Roch Kubatko

A take on Givens

March 17, 2013, 4:43pm

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are off today, which means something is going on someplace else. The Ed Smith Stadium complex is closed, but the real action will take place over at Twin Lake Park, where Wei-Yin Chen is scheduled to pitch five innings in a Single-A game. I'll try to control my breathing. Chen is tucked away at the minor league complex again so he can build up his innings and pitch count in a controlled environment, one that doesn't include a division rival that's taking...

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Orioles option Hoes after game in Clearwater (updated)

March 17, 2013, 12:17pm

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles optioned outfielder LJ Hoes to Triple-A Norfolk today after he collected a hit and an RBI against the Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater. Hoes, 23, was 8-for-25 this spring. The cut leaves the Orioles with 48 players in their major league camp. "I'll tell you the thing I was most impressed with was how far he's come defensively," said manager Buck Showalter. "He played a good outfield here. That's encouraging to see. If our guys hadn't figured it out...

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Game update and quotes from Steve Johnson (O's win 7-1)

March 17, 2013, 11:12am

Orioles

Game update and quotes from Steve Johnson (O's win 7-1)

SARASOTA, Fla. - Matt Wieters hit a two-run homer to left field in the bottom of the fifth inning, giving him two more hits on the spring, and Lew Ford drove in two runs with a single in the sixth. Orioles 7, Twins 0. Two of the club's hottest hitters have stepped up again today. Wieters is 12-for-24 with three homers and 12 RBIs. Ford is 14-for-29. Jim Johnson and Darren O'Day have each thrown a scoreless inning today. Johnson walked a batter. O'Day gave up an infield hit. Jair Jurrjens...

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Wieters keeps swinging a hot bat (updated)

March 17, 2013, 9:59am

Orioles

Wieters keeps swinging a hot bat (updated)

SARASOTA, Fla. - Matt Wieters seems to get most of the attention for his work behind the plate, but has anyone noticed what he's doing beside it? Wieters singled leading off the bottom of the second inning today and later scored the game's first run on Chris Dickerson's infield hit. Wieters is 11-for-22 with two doubles, two home runs, 10 RBIs and six runs scored in 10 games. The Orioles collected four hits and scored twice in the second inning against Minnesota Twins starter Vance Worley....

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Reimold's return to left field delayed few more days (updated)

March 17, 2013, 7:00am

Orioles

Reimold's return to left field delayed few more days (updated)

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nolan Reimold won't return to left field until Wednesday or Thursday, according to manager Buck Showalter. Reimold will continue to work out in the field. "He's really going to let it go and see how he responds," Showalter said. Adam Jones will return to the lineup on Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays in Sarasota. Brian Roberts, Chris Davis and Nate McLouth are tentatively scheduled to make the trip to Fort Myers on Tuesday for the game against the Boston Red...

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Notes on Tillman, Reimold and Valencia

March 17, 2013, 6:21am

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - Chris Tillman threw 36 pitches in two innings yesterday at Twin Lakes Park and said he "felt great." No more discomfort in his abdomen. "Physically, I felt great. No problems pitching at all. Good to go," he said. The rest of his schedule remains unclear. "I don't know where we're going from here," he said. "I haven't talked to anybody yet." Nolan Reimold is still expected to play left field Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers. He continues with a...

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Bundy views time in camp as "another step for me"

March 17, 2013, 4:55am

Orioles

Bundy views time in camp as "another step for me"

SARASOTA, Fla. - Dylan Bundy is sitting at his locker this morning. He's still in camp, but not for long. The Orioles optioned Bundy to Double-A Bowie yesterday, which requires him to report to Twin Lakes Park and prepare to pitch for the Baysox. "Obviously, I didn't break camp, so I need to go down there and get more innings in and hopefully build up a workload to start the season," he said. "I've got a bullpen today, so I'd imagine that I'd start in one or two days. I don't know....

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Orioles lineups for split-squad games

March 17, 2013, 4:14am

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are posting two lineups today because they're playing two games. They're home against the Minnesota Twins - a game that will air on MASN - and in Clearwater to take on the Philadelphia Phillies. For the Orioles at home: Brian Roberts 2B Manny Machado 3B Nate McLouth CF Matt Wieters C Chris Davis 1B J.J. Hardy SS Conor Jackson DH Chris Dickerson RF Lew Ford LF Steve Johnson RHP Jair Jurrjens, Jim Johnson, Darren O'Day, Tim Bascom and Pat Egan are also listed as...

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Now it's Steve Johnson's turn

March 16, 2013, 7:20pm

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - Now that Jake Arrieta has thrown 8 2/3 scoreless innings in his last two starts, Steve Johnson gets his chance today to complicate manager Buck Showalter's decision regarding the back end of the rotation. Arrieta most likely has become the favorite for the job, though he's still prone to falling behind in the count. The Orioles need him to throw more strikes. Johnson wasn't happy with his last Grapefruit League outing on March 5, when he allowed two runs and two hits in...

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Bundy move expected and unexpected

March 16, 2013, 8:58am

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - Today's announcement that that Orioles optioned Dylan Bundy to Double-A Bowie was inevitable. It just didn't appear to be imminent. The Orioles weren't going to plug Bundy into their rotation or bullpen coming out of spring training. He's been projected to begin the 2013 season with the Baysox. It's been written here all winter and before the open of camp. The rotation at Triple-A Norfolk will be crowded, but the Orioles can make room later this summer or leapfrog Bundy...

