not going to throw water over that right now.” But it’s still a longshot that will happen.

Craig Tatum (right side) is a full-go for baseball activities. He hasn’t played in a game since Saturday with a intercostals muscle tweak.

The coaching staff will meet with Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Here’s the lineup for Friday’s night game against the Twins:

Hardy, 6; Markakis, 9; Jones 8; Guerrero DH, Reynolds 5; Scott 7; Fox 3; Wieters 2; Izturis 4.

Brian Matusz is starting and Jason Berken and Clay Rapada are also pitching. Francisco Liriano is pitching for the Twins.

Justin Duchscherer (left hip) threw from 100 feet on flat ground yesterday and expects to do it again today. He said he thinks he can be ready to be on the Opening Day roster.

Brian Roberts (back) expects to hit live batting practice today from a coach and take ground balls in the infield. He said he doesn’t know exactly when he’ll play in a game.

The front lobby of the Orioles’ offices had some pretty impressive visitors on Friday.
Former Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver came up from Fort Lauderdale to meet with some Orioles boosters. He also talked with Orioles manager Buck Showalter and was expected to speak to the coaching staff.

While he was sitting in the lobby with his wife, several current and former Orioles came up to him, including pitchers Brad Bergesen and Jason Berken who asked Weaver to sign baseballs for them.

A few minutes later, former big-league manager Joe Torre, now working for the commissioner’s office, came into the lobby and chatted with Weaver.

Berken also got Torre’s autograph.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Earlier this spring I interviewed Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera, who isn’t exactly rushing to speak to the media these days after his recent drunk-driving arrest.

Cabrera spoke on this occasion, however, because the subject was Jim Presley, the new Orioles hitting coach who was Cabrera’s hitting coach for a couple years in Florida.

I used one of the quotes in my story today on Presley and Terry Crowley, but here is a little more from Cabrera that I didn’t use.

Cabrera on Presley: “He’s a great hitting coach. He knows what he is doing, which is a very important thing. When I worked with him on the Marlins he always worked hard with me. He always says the right thing to you, when you were doing wrong and when you are doing good.”

On the Orioles hiring Presley: “I think there is going to be a lot of success with him. I think he is going to help a lot of the good hitters they’ve got in Baltimore.”

On Presley’s work with young hitters: “He had a lot of work to do with a lot of young players there. He worked with me a lot, but he did a lot with Hanley, with Uggla. I think (the Orioles) have to be thankful for him. I know, because I see it. The way he helped those guys (in Florida) play in the big leagues. They have to be appreciative of him, because all of the good things that happened to these guys now, they happened in one way because of Presley.”

On their relationship: “He helped me a lot, too. One year, I hit .339 with him. That’s my top average in the big league, I almost won the batting title with him, so, to me, he is one of the best hitting coaches I’ve ever played for.”

On Presley’s hitting philosophy: “It depends on the hitter. That’s a good thing a hitting coach has to learn. Everybody is not the same. He knows when you have to be educated. He knows what he needs to tell you in a specific time. He can tell something to me but he can tell something (different) to a leadoff hitter too. He knows what he is doing as well as anyone as far as hitting is concerned. He makes different adjustments, he has to. Working in the big leagues, you work with too many players, so you have to do a lot of adjustments and know what to say to a specific player.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Buck Showalter’s post-game comments after the Orioles 13-3 win versus Pittsburgh:

Showalter was asked again about Jake Fox, who hit two more homers Thursday and now has a major-league leading seven this spring, including four in his past three games.

Showalter has said repeatedly that he knows Fox can hit, but he wants to see him play better behind the plate to secure a spot on the team.

“I want him to show me what he can do catching. We all know he is capable of doing some good things with the bat. He had a good game behind the plate, a better game behind the plate. That’s really what I was looking at today.”

When asked if it were possible for a guy with seven spring homers not to make the team, Showalter simply said: “Yes.”

Chris Tillman’s line was: 4 innings pitched, three hits, three walks, two strikeouts and one unearned run. Tillman threw 71 pitches, 43 for strikes. Afterward Tillman acknowledged he needed to throw more strikes. He also said he had trouble adjusting to the McKechnie Field mound after throwing off a bullpen mound that was much steeper than regulation.

This is what Showalter said about Tillman:

“It happens in most every ballpark in the big leagues, you have to make adjustments,” Showalter said. “I think his command needs to be better but he threw some good cutters. That was working for him today. It is something he hasn’t had to get him out of those (tough) situations. I thought he was OK. But he is capable of being better.”

Showalter joked that he is going to continue to hit catcher Matt Wieters fourth – Wieters went 4-for-5 Thursday after going 6-for-29 this spring.

The Orioles had indoor batting practice Thursday and ended up collecting 20 hits and 13 runs, prompting Showalter to joke that hitting coach Jim Presley “said we’ll be hitting in the cages again tomorrow.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

Chris Tillman and Zach Britton are close friends and they also are the two leading candidates for the Orioles' fifth starter job. They both pitched today, but you could probably learn a little more from Tillman's outing because it was against a big league team (cue the Pittsburgh Pirates' jokes but I'm not going there).

Against the Pirates, Tillman allowed one unearned run on three hits and three walks while striking out two over four innings. The defense was pretty bad behind him, though Tillman didn't help matters by running too many deep counts. He threw 71 pitches, 43 for strikes.

Meanwhile, Britton faced Single-A players from the Tampa Bay Rays at a minor league game today at Twin Lakes Park. He threw five scoreless innings, allowing four hits, walking one and striking out three. A couple of innings were extended to satisfy Britton's pitch count and one was rolled over after he recorded only one out in the frame. Britton has thrown nine scoreless innings against Grapefruit League teams this spring but his latest outing won't count against his statistics.

The Orioles are leading the big league game 6-3 in the sixth inning. Jeremy Accardo, who had thrown seven scoreless innings before today, just allowed two runs in the bottom of the fifth. One was unearned.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

A night after most of the regulars managed just one hit in a 10-0 loss to the New York Yankees in Tampa, the Orioles are having a fine time offensively at the expense of Pittsburgh Pirates starter Ross Ohlendorf.

They just battered him for six runs and seven hits in the top of the third at McKechnie Field to take a 6-1 lead. The loudest swing of the inning was taken by catcher Jake Fox, who deposited an Ohlendorf pitch onto the roof of a building beyond the left-field wall at McKechnie Field. Fox's sixth homer of the spring was a two-run shot.

All six of the Orioles' runs in the frame came with two outs. J.J. Hardy, who made an error in the second inning that led to a run off Chris Tillman, drove in the first run with a single to center. Nolan Reimold followed with an RBI single and then Matt Wieters hit a two-run double on a ball that should have been caught by left fielder Jose Tabata.

Fox then hit the two-run homer.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

First baseman Derrek Lee is scheduled to hit in the cage today. Mike Bordick will be the pitcher so this would still qualify as live batting practice. Second baseman Brian Roberts will do some defensive work and hit off the tee again. It's possible that he could take some living batting practice, but that may have to wait a day or two.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that it's 50-50 that either Lee or Roberts get in games by the weekend, but they are both progressing.

Reliever Koji Uehara will probably throw another bullpen before getting in a game. He's a candidate to pitch in a minor league game against the Minnesota Twins in what is otherwise an off day for Oriole big leaguers. Jeremy Guthrie will start that game against Twins' minor leaguers.

Zach Britton is pitching in a minor league game today and Kevin Gregg will do the same tomorrow.

Minor leaguers Greg Miclat, Brandon Waring, Miguel Abreu and Danny Figueroa will join the club for today's game.

Pitcher Justin Duchscherer remains sidelined, but they should have a plan for him in a day or two and he could resume throwing.

The Orioles will make another round of roster cuts in the next two days. The coaching staff will have a meeting tomorrow to discuss some of those decisions tomorrow.
.
Former Orioles manager Earl Weaver will come to camp and meet with the Orioles' coaching staff on Saturday. The day before that, Joe Torre, who now works for the commissioner's office, will meet with Showalter and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail.

And finally, here is the Orioles lineup for this afternoon's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at McKechnie Field in Bradenton.

ORIOLES
Felix Pie, CF
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nolan Reimold, LF
Matt Wieters, DH
Jake Fox, C
Randy Winn, RF
Brendan Harris, 2B
Josh Bell, 3B
Brandon Snyder, 1B
Chris Tillman, SP

Also scheduled to pitch for Orioles: Josh Rupe, Jeremy Accardo
Scheduled to start for Pirates: Ross Ohlendorf

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

You knew a bar named Connolly’s would be open today. Can’t make any promises about tomorrow.

We’ll make this quick because we have lots of beer to dye – and it won’t be the color of orange Kool-Aid.

Tomorrow marks the two-week point before Opening Day, and frankly there are plenty of questions and concerns surrounding these Orioles.

I want to know what has you the most concerned.

My choice is the health of Brian Roberts. Yes, it is a team game, but Roberts makes the offense go and provides stability on defense. If he is out for an extended period, this is a different club. We’ve all seen that.

Buck Showalter is hopeful Roberts, Derrek Lee and Koji Uehara will be available soon.

Lee hasn’t played in a spring game, so there has to be some concern there. Uehara hasn’t thrown to a hitter since the exhibition opener and the club’s other closer option, Kevin Gregg, has had consecutive rough outings, so maybe you have some new worries about the back-end of the bullpen.

Luke Scott and Mark Reynolds, among others, are struggling.

The young starting pitching hasn’t been consistently effective.

Yeah, I know, St. Patrick’s Day is supposed to be a happy and fun holiday. So I’ll stop giving suggestions.

Daily Think Special: What’s your biggest Orioles’ concern two weeks before Opening Day?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (76)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

Not a good night

It was a bad night for the Orioles, and not much to say afterward for Orioles’ manager Buck Showalter.

The New York Yankees beat the Orioles 10-0. They were no-hit through six innings by 24-year-old right-hander Ivan Nova and managed just one hit, a double in the seventh by Vladimir Guerrero against Mariano Rivera.

Seven Orioles relievers combined to give up 12 hits, six walks and 10 runs.

“We knew we were going to pitch the game out of the bullpen. Some guys threw the ball well, some guys struggled,” Showalter said. “Didn’t swing the bats very well. Another day. There will be more games, see more people play.”

Set-up man Jim Johnson started the game and gave up one run on three hits in one inning. Michael Gonzalez and Armando Gabino each allowed a run and Clay Rapada gave up two.

The worst performance was turned in by Rick VandenHurk, who didn’t retire any of the six batters he faced. He was charged with five runs on three hits, three walks and a wild pitch.

“He didn’t have a very good statistical outing,” Showalter said. “The first three base hits were ground balls that found holes, you have to keep that in mind. (Johnson’s) first inning was two broken-bat singles so you try to keep that in mind. … Certainly the walks weren’t good and the deep counts. That usually happens when you are playing the Yankees.”

The brightest spot on the mound was Mark Hendrickson, who allowed one walk and struck out one in two hitless innings.

“Mark had a couple good innings. He elevated a couple balls, but made some real good pitches with two strikes, put some guys away,” Showalter said. “Mark threw the ball well tonight, two innings. Statistically he had a good outing.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

The Orioles may have helped an American League East rival make a tough decision.

New York Yankees young right-hander Ivan Nova, who is competing for a spot in the Yankees’ rotation, was spectacular Wednesday night.

He plunked Robert Andino to lead off the game and has been practically perfect since in six innings. The only other Oriole to reach base in the first six innings was Adam Jones, who got to first on an Alex Rodriguez error. Nova struck out four while allowing no hits and no walks. He faced 19 batters, just one over the minimum.

Perhaps most impressive, Nova needed just 59 pitches, 41 for strikes, in six innings. He was replaced by Mariano Rivera.

The Orioles are down 4-0 heading into the seventh. Rodriguez hit a two-run homer against Clay Rapada in the bottom of the sixth.

The Orioles have used a carousel of relievers, with Jim Johnson starting the game and giving up three hits and one run in one inning. The damage could have been worse, but Mark Reynolds turned a 5-3 double play with runners on second and third and no outs.

Mark Hendrickson threw two scoreless innings and David Riske had one. Michael Gonzalez gave up a run in his lone inning pitched.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Second baseman Brian Roberts played catch today and then hit off the tee, taking 20 swings from the right side and 20 from the left side. Roberts, who has been sidelined with back discomfort, hasn't played in a game since March 7. However, he doesn't seem to think it's going to be too long until he starts taking live batting practice and getting into games.

"Feels good. No problems. I’m pretty confident moving forward we’re not going to have any setbacks," he said. "There’s obviously a progression, which we’ll go through. I’m not going to get in a game after hitting twice off a tee, but I don’t think this is going to be a long progression. I don’t think anybody foresees that. Date-wise, I don’t know for sure, but I think if everything goes well, it shouldn’t be too long."

Jeremy Guthrie threw five innings against Boston Red Sox minor leaguers today at Twin Lakes Park. Guthrie allowed two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out one over five innings. The numbers are largely irrelevant as several innings were prolonged so the Orioles' likely Opening Day starter could get some more work in. Overall, he threw 70 pitches, 43 for strikes.

"Early on, it was really sharp. Toward the end, I didn’t execute very well," Guthrie said. "The first three innings, the ball was coming out nice and I was throwing to locations that I wanted to and mixing in some breaking balls, so that was good. I used some changeups behind in the count. I think it’s still a matter of building up strength and stamina to be able to work consistently and sharply into later innings. I’m really going to work on that."

Also at Twin Lakes this morning, Orioles manager Buck Showalter, former Oriole Brady Anderson and Roberts put on a base-running clinic for the organization's minor leaguers. It was very well received by some of the Orioles' prospects and the type of thing Showalter is trying to do more of.

A couple of other small notes: Koji Uehara said he felt good during his bullpen session today, so the next step for him is to get into a game. That should happen by the weekend. Top pitching prospect Zach Britton will throw five innings in a minor league game at Twin Lakes tomorrow. He remains in the competition to crack the Orioles' rotation. First base prospect Joe Mahoney's sore right hamstring is improving, but he was held out of the minor league games today. He said that if it were the regular season, he'd probably be playing.

Finally, tonight's lineups as the Orioles face the New York Yankees in Tampa:

ORIOLES
Robert Andino, 2B
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Luke Scott, LF
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Matt Wieters, C
Josh Bell, 1B
Cesar Izturis, SS

Scheduled to pitch for Orioles: Jim Johnson (he'll start); Rick VandenHurk, Mark Hendrickson, Michael Gonzalez, David Riske, Clay Rapada.

