SARASOTA, Fla. - Justin Duchscherer is in the clubhouse, but he's not throwing or talking.
Derrek Lee is in uniform, but he's not hitting.
Brian Roberts took ground balls at second base and moved to a batting cage for situational hitting. He swung from both sides of the plate without any restrictions against Double-A Bowie pitching coach Kennie Steenstra.
There's a piece of good news.
Hitting coach Jim Presley kept barking out situations for each hitter. Infield back, man on third. Man...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Justin Duchscherer isn't on the field today, and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail confirmed that the pitcher is dealing with some hip soreness.
Add Brian Roberts, lose Duchscherer. Not the kind of break-even day the Orioles wanted.
Duchscherer will take off the next 48 hours and be re-evaluated. He's been told to rest and receive treatment.
"We'll just have to see how it plays out in the next 48 hours," MacPhail said. "Then, we'll have an idea what...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Second baseman Brian Roberts has taken the field for the pre-workout stretch. He's also expected to participate in infield drills.
Roberts had to get the approval of the athletic training staff. He stated yesterday that it's been a "group effort" when determining whether he could work out.
Roberts spent the last three days getting treatment for a stiff neck. He hasn't been able to participate in baseball activities, but he noted that his neck kept improving each...
SARASOTA, Fla. - It appears that Twitter has taken the morning off. I haven't been able to access it or post an update in more than an hour.
So much for following me at @MASNroch. It's probably just as well. I've been known to stop short.
The Orioles put a ping pong table in the middle of the clubhouse, which proves that manager Buck Showalter isn't all business. He'll let the guys have a little fun, as long as it doesn't interfere with their work.
J.J. Hardy is ridiculously good. So...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles first baseman Derrek Lee won't take batting practice today after hitting outdoors for the first time yesterday afternoon.
Lee said his surgically repaired right thumb is "a little bit tender."
"Probably as expected, since it was the first time I hit on the field," he said.
Lee plans to take BP tomorrow.
"Overly cautious," he said. "I was hoping I would wake up feeling 100 percent, but I kind of knew I'd wake up sore."
Meanwhile, Brian Roberts is outside...
SARASOTA, Fla. - I can't close out the day without letting manager Buck Showalter say a few words.
Showalter noted that second baseman Brian Roberts' neck showed some improvement again today.
"Better than yesterday, and the other day was better than that," Showalter said. "We'll see what tomorrow brings."
Showalter confirmed that no further tests are scheduled for Roberts. X-rays came back negative. He's apparently been bothered by spasms.
"They pretty much feel like they've got...
SARASOTA, Fla. - No sense ignoring Brian Roberts in this entry. He's been a constant presence, though Derrek Lee provided a slight distraction earlier today.
Roberts said his neck is "getting better every day." He received more treatment today to alleviate the soreness and also rode a stationary bike.
"It's definitely better than it was a couple days ago," he said. "It's the time of the year where you just want to get it completely gone before you go back out there again."
Asked...
SARASOTA, Fla. - I'll plug in more quotes later, but here are some short items from today's workout:
Brian Roberts said his neck feels better every day. He also said he could play if it were the regular season.
"It's definitely better than it was a couple days ago," he said.
Asked if he might work out tomorrow, Roberts said, "I don't try to guess about tomorrow. To tell you the truth, it probably hasn't really been my call. It's a group effort."
Derrek Lee will see how his thumb...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Brian Roberts didn't take the field for the pre-workout stretch and catch, and he was absent during infield drills.
Roberts continues to receive treatment on his neck. He told reporters yesterday that he hoped to get back on the field today or tomorrow.
Looks like today is out.
Cesar Izturis and Brendan Harris took grounders at second. Izturis looks every bit as smooth there as he did at short.
President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said no further tests on...
SARASOTA, Fla. - One of Alfredo Simon's representatives sent out a text last night alerting reporters that there could be a positive development today in the reliever's case. Simon remains jailed in the Dominican Republic, and he was denied bail again yesterday.
It's the never-ending story.
Justin Duchscherer noted yesterday that his curveball was much better during his live BP session. One reason: Duchscherer is breaking in a new glove and he's had some trouble gripping the ball.
Things...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Derrek Lee will take batting practice off one of the coaches later this morning, after the Orioles hold another series of meetings that caused the clubhouse to close to the media 30 minutes earlier than usual.
