masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgSARASOTA, Fla. – The first exhibition game is upon us. All it requires is about a 90-minute drive to Lakeland, Fla.
Don’t bother looking for the regulars. Orioles manager Buck Showalter already confirmed that Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Chris Davis, Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy and Steve Pearce aren’t making the trip. And neither is Caleb Joseph, who’s staying in Sarasota until his son is born.
Ubaldo Jimenez gets the start and is scheduled to throw two innings. The bullpen includes Eddie Gamboa,…

SARASOTA, Fla. – The first exhibition game is upon us. All it requires is about a 90-minute drive to Lakeland, Fla.

Don’t bother looking for the regulars. Orioles manager Buck Showalter already confirmed that Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Chris Davis, Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy and Steve Pearce aren’t making the trip. And neither is Caleb Joseph, who’s staying in Sarasota until his son is born.

jimenez-close-spring-training-sidebar.jpgUbaldo Jimenez gets the start and is scheduled to throw two innings. The bullpen includes Eddie Gamboa, Chris Jones and Oliver Drake.

Infielder Paul Janish will take ground balls at 8 a.m. on one of the back fields. Showalter will be checking him out.

I’ve written that the Orioles want to hire former Dodgers pitcher Ramon Martinez. An announcement could come later this week.

Remember how Rule 5 pick Jason Garcia was clocked in the mid-90s during his one inning in Sunday’s intrasquad game? So was Hunter Harvey, the Orioles’ first-round pick in the 2013 draft. He’s just more deceiving because the ball seems to gain a little giddy-up at the end.

Harvey said he’s gained 11 pounds since last spring, increasing his weight to 196. He’s hoping to tack on another 10-12 by the time he reports to camp in 2016.

Harvey said he doesn’t lose weight during the season.

“If I do, it might be one pound,” he said.

Veteran left-hander Mark Hendrickson was clocked around 84 mph in the intrasquad game, which is enough for a guy who’s 6 foot 9 with an arm slot that’s closer to submarine style.

schoop-fielding-gray-sidebar.jpgSecond baseman Jonathan Schoop is noticeably leaner this spring, though he only dropped about seven pounds.

“That’s the main thing I wanted to do, be leaner for me to move around better,” he said. “I didn’t lose a lot of weight. I lost some weight to be leaner and faster.”

Schoop, 23, changed his diet and workout routine over the winter to achieve his goal.

“The way you eat and I moved around a lot, running around, ride a bike, play soccer,” he said. “The agility of soccer players, their conditioning, moving around. I think that helped me a little bit.

“I felt I was moving pretty good last season, but you can always get better. Like I can get to more balls and it’s better not only for me, but for my team, too.”

Showalter was so happy with Schoop’s defense last season that he thought the rookie should have been included in the Gold Glove discussion. Schoop’s glovework and plus arm kept him in the majors while he batted .209/.244/.354 in 137 games, but he’s fighting for his job this spring after the Orioles signed Everth Cabrera.

Cabrera is a candidate to start at second base or serve in a utility role. It will be difficult for Cabrera, Schoop and Ryan Flaherty to all make the team.

“I just look at me and what I can do for the team and what I can do to help us win. We’ll see what happens,” Schoop said.

“I would like to get the average up, but overall I feel pretty good about (the season). You can always get better. That’s how baseball is. You’ve got to get better every year, you know? That’s why I’m here, trying to be better than last year.”