YANKEES
Derek Jeter, SS
Nick Swisher, RF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Jorge Posada, DH
Curtis Granderson, CF
Russell Martin, C
Brett Gardner, LF

Scheduled to pitch for Yankees: Ivan Nova (starter), Mariano Rivera, Mark Prior, David Robertson, Pedro Feliciano, Luis Ayala.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

The MLB Network’s “30 Clubs in 30 Days” will feature the Orioles in an hourlong segment that will first run Wednesday night at 8 and again Thursday at 10 a.m. and noon.

The piece features Paul Severino as host, Lisa Kerney as reporter and Dan Plesac and John Hart as analysts.

Thanks to MLB Network, I had a chance to talk with Hart on Tuesday to get his thoughts about the Orioles and manager Buck Showalter, whom Hart, a former big league general manager, hired in Texas before the 2003 season.

Because he was his boss for several years, few people know Showalter like Hart does. Hart was contacted by Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail last summer when he was considering hiring Showalter. And Hart gave Showalter a ringing endorsement.

Hart, 62, also has been speculated as a possibility to replace MacPhail if this is the club president’s last season running the team. Hart has deep Orioles roots. In the 1980s, he was a minor league manager and then major league coach (1988) in the Orioles' organization. He’s never hidden his love for the Orioles, the club that gave him his start.

Right now, though, he is working for MLB Network and remains a special adviser to the Rangers.

We covered a variety of subjects. Here’s a chunk of the interview:

Hart on Showalter: “My experience with Buck was just spectacular. Obviously, he is very smart, a tireless worker. He is always prepared. He does care about his players. There were just no kinks in the armor. … I have known him for a long time, working with him day to day for four years, and I see nothing but positives with Buck.”

On the Orioles’ decision to hire Showalter: “Managers can only do so much. I just really think he was the right guy at the right time for the organization. He has enough experience and enough passion to really get the Orioles back to what they used to stand for. … There is a long road to get back to where it was, and if it is going to get done, this is the guy that can do it.”

On what the Orioles must do to compete in the AL East: “It’s a matter of building a superior development program. I think Tampa Bay holds the secret over there as to what certain markets need to do. The Orioles are not nearly as economically challenged as Tampa. … The key for me is building the steady flow of talent. They need to draft well. They need to be a big player internationally. They have to have top-shelf scouts, a frontline development program … They have got to out-scout and out-coach and out-teach and not be afraid to jump in and take the best player available and compete with other teams when the dollars aren’t that big. … At some point, to sustain success, you have to retain your star players once you get them and … when the right free agent presents itself, if it all works out, you have to do it.”

On Orioles catcher Matt Wieters: “I think let’s slow down the Hall of Fame train, slow down the train to Cooperstown. That’s not easy for anybody, but I think Wieters is a cornerstone player. I like the power he has, but he is not a 40-homer guy. But he still has a chance to be a premium offensive catcher.”

On the Orioles' young core: “I think there is a nice core, I really do. There’s some pieces in play; you just need more, you need to keep them coming.”

On his current employment: “It’s a great situation. I am still connected to the Rangers, I am able to be a part of the club, and I will always be affiliated with them one way or another. MLB Network has been great for me. ... It keeps me right on top of my game. It keeps me as connected -- or even more so than I was as a GM -- to all 30 teams.”

On whether he’d be a GM again: “That’s a hard one to answer. It has to be the right situation. … I was able to step away on my own terms at the right time for me. I have had other opportunities, but they were not the right fit for me. … It would have to be what I would consider the right fit, the right opportunity, the right situation. I never rule anything out, but it is not like I am out looking for a job.”

On his thoughts when his name was connected to the Orioles this winter: “I took that all with a grain of salt. Quite frankly, I was excited with Buck [taking the managerial job] and I have a great relationship with Andy. I have known him for the better part of 25 years. I have great respect for him, and he’s done some good things this winter and he’ll be there as long as Andy so chooses. For me, it’s been kind of, 'take things tongue and cheek.' A lot more goes into [becoming a GM] than ‘John and Buck are close, and John has ties with the Orioles.’ There’s a lot more to it. So you have to take it with a grain of salt. I really don’t pay much attention to it at all.”

On the Orioles in general: “I think the ship has been righted, and it makes me feel good. It’s been sad for me to see [the continual losing] going on. I loved them in the '60s and the '70s when ‘The Orioles Way’ had teeth. I had the great fortune to spend time with Earl [Weaver] and Cal [Ripken Sr.] and [George] Bamberger. A lot of pride was taken in what those Orioles stood for.”

On the 2011 Orioles’ chances: “Here’s what I do see: I see them being relevant. People going in to play the Orioles … will have their hands full. They will not win every game, they will be outmanned at times, but they will never be out-prepared. … For me, I think they are a .500 club and they could be better if that pitching is as good as you hope.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Brad Bergesen was removed after four rocky innings in which he allowed three runs on four hits and two walks. He threw 52 pitches, only 26 for strikes.

I was under the impression that Bergesen would go five innings today. Instead, after leaving the game, he is still throwing in the bullpen and taking instruction from minor league pitching instructor Alan Dunn,

In his past three starts spanning 9 2/3 innings, Bergesen has allowed 10 earned runs, 16 hits and five walks.

Meanwhile, Kevin Gregg relieved Bergesen and got just one out in the fifth inning. He allowed four runs on three hits and a walk. That included Brett Wallace's grand slam that gave the Astros a 7-1 lead.

In his past two outings, Gregg has surrendered eight earned runs, eight hits and one walk over 1 1/3 innings.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts got some much-needed positive news when an MRI revealed no new problems with his troublesome back.

Roberts, who hasn't done much of anything since March 7, acknowledged that he has been experiencing neck discomfort since early January and started having back spasms about a week and a half ago. However, he said, they are unrelated to the herniated disk in his back that limited him to 59 games last year.

"Last year was 100 times worse. This is nothing like last year," Roberts said. "Two different areas."

Roberts, who met with a back specialist this morning, said he will start doing activities in the next couple of days.

"It’s just going to be a progression, starting today," Roberts said. "We’re not going to necessarily put days on it just because of [the media]. But certainly, my goal and my hope is to still play Opening Day. It will just be a progression, and we’ll see how it goes."

Asked whether playing April 1 as the Orioles open the 2011 season is realistic, Roberts said: "Sure. The doctors seem to think so. But we all know if you miss two or three games as opposed to last year, then we’re in a better situation. But really, and I know it sounds terrible, we’re just going to take it a day at a time right now."

Roberts is 4-for-12 this spring and said he doesn't have a set number of at-bats that he needs to be ready.

"You can get 75 at-bats and feel terrible, and you can get 20 and feel great," Roberts said. "I think that will all depend on where I’m at in the process."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

Highlights from Buck Showalter’s morning press briefing:

He will speak with second baseman Brian Roberts around noon. Roberts had an MRI on his ailing back and Showalter said it showed “nothing new.”

That’s good news, but Showalter made a point to say there are still issues with the back. He is still hopeful Roberts can be ready for Opening Day.

Showalter wouldn’t dismiss pitcher Justin Duchscherer from the Opening Day roster. But he acknowledging that the chance of that happening is “in peril.” Duchscherer, who has thrown just two innings this spring, had an MRA yesterday, and, again, nothing new was discovered. Showalter said it will be two to three days before the dye injected into Duchscherer’s left hip leaves his system. They’ll see how he is after that.

Derrek Lee (right wrist) took swings in a soft-toss drill today but has not taken live batting practice. He will likely do that against one of the coaches tomorrow, Showalter said, but that’s not definite.

Koji Uehara (elbow soreness) is expected to pitch another side session Wednesday and will be re-evaluated. Showalter still hopes Uehara can pitch in a game this weekend.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

A day after getting an arthrogram on his troublesome left hip, Orioles starter Justin Duchscherer was still waiting on the results. However, he made a rather ominous comment when he was asked about how his hip was feeling.

"The best I can describe it is it felt like it did last year before I had to have it operated on," Duchscherer said.

The 33-year-old pitcher had surgery on his left hip in June. He has also had two procedures on his right hip during his career.

Duchscherer was scheduled to pitch in a simulated game Sunday, but he was scratched when he was experiencing hip discomfort during his warm-up.

"I think the smart thing to do was not to go out there and try to throw three innings when it was already hurting in warm-up," Duchscherer said. "Get images on it, see what’s going on in there and we’ll go from there. ... I got to find out what’s going on before I have any level of frustration. I have to go talk to the trainers. I figure by the end of the day, I’ll know more."

As for other matters, Orioles likely Opening Day starter Jeremy Guthrie won't face the New York Yankees tomorrow night in Tampa. It is his turn to pitch, and he will throw tomorrow, but it will be in a minor league game at Twin Lakes Park. Instead, the game will be started by reliever Jim Johnson and handled by the Orioles' bullpen. And before you ask, this does not mean Johnson is a rotation candidate. Manager Buck Showalter and pitching coach Mark Connor are simply using all relievers to pitch in the game and somebody had to start. Why not Johnson?

Getting back to Guthrie, his next start after tomorrow will also be against minor league hitters because it falls on the Orioles' day off next Monday. And his next start after that would come March 26 against the Tampa Bay Rays. With Guthrie expected to face the Rays on Opening Day less than a week later, I'd be surprised if he starts that game as well. So Guthrie may make his final three starts of the spring against minor leaguers.

And finally, here is the Orioles' lineup this afternoon against the Houston Astros at Ed Smith Stadium:

ORIOLES
Felix Pie, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Luke Scott, LF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Jake Fox, C
J.J. Hardy, SS
Brendan Harris, 2B
Josh Bell, 3B
Brandon Snyder, 1B
Brad Bergesen, SP

Also scheduled to pitch for the Orioles: Ryan Drese

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Young and talented Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen wasn’t happy with Orioles catcher Matt Wieters after a play at the plate in the fifth inning.

McCutchen attempted to score from second on a single to right, and Nick Markakis unleashed a throw was a bit up the third base line.

Wieters, 6 feet 5, 225 pounds, grabbed the ball and completely blocked the plate. McCutchen, 5-10, 188 pounds, slid into Wieters, causing a brief collision.

Afterward, McCutchen told the Pittsburgh media that he didn’t think Wieters had to make as much contact with him.

“I tried to avoid the tag. I don’t know what he was thinking,” McCutchen said. “It’s spring training. We’re not trying to get hurt. I wasn’t expecting that much contact. I’m OK, though.”

Wieters, as is usually the case with starters during spring training, left the game early and was out of the clubhouse by the time reporters entered. Orioles manager Buck Showalter avoided the specific complaint, but heralded his young catcher.

“I think Matty is one of the best taggers at the plate I have ever had,” Showalter said. “All the years I have been managing, he might be as good as there is tagging at home plate.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

Orioles minor league hitter of the year Joe Mahoney was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Monday morning after hitting .412 (seven hits in 17 at-bats) in limited action. The 6-foot-6 first baseman, who was sidelined the past two games after tweaking his hamstring while running the bases Friday, made quite an impression in his first big league camp.

“This guy really popped last year with his skill set,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “He’s a slightly above-average runner, capable of playing left field and first base. I like that he wasn’t intimidated by the level of play. He’s right where he should be. I think he’s primed to have that year that’s similar to last year and maybe even better.”

Mahoney, a sixth-round pick in 2006, emerged as a prospect last season by hitting .299 with nine homers in 72 games at High-A Frederick and .319 with nine homers in 52 games at Double-A Bowie.

With an expected logjam in the corner infield at Triple-A, it’s possible Mahoney starts the season at Bowie again. Just because he has been optioned to the Triple-A roster doesn’t mean he’ll start out there. Regardless, Showalter thinks Mahoney could rise quickly if he continues to build on his impressive 2010.

“Where he ends up is up to him,” Showalter said. “Where he starts is up to [player development].”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Some pieces of news coming from Buck Showalter’s meeting with the media.

Second baseman Brian Roberts is having an MRI on his ailing back at 3:30 this afternoon. He will meet with his specialist tomorrow at 9 a.m. and go over the results. It’s the same doctor who worked with Roberts in 2010.

Right-handed pitcher Justin Duchscherer is having a MRA on his left hip at 4 p.m. today. He has already been to the chiropractor this morning. An MRA, for those who want to know, is like a MRI except arthrogram dye is injected into the joint. It gives a more specific readout -- if the dye spills out, it is an indication of damage.

First baseman Derrek Lee (right wrist) hit off a tee today. Tomorrow, he will hit soft toss with the hopes of live batting practice tomorrow.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

ORIOLES
Randy Winn, LF
Felix Pie, CF
Nick Markakis, RF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Luke Scott, 1B
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Matt Wieters, C
Robert Andino, 2B
Cesar Izturis, SS
Jake Arrieta, SP

Also scheduled to pitch for the Orioles: Jeremy Accardo, Jason Berken
Scheduled to pitch for Pirates: Kevin Correia, Evan Meek, Scott Olsen, Joe Beimel

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

OK, we are back and open for business. I'm not kidding this time.

I imagine you all are thirsty. One free drink on the house -- you can all pass it around.

Hope you enjoy the renovated digs; it’s not as posh as new Ed Smith Stadium, but at least we put in gleaming new toilets. The ones with the Baltimore CFL Colts stickers on the sides were a bit dated. And I know what’s important to my clientele.

Let’s get right to Orioles baseball and get a spirited discussion going.

Justin Duchscherer is slated for an MRI on his troublesome left hip in the next few days, possibly Tuesday. He has pitched just two innings this spring, so it’s become rather unlikely that he will be ready for the beginning of the season.

So consider at least one spot in the rotation completely open.

Technically, there are two spots available, but it would be a real surprise -- or take a sudden, unforeseen injury -- if the following four weren’t in the rotation: Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Matusz, Brad Bergesen and Jake Arrieta.

It’s possible the Orioles could add a fifth starter from outside the organization before Opening Day. If not, the internal choices are likely down to right-hander Chris Tillman or lefty Zach Britton, with nonroster invitee Ryan Drese as a darkhorse candidate.

At first, my question seems obvious: Britton has pitched nine scoreless innings this spring, is the team’s top prospect and would add a second lefty to the rotation. Making Britton the fifth starter is a no-brainer at first blush.

But then look at the business side of it. If Britton doesn’t appear in a major league game for the first 20 days of the season, he will not register a full year of service time in 2011, meaning his free agency would be a delayed a year. And that is significant for obvious reasons.

Also, Britton, 23, has made just 12 starts above Double-A in his career. In comparison, Tillman, 22, has made 62 starts above Double-A in the past two seasons, including 23 in the big leagues, compiling an overall 4-10 record and 5.61 ERA.

Tillman has allowed five earned runs in 8 2/3 innings this spring (5.19 ERA). He has dominated at Triple-A (a 2.70 ERA in 18 starts in 2009 and a 3.34 ERA in 21 starts in 2010) for much of his time there.

