FORT MYERS, Fla. - Justin Duchscherer threw the first part of today's bullpen session on a half mound and the rest on a full mound.
Manager Buck Showalter said Duchscherer felt "really good," and the club will have a more definite plan for him tomorrow.
Koji Uehara will pitch in a Triple-A game on Friday. Showalter still believes that Uehara will be ready for the April 1 opener against the Rays.
Brendan Harris will be sidelined one or two more days after having a mole removed from his...
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Kevin Gregg stayed back in camp today after pitching yesterday in a minor league game at Twin Lakes Park.
Gregg faced five batters yesterday, allowing two hits, striking out two and hitting a batter. He threw 23 pitches, 16 for strikes.
Gregg made an adjustment in his mechanics earlier in camp, leaning forward as he delivered the ball rather than staying back. He wasn't happy with the results - he gave up eight earned runs (nine total) in two appearances over 1 1/3 innings...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter told reporters yesterday that Brian Roberts wasn't making the trip to Fort Myers for tonight's game against the Twins, but the second baseman is in the lineup. He'll join Derrek Lee, who's starting at first base.
Also, no cuts will be announced today. We'll most likely receive them tomorrow.
For the 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...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Here's a shocker: The Orioles are playing another night game on the road.
Even more startling, we're headed back to Fort Myers to watch the Twins - twice, including Friday afternoon, if you're keeping score at home.
The clubhouse opens to the media today at 1 p.m. The team bus leaves Sarasota at 2:15 p.m.
Left-hander Brian Matusz and relievers David Riske, Clay Rapada and Jim Johnson are scheduled to pitch. The Orioles will take another look at Twins left-hander...
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles defeated the Yankees, 6-2, before 8,347 at Ed Smith Stadium.
Would be much nicer if it happened at Camden Yards with Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano in the Yankees' lineup, but a win is a win.
Manager Buck Showalter will decide tomorrow afternoon whether Derrek Lee is making the trip to Fort Myers for the night game against the Twins. If Lee goes, he'll play first base.
Lee didn't run full-speed to first base on a grounder to short, but he was...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Jason Berken threw two scoreless, hitless innings after replacing Zach Britton. That's three scoreless outings in his last four. He allowed two runs in three innings to the Twins in his most recent appearance before today.
Michael Gonzalez gave up a run on a hit and walk in the eighth. He also struck out two.
Matt Wieters has singled and twice flied out to the fence.
Derrek Lee is 0-for-2 with a grounder and pop up.
Here are some comments from Zach Britton:
"I got into a...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Chris Tillman worked six innings today in a minor league game at Twin Lakes Park. Facing a collection of Red Sox Triple-A hitters, Tillman allowed one earned run and seven hits, and struck out four.
Tillman faced extra hitters in two innings, allowing him to increase his pitch count and record 22 outs.
Tillman and Zach Britton, who's allowed one run and five hits to the Yankees over four innings, are trying to avoid assignments to Triple-A Norfolk. Britton has thrown 67...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Left-hander Zach Britton has extended his scoreless-innings streak to 11 today by blanking the Yankees over the first two.
He allowed back-to-back singles in the second inning, one off a broken bat, but retired the next two batters on ground balls.
Britton's fastball is registering 96 mph on the stadium gun. Not sure how accurate it is, but that's what it says on the scoreboard.
You can tack on five more scoreless innings for Britton if you include a minor league game,...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Kevin Gregg faced five batters today in a minor league game at Twin Lakes Park. He allowed two hits struck out two and hit a batter. He threw 23 pitches, 16 for strikes.
"I felt good today," Gregg said. "I got my mechanics back to where they need to be."
Koji Uehara, pitching in his first game since the Feb. 28 opener in Bradenton, threw 11 of his 12 pitches for strikes and fanned one in one inning.
"Physically, I felt real good. The elbow felt good," he said through...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter wrote out two lineups for today's game - one with Derrek Lee and one without him. He decided to list Vladimir Guerrero as the designated hitter and bring Lee off the bench.
Lee continues to receive treatment on his left foot after fouling a ball off it during Sunday's game against the Phillies.
"I didn't want to put him on the field with that today," Showalter said. "It feels good. He'd play during the season if he had to, but I didn't...