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More on Gonzalez's outing, McFarland's improvement and Wada's recovery

March 16, 2013, 5:38am

Orioles

More on Gonzalez's outing, McFarland's improvement and Wada's recovery

SARASOTA, Fla. - No sign of Adam Jones in the clubhouse this morning following Team USA's elimination last night in the World Baseball Classic. Manager Buck Showalter had indicated that he would give Jones a few days off. Chris Tillman will throw two innings today at Twin Lakes Park, his first game action since being scratched from his last start because of abdominal soreness. He hasn't pitched since he allowed two runs and four hits in 2 2/3 innings on March 3 against the Philadelphia...

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Reimold at DH, Martinez making trip

March 16, 2013, 4:11am

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nolan Reimold will serve as the designated hitter again today, as the Orioles travel to Dunedin for a third time this spring to play the Toronto Blue Jays. Catcher Luis Martinez, who had been sidelined by a strained left oblique, is making the trip. Manager Buck Showalter wants to give him some innings and evaluate him. Taylor Teagarden is starting behind the plate. For the Orioles: Alexi Casilla SS Lew Ford CF Nolan Reimold DH Conor Jackson 1B Steve Pearce RF Taylor...

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Now it's Arrieta's turn

March 16, 2013, 3:38am

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - The competition for the last spot in the Orioles rotation heats up again today with Jake Arrieta taking the mound against the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin. Everyone here would appreciate a little heat. We're enduring another chilly morning, which brings little sympathy from my friends up north. Arrieta was fantastic in his last start, blanking the Pittsburgh Pirates on two hits, walking none and striking out five in four innings. The only criticism was his ball/strike...

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Orioles trade Michael Flacco, more from today's game

March 15, 2013, 12:59pm

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - You can't keep the Flaccos out of the news these days. The Orioles announced this afternoon that they traded minor league infielder Michael Flacco to the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations or a player to be named later. His brother, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco recently signed a six-year contract worth $120.6 million that made him the highest-paid player in NFL history. At least the Orioles aren't having salary cap issues. And now, New England can boast that it has a...

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More on Roberts and Britton (Flaherty homers for 3-3 tie)

March 15, 2013, 11:03am

Orioles

More on Roberts and Britton (Flaherty homers for 3-3 tie)

SARASOTA, Fla. - Brian Roberts was thrown out trying to steal second base after his RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning. He went into the bag feet-first. Let that be a lesson. Roberts' single tied the game, 1-1, and followed Bryce Brentz's home run off Luis Ayala that briefly gave Boston the lead. Ayala struck out one batter. Roberts is 2-for-3 today and 10-for-27 this spring. Nate McLouth, leading off today, has doubled, walked and stolen a base. T.J. McFarland got three...

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Roberts takes a dive (Britton update)

March 15, 2013, 9:50am

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - Brian Roberts doesn't think about how he's going to approach second base on a steal attempt. It just happens. Roberts dived into the bag in the bottom of the first inning, as he normally does, for his first stolen base of the spring. He had singled with one out, his ninth hit in 25 at-bats. The Orioles need to find out whether Roberts can withstand the pounding of playing second base and running the bases. The concussion symptoms returned in May 2011 after he dived into...

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Showalter still undecided on leadoff hitter

March 15, 2013, 7:45am

Orioles

Showalter still undecided on leadoff hitter

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nate McLouth is leading off and playing center field today, with Brian Roberts batting second. In other games, Roberts has hit first and McLouth has batted second or lower. Roberts has been the Orioles' leadoff hitter when healthy, but manager Buck Showalter claims that he hasn't made a decision for this season. It could be Roberts, McLouth or Nick Markakis. Nolan Reimold moved to the top of the order in April. There's no shortage of candidates. "I'm still looking at...

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Looking ahead at the pitching schedule

March 15, 2013, 6:35am

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - Miguel Gonzalez is scheduled to throw four innings today at the minor league complex at Twin Lakes Park. Manager Buck Showalter prefers to keep his projected starters away from the Orioles' division rivals, though there's plenty of video floating around these days. Zach Britton, T.J. McFarland, Luis Ayala and Mark Hendrickson will pitch today against the Boston Red Sox at Ed Smith Stadium. The Red Sox brought Clayton Mortenson, Alex Wilson, Chris Hernandez and former Orioles...

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Orioles lineup against the Red Sox and Tillman update (and more)

March 15, 2013, 4:08am

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nate McLouth will lead off and play center field today against the Boston Red Sox. Brian Roberts is batting second. Wilson Betemit, who started at third base yesterday, is the designated hitter. For the Orioles: Nate McLouth CF Brian Roberts 2B Matt Wieters C Chris Davis 1B J.J. Hardy SS Wilson Betemit DH Manny Machado 3B Chris Dickerson RF Lew Ford LF Zach Britton LHP Chris Tillman's bullpen session went well yesterday and he's scheduled to throw two innings Saturday at...

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Spring training leftovers for breakfast

March 14, 2013, 7:10pm

Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. - Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro is one of the many connections made by executive vice president Dan Duquette that may pay off for the Orioles. Niekro is working for the Orioles as a consultant of sorts, as he mentors knuckleballer Zach Staniewicz at the Twin Lakes Park complex. Long story short: The Orioles signed Staniewicz, 26, after Niekro recommended him to Duquette. Staniewicz went to Atlanta on his own to work out with Niekro, who later contacted Duquette and said that...