Lee has been hitting soft tosses in the indoor cage. He's also stepped to the plate during live batting practice with instructions to not swing the bat.
You can tell it's been tough for him. He wants to take some hacks, but he's being cautious after having surgery in...
SARASOTA, Fla. - According to this report, Orioles reliever Alfredo Simon remains in police custody in the Dominican Republic after he was again denied bail today.
Frank Robinson stood underneath his No. 20 that's mounted on Hall of Fame row in the clubhouse and addressed the team before today's workout.
"He obviously can command a room," manager Buck Showalter said. "He's been in front of players for quite a while. You can tell he has a real affinity for the Orioles."
"The guy's...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Before I dash across the street to pick up lunch, I wanted to pass along a few short items.
Manager Buck Showalter described second baseman Brian Roberts as being 50 percent improved. Showalter seems fairly confident that Roberts will be back on the field tomorrow morning.
"You could tell he felt a lot better today," Showalter said.
Roberts wasn't going to play in Monday's exhibition opener in Bradenton. The original plan called for him to start Tuesday's game in...
SARASOTA, Fla. - With Brian Roberts unable to work out again today, Cesar Izturis and Brendan Harris took ground balls at second base.
J.J. Hardy and Nick Green took turns at shortstop. Derrek Lee and Jake Fox played first base. Mark Reynolds stood alone at third.
Robert Andino worked out at shortstop on another field.
Reynolds had one bad sequence where he mishandled a chopper and bounced a throw after fielding the next ball cleanly. Otherwise, he was fine.
Reynolds and Fox had a mild...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Scene from the clubhouse this morning: Terry Crowley talking hitting while standing with Vladimir Guerrero and Felix Pie.
Another scene: Mark Reynolds, Luke Scott and Nolan Reimold sitting at Brady Anderson's locker after the former Orioles outfielder finished working out.
A scene that took place behind closed doors, so I didn't actually witness it: Hall of Famer Frank Robinson talking to the team before the workout. His retired number hangs on a wall.
Brandon Snyder...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Brian Roberts said his neck is feeling better, but he'll get more treatments today and bypass the workout.
Roberts is hoping to take the field again tomorrow or Saturday.
X-rays taken on Roberts' neck yesterday were negative.
"I'm just trying to get it calmed down," he said.
Former Orioles David Segui and Paul Bako are in camp today.
Vladimir Guerrero still has his goatee.
It's been a slow morning, but at least the clubhouse was open to the media for an hour. It...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Rick VandenHurk will follow Jeremy Guthrie to the mound in the second exhibition game. Left-hander Zach Britton will replace Justin Duchscherer in the third game.
Manager Buck Showalter doesn't seem overly concerned about second baseman Brian Roberts' neck.
"Muscle spasm. Nothing other than that. Trapezius. Is that right? Day-to-day," Showalter said.
"They didn't see any disk issues or anything. It is what it is. We've all woke up with a stiff neck."
Showalter...
SARASOTA, Fla. - It appears that Brian Roberts is fine and only dealing with some stiffness in his neck after leaving camp this morning and undergoing X-rays.
Roberts will continue to receive treatment. He's unsure whether he'll return to the field tomorrow, which makes him day-to-day.
"Just a stiff neck," he said, downplaying the situation when approached by reporters. "We've probably all had a stiff neck at some point in our life, right? I'm not overly concerned."
True, but we...
SARASOTA, Fla. - First baseman Derrek Lee is hoping to take batting practice on the field Friday after being restricted to hitting soft tosses in the cage during the first days of the full-squad workouts.
Lee, three months removed from surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb, won't take BP with the team. The veteran will take his swings against one of the minor league coaches.
Earlier today, Lee stood in the cage but kept the bat on his shoulder while Brad Bergesen threw live batting...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Left-hander Zach Britton and right-hander Rick VandenHurk also will make appearances during the first week of the exhibition schedule.
Jeremy Guthrie will start the March 1 home opener against the Rays, and Justin Duchscherer will start the following day against the Phillies in Clearwater. Britton will pitch in one of those games, with VandenHurk taking the mound in the other.
Brad Bergesen and Chris Tillman will pitch in the first game Feb. 28 against the Pirates in...