Maybe it makes more sense to let Tillman start in the majors this season -- for the first time in his career -- and let Britton pitch at Norfolk for a month or so. Or maybe both go down to Norfolk while Drese (one earned run in seven innings this spring), Rick VandenHurk (four earned runs in six innings pitched) or someone else takes the fifth spot until Tillman or Britton forces his way up.

It’s an interesting dilemma. My guess is that the Orioles will send Britton to Norfolk to begin the season and not start his service clock too quickly. That would make Tillman the fifth starter, but I wouldn’t rule out a new addition either.

Daily Think Special: Who should be the Orioles’ fifth starter?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (36)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

Orioles starter Justin Duchscherer, who couldn't pitch in a simulated game today because of left hip soreness, will have an MRI in the next couple of days. Manager Buck Showalter said that it most likely will be Tuesday.

Duchscherer has already had three hip surgeries, so this obviously is not a good development.

It also continues a bad stretch for the Orioles as the injuries keep mounting. Derrek Lee took an MRI last week on his right wrist and still hasn't appeared in a game. Brian Roberts will have one taken tomorrow on his troublesome back. Koji Uehara remains sidelined with elbow soreness.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Orioles starter Brian Matusz has been working on some mechanical changes with pitching coach Mark Connor, who goes by the nickname "Goose." The young lefty acknowledged that may have contributed to some of his struggles today.

"I approached Goose, and we were talking. I said: ‘Things just don’t feel right. I don’t feel like I’m in rhythm,’ " Matusz said. "We sat down and talked about some things before my last bullpen, before this outing. It was one of the best bullpen sides I’ve thrown. And just working on that, working with Goose to get on that rhythm. Like I said, today, I was just thinking about it a little too much."

Matusz allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks over 3 1/3 innings. He threw 65 pitches, 39 for strikes.

"The results, not happy about the results. But I’m really happy about the process," Matusz said. "I feel like I’m making some adjustments that I need to, and I’m excited to sit down with Goose, look at the video for this game, kind of see where I need to be mechanically-wise. I feel like I wasn’t fully in my groove the whole time. And that’s OK. But I’m excited for this work week though."

Meanwhile, the Tigers have been knocking around the Orioles' bullpen to take a 9-1 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. Mike Ballard and David Riske had forgettable outings for the Orioles, who are being out-hit 17-3.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

For the second straight outing, Orioles young starter Brian Matusz struggled to consistently find the strike zone.

Matusz was just lifted from the game with one out in the fourth after he allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks. He needed 65 pitches (39 strikes) to get 10 outs.

It's important to note that the Orioles' defense wasn't exactly sharp behind him. Second baseman Cesar Izturis dropped Brandon Inge's pop-up in the first inning, leading to a run. First baseman Josh Bell and Matt Wieters also overran a foul pop-up in the first, prolonging the innings and upping Matusz's pitch count.

Matusz retired eight of the final 10 hitters he faced, but one of those guys, Towson University's own Casper Wells, hit a solo homer.

The Orioles trail 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth. They had just one hit, a leadoff single by Vladimir Guerrero in the second inning, until J.J Hardy just slammed a solo homer.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Orioles starter Justin Duchscherer was supposed to throw in a simulated game this morning at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. However, while throwing on flat ground, Duchscherer was experiencing pain in his surgically repaired hip. The session was scratched, and the Orioles now have no idea when he'll be able to pitch again.

"He wasn’t able to pitch," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "I don’t know where we’re at. [Head athletic trainer Richie Bancells] said that he just felt some discomfort and wants to get it looked at. He doesn’t feel good about where it’s at."

Showalter acknowledged that "it's going to be tough" to get Duchscherer the necessary innings to be ready for the season. The Orioles do have an early day off, meaning they won't need a fifth starter until April 10. That gives them some options, but either way, something would have to change quickly for Duchscherer to have any shot at being on the Opening Day roster. He has pitched only two innings this spring.

Reliever Koji Uehara, who has pitched only once this spring because of his elbow, is scheduled to throw a bullpen session tomorrow. Uehara had a cortisone shot in his elbow last Friday.

Veteran first baseman Derrek Lee, who had been shut down from hitting because of right wrist discomfort, will hit off a tee tomorrow.

And finally, below are the lineups for today's Orioles-Tigers game at Ed Smith Stadium.

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Luke Scott, LF
Matt Wieters, C
Josh Bell, 1B
Cesar Izturis, 2B
Brian Matusz, SP
Also scheduled to pitch: Kevin Gregg, David Riske

TIGERS
Austin Jackson, CF
Scott Sizemore, 2B
Ryan Raburn, LF
Miguel Cabrera, DH
Brandon Inge, 3B
Casper Wells, RF
Alex Avila, C
Scott Thorman, 1B
Cale Iorg, SS
Adam Wilk, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

Here are some post-game quotes after the Orioles’ 6-4 win against the Houston Astros.

Chris Tillman on his performance (three runs, one earned, in 3 2/3 innings): “I went out there and wanted to build off last start. I went out there last start and felt great working on the new things. I wanted to go out there and continue it. This time, I saw more results as opposed to last time.”

Zach Britton on his performance (four scoreless innings): "I wasn't nervous again. That's been two games where I haven't really felt nervous. More just excited to be out there and get deep into games. I was trying to build up to 4, 5, 6 innings in the next couple of outings. If I get a couple more outings, then I'll have to get deeper in the game.”

Tillman on the duo’s friendship: “I think the friendship part is a good part of it. We're there for each other in battle, and at the same time, pushing each other to do the best that we can. I think that's a real important role in baseball -- especially for the younger guys.”

Brandon Snyder on his 3-for-5 game: “Every time you get a chance to play, you want to prove something. With the competition we have in camp, it is tough to get those opportunities, and when you do have a day like this, it kind of helps you feed into your next one.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Zach Britton upped his scoreless inning streak this spring to nine with four against the Houston Astros today.

Britton never had an easy inning, allowing a hit or a walk in each of the four innings in which he pitched. Using his quality sinker, though, he kept getting out of jams.

He allowed four hits and two walks while striking out two batters. All the outs he recorded were groundouts or strikeouts until his final one -- a shallow fly to right that turned into a 9-6 double play when Astros outfielder Jason Michaels apparently lost track of the outs and left second base.

He threw 57 pitches, 38 for strikes. Another impressive outing for the team’s top pitching prospect.

Chris Tillman entered the game in the fifth.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 2:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The Orioles' lineup in Kissimmee against the Astros has been altered because of Josh Bell's stomach illness. He is out, Ryan Adams is starting at second base and Brendan Harris moves to third base. Here is the new-look lineup:

Robert Andino, 6
Felix Pie, 8
Nolan Reimold, 7
Jake Fox, 3
Brendan Harris, 5
Brandon Snyder, DH
Craig Tatum, 2
Nick Green, 9
Ryan Adams, 4

Matt Wieters was supposed to be the designated hitter today, but he was scratched and didn’t make the trip. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Wieters had some soreness in his thumb after being jammed by a pitch Friday. He could have played if it were the regular season.

First baseman Joe Mahoney was also scheduled to be on the trip, but he was scratched after tweaking a hamstring while running the bases Friday. It is also not considered serious.

Bell got sick after he made the trip to Kissimmee. He was scratched an hour before the game.

Shortstop Cesar Izturis had originally lobbied to be on the trip, but Showalter said he didn't consider pushing Izturis to play today after he played the majority of Friday’s game. He had been hobbled by a slightly injured left ankle.

Showalter said second baseman Brian Roberts is expected to have an MRI of his balky back this afternoon.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The Orioles haven’t officially posted their lineup for today’s game against the Astros in Kissimmee, but there are a few slightly interesting things about the travel roster.

Matt Wieters, who was supposed to come here to DH, is not on the trip. Nothing is wrong, but he was apparently excused. We’ll give you more on that when we hear something official.

Cesar Izturis, who played Friday after missing a few days with an ankle injury, also was tentatively scheduled to make the trip but did not.

Ryan Adams, Robert Andino, Nick Green and Brendan Harris are expected to be here, so there is no shortage of middle infield help.

Left fielders Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold are both here. Reimold is the likely choice to play right field.

The Orioles have three interesting minor leaguers on the travel roster: top outfield prospect Xavier Avery, former minor league hitter of the year Brandon Waring and infield prospect Greg Miclat. They’ll likely get in at the end of the game.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Here is a list of the cuts made by the Orioles on Friday:

Pitchers Brandon Erbe, Chorye Spoone, Troy Patton and Pedro Viola were optioned to Triple-A Norfolk while pitcher Luis Lebron and infielder Pedro Florimon were optioned to Double-A Bowie.

The following four players, who were not on the 40-man roster, were re-assigned to minor league camp: pitchers Mitch Atkins and Raul Rivero, outfielder Tyler Henson and catchers Adam Donachie and Caleb Joseph.

In addition, pitchers Nick Bierbrodt and Mark Worrell will remain in minor league camp.

The club's spring roster is now at 46 players.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail is taking a wait-and-see approach on the status of ailing second baseman Brian Roberts.

"We don’t know," MacPhail said. "We’ll just have to see. Fortunately, this is a doctor that he saw last year. We had plenty of [magnetic resonance imaging tests] from last year. We’ll take a look this year and see if there are any changes."

Roberts, who was limited to 59 games last year because of a herniated disk in his back, had some trigger-point injections today and will have an MRI tomorrow.

"It’s not my preference, but these are things you just have to deal with," MacPhail said. "It’s March 11. You just don’t know how they are going to unfold. You just have to take the proper medical precautions and move from there. There’s no sense fretting about what it could be, might be, all that stuff. Just let the doctors do their stuff."

MacPhail spoke to Roberts briefly today and said the veteran second baseman said this year's injury "wasn't as bad" as last year in terms of the pain.

"He’s frustrated by it, so we want to see if we can get it solved," MacPhail said. "I would much rather have the player play. I’d rather have this not be an issue, but we all go through this to one level or another in spring training, particularly this early in spring training. You are watching these games and hoping no one gets hurt. Just let them play, get themselves in shape and keep them available. We have three weeks before we open, so we’ll just see how things unfold."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Brian Roberts, who has been out since Monday with spasms in his troublesome back, had “trigger-point injections” on Friday and is expected to have a MRI on Saturday.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said his All-Star second baseman, who has had just 12 at-bats this spring, will be out until at least Tuesday. He saw a specialist on Friday who examined him last year.

“He’s got a lot of tests from previous times that we are able to compare it to, and there wasn’t any real red flags today,” Showalter said. “So we’ll see how he plays in the next day or two but will probably let it quiet down for at least two or three days.”

Roberts, 33, has played in just four games this spring, going 3-for-12 with a double and two runs scored. The offense’s table setter was limited to 59 games in 2010 because of injuries including a herniated disk in his back.

He entered the spring saying he hadn’t felt so good in nearly two years, but now there is no set timetable for his return.

Showalter said it is early enough that the team is not too concerned.

“We are at a stage still in spring training where we’ve got opportunity, where time is on our side a little bit right now,” Showalter said. “So I don’t think we are at that point [of worrying] yet. But the big thing is to identify and see if we can do something to eliminate it and make sure we rule out anything else. But so far so good.”

Cesar Izturis played second base on Friday and minor leaguer Ryan Adams is expected to start at second in Saturday’s exhibition. The Orioles also have Robert Andino, Brendan Harris and Nick Green who can play second base.

“We have got plenty of people there we have been looking at,” Showalter said. “We’ll see what the rest of spring brings.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Jeremy Guthrie allowed four runs on six hits in four innings Friday. He battled a tough Philadelphia Phillies lineup and a swirling wind.

He threw 53 pitches, 33 for strikes.

Here are some of his quotes on the outing:

“I felt fine. I felt fine out there. … I’ve been trying to work quickly, trying to keep the pitch count down and be aggressive. And that’s something I’ve been able to do for the most part in all three of my outings.”

On the wind: “It doesn’t factor into what I do. You always try to keep the ball down, so whether the wind’s blowing out or not, you try to get the ball to stay down and get ground balls.”

On Raul Ibanez’s wind-aided homer in the first: “I did not think it was going to be a home run, but at the same time, you have to hit the ball well for to go out to center field. He put a good swing on it. I fell behind in the count, and he was able to swing aggressively.”

On his results: “You always look at the process. I look at spring the same as I do during the season. Evaluate pitches, see what you can do better. Today, I worked behind in the count. Obviously, last game I was 12 of 16 first-pitch strikes. Today, I was probably less than half to the hitters. When you get behind to good hitters, they take a more aggressive approach and can swing better, but you try to do the best you can. There’s pitches I’d take back, there’s some that I wouldn’t.”

Overall: “I’m very happy. I like the way the ball feels coming out of my hand. The ability to throw all four pitches for strikes is a real positive.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Orioles likely closer Kevin Gregg hadn’t allowed a run in his first four outings as an Oriole. That changed in the fifth Friday, when he was touched for four runs, including a two-run bomb by Ryan Howard.

Gregg’s line against the Phillies will look ugly -- four runs, five hits -- but it wasn’t all Gregg’s fault. The wind at Ed Smith Stadium didn’t help his cause. Gregg retired the first two batters he faced, and then Shane Victorino hit a fly that just kept going and ended up as a double.

Raul Ibanez singled him home, and Howard followed with a tape-measure shot to right that looked like it was destined for the roof of the home clubhouse.

Ross Gload made it back-to-back shots with a solo homer to right, and Delwyn Young added a double that swirled around in left and evaded a flailing Randy Winn.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 2:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

As manager Buck Showalter predicted, the wind has certainly been a factor through one inning here.

The Philadelphia Phillies scored three runs in the first inning, two coming in on Raul Ibanez's wind-aided homer to center field off Jeremy Guthrie. Delwyn Young plated the other run in the first with an RBI single to center. Guthrie threw 20 pitches in the first inning, 12 for strikes.

The Orioles just got two back in the bottom off the first off of Cliff Lee. J.J. Hardy led off with a single, and then Nick Markakis hit an extremely wind-aided triple over the head of Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino. Adam Jones then scored Markakis with an RBI groundout to make the score 3-2.

Guthrie bounced back with an easy second, needing just seven pitches to get three ground balls.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter met with the media moments ago and said that Brian Roberts was a "no-go" today.

Since he wouldn't be included in the long trip to Kissimmee, Fla., on Saturday, Roberts, who is dealing with back spasms and hasn't played since Monday, won't be available until at least Sunday.

And that is looking like a serious stretch.

"He is not any better today," Showalter said. "I know they are talking about potentially doing some tests."