SARASOTA, Fla. - It's a scorcher here today at Ed Smith Stadium. I'm looking for the sunscreen vendor.
The Orioles don't need a fifth starter until April 10, which has become a target date for Justin Duchscherer.
Duchscherer has pitched in only one game this spring, totaling two innings in Clearwater, because of stiffness in his left hip. He threw from 120 feet again today and is scheduled for a bullpen session tomorrow.
"Everything's good," he said. "It's more flexibility than...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Derrek Lee isn't in today's lineup, but we're told that he'll replace Vladimir Guerrero as the designated hitter later in the game
For the 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 LHP
Update: Justin Duchscherer threw off flat ground again today and is scheduled for a bullpen session tomorrow. He's aiming to pitch on April 10, when the Orioles need...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter will wait to determine first baseman Derrek Lee's status before posting today's lineup.
Lee is hoping to play against the Yankees at Ed Smith Stadium, but he'll do some running first to test his left foot. He'll aim for tomorrow if he's still experiencing some discomfort.
Lee fouled a ball off his foot Sunday on the first pitch he saw from Cole Hamels in his first exhibition game.
"It's feeling good," he said. "I'll test it out today and...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Jeremy Guthrie wanted to increase his pitch count, work on his stuff and maintain it through six innings.
He had a productive day.
Guthrie, expected to take the ball for the April 1 opener, allowed one run and recorded 20 outs over six innings against a Twins Triple-A team.
"I enjoyed building up again and trying to get six innings, which we did. I was working on the execution of pitches, working on a couple of sequences," he said.
"I felt a lot better today. I felt...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Jeremy Guthrie threw six innings in today's game against the Twins' Triple-A team at Ed Smith Stadium. He recorded 20 outs after facing an extra batter in the second and third innings to increase his pitch count.
The rules are relaxed on these days.
Guthrie allowed one run and four hits, walked none and struck out four. He threw 82 pitches, 56 for strikes.
The run scored in the second inning on a one-out double by Erik Lis and a two-out single by Dustin Martin.
Ryan Adams...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Ignore the spring training schedule.
Specifically, the word "off" next to today's date.
Camp is still open for business. Manager Buck Showalter arranged to have Triple-A and Double-A games played at the Ed Smith Stadium complex, so minor leaguers are heading over from Twin Lakes Park.
Jeremy Guthrie will pitch in one of the 11 a.m. games to remain on his regular schedule. That's why the media, which normally finds something else to do on this day, will be charting his...
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Have yourself a day, Nick Green.
Green, who was 3-for-27 with two RBIs and 13 strikeouts before today, lined a two-out, two-run single into center field in the ninth inning to give the Orioles a 9-8 victory over the Rays.
Mike Ballard threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings to pick up the win.
Brendan Harris and Xavier Avery singled, and Josh Bell walked to load the bases for Green.
Manager Buck Showalter did the usual drill after the game, meeting with reporters on the field...
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Brad Bergesen spoke to reporters in the visiting clubhouse after allowing two runs and eight hits, with one walk, over five innings.
"I was much more pleased with how I worked my fastball," he said. "More down in the zone. When I was missing, I was missing down rather than up, right over the plate. That was positive. The slider wasn't there for me. Need to work on it. I talked to Goose (Mark Connor) afterward and there are a couple adjustments we want to make with...
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts confirmed that his next start will come Tuesday against the New York Yankees at Ed Smith Stadium.
Roberts won't play in tomorrow's minor league games after going 0-for-2 with a walk and strikeout this afternoon.
Roberts hadn't been in the lineup since March 7, also against the Yankees.
"Better than sitting on the sidelines," he said. "It was a beautiful day, good atmosphere. It was fun to get out there and play."
Roberts...
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Brian Roberts is 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout. He's seen 10 pitches and swung at one, resulting in a ground ball to first base that ended the top of the fifth inning.
Brendan Harris was ready to replace him in the field in the bottom of the fifth, but Roberts motioned that he wanted to stay in the game. And he did.
Brad Bergesen allowed two runs and eight hits in five innings, throwing 50 of his 74 pitches for strikes. He walked one batter, Evan Longoria with...