Roch Kubatko

Men at work

March 31, 2013, 6:34pm

Orioles

ST.PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles will conduct their workout at Tropicana Field today at 3 p.m., and my first prediction for the 2013 season is that the temperature will be 72 degrees. That's the last time I'm going out on a limb. The clubhouse will be open to reporters from 2-2:45 p.m. Then it's back up to the press box while players trickle out of the dugout, take batting practice and go through fielding drills. Manager Buck Showalter told reporters a few days ago that he would pass...

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Notes and quotes from Twin Lakes Park

March 31, 2013, 8:06am

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - The fields are finally emptying at the minor league complex at Twin Lakes Park. Players are headed inside to eat, work out and attend meetings. Jake Arrieta and Jair Jurrjens each tossed five innings in the same minor league game. Zach Britton and Kevin Gausman pitched on another field. Freddy Garcia passed his physical and threw a bullpen session. Wei-Yin Chen also threw on the side, with pitching coach Rick Adair stopping him a few times to offer instruction. Arrieta,...

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Breaking away

March 30, 2013, 5:39pm

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles will break camp today and head to St. Petersburg, boarding their bus for the hour-long ride to the team hotel. The only news, and I'm using the term loosely, will come when they officially place Tsuyoshi Wada, Wilson Betemit and Steve Johnson on the disabled list and get down to the required 25 players. "We're ready," said manager Buck Showalter. "I feel good about where we are." Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis and Nolan Reimold are healthy and on the 25-man...

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Showalter and Pearce talk about final roster spot

March 30, 2013, 11:27am

Orioles

Showalter and Pearce talk about final roster spot

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter has chosen Steve Pearce over Conor Jackson for the final roster spot. Pearce will accompany the team to St. Petersburg on Sunday. Jackson has been reassigned to minor league camp and will begin the 2013 season at Triple-A Norfolk, where he could play first base, left field and right field, and serve as the designated hitter. He also could be used at third base. "I don't want to use something as callous as a flip of the coin, but they're very...

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Pearce homers, Gonzalez talks (Pearce makes team)

March 30, 2013, 10:00am

Orioles

Pearce homers, Gonzalez talks (Pearce makes team)

SARASOTA, Fla. - Steve Pearce took another swing today at winning the last spot on the Orioles' 25-man roster. Pearce hit his seventh home run after striking out in his first two at-bats. He cleared the fence in left field to increase the Orioles' lead to 7-1. Pearce also has driven in 18 runs this spring. He's batting .340. Conor Jackson hasn't played today and we're in the top of the eighth. Miguel Gonzalez turned in his finest start, holding the Mets to one run and one hit over five...

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Game update and a little Showalter (McLouth homers twice, Davis once)

March 30, 2013, 8:54am

Orioles

Game update and a little Showalter (McLouth homers twice, Davis once)

SARASOTA, Fla. - Consecutive singles by Chris Davis, J.J. Hardy and Nolan Reimold with one out in the second inning gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead over the Mets in their final spring training game. Nate McLouth led off the bottom of the third inning with his third home run, the ball hitting the batter's eye in center field. Manny Machado doubled and later scored on Matt Wieters' single - the catcher's 15th RBI this spring. Orioles 3, Mets 0. Miguel Gonzalez is cruising. He retired the first...

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Roberts batting ninth again today

March 30, 2013, 7:48am

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts is batting ninth again today against the New York Mets. Roberts will stay at the bottom of the lineup for Tuesday's opener against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Manager Buck Showalter hasn't settled on one leadoff hitter for the regular season. Today, it's Nate McLouth's turn. For the Orioles: Nate McLouth CF Manny Machado 3B Nick Markakis RF Matt Wieters C Chris Davis 1B J.J. Hardy SS Nolan Reimold LF Steve Pearce DH...

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A few pregame notes

March 30, 2013, 7:43am

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles' last roster cut will be announced following today's game against the New York Mets. Adam Jones is out of today's lineup. Orioles manager Buck Showalter wants to rest him. Jones has 62 plate appearances, including games in the World Baseball Classic, and Showalter wants to slow him down. That's all I can say about the lineup. I still haven't seen it. Jairo Asencio, acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers this spring, is scheduled to pitch today. Jake Arrieta...

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Jackson and Pearce playing waiting game

March 30, 2013, 5:17am

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - Miguel Gonzalez is making his final start of the spring today in the Orioles' last exhibition game. They break camp on Sunday and head to St. Petersburg. Gonzalez has pitched in two Grapefruit League games, blanking the Phillies over two innings and allowing four runs (one earned) and four hits in two innings against the Pirates. Now he's facing the Mets, so he's working his way through the National League. After today, Gonzalez's next start will come on April 4 against...

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Are the Orioles almost done?

March 29, 2013, 8:12pm

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are playing the New York Mets today in a noon game at Ed Smith Stadium that wraps up their exhibition schedule. They're also expected to make their final roster decision - Steve Pearce or Conor Jackson. Pearce would appear to be the favorite, and not just because he's taking home the Jake Fox trophy. It seemed as though the Orioles were done conducting business yesterday afternoon, but they signed pitcher Freddy Garcia and traded for reliever Scott Proctor...