Showalter said he doesn't know what tests Roberts might undergo or when -- he should know more later today.

Some more stuff from the session with Showalter:

He made 10 cuts this morning and will make three more around lunchtime. Among those who have been cut and reassigned to minor league camp: catchers Adam Donachie and Caleb Joseph, infielder Pedro Florimon and pitcher Luis Lebron.

Jeremy Guthrie's next start after today will be March 16 in a minor league game against Boston Red Sox farmhands. That way Guthrie will stay on turn and not have to face the Tampa Bay Rays two weeks before he pitches against them for real.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

Orioles right-hander Koji Uehara said he has e-mailed with his extended family members in Japan and believes they are all fine after the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami hit the country’s eastern coast on Friday.

“This morning I heard about the news,” Uehara said through interpreter Jiwon Bang. “The families are safe; some of the friends I can’t get a hold of at this moment. I couldn’t use phones, but e-mail I can use.”

Uehara’s wife and son are in Baltimore, but the rest of his family resides in or around Tokyo.

“It was in a different place, but there has been some damage where I live,” Uehara said. “At this moment, I don’t really know all the details yet, but I am guessing that the damage will be huge, so I am worried.”

Although he said his family seemed fine, he won’t be worry-free until he hears their voices.

“I haven’t really spoken to them directly yet, so I am still a little worried,” he said.

Uehara said he has experienced earthquakes before -- though none of the record 8.9 variety -- and, “all I can say is it’s really scary.”

At the end of the interview, Uehara was asked about his balky right elbow, which has sidelined him since after the club’s exhibition opener Feb. 28. He threw from flat ground Thursday.

“Not as scary as the earthquake,” he said.

Bang also said he has been in email contact with his family and it appears to be safe as well.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Orioles are expected to announce some roster cuts shortly. Catchers Caleb Joseph and Adam Donachie, infielder Pedro Florimon Jr. and outfielder Tyler Henson were among the players packing their bags this morning. No big surprises there.

Derrek Lee will take a couple of days off and get treatment on his sore right wrist before resuming hitting. "I feel fine," Lee said. 'We're just taking our time -- treatment and resting it. Might hit here in the next two or three days, but nothing new. Nothing was worse or anything. Just taking extra precautions to get it 100 percent."

The Orioles announced this late last night on their PR Twitter feed, but Zach Britton will start Saturday's game against the Houston Astros in Kissimmee. Chris Tillman will relieve him. I wouldn't read too much into this as a suggestion Britton has passed Tillman. Tillman has made two starts this spring, and this will be Britton's second.

I also spoke to infielder Ryan Adams today. He has homered on back-to-back days, both monster shots. His opposite-field homer last night was still the talk of the clubhouse this morning. Adams said he was so excited after the game that he couldn't sleep. I'll have more from him later on our site.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Luke Scott, 1B
Randy Winn, LF
Matt Wieters, C
Cesar Izturis, 2B
Jeremy Guthrie, SP

Also scheduled to pitch: Jason Berken, Rick VandenHurk

Scheduled to pitch for Phillies: Cliff Lee, Edde Bonine, Antonio Bastardo, Andrew Carpenter, Danys Baez, Brad Lidge.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

The Orioles have scored 11 runs and recorded 15 hits through eight innings at McKechnie Field. I understand that the statistics from the game are available in multiple places, but below are a couple of highlights.

J.J. Hardy: 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs
Adam Jones: 2-for-4
Vladimir Guerrero: 1-for-3 with HR, RBI
Nolan Reimold: 0-for-1, 3 BBs
Brandon Snyder: 2-for-3, 1 RBI
Craig Tatum: 3-for-4, 2 RBIs
Ryan Adams: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 4 RBIs

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Orioles starter Brad Bergesen was pretty hard of himself after his abbreviated outing tonight against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Bergesen allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings. He was originally supposed to go four innings, but his pitch count was at 67 so manager Buck Showalter removed him from the game.

"Geez, I mean, I made good pitches and a couple of bloop hits, there were some jam shots and when I got into trouble, I started flying open and the ball flattened out," Bergesen said. "That’s when they were able to hit those ones down the first base line and make some good, clean contact. I think it’s a small adjustment. I just have to make it. Just a little more deception. Today was just bad. When I got into trouble, I didn’t make pitches. Lesson learned. I know what I need to work on now."

So far this spring, Bergesen has allowed six earned runs, 13 hits and two walks in 7 2/3 innings.

"For me, it’s way too early," he said. "Obviously, I’m a competitor. I never like going out there and having an outing like that, but at the same time, it’s early, I’m still working on things. Outings like this are unacceptable, but I’m not getting down on myself or turning into a mental head case by any means. I just know what I need to work on."

Meanwhile, the Orioles have taken this game over, scoring seven runs the past two innings off the Pirates' two best relievers. They scored four in the fifth off closer Joel Hanrahan with Brandon Snyder hitting an RBI double, Craig Tatum hitting for an RBI single and Ryan Adams connecting for a two-run, opposite-field homer.

In the sixth, J.J. Hardy laced a two-run single off Evan Meek and the Orioles scored another run on a Pirates error.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

The Orioles have played some pretty crummy defense behind Brad Bergesen, but the starter just doesn't have it tonight against the Pittsburgh Pirates at McKechnie FIeld.

Through two innings, he has allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk. He was supposed to go four innings tonight, but after throwing 48 pitches through two, that's probably not happening.

In the second inning alone, he threw 28 pitches, just 15 for strikes, while giving up a two-run single to Jason Jaramillo and an RBI double to Matt Diaz.

It's probably too soon to start worrying about Bergesen, but he has been hit around two starts in a row -- by the Pirates tonight and by essentially a group of Boston Red Sox minor leaguers in his previous start.

In his past five innings, he has allowed seven runs,11 hits and two walks.

As for the game, the Orioles trail 4-1 heading into the bottom of the third. They got their only run in the second on Vladimir Guerrero's third homer of the spring.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Buck Showalter just met with reporters.

Some highlights:

Second baseman Brian Roberts (back spasms) worked out Thursday afternoon at the Ed Smith complex and could play Friday.

“We’ll see how everything is [Friday],” Showalter said about Roberts, who hasn’t played since Monday night against the New York Yankees.

Roberts believes the back spasms are not related to the disk injury that kept him on the shelf most of last season.

Koji Uehara (elbow) threw off flat ground Thursday. The club will wait to see how he feels Friday to determine his next plan of action.

Infielder Cesar Izturis (left ankle) is expected to play Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies in Sarasota. Izturis said he felt good enough to play Thursday if the club had wanted.

Showalter would like to see Bergesen pitch four innings in tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

First baseman Derrek Lee (right thumb/wrist) participated in defensive drills. He has not taken live batting practice.

The Orioles will have an intrasquad game Sunday at Ed Smith Stadium in which Justin Duchscherer will pitch for one side and a group of Orioles left-handers will pitch for the other side.

Showalter said cuts are expected in the next day or two.

On March 21, the Orioles’ scheduled day off, Jeremy Guthrie will pitch in a minor league game against Minnesota Twins farmhands

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

J.J. Hardy, SS
Adam Jones, CF
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Jake Fox, LF
Nolan Reimold, RF
Brandon Snyder, 1B
Craig Tatum, C
Ryan Adams, 2B
Brad Bergesen, SP

Also scheduled to pitch: Josh Rupe, Jeremy Accardo

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

If the rains stop, the Orioles (5-5-2) will face the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight at McKechnie Field. Brad Bergesen, Josh Rupe and Jeremy Accardo will pitch for the Orioles, while Paul Maholm will start for Pittsburgh.

We’re about a week and a half into the Grapefruit League season now, so I think it’s appropriate to look at five guys who have helped their chances of making the squad and five guys who have hurt their chances so far in camp.

FIVE WHO HAVE HELPED THEMSELVES
Nolan Reimold – Outfielder looking and acting like a completely different guy than he was all of last year. He’s running well and swinging a potent bat with a .320 average, two homers, six RBIs and four walks. If there is indeed a competition for the fourth outfield spot, Reimold has outplayed Felix Pie thus far.

Zach Britton – When camp started about 3 1/2 weeks ago, I figured the organization’s top pitching prospect had no chance to make the Opening Day roster. Knowing the Orioles don’t want to start his salary and service clock now, I still don’t like his chances. But at the very least, he has given the club something to think about with five scoreless innings, including three against the New York Yankees.

Jake Fox – Orioles manager Buck Showalter predicted that Fox would have a great spring, and the burly utility man has done just that so far, hitting .385 with three homers, three doubles and six RBIs. There are obvious concerns about Fox’s defense, and Showalter’s comment that the player is contending primarily for the backup catcher spot doesn’t appear to work in his favor. However, the guy runs into fastballs, and his versatility would appear to be an asset on the bench.

Ryan Drese – The 34-year-old journeyman has allowed one earned run in seven innings. He certainly had some luck last night as the Red Sox mashed several balls right at Orioles. But Showalter and pitching coach Mark Connor like him from their days together in Texas. Is he a very long shot? Absolutely. But that Showalter and Connor opted to get him a start, rather than giving it to another fifth starter or swing man candidate, at least says something.

Clay Rapada – In his first appearance with the Orioles, Rapada gave up a wind-aided homer to Lyle Overbay. But other than that, the submarine-style southpaw reliever, whom left-handed hitters went 1-for-19 against in the big leagues last year, has been pretty dominant, allowing just two hits in four innings while striking out four. At this point, it’s fair to say he has emerged as a front-runner for one of the two or three available bullpen spots.

FIVE WHO HAVE HURT THEIR CHANCES
Robert Andino – The talented but enigmatic infielder is having a spring very similar to the one he had last year, when he was designated for assignment after the addition of Julio Lugo. He’s hitting .158 and has been involved in several defensive breakdowns. Showalter obviously thinks there is something there, and hitting coach Jim Presley knows Andino well from their days in Florida. But the 26-year-old has to show much more.

Chris Tillman – If Justin Duchscherer starts season on the disabled list, I still believe Tillman will be the fifth starter. And he has pitched well at times, finishing his last outing against the Red Sox in good form. However, he has a 7.20 ERA after two outings and has surrendered seven hits, one walk and hit a batter in five innings. It’s way too early to make any determinations, though the fact remains that the young right-hander has been out-pitched so far by Britton, Drese and others.

Rick VandenHurk – VandenHurk is a great athlete and obviously has a good arm. He’s also out of options, which increases his chances of making the club. He has allowed two earned runs in five innings, which normally wouldn’t get you on this list. Those numbers, however, are a bit deceiving as VandenHurk has walked five batters in five innings and run up a number of other deep counts.

Jason Berken – You had to expect Berken wouldn’t be overly sharp early after he spent the offseason rehabbing his shoulder injury. You also have to give him a ton of credit for coming into camp in great condition. But he hasn’t pitched very well so far, allowing three earned runs, four hits and three walks in three innings. He also has an option remaining.

Nick Green – When the spring began, I had him behind Fox, Andino and Brendan Harris in the battle for the final bench spot. That certainly hasn’t changed. The veteran infielder is hitting .118. He has made two errors and easily could have been charged with two or three more.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (32)
        

A long day of baseball for the Orioles ended about a half hour ago when pitching prospect Wynn Pelzer was ruled to have hit Yamaico Navarro with a pitch with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. That gave the Boston Red Sox a 2-1 win at City of Palms Park.

It appeared that the ball hit Navarro's bat and deflected toward the Orioles' dugout, but plate umpire Tim Timmons ruled otherwise, calling it a hit-by-pitch and awarding Navarro first base. Orioles manager Buck Showalter had a brief conversation with Timmons after he made the call, but he didn't exactly mount an argument, as you'd expect in a spring training game.

"I asked him what he had," Showalter said of his conversation with Timmons. "It sounded like bat all the way from where we were. You see a ball ricochet all the way to the dugout, but that’s not [important].”

What was important to Showalter was an otherwise solid performance from several of the Orioles' unheralded pitchers. Showalter acknowledged that starter Ryan Drese elevated some pitches, while praising the work of Mike Ballard and Armando Gabino. Gabino struck out three and allowed one hit in two scoreless innings. Ballard also struck out three in two scoreless innings, including Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz back-to-back.

Showalter on Gabino: "[Gabino] really had a good slider tonight. He’s going to kind of live and die with that. He’s a guy that can pitch with his slider the majority of time. He’s got that kind of slider. He actually has better command with his slider than his fastball."

The Orioles managed just five hits, and Josh Bell had only one of them, but he did smoke three balls right at Boston players.

"Josh swung the bat real well tonight," Showalter said. "If we can get him to take the emotion out of his at-bats, he’s a pretty good player. That’s what we talked about last year, take the emotion out of the at-bat and let the game come to you. That’s what we’re trying to do with [Robert] Andino. Tonight was about as calm as [Bell's] been."

Showalter also addressed the positive results of the MRI on Derrek Lee's right wrist, but continued to say that there is no timeline to get the veteran first baseman in games.

"We expected that," he said. "It was just a little follow-up. Let it quiet back down and start it up again. You can’t really put a timeframe on when he’s going to get back in the flow. It’s kind of what we expected, but we still like to have the results back and have it be what you hope it’s going to be and what you think it’s going to be."

And finally, after playing two split-squad games in a three-day span, Showalter will be happy for things to return to normal. The Orioles play tomorrow night in Bradenton against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"45 innings in three days? That’s a lot of baseball," he said. "Hopefully, we can get our feet back on the ground tomorrow. It’s been a hectic schedule the last three days."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Here are a few quotes from Orioles pitcher Ryan Drese, who went three innings tonight, allowing one run on three hits and a walk.

A general statement on his outing: “I felt good. My sinker, I didn’t get it down in the zone as much as I wanted to in the first inning or so. The third inning, I started feeling really good. I started getting on top of the ball better and locating the ball down. That’s where I wanted to be.”

On the handful of loud outs: “Honestly, the ball that J.D. Drew hit was just middle-middle. It was right down the middle, and he hit it. I just didn’t get the ball down. Other than that, I thought Varitek hit his ball OK, not great. Other than that, I was just trying to work the ball down.”

On the pitch that J.D. Drew hit over the wall: “Fastball. It was middle-middle. Not a good pitch.”

On his chances to make the Opening Day rotation: “I just need to continue to throw well and get outs, keep bringing the fielders back in and don’t throw a lot of pitches and you keep your fielders on their toes. That’s why I came here, to try and win a spot. It’s been fun so far.”

On what happens if it appears he won't make club at end of spring: “I want to play in the big leagues this year. I would love it to be with the Orioles, but like I said, at this point in my career, I want to pitch in the big leagues. This is why I’m here. Hopefully, it could be with the Orioles, but if not, then I’d welcome [another] opportunity as well.”

Now, a quick game update. The Orioles are trailing 1-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth. They've managed four hits so far, all off Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz. Randy Winn is not having a good day with three strikeouts. Orioles reliever Armando Gabino struck out three in two scoreless innings.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Veteran Ryan Drese had pitched well enough up until this point to thrust himself into the conversation for the Orioles' fifth starter spot. However, he certainly has his hands full tonight, facing the Boston Red Sox at City of Palms Park.

Drese, who hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2006, has given up one run through two innings on J.D. Drew's homer.

Judging by the contact some of the Red Sox hitters have made, it could have been much worse. Marco Scutaro drove a liner to right-center field that Felix Pie ran down for the first out in the bottom of the first. The inning ended when David Ortiz launched a ball that Orioles left fielder Randy Winn ran down at the wall.

After Drew's homer to start the first, Jason Varitek drilled a double off the wall. However, Drese got Drew Sutton to hit into a double play to avoid any more damage. Through two innings, he has surrendered two hits and a walk and thrown 17 of his 27 pitches for strikes.

As for the Orioles' offense, they had a good scoring opportunity in the second when Jake Fox led off with a double and moved to third on Josh Bell's liner to right field. Brendan Harris followed with a ground ball that Scutaro fielded and threw home to nail Fox at the plate. That loomed large when the next batter, Brandon Snyder, hit a sharp single.

It's 1-0 Red Sox heading into the bottom of the third.

(UPDATED) Drese just pitched a scoreless third, giving up a one-out single to Scutaro but retiring Dustin Pedroia and Ortiz to end the inning. WIth the rest of the Orioles starters going three innings, I'd assume he's done. He allowed the one run on three hits and a walk and threw 24 of his 41 pitches for strikes.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

A magnetic resonance imaging performed on Derrek Lee's sore right wrist came back normal, and team officials continue to believe that the veteran is just experiencing tendinitis that resulted from inactivity after thumb surgery.

"We are not concerned about lingering effects," Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said. "It seems to be a byproduct of the wrist having been immobilized."

The good news is they still don't believe it is serious and they still believe there is enough time for Lee to get ready to play on Opening Day. The bad news is the only way tendinitis goes away is with rest, so I wouldn't expect Lee to start playing in any games very soon.

Orioles officials aren't putting a timeframe on it, but I'd be very surprised if Lee got into a Grapefruit League game within the next week.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Jake Arrieta just finished up his outing, holding the Minnesota Twins to one run through three innings. Arrieta allowed the lone run on Luke Hughes' long homer to left field with one out in the second inning.

Of the nine outs he got, five of them came via ground balls and two came via strikeouts. Arrieta threw 42 pitches, 26 for strikes.

Meanwhile, the Orioles knocked Twins ace Francisco Liriano out after just 1 2/3 innings. Liriano allowed six runs (five earned) on five hits and three walks.

In the Orioles' four-run first, Mark Reynolds hit a two-run double, Luke Scott had an RBI groundout and Nolan Reimold connected for an RBI single. They added two more in the second as Nick Markakis drew a two-out walk and scored on Adam Jones' double. An error on center fielder Denard Span, who missed Vladimir Guerrero's fly ball, allowed the Orioles' sixth run to score.

In the third inning, Scott broke his 0-for-13 slump Grapefruit League mark with a sharp single.

It remains 6-1 Orioles.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Buck Showalter confirmed what we all pretty much assumed -- that if Derrek Lee isn't ready to start the season on time, Luke Scott likely will be the starting first baseman until Lee is healthy enough to return.

"Luke's playing his second game there today," Showalter said. "Obviously, we've seen a lot of other guys at first base -- Jake [Fox], Josh [Bell], [Brandon] Snyder. Hopefully, it doesn't come to that, but yeah, that's probably the direction we'd go. Don't hold me to that. I've certainly thought about it."

Showalter and Lee both have speculated that Lee would need 20-plus at-bats to get his timing down and be ready for the regular season, but there are lots of ways to get at-bats down here. He could lead off every inning of a minor league game if it came to that.

"If he gets 15 at-bats, I'm going to say 15,'' Showalter said, "but there could be a point where there won't be enough."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

ORIOLES
Matt Angle, RF
Randy Winn, LF
Felix Pie, CF
Jake Fox, C
Josh Bell, 3B
Brendan Harris, 2B
Brandon Snyder, DH
Joe Mahoney, 1B
Robert Andino, SS
Ryan Drese, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Orioles have another round of split-squad games today. Most of their regulars are playing at home against the Minnesota Twins at 1:05. Another Orioles' squad will head up to Fort Myers tonight to face the Boston Red Sox. Below is the Orioles' lineup for this afternoon's game at Ed Smith Stadium.

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Luke Scott, 1B
Nolan Reimold, LF
Matt Wieters, C
Nick Green, 2B
Jake Arrieta, SP

Also scheduled to pitch for Orioles: Mark Hendrickson, Kevin Gregg, David Riske.
Scheduled to pitch for the Orioles tonight in Fort Myers: Ryan Drese, Pedro Viola, Armando Gabino.

Infielders Derrek Lee, Brian Roberts and Cesar Izturis won't be in either lineup. Lee is getting a magnetic resonance imaging on his sore right wrist today. Roberts remains sidelined with back spasms. Izturis turned his left ankle Monday. The good news is that both Roberts and Izturis are feeling better and estimated that they'll return to the lineup soon.

Said Izturis: "Couple of more days, but it’s getting better. I’m going to hit today to see how it feels tomorrow. It’s good. I have no pain."

Said Roberts: "I try to play every day, so I just wake up and see how it is. If it was the regular season, I could probably play. But I doubt we’ll push it."

Roberts also said he had the spasms a couple of days before his much-discussed headfirst slide into first base on Monday night against the New York Yankees.

"I had a grab that kind of started two days before that," Roberts said. "I never really said anything. I just kept going. I wanted to keep playing. It’s what I used to get. When I get them, they usually come on and go away on their own after a couple of days. I probably didn’t help things about sliding when I already had a back spasm, but that wasn’t what caused it."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

Orioles first baseman Derrek Lee will undergo a precautionary MRI on his sore right wrist tomorrow, but Orioles orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens has told the club that he doesn't believe Lee has any structural damage in the wrist and that the soreness probably is tendinitis resulting from the resumption of baseball activities after a long layoff to recover from thumb surgery.

Lee had a torn ligament in his thumb repaired during the winter and was close to making his exhibition debut when the wrist soreness surfaced. There is no timetable for his insertion in the spring lineup.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Manager Buck Showalter seemed pleased with the performance of veteran pitcher Justin Duchscherer, who was making his Grapefruit League debut against the Philadelphia Phillies at Bright House Field.

"He had a little anxiety,'' Showalter said. "It was his first time out in 10 months. ... Each time, he'll let it go more. Each time out, he'll get a little more comfortable with it. We'll see how he is tomorrow. See how his side session goes and see if he can go three innings next time."

Showalter was happy to see Brian Matusz back on the mound just days after he underwent laser surgery to treat a wart on the middle finger of his pitching hand.

"It was good to get [Matusz] back out there. He was a little hairy with his pitch count. ... We're fortunate that he got that done and didn't miss a start."

Well, technically, he did miss a start since he came in after Duchscherer, but Showalter has paired up starting pitchers in each slot and considers both of them starters.

The only other subject, aside from the update about which hand specialist examined Derrek Lee's wrist today, was the performance of Rule 5 draft pick Adrian Rosario. The ninth inning didn't go well, and Showalter didn't hide the fact that it will be almost impossible to consider keeping Rosario on the major league roster. If a Rule 5 draftee does not make the club, he must be waived through the rest of the major leagues and offered back to his original club -- in this case, the Milwaukee Brewers.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

In his first start this spring, right-hander Justin Duchscherer threw two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk against the Philadelphia Phillies. He threw 27 pitches, 15 for strikes.

Duchscherer breezed through the first inning on 10 pitches, getting Shane Victorino, Placido Polanco and Jimmy Rollins on groundouts.

The second inning was more difficult as he issued a leadoff walk to Ryan Howard and then a two-out double to John Mayberry Jr. However, he stranded both, getting Carlos Ruiz to pop out in the infield to end the frame.

Duchscherer topped out at 84 mph in the first inning. Brian Matusz is in the game for the bottom of the third inning.

The Orioles lead 2-0 heading into the bottom of the third. They did their damage in the first inning off Phillies lefty Cole Hamels, who started his outing with consecutive walks to Randy Winn and Brendan Harris. Nolan Reimold struck out, but Jake Fox ripped a double to left field and then Josh Bell hit a sacrifice fly.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Derrek Lee could see a hand/wrist specialist today in Sarasota just to make sure that the clubs knows what they are dealing with regard to the soreness the veteran first baseman is feeling in his right wrist. Showalter said Lee's playing in a Grapefruit League game "is not imminent," though he refused to characterize this as a setback.

"It's nothing to the [thumb] surgery side; that feels great," Showalter said. "I don't want to say tendinitis until they diagnose it. He's going to see a specialist in Sarasota just to make sure we know what we are dealing with."

Asked about any mounting concern with Lee, Showalter said: "We're OK. I really like the fact that the actual surgery and all that feels real good. This is something a little different. You have something that inactive that long, all of a sudden you start doing other things, sometimes it kind of flares up a little bit. I think we will have a better idea at the end of the day what we are dealing with."

Second baseman Brian Roberts arrived at Ed Smith Stadium and couldn't work out today because of back spasms. Showalter said Roberts started having them a couple of days ago. It didn't stop him from playing last night and sliding headfirst into first base on a bunt attempt. Roberts is still tentatively scheduled to play tomorrow.

And one piece of good news: Showalter said Koji Uehara is scheduled to resume throwing Thursday.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
        

ORIOLES
Randy Winn, CF
Brendan Harris, 2B
Nolan Reimold, LF
Jake Fox, DH
Josh Bell, 3B
Brandon Snyder, 1B
Nick Green, RF
Craig Tatum, C
Robert Andino, SS
Justin Duchscherer, SP

Also scheduled to pitch: Brian Matusz, Michael Gonzalez, Jim Johnson

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

First baseman Derrek Lee said that his right wrist is getting better, but he still didn't sound or look like a guy who will get into a Grapefruit League game within the next couple of days.

"It’s just a process. It’s unexpected. It’s a process I’ve never been through," he said. "I thought once my thumb was fine, I was in the clear. Even this morning the doctor was like, 'Yeah, this is just part of it.' You kind of have a weak hand and you start doing activities, this is going to happen."

Infielder Cesar Izturis was scratched from today's lineup after he turned his left ankle while sliding back into first base in Fort Myers. Izturis was getting treatment on his ankle and had it wrapped. He doesn't believe it's anything serious and he'll miss any extended time.

Reliever Koji Uehara hasn't thrown since he had a cortisone shot in his right elbow Friday. Asked about his status, Uehara said through his interpreter, "There's no big change." Uehara said originally that he should be able to resume throwing within a week. He said this morning that remains a possibility.

And finally, the Orioles still haven't put out their lineup for today's game against the Phillies. They will be sending to the mound several of their main pitchers, including Justin Duchscherer, Brian Matusz, Michael Gonzalez and Jim Johnson.

PHILLIES
Shane Victorino, CF
Placido Polanco, 3B
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Ryan Howard, 1B
Raul Ibanez, LF
Ben Francisco, RF
John Mayberry Jr., DH
Carlos Ruiz, C
Josh Barfield, 2B
Cole Hamels, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Here are some quotes from Orioles manager Buck Showalter:

On starter Zach Britton: "Good. You would like to have seen strike one a little more, but that will come. He stayed off the sweet spot of the bat, got a lot of ground balls. Good start for him. All of our guys threw the ball well."

On young guys not being nervous: "I love to see how they’re going to handle each step. This is another part of it. Instead of keeping them from that, I want to expose them to it to see how they’re going to handle it. I think they handled it well tonight."

On Jeremy Accardo pitching two innings: "They have to. We can’t have a bullpen full of one-inning pitchers in the American League and in the American League East. It’s important that we have more than one guy down there that can go multiple innings. [Pitching coach Mark Connor] is going to do that with a lot of them.”

On whether he was nervous to see Brian Roberts bunt and then dive headfirst into first base: “That’s part of his game. It’s something that has been a point of emphasis for him this spring. You’ve already seen a couple of bunts. Robby hits a lot of hard-hit balls down the lines. If he gets those guys back in there and honest, it’s going to open up a lot of field for him. That’s part of his game.”

More on Britton and pitching: "Everybody threw the ball well. You know the first game under the lights, pitchers are going to [have] a little bit of an advantage. If you didn’t know Zach was his age and what have you, unless you are trying to put yourself in his shoes, you wouldn’t have found that there was any difference with him and anyone else pitching tonight.”

On Kevin Gregg who has three scoreless outings this spring: "He’s a professional pitcher. You can see why he does what he does. He’s a guy that has been down a lot of roads and a lot of wars, and he doesn’t have a lot of panic in him. He doesn’t have any panic in him at all.”

On roster cuts: "We’re having a meeting on Thursday. So we’ll probably going to make some adjustments to our roster on Friday."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Here are some comments from Orioles pitching prospect Zach Britton after he threw three scoreless innings against the New York Yankees tonight.

On his nerves: "I wasn’t nervous at all. I think the national anthem got a couple laughs out of me. So it broke the ice for everything. I was excited to be out there but I really wasn’t nervous. I was talking to the guys, and they were like, ‘Hey, just go after the guys, they were no different than the Phillies were.' I have a lot of respect for what those guys have done on the field, but in between the lines, I was like, 'I don’t care who you are, I’m going to go after you today. If you beat me, you beat me.'"

On facing several of the Yankees stars: "Obviously, I heard their names and it was cool to be facing them. But at the same time, I just picked up [catcher Matt Wieters]. And I was like, 'I’m not going to look at those guys.' I am going to focus on Matt and making my pitches."

On his stuff tonight: "It was good. Me and Matt had a talk about throwing some more four-seams, because they were moving a lot today and in the Phillies game as well. It’s tough to throw first-pitch strikes when it’s moving like that, but it was good. Got good results."

On game being televised: "I was really excited. I was trying not to read who was going to play in the lineup. I kind of wanted to go out there and be surprised. I was really excited, obviously I know it was televised so I was just happy I did well. Kind of stuck with what I wanted to do, I wanted to throw some changeups. I threw one breaking ball today. So just sinkers, four seamers and changeups."