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McFarland on roster spot, Steve Johnson on DL (Garcia signed, Proctor acquired)

March 29, 2013, 1:48pm

Orioles

McFarland on roster spot, Steve Johnson on DL (Garcia signed, Proctor acquired)

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles pitcher T.J. McFarland was in the weight room doing shoulder exercises this afternoon when manager Buck Showalter approached him with the news. McFarland had made the club as a Rule 5 pick. "He came right up to me and said it straight up," McFarland said. "There was no messing around or nothing. I shook his hand and said, 'Thank you,' and he said, 'Congratulations,' and that was awesome. "I'm breaking with the team, I made the club. I'm so happy, I'm...

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Tillman accepts DL assignment without complaint (McFarland in, S. Johnson to DL)

March 29, 2013, 12:24pm

Orioles

Tillman accepts DL assignment without complaint (McFarland in, S. Johnson to DL)

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles defeated State College of Florida 6-1 today in a game that doesn't count in the Grapefruit League standings. T.J. McFarland tossed four perfect innings, striking out six. The left-hander will find out later today whether he made the club. Got to like his chances. Travis Adair, son of pitching coach Rick Adair, homered in the bottom of the eighth to complete the scoring. Chris Tillman allowed one unearned run and two hits in five innings today, with two walks and...

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Arrieta named fourth starter, and other notes and quotes

March 29, 2013, 12:10pm

Orioles

Arrieta named fourth starter, and other notes and quotes

SARASOTA, Fla. - The rotation is set. Orioles manager Buck Showalter has chosen Jake Arrieta as his No. 4 starter, allowing the right-hander to pitch the home opener for the third consecutive season. Arrieta will take the mound on April 5 against the Minnesota Twins at Camden Yards after Jason Hammel, Wei-Yin Chen and Miguel Gonzalez start the three games against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Chris Tillman will come off the disabled list and pitch on April 6. He allowed one run and...

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Most of the cuts are coming today, Showalter talks about Roberts (roster updates)

March 29, 2013, 10:32am

Orioles

Most of the cuts are coming today, Showalter talks about Roberts (roster updates)

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles most likely will have all of their roster cuts done today with the exception of one. This includes injured players going on the disabled list. Nick Markakis led off today's game with a single off Chris Tillman, and a sacrifice fly gave State College of Florida a 1-0 lead. Markakis walked leading off the second inning. Tillman has allowed one run and one hit, with two walks and two strikeouts in two innings. Russ Canzler had an RBI single in the bottom of the...

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Jurrjens could pitch this weekend

March 29, 2013, 7:58am

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - Pitcher Jair Jurrjens will play catch this morning and could appear in Saturday's game against the New York Mets if the discomfort in his ribcage continues to subside. Jurrjens woke up feeling much better today, in large part due to the anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxers that were prescribed. Jurrjens had to leave Wednesday night's start against the New York Yankees in the second inning after being nailed by a line drive. "I feel good. It's gotten better," he...

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Roberts prepared to bat ninth on opening day

March 29, 2013, 7:22am

Orioles

Roberts prepared to bat ninth on opening day

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts met with manager Buck Showalter before last night's game and learned that he's going to bat ninth on opening day against the Tampa Bay Rays' David Price. The first hint came when Roberts hit ninth last night against Price. Showalter didn't post the lineup until he clued in Roberts, who has batted leadoff in 1,120 games and ninth in 17 during his major league career. If Roberts is bothered by the news, he didn't show it this morning...

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Urrutia playing right field for Orioles

March 29, 2013, 6:24am

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - Cuban defector Henry Urrutia is batting sixth and starting in right field for the Orioles today in their game against State College of Florida. The batch of minor leaguers summoned from Twin Lakes Park includes Lew Ford, Jason Pridie, Russ Canzler and Travis Ishikawa. For the Orioles: Lew Ford DH Jason Pridie CF Russ Canzler LF Travis Ishikawa 1B Chris Robinson C Henry Urrutia RF Niuman Romero SS Buck Britton 3B Tucker Nathans 2B Chris Tillman RHP

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A scout's take on Orioles' depth

March 29, 2013, 4:10am

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - We're down to the last two games on the exhibition schedule, and there used to be an open date on it today before manager Buck Showalter found a way to keep us busy. The Orioles are playing what's become their annual game against State College of Florida. If memory serves, they lost last spring and were subjected to ridicule from national media and a portion of their fan base. Didn't matter that they actually supplied some of the opposition's pitching and their lineup was...

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Is Roberts lined up to bat ninth?

March 28, 2013, 7:12pm

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - It's not completely safe to make assumptions about the opening day lineup when rosters don't have to be set until 3 p.m. on Sunday. There are... wait for it... a lot of moving parts as we near the end of spring training. Tonight's lineup created a bit of a buzz. First of all, we didn't receive it until less than an hour before first pitch, which never happens. Manager Buck Showalter named the starters at each position during batting practice, but we didn't have the...

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Showalter talks about Tillman and more

March 28, 2013, 6:35pm

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles may decide on Friday whether to place pitcher Steve Johnson on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right latissimus dorsi muscle. Manager Buck Showalter confirmed that Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia will be in the Orioles' lineup for Friday's game against the State College of Florida. Urrutia will join a bunch of other players being brought over from minor league camp. Nick Markakis was given four choices for Friday - go to Fort Myers to play in a Double-A...