On Wieters catching him: "He gives good feedback because he knows these hitters just as well as anybody. So going back to the dugout, in between innings, he was like, ’Hey, let’s try this, let’s try that. This is what this guy does.' So it was a lot easier for me to go out there and stick with what I wanted to do. Which was throw fastball and get ground balls."

On not trying to show too much: "I came in with the mindset to spring training, after talking to a lot of guys, was don’t try to impress them too much. There are certain things that are out of my control. So I came here to try to learn as much as possible. And when I got opportunities like this, it was to try to make the best of them."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Nerves may have affected the national anthem singer, who stopped the song and started over about a quarter way through, but they haven't affected Orioles' pitching prospect Zach Britton.

Britton, in his first spring start, pitched a scoreless first, needing just 13 pitches (eight strikes) to get through Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira. All three grounded out.

The second inning was more of a struggle, but Britton got through it without allowing a run. Alex Rodriguez led off with a single. He was erased on Andruw Jones' fielder's choice, which should have been a double play but Brian Roberts' throw was high and first baseman Luke Scott couldn't handle it.

Britton walked University of Maryland product Justin Maxwell before Britton fanned Greg Golson and retired Melky Mesa on a flyout to end the inning.

Through two innings, Britton has allowed one hit and one walk, struck out one and thrown 16 of his 29 pitches for strikes.

He just finished a scoreless third, giving up a one-out single to Jeter but fighting back from down 3-0 to retire Teixeira on a groundout to end the inning.

Kevin Gregg is now in the game. Britton's final line is two hits and one walk in three scoreless innings. He threw 23 of his 42 pitches for strikes.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The Orioles came back from an early three-run deficit to take the lead at City of Palms Park, but the Red Sox rallied to tie the game in the eighth and win it on a two-out RBI single by Yamaico Navarro in the ninth.

Nolan Reimold had a pair of hits to key the middle-inning comeback, including a run-scoring double to tie the score in the seventh. Brendan Harris gave the Orioles the lead with a sacrifice fly after Josh Bell led off the eighth with a triple.

Mark Worrell gave up the run in the ninth to take the loss.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Chris Tillman gave up four hits in the first inning of today's split-squad game against the Red Sox in Fort Myers, Fla., but said he felt great and was implementing some mechanical adjustments that he has been working on with pitching coach Mark Connor.

"We made some minor adjustments in a side session, and what better time to try them?" he said after leaving the game with the Red Sox leading 3-0. "The two pitches to J.D. Drew [two-run single] and Kevin Youkilis [RBI single], they were really the only ones that got away."

Tillman and top minor league pitching prospect Zach Britton are competing for one of the last slots in the rotation, but Tillman said that was not on his mind when he took the mound for his second exhibition start.

"It's about finding what I need to do," he said. "When I make my pitches, everything will be fine. I try not to focus on the other stuff."

In fact, Tillman said he is going to ask permission from manager Buck Showalter to sit in the dugout tonight so he can support Britton.

"I think that goes back to the friendly competition," he said. "I've said that for a long time. It helps everybody. It's going to help Britt. I'm absolutely rooting for him. He's on my team. He's wearing the same uniform as me. We're all on the same side here."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

The Orioles used an exaggerated shift when David Ortiz came to the plate in third inning, moving Josh Bell all the way from third base into a rover position halfway between second baseman Robert Andino and right fielder Matt Angle.

So, if Ortiz had popped out to Bell, how would you score that? Popout to third? Popout to right?

Fortunately for those of us who are rulebook-challenged, he struck out for the second straight time against Chris Tillman.

Rotation update: Tillman completed three innings and retired the last six batters he faced after a rocky first inning in which he gave up three runs on four hits.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Manager Buck Showalter confirmed today that he has gotten approval to relax the team's facial hair policy, but there is a caveat.

"It's kind of, 'Can they keep it presentable?'" he said. "They're going to police themselves."

Both Showalter and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail approached owner Peter Angelos after the club brought in two veterans -- Derrek Lee (left) and Vladimir Guerrero -- who have long worn goatees.

"I asked Derrek how long he had that, and he said he couldn't remember when he didn't," Showalter said, "and he's one of the really good clubhouse-presence guys."

Showalter told the players early in camp that if having the option of wearing a well-trimmed beard was important to them, he would make an attempt to relax the policy, which has been in effect for most of the Angelos ownership era.

When I asked Buck what would constitute acceptable facial hair, he told me to look in the mirror. I guess that was a compliment. Since my photo accompanying this blog pictures me clean-shaven, you'll have to (ugh!) use Dan Connolly's mugshot at right as a reference point.

The facial hair policy was a big issue when Kevin Millar with the club and reported to training camp in 2006. He loved to keep a five-day growth and was coming from a Red Sox team that had Manny Ramirez and all his strange grooming incarnations but could not make a dent in the policy during his three seasons in Baltimore.

The important thing to remember, however, is that the facial hair policy is at the discretion of ownership, and Showalter indicated that it could get tightened in a hurry if the Orioles start looking scruffy.

Associated Press photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
        

As you know by now, the Orioles have split-squad games today. They will be in Fort Myers, Fla., at 1:05 to take on the Boston Red Sox in what will be a big start for Chris Tillman. Top pitching prospect Zach Britton will then face the New York Yankees at 7:05 at Ed Smith Stadium in a game that will be televised by MASN.

Here are the lineups for Game 1, followed below by the lineups for Game 2.

ORIOLES
Matt Angle, RF
Randy Winn, CF
Nolan Reimold, LF
Jake Fox, C
Josh Bell, 3B
Brendan Harris, DH
Robert Andino, 2B
Joe Mahoney, 1B
Cesar Izturis, SS
Chris Tillman, SP

Also scheduled to pitch for Orioles: Jason Berken, Josh Rupe, Chorye Spoone.

RED SOX
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Carl Crawford, LF
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
J.D. Drew, RF
Marco Scutaro, SS
Jason Varitek, C
Drew Sutton, 1B
John Lackey, SP

Also scheduled to pitch for Red Sox: Dan Wheeler, Randy Williams, Kyle Weiland.

Now Game 2:

ORIOLES
Brian Roberts, 2B
Nick Markakis, RF
Luke Scott, 1B
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Adam Jones, CF
Felix Pie, LF
Matt Wieters, C
J.J. Hardy, SS
Zach Britton, SP

Also scheduled to pitch for Orioles: Kevin Gregg, Jeremy Accardo, David Riske, Clay Rapada.

YANKEES
Derek Jeter, SS
Robinson Cano, 2B
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Andruw Jones, DH
Justin Maxwell, LF
Greg Golson, CF
Melky Mesa, RF
Austin Romine, C
Sergio Mitre, SP

Also scheduled to pitch for Yankees: Adam Warren, D.J. Mitchell, Andy Sisco, Ryan Pope.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Despite allowing two runs and four hits in three innings, Jeremy Guthrie was pleased with his command. Guthrie threw 31 of his 41 pitches for strikes and satisfied his goal of working the corners more.

"The quality of pitches was much, much better today," he said. "I probably would have been better off had I missed the middle of the plate. They may have hit it at somebody instead of off the end. The execution was much, much better today. That’s good, that’s a positive. I really haven’t felt that command last game or in my bullpen [session], but today, I felt comfortable that I can actually throw to both sides of the plate with a couple of different pitches. I threw the fastball and the slider as well to both sides. The next step from what I said last time definitely happened today, so that’s a good thing."

Guthrie was particularly pleased by his command of his slider, though he did hang one to Danny Valencia, who drilled it into left-center field for a two-out double in the first.

Rick VandenHurk followed Guthrie, and his command certainly wasn't as good. VandenHurk, bidding to make the club either as a fifth starter or long reliever, allowed one run on two hits and four walks while striking out two over three innings. He has walked five batters in five innings this spring. VandenHurk allowed an RBI triple to Tsuyoshi Nishioka in the fifth to make it 3-0.

That's where things stand in the bottom of the seventh with Wynn Pelzer on the mound for the Orioles.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

With Rick VandenHurk warming up in the Orioles' bullpen, it appears that Jeremy Guthrie's afternoon is over. He allowed two runs on four hits while striking out two over three innings. He threw 31 of his 41 pitches for strikes and hit as high as 94 mph on the stadium radar gun.

He really should have allowed just the one first-inning run on Luke Hughes' two-out RBI single, but the Orioles' defense fell asleep in the third inning.

The Twins got their second run in the third when Tsuyoshi Nishioka executed a perfect hit-and-run with Alexi Casilla on first base. With Casilla stealing, Nishioka put the ball right to the spot that second baseman Robert Andino vacated to cover second base.

It should have been men on first and third with one out. However, right fielder Randy Winn fielded the ball and flipped it to Andino near second base. With Andino's back to home plate, Casilla sprinted home without a throw to give the Twins a 2-0 lead.

I'm sure that will be addressed by manager Buck Showalter.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

We're about a half hour away from the first here here at Hammond Stadium. Here are a couple of quick notes to tide you over before first pitch.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that while first baseman Derrek Lee (wrist discomfort) has improved, he won't get into a Grapefruit League game until Wednesday at the earliest.

Both Justin Duchscherer and Brian Matusz are feeling good and will pitch Tuesday in Clearwater against the Philadelphia Phillies. Duchscherer will start the game because Showalter doesn't want him to be sitting around too much before getting a chance to pitch.

Catcher Matt Wieters, who was hit in the right arm by Carl Crawford's backswing in Saturday's game, has gotten most of the feeling back and will start Monday night. Showalter said he wants Wieters to catch Zach Britton.

Minor leaguers Buck Britton (yes, Zach's brother), Kyle Hudson, Steven Bumbry, Jacob Julius and Bobby Stevens will join the club for both Monday and Wednesday's split-squad games.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

There is some rain in the forecast today for Fort Myers, but the tarp is off the field and the Orioles are readying for batting practice. I provided the Orioles' lineup earlier. Below is the lineup for Ron Gardenhire's Twins today.

TWINS
Denard Span, CF
Tsuyoshi Nishioka, 2B
Danny Valencia, 3B
Luke Hughes, DH
Jeff Bailey, 1B
Jason Repko, RF
Rene Tosoni, LF
Steve Holm, C
Alexi Casilla, SS

Also, here is the pitching schedule for the Orioles over the next couple of days. This will change if today's game is interrupted by rain.

Monday's afternoon game versus Boston at Fort Myers: Orioles -- Chris Tillman, Jason Berken, Josh Rupe, Chorye Spoone; Red Sox -- John Lackey, Dan Wheeler, Randy Williams, Kyle Weiland.

Monday's night game versus New York at Ed Smith: Orioles -- Zach Britton, Kevin Gregg, Jeremy Accardo, David Riske, Clay Rapada; Yankees -- Sergio Mitre, Adam Warren, D.J. Mitchell, Andy Sisco, Ryan Pope.

Tuesday's game versus Philadelphia in Clearwater: Orioles -- It's TBA, but Brian Matusz and Justin Duchscherer are scheduled; Phillies -- Cole Hamels, Jose Contreras, Danys Baez, Brad Lidge, Antonio Bastardo, Andrew Carpenter, Dan Meyer.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

ORIOLES
Randy Winn, RF
Robert Andino, 2B
Nolan Reimold, LF
Jake Fox, DH
Josh Bell, 1B
Felix Pie, CF
Brendan Harris, 3B
Craig Tatum, C
Cesar Izturis, SS
Jeremy Guthrie, SP

Also scheduled to pitch: Rick VandenHurk, Armando Gabino, Wynn Pelzer.

Also, first baseman Derrek Lee was in the clubhouse this morning. He said he'll probably hit soft toss today and it's unlikely he'll be in either of the Orioles' lineups tomorrow because of the soreness in his right wrist.

Asked about getting into a game, Lee said: "As soon as possible. It obviously didn't work out yesterday, but hopefully soon."

Lee is relieved that his surgically repaired thumb feels good. Now, he just has to let the "general soreness" in his wrist subside.

"It isn't the pain, it's the rehab process. I'm not going to fight through the soreness during the rehab process," he said. "I want to get it to 100 percent before I go out there so there's nothing lingering."

Lee maintained that he's not worried and there is still plenty of time to get ready for Opening Day, but he didn't want to put a day on it.

"I don't want to put days on it," he said. "I probably made that mistake the first time. When it feels good enough to go out there, I'll go out there."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Jake Fox tied the score in the bottom of the ninth with a long home run to left field off Matt Fox. Chris George pitched a scoreless top of the 10th for the Orioles, and then Clevelan Santeliz retired Tyler Henson with Josh Bell on first base as the game ended in a 4-4 tie.

Here are some post-game notes:
The announced attendance was a 8,229, the second sellout in three games at remodeled Ed Smith Stadium. It also is the biggest crowd for a baseball game in Ed Smith's history.

Manager Buck Showalter said the Orioles will make their first round of cuts after Wednesday's split-squad games. The Orioles want to make sure they have enough players to get through Monday and Wednesday's split-squad games.

First base prospect Joe Mahoney, the organization's reigning minor league player of the year, went 3-for-3 with an RBI, a stolen base and a walk. The young first baseman has really impressed Showalter and did so again today.

"He had a good day, didn’t he? That was fun," Showalter said. "I walked by him before the game and to the guy he was throwing with, [Tyler] Henson, I said, ‘Is he nervous?’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘Good, so am I.’ He was good. Joe was our minor league player of the year. He’s certainly what they look like. It was a good day for him. I was happy for him."

Orioles catcher Matt Wieters was hit in the right arm by Carl Crawford's backswing in the fifth inning. Showalter said that Wieters lost a little feeling in his arm but regained it. Wieters was originally expected to travel to Fort Myers tomorrow, but he has since been scratched from that trip. Showalter said he'll play Monday.

Showalter said that Brian Matusz and Justin Duchscherer, who had successful throwing sessions today, will pitch Tuesday if they come in tomorrow feeling fine.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

The bottom of the fifth inning had all the makings of a giant missed opportunity for the Orioles, who had the bases loaded and no outs.

Matt Wieters drew a leadoff walk, Joe Mahoney doubled and Brian Roberts walked, prompting acting Boston manager DeMarlo Hale to pull Scott Atchison from the game.

Lenny DiNardo entered the game and struck out Nick Markakis. He then fanned Luke Scott. However, he still had to retire Vladimir Guerrero, and he was unable to do it. Guerrero's line single to center field brought in two runs and tied the score at 3.

Jim Johnson just turned in a scoreless top of the sixth.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter and head athletic trainer Richie Bancells were just out of the dugout to check on catcher Matt Wieters in the top of the fifth inning.

It wasn't clear as to what happened with Wieters, who was repeatedly flexing his throwing hand. With Bancells looking on, Wieters made several practice throws to pitcher Mark Hendrickson and opted to stay in the game and finish the inning defensively.

Wieters also just led off the bottom of the fifth with a walk.

Hendrickson pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Brad Bergesen, allowing one hit and striking out two.

The Orioles trail 3-1, getting their only run on Joe Mahoney's RBI single in the third inning.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The Boston Red Sox didn't exactly bring their top lineup to Ed Smith Stadium, but they are still giving Brad Bergesen his share of problems.

Through two innings, Bergesen has allowed three runs, five hits and a walk. After stranding two baserunners in the first inning, the Orioles' right-hander got two quick out and appeared to be in line for an easy second. However, Drew Sutton hit a two-out double over the head of left fielder Luke Scott, and Jose Iglesias followed with an RBI single to right.

Jacoby Ellsbury drew a walk, and then Oscar Tejeda hit a two-run triple down the right-field line.

Bergesen has thrown 41 pitches (26 strikes) through two innings. Mark Hendrickson is warming up in the bullpen.

Meanwhile, Red Sox starter Alfredo Aceves has retired all six Orioles he has faced.

UPDATE: Bergesen just had a five-pitch (all strikes) scoreless third innings. He allowed a leadoff single to Will Middlebrooks but then started a double play on his next pitch.

His afternoon is probably done. He allowed three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out two. He threw 31 of his 46 pitches for strikes.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

A day after getting the warm removed from the middle finger of his pitching hand, Brian Matusz threw a bullpen session and feels that he'll be able to make his next scheduled start Tuesday. It was originally expected that he'd miss one start, but Matusz doesn't feel that is necessary.

"It felt fine," Matusz said. "We weren’t sure going into the laser process if it was going to be irritated the next couple days or not. It feels fine. It doesn’t feel irritated at all. It feels normal. Like I said before, it never affected me on the mound. It didn’t affect any of my pitches. We just wanted to fix it before it became a problem. It felt good. I threw all of my pitches, and it was fine. I didn’t feel like I had to hold back at all, so I’m on schedule.”

Justin Duchscherer threw live batting practice on one of the back fields to Ryan Adams, Pedro Florimon Jr. and Tyler Henson. He threw about 25 pitches after a 22-pitch bullpen session. He was all smiles leaving the mound, so it looks like his next step will be getting into a game. Tuesday is a possibility for that as he could come in after Matusz is done.

"I felt fine out there," Duchscherer said. "I felt fine last time I threw. I actually felt better this time than the last time I threw. I will know more tomorrow. Basically, I just have to see how it responds."

First baseman Derrek Lee (right wrist discomfort) felt a little better today, but Orioles manager Buck Showalter still isn't sure when he'll get into the Grapefruit League lineup.

"He feels a little better than he did yesterday," Showalter said. "We’ll see how he is tomorrow. We don’t plan on taking him to Fort Myers tomorrow. At the very earliest, Monday, but it may be later than that. It’s not a big deal for me right now."

Showalter did say that Luke Scott and Josh Bell will get in some early work tomorrow at first base with bench and infield coach Willie Randolph. However, Showalter said that was planned and should not be taken as a sign that the club is increasingly worried about Lee's health.

Speaking of first base, Showalter said Jake Fox is primarily competing with Craig Tatum for the backup catcher job. He said there is a scenario where both Tatum and Fox could make the club, but it sounds like Fox's best chance to head north with the Orioles is to beat out Tatum.

And finally, the Orioles are leaning toward starting Zach Britton on Monday night against the New York Yankees at Ed Smith Stadium. That would mean Chris Tillman would start the other split-squad game that day in Fort Myers against the Boston Red Sox.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

ORIOLES
Brian Roberts, 2B
Nick Markakis, RF
Luke Scott, LF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Adam Jones, CF
J.J. Hardy, SS
Matt Wieters, C
Joe Mahoney, 1B
Brad Bergesen , SP

Also scheduled to pitch for Orioles: Mark Hendrickson, Jim Johnson, Michael Gonzalez and Clay Rapada.

RED SOX
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Oscar Tejeda 2B
Carl Crawford LF
Will Middlebrooks 3B
Juan Carlos Linares DH
Mark Wagner C
Nate Spears RF
Drew Sutton 1B
Jose Iglesias SS
Alfredo Aceves, SP

Also scheduled to pitch for the Red Sox: Scott Atchison, Dennys Reyes, Jason Rice, Matt Fox, Clevelan Senteliz.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Jake Arrieta completed the first run through the Orioles rotation with a two-inning performance that probably was more reflective of his eagerness to get onto the mound than his normal command. He gave up a run on two hits in the first inning and walked a pair of hitters in the second but didn't seem to concerned about anything afterward.

"I felt great,'' he said. "It's just that the first time out there at game speed, the sinker's got more life. The fastball has more life to it. The breaking balls were sharp. Now, it's just a matter of being more consistent around the strike zone. My mechanics felt great. Got to get ahead."

Instead, Arrieta couldn't help getting a little ahead of himself, and he wasn't the first Orioles starter to acknowledge being a little too amped up.

"Being one of the last guys to get out there, it just felt like a long time since I've been in a game situation," Arrieta said, "so it felt good to be out there in that environment again and facing live hitters. Just glad that one's out of the way. I'm looking forward to getting stretched out a little bit more, get the pitch count up and work on some things."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Orioles first baseman Derrek Lee will not start tomorrow's exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox, but not because of his surgically repaired right thumb. Manager Buck Showalter said before the game that Lee is suffering from some soreness in his right wrist.

"He's not going to start,'' Showalter said. "We've got time. There is no sense of rushing."

Meanwhile, pitcher Justin Duchscherer has bounced back from the hip soreness that threatened to scuttle his comeback. Showalter said that Duchscherer will throw batting practice on Saturday and -- if all goes well -- may get into Tuesday's exhibition game.

"In a perfect world, [you want to get] to that 20-27 innings -- 20 is the minimum, 27 would be fine," Showalter said. "If he stays on schedule starting Tuesday, it would be fine. It’s obviously a lot of bridges to cross, but so far, so good."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

It's a cool, partly cloudy day in Lakeland -- better known as the hometown of Ravens superstar Ray Lewis -- and the Orioles have just gotten off the bus to prepare for today's Grapefruit League game against the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium.

Right-hander Jake Arrieta is scheduled to make his first start of the spring against Rick Porcello in what may be a preview of the home opening pitching matchup at Camden Yards next month.

Porcello actually is the No. 3 starter in the Tigers rotation, but is expected to take the fourth slot the first time through because the Tigers have two days off during the first week of the regular season. Not sure exactly why manager Jim Leyland is moving the pieces around, but that's what I'm hearing from my friends on the Tigers beat.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter hasn't announced his rotation yet, but could lineup anywhere from third to fifth, so I'm splitting the difference and predicting that he'll face Porcello in the home opener. If I'm wrong, sue me.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

The Orioles announced today that they have agreed to terms with their remaining unsigned players for the 2011 season.

The list of signed players includes: Robert Andino, Matt Angle, Jake Arrieta, Josh Bell, Brad Bergesen, Zach Britton, Brandon Erbe, Pedro Florimon Jr., Jake Fox, Luis Lebron, Joe Mahoney, Troy Patton, Nolan Reimold, Adrian Rosario, Alfredo Simon, Brandon Snyder, Chorye Spoone, Craig Tatum, Chris Tillman, Rick VandenHurk, Pedro Viola and Matt Wieters.

Jason Berken was the lone pre-arbitration player who was renewed for a second straight year after negotiations failed to produce an agreement on his 2011 salary.

The union contract allows a team to pay its "zero-to-three" players (players with fewer than three years of major league service) any amount, as long as it does not tender a contract for less than the major league minimum salary or cut a player's previous salary more than 20 percent.

Last year, the Orioles renewed four players: Berken, Adam Jones, Nolan Reimold and Matt Wieters.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 4:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

After Brian Matusz threw two scoreless innings today in the Orioles' 2-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins, manager Buck Showalter announced that the pitcher will fly to Philadelphia and likely have a wart removed from the middle finger of his throwing hand.

If all goes well, Matusz will return to Florida tomorrow night and likely miss only one start.

"There is probably a real technical term for it, but the layman’s term is wart," Showalter said. "We talked about it some last year, I believe. It’s kind of on the outside of the [middle] finger. The only time it comes into play is on a breaking ball when it comes off of that. I think the plans are -- they could change -- for him to take it off tomorrow with some kind of laser procedure where it’s not that long. He could maybe miss a start. We’ll know a lot more after he gets back from there. We don’t want this thing to be something that really shows its head up in the middle of the season and now he misses more than one start, or even a start in the season. It won’t be anything that he couldn’t come back from."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

We're still scoreless at Ed Smith Stadium through six innings. The wind is blowing in, but there certainly has been some good pitching as well.

The Orioles just had their best scoring chance in the bottom of the sixth after Josh Bell hit a leadoff double off the wall in right field. Brian Roberts tried to move him up a base, but his sinking liner was caught by Twins right fielder Joe Benson.

Nick Markakis followed with a line drive to left field that was run down by Jason Repko, who made the diving catch. Luke Scott then struck out, stranding Bell at second.

Brian Matusz, Kevin Gregg, Jeremy Accardo, Adrian Rosario and Josh Rupe have all turned in scoreless outings for the Orioles.

Here are Matusz's comments after his outing:
“It was good. I was excited to get out there. Everyone’s excited to get out there for the first time and see how you’re body’s going to feel. And honestly, I felt good. I was warming up in the bullpen and was telling [Matt] Wieters, ‘Wow, I feel really calm and relaxed.’ I wanted to go out there and not try to overdo it. I wanted to go out and attack the zone like I did last spring. That was my goal. And when I got out there, I felt good. I felt like I had all my stuff warming up. I got a little antsy, I got a little jumpy with some of my breaking pitches, where I wasn’t taking my time. I was kind of rushing through it and not hitting my spots, but I was able to settle myself down. I got a couple three-ball counts, which I’d love to avoid, but I was able to make some good pitches when I needed to. And the best part about it is I feel healthy, I feel strong, and having this outing makes me even more excited about getting out there the next time.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz looked like someone who hasn't thrown in a game in about six months, but he was still plenty good enough to turn in two scoreless innings against the Minnesota Twins.

Matusz struck out two and walked one, not giving up a hit. His command was a little off, especially in the first inning, when he threw 19 pitches, only nine of them for strikes.

But the second inning, he was much better, finding the strike zone with 11 of his 16 pitches.

Twins right-hander Carl Pavano has retired the Orioles in order through two innings.

Kevin Gregg just put up a zero in the top of the third as the game remains scoreless.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

It's been a pretty hectic day here at Ed Smith, so I am going to make this brief as the game is set to begin in about a half hour.

Orioles reliever Koji Uehara, who has had some elbow problems in the past, had a cortisone shot in his right elbow that will keep him sidelined for a little while. Uehara said that it was just precautionary and he has had several cortisone shots in the past to deal with the soreness.

"It's not even serious," Uehara said through his interpreter. "I'm not concerned about it."

Uehara described it as just arm fatigue and said he expects to be back pitching within a week.

Starter Justin Duchscherer threw off both the half mound and the full mound today and pronounced himself "perfectly fine." He has sidelined after having some recurring hip soreness, but he said after the session today, "It felt like my hip was 100 percent." He said he'll have a light day tomorrow and possibly throw live batting practice or another bullpen session Saturday.

And last but not least, the Orioles are planning on having first baseman Derrek Lee in the lineup for the first time Saturday. Lee,who had surgery on his right thumb in November, has made nice strides during batting practice.

ORIOLES
Brian Roberts, 2B
Nick Markakis, RF
Luke Scott, LF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Matt Wieters, C
Adam Jones, CF
J.J. Hardy, SS
Josh Bell, 1B
Brian Matusz , SP

Also scheduled to pitch for the Orioles: Adrian Rosario, Kevin Gregg, Jeremy Accardo, Clay Rapada, Josh Rupe and Chorye Spoone.

TWINS
Denard Span, CF
Tsuyoshi Nishioka, SS
Luke Hughes, 3B
Joe Benson, RF
Jason Repko, LF
Matt Brown, DH
Matt Tolbert, 1B
Drew Butera, C
Alexi Casilla, 2B
Carl Pavano, SP

Also scheduled to pitch for the Twins: Scott Diamond, Glen Perkins, Antony Slama and former Oriole Jim Hoey.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Bet this is just what you wanted to hear on the day that the NFL labor contract is set to expire. Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Michael Weiner said this morning that the union held it's first formal bargaining session with the ownership bargaining team in Tampa.

The meeting was attended by many of the player reps, including Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie. Weiner, who was at the Ed Smith Complex to brief the Orioles on union business as part of the union's annual tour of the spring training camps, described the bargaining session as "introductory,'' but said it was a productive start.

Most of the labor news is going to come out of the NFL for the next few months, but Major League Baseball's Basic Agreement is set to expire after this season, so it's about time for the players and owners to get to work. Weiner wouldn't characterize the position of the two sides, but he did say that the past history of the baseball labor relationship is instructive -- both for the coming baseball talks and the NFL dispute.

"Our history has helped us,'' he said. "We've had our fights, and I think the owners respect the players much more now than in the 1980s and early 1990s."

The baseball owners and players have managed to avoid another cataclysmic labor fight like the one that shut down the sport in 1994 and stretched into the 1995 season. Since then, baseball revenues have risen dramatically, which should prevent either side from walking the sport off another cliff.

Not so with the NFL, which appears to be headed for a lockout when the current NFL CBA expires tonight. The NFLPA could move to decertify today to head that off.

Weiner said he does see some similarities between the NFL labor battle this year and the 1994 labor disaster in baseball.

"There are some similarities to '94, though there already is a salary cap in football," Weiner said. "In '94, baseball owners came in seeking massive concessions. It's hard to make a deal when one side comes in seeking massive concessions like that."

Associated Press file photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

It certainly wasn’t a tough sell when the Orioles asked young third baseman Josh Bell to move across the diamond and start getting some work in at first base this spring.

“Playing any other position, it doesn’t matter,” Bell said. “I just want to be in the lineup and hit, so whatever I have to do to make the team, whatever I have to do to contribute, that’s what I want to do.”

Bell, 24, who hasn’t played first base since entering pro ball, has been getting a crash course on the position from Orioles’ bench and infield coach Willie Randolph. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that Bell could “potentially” be used at first more in Grapefruit League games. He played one inning there on Tuesday and handled his only chance.

“I was telling [first baseman Joe Mahoney] the other day that I’m more worried about the mental side of it because playing the position, making errors is all physical stuff that could happen anywhere,” Bell said. “But the mental part of it, not being in the cut-off spots, not being where you are supposed to be, is just something you can’t do.

“The first day was pretty much just going over everything, just getting me introduced to the footwork of getting back to the base. We just went over a lot of things. After that, it’s going to be early work here and putting pieces together.”

Asked whether he still considers himself a third baseman, Bell said: “Whatever they want me to be. I like first. It’s something new, it’s something to work towards. It’s exciting. But I like playing third, too.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Buck Showalter said he didn't notice that top pitching prospect Zach Britton was very nervous when he took the mound for his Grapefruit League debut against a very dangerous Philadelphia Phillies lineup, but he wasn't surprised.

"I think he threw well," Showalter said. "When you think about it, these young men work their whole lives to get an opportunity to do that. I'm not much into the too-cool-for-school thing."

Chris Tillman got out over his skis at times during the first two innings, but his manager seemed satisfied with the performance of the two youngest pitchers in the competition for the final spot in the rotation.

"We'll just send them out there again on four days rest and see them again,'' he said.

The Orioles had another banner day with the bats, though the gusty wind blowing in from right center field kept the ball in the ballpark until the Phillies hit a couple of homers in the bottom of the ninth.

Showalter was particularly impressed with the performance of Matt Wieters, who had three run-scoring hits as the designated hitter. He only got credit for two RBIs because of an interference ruling, but he basically delivered three RBI singles.

"There's a new sheriff in town,'' Showalter said, who has been impressed with Wieters attitude as much as his performance. "He gets three hits and comes out of the game, then I look up and he's out there warming up the pitcher when a lot of guys would be in their cars already."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Michael Gonzalez just pitched a perfect bottom of the sixth inning, holding Orioles' lead and Felix Pie just expanded it with an RBI double in the top of the seventh. Matt Wieters followed with a single. Pinch runner Nick Green was thrown out at the plate on the play, but the Orioles were awarded the run on defensive interference. Wieters, however, was denied the RBI. He is 3-for-4 with two RBIs. It's 5-1 as the Orioles attempt to improve to 3-0 on the Grapefruit League season

Orioles reliever Jim Johnson is now in the game.

Here are a couple of quotes from Zach Britton, who admitted after his two scoreless innings that he was "nervous as hell."

"I have no idea what happened out there today," Britton said. "I was pretty nervous, even in the pen I felt it. But it was exciting. It was good to get it out of the way. I don’t even know what I can take out of it. I was so nervous. It was all nerves out there. I’m just happy it went well."

Britton said catcher Jake Fox came out and told him a joke to try to settle him down.

"He knew I was excited to be out there so he just told me a funny joke. I didn’t even know what joke it was. I wasn’t laughing. I thought we were having a serious conversation. He’s like, ‘You can laugh a little bit.’ I crossed him up a little bit and he said, 'What’s going on out here?' I said, 'I have no idea.' "

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Orioles top pitching prospect Zach Britton told me a couple of days ago that he doesn't get nervous when he is on the mound. But he sure looked a little jittery in the third inning.

Britton threw several balls in the dirt, including one that got by catcher Jake Fox for a wild pitch. Fox twice went to the mound to try and settle the 23-year-old.

It worked as Britton threw a 3-2 fastball right by slugger Ryan Howard and then retired Ben Francisco on a groundout, stranding Placido Polanco on third base. Britton threw 19 pitches in the third inning, 10 of them for strikes.

Britton just finished his day's work by throwing a scoreless fourth. He allowed a leadoff bunt single to Shane Victorino before retiring John Mayberry Jr., Brian Schneider and Brian Bocock.

His final line: 2 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 1 K, 1 WP.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Zach Britton is warming up as the Orioles lead 2-1 after the top of the third, meaning Chris Tillman's afternoon is over.

With Justin Duchscherer's status uncertain with his hip issues, Tillman has a real opportunity to make a case for a rotation spot. It wasn't an impressive performance by any means, but he did make a couple of pitches to get out of jams.

Tillman allowed one run on three hits and a walk while striking out one over two innings. Raul Ibanez hit a two-out single in the first, and Ryan Howard followed with a double to deep right center. Howard's drive appeared to be long gone, but the wind kept it in the park and the ball actually hit off of right fielder Randy Winn's glove.

In the second inning, John Mayberry Jr. had a one-out double and Brian Schneider walked before Tillman got Brian Bocock and Jimmy Rollins to end the inning. He threw 42 pitches, 25 for strikes.

The Orioles scored their first run in the second when Brendan Harris followed Jake Fox's one-out single with a run-scoring double off Roy Oswalt.

They then took the lead in the third as Winn hit a leadoff single off Brad Lidge, stole second base and then scored on Matt Wieters' two-out single to right field.

The third ended when Nolan Reimold was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter just met the media before the Orioles' game with the Philadelphia Phillies, and he said Derrek Lee could potentially make his 2011 Grapefruit League debut this weekend. Lee, who had his right thumb surgically repaired in November, took batting practice for a fourth straight day today. Showalter said that he wasn't sure how it went, but he did acknowledge that Lee is getting closer.

Justin Duchscherer threw from flat ground today, and Showalter said that that the session went well. Duchscherer could throw from off the mound in another couple of days.

It got kind of lost Tuesday because of all the attention surrounding the opening of new Ed Smith Stadium and the home run barrage that followed, but Josh Bell got in the game at first base. Bell, normally a third baseman, has been working with bench and infield coach Willie Randolph at the position during workouts. Showalter said that he could "potentially" get him in at first more during the games.

Nonroster invitee Mitch Atkins threw from flat ground today. He has been sidelined for much of camp because of an oblique injury.

Brad Bergesen and Ryan Drese threw side sessions today back at Ed Smith.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

If you're quick about it, you can still go over to the MLB.com site and click on the league leader page, where you'll see Nolan Reimold's photo next to the batting average and OBP columns in the spring leaders section. Reimold was 1 for 1 with three walks in his Grapefruit League debut in Bradenton two days ago, but did not appear in the home opener on Tuesday, so he's still perfect. He also has a perfect 4.000 slugging percentage, since his only hit was a home run.

He's in the starting lineup today, so he may have trouble staying on top of those heaps. I told him before the game to fake a hammy pull, but he said it's pretty hard to sit on a 1 for 1.

Anyway, he's one of 41 players who have at least one hit and still have not made an out in the exhibition season, so hold the parade.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

ORIOLES
Randy Winn, RF
Felix Pie, CF
Josh Bell, 3B
Matt Wieters, DH
Nolan Reimold, LF
Jake Fox, C
Brendan Harris, 2B
Joe Mahoney, 1B
Cesar Izturis, SS
Chris Tillman, SP

Also scheduled to pitch for the Orioles: Zach Britton, Michael Gonzalez, Jim Johnson, Pedro Viola, Nick Bierbrodt.

PHILLIES
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Placido Polanco, 3B
Raul Ibanez, LF
Ryan Howard, 1B
Ben Francisco, DH
Shane Victorino, CF
John Mayberry, RF
Brian Schneider, C
Brian Bocock, 2B
Roy Oswalt, SP

Also scheduled to pitch for the Phillies: Vance Worley, Brian Bass, Justin DeFratus, David Herndon, Brad Lidge.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Orioles owner Peter Angelos told The Sun a few minutes ago that there is no question in his mind that Andy MacPhail will remain the club's president of baseball operations beyond the term of his current contract, which expires at the end of this year.

When he was asked about whether he had made a decision on whether to extend MacPhail's deal, he didn't hesitate.

"I don't have to decide it,'' he said. "I think it's obvious. He's not going anywhere. We don't need to talk about it."

Angelos was clearly buoyed by the grand opening of the Orioles newly renovated spring training stadium, and by the way the upgraded O's lineup battered the Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles hit five home runs in the first three innings on the way to a 12-6 victory that featured big performances by Nick Markakis, Vladimir Guerrero, Adam Jones and Jake Fox.

"If we can only duplicate that up north, that will make everybody happy,'' he said.

MacPhail has been reluctant to talk about his contract situation, but confirmed that he continues to have a very good working relationship with Angelos.

"I very much enjoy working with Peter, and what I believe -- and what I essentially gambled on -- is that he is a man of his word," MacPhail said. "He’s done everything that he said he would do. He hasn’t abdicated his ownership but he has lived up to everything he represented, which is frankly what I expected."

Manager Buck Showalter also seemed pleased to hear that Angelos wants to maintain stability throughout the organization.

"I think that's great,'' Showalter said. "Consistency is a great thing. I think anybody who has spent much time with Andy becomes a fan of his pretty quickly."

Look for Peter Schmuck's column on the Angelos interview here at baltimoresun.com later today.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
        

The Orioles just announced that the crowd of 7,497 at Ed Smith Stadium is a sellout.

The Orioles lead 12-6 heading into the top of the eighth inning. The Rays scored two in the top of the seventh off Orioles reliever Jason Berken. However, the Orioles just answered with two of their own as Brandon Snyder hit a two-run double into the gap in right center field.

Nick Markakis, who went 3-for-3 with two homers and four RBIs, held court with the media for a while. Here are some of his thoughts:

On the team's performance: "It’s a good way to kick it off. It’s nice to have all the fans out here and get the first day out of the way. It’s a hectic day. We started out good, we swung the bats well and Jeremy [Guthrie] went out there and pitched great."

On the Orioles' lineup: "We’re still missing Derrek out of the lineup, too. We’re going to swing the bats. There’s no question. We definitely have the depth, we have the lineup. We have a hell of a ballclub here. It’s going to be fun and exciting throughout the whole year."

On how he feels: "The biggest part is just go out and work on things, try to get your pitch selected, get some good pitches and be aggressive. That’s what spring training is all about. You want to see as many pitches as you can and try to put as many good swings on those pitches as you can."

On the stadium: "The facility is pretty unbelievable, and we still have a lot to go with the locker room and everything else around it. But the field -- and I don’t know how the amenities are up there -- but everything looks great. You can’t complain. It’s a new ballpark, and it’s pretty awesome to be able to play in it."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Jeremy Guthrie had to be happy with his first outing of the exhibition season. He pitched two innings and retired all six batters he faced while the Orioles scored six runs while he was the pitcher of record.

"Everything felt like it left off at the end of last season, so that’s good," he said. "I haven’t thrown a strike in five months, so it’s nice to go out there and be able to do that. Work ahead. The command wasn’t tremendous, but I told Matt we would work on corners the next couple times, I guess. We worked on strikes."

Guthrie enjoyed the offensive fireworks as much as the fans. Obviously, he knows what a good offensive team behind him could mean his chances of having a great year.

"The guys are taking good at-bats and doing exactly what everyone’s expecting and everyone’s hoping,'' he said. "It’s a great start for them. I'm sure that they are just excited to be out there as a team to see how they jell as a lineup because they have a lot of weapons out there to work with."

Guthrie on the new ballpark:

"It’s great. Crowd’s great. It’s a lot of work, I talked to a few people and tried to gather as much understanding and appreciation of what’s gone on to make this happen.

"To most of the players, unfortunately, it just probably seems like a stadium was built. To everyone here, those that worked on it and Laura Williams and Andy and the Angelos family -- all those people that had to make it happen -- I think it’s much more than just a stadium.

"I think it’s a real tribute. I also understand the community did a lot to make it go through and there was opposition. Hopefully we can treat it that way, and I expect great crowds all spring this year and going forward. Ultimately, it will be a gift to themselves and the community here as well. Hopefully, we can make it a fun place to come and win a lot of games."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

It has been a near-flawless day, starting with the ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the newly renovated Ed Smith Stadium and featuring a five-homer barrage by the Orioles during the first three innings, but nobody's perfect.

There was an electrical glitch in the fourth inning that knocked out the interior lights and the scoreboards. The scoreboard and video board are back up and running, but the power outage obviously affected the team. The Orioles scored four times in the fourth inning to extend their lead to 10-1 over the Rays but did not hit a single homer.

Vladimir Guerrero, who homered in his first at-bat today, drove in the 10th run with a sacrifice fly.

Here's a bold prediction: The Orioles will go undefeated in games this year in which Guerrero drives in the 10th run.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Perhaps owner Peter Angelos should sit next to the dugout every game or the Orioles should just face the Rays' Andy Sonnanstine more often.

Jake Fox hit the Orioles' fourth homer with a one-out shot to left in the second inning. Two batters later, Nick Markakis ripped his second homer over the right-field wall. Sonnanstine struck out Luke Scott to get the final out of the second, meaning he gave up five homers and got six outs. I don't think that's considered good.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Guthrie's afternoon is finished. He retired all six batters he faced and struck out one. He threw 19 of his 25 pitches for strikes.

Rick VandenHurk is now in the game.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

After all the pomp and circumstance that accompanied the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new Ed Smith Stadium, there is baseball to be played. And the Orioles' likely Opening Day starter, Jeremy Guthrie, just pitched a perfect first inning.

Guthrie got Tampa Bay Rays leadoff man Johnny Damon to line out to first baseman Jake Fox. Sean Rodriguez grounded out to shortstop J.J. Hardy for the second out, and Evan Longoria grounded out to second baseman Brian Roberts for the third, leaving Manny Ramirez in the on-deck circle.

Guthrie threw 16 pitches in the inning, 12 for strikes. He was topping out at 91 mph.

In the bottom of the first, Brian Roberts led off with a single against Andy Sonnanstine. Nick Markakis then deposited a pitch over the right-field wall. After Luke Scott made the first out, Vladimir Guerrero crushed Sonnanstine's first pitch over the wall in left-center field. Mark Reynolds then made an out before Adam Jones crushed a ball over the party deck in left field.

You couldn't have scripted a better start: Orioles owner Peter Angelos, seated next to the Orioles' dugout, applauding as his club gets off to a 4-0 lead.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

While Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that there is no timetable for Derrek Lee to get into a Grapefruit League game, the first baseman took batting practice for a third straight day and said he feels he can start playing soon.

“I’m still feeling good,” said Lee, who had surgery in November to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. “I don’t see a reason to keep delaying it. I’m still going to be cautious, but I’m anxious to get in a game.”

Lee has been taking batting practice and said he’s encouraged that he’s progressing with each session. But there is still the matter of stepping into the batter’s box against an opposing pitcher, and sliding into bases.

“That’s the last hurdle,” Lee said.

Showalter has been monitoring Lee’s progress closely and said he’ll lean on the veteran when deciding to insert him in the lineup.

“He’s not behind at all,” Showalter said. “He’s right on schedule with all the other stuff. It hasn’t eliminated anything. Really, he’s doing everything but playing in the games. I’m sure he understands everything we’re doing from a team standpoint. He’s been involved in everything we’re doing.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)