More on Mancini and props for the Tides from the Orioles

More on Mancini and props for the Tides from the Orioles
Orioles first baseman-turned-outfielder Trey Mancini was a popular interview Friday at Harbor Park. And why not? He returned to the place where he had a strong 2016 season, and the Norfolk reporters wanted to ask him about making the opening day roster and adjusting to life in the outfield. Mancini repeated again that he is feeling comfortable already playing in the outfield. He feels he has quickly earned the trust of manager Buck Showalter as an outfielder. "It seems like he's comfortable...

Oliver Drake gets final roster spot, plus more after O's-Tides tie

Oliver Drake gets final roster spot, plus more after O's-Tides tie
NORFOLK, Va. - The one remaining roster spot that was an Orioles mystery no longer is. Right-hander Oliver Drake will be the eighth member of the Orioles bullpen on opening day. Manager Buck Showalter announced that after today's 3-3 tie at Harbor Park with the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, concluding the exhibition season. Showalter also provided more clarity on right-hander Chris Tillman's upcoming schedule. It is one that could allow him to pitch for the Orioles as soon as May 2. Showalter told...

Orioles get early lead in Norfolk (O's and Tides tie 3-3)

Orioles get early lead in Norfolk (O's and Tides tie 3-3)
ORIOLES QUICK WRAP Score: Orioles 3, Tides 3 Recap: The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third on J.J. Hardy's second spring homer. He hit one out to left off right-handed starter Brandon Barker, who will likely start for Double-A Bowie this season. Barker allowed two hits and one run over four innings. ... The Tides took a 2-1 lead on Francisco Peña's pinch-hit two-run double in the last of the sixth off Joe Gunkel. ... The O's tied it up 2-2 on Ryan Flaherty's bases-loaded...

Pregame notes on Chris Tillman, the roster and more

Pregame notes on Chris Tillman, the roster and more
NORFOLK, Va. - The very cloudy and rainy skies we saw here for most of this morning have brightened a bit, and the Orioles and Triple-A Norfolk Tides are going to play their exhibition game here today as scheduled. It is starting just a few minutes later than the original scheduled start. First pitch is set for 3:15 p.m. Orioles reliever Darren O'Day is not here with the team. He stayed in Florida with a strong case of the flu. Manager Buck Showalter expects O'Day to be with the Orioles for...

Projecting the minor league rotations and a look at today's game

Projecting the minor league rotations and a look at today's game
NORFOLK, Va. - The minor league seasons for the Orioles' four full-seaon affiliates at Triple-A Norfolk, Double-A Bowie, Single-A Frederick and Single-A Delmarva begin next Thursday, April 6. It should not be too long before the break-camp rosters are announced. For now, we can speculate on what the rotations could look like starting next Thursday, so let's take some (hopefully) educated guesses: Norfolk: With right-hander Tyler Wilson expected to start the year in the Orioles bullpen, news...

A look at minor league outfielder Austin Hays, plus other notes

A look at minor league outfielder Austin Hays, plus other notes
As a first season in professional baseball goes, it could not have gone too much better in 2016 for right-handed hitting outfielder Austin Hays. The 21-year-old Hays, the Orioles' third-round selection (No. 91 overall) last June out of Jacksonville University, made a strong debut. Over 38 games and 140 at-bats at short-season Single-A Aberdeen, Hays batted .336/.386/.514 with nine doubles, two triples, four homers, 21 RBIs and an OPS of .900. He missed time with a sprained right wrist but...

Their time is now: Gausman, Bundy begin year atop rotation

Their time is now: Gausman, Bundy begin year atop rotation
Former Orioles general manager Andy MacPhail might approve. He said to "grow the arms." Starting next week, minus Chris Tillman right now, two Orioles first-round draft picks will head up their starting rotation. The Orioles made Dylan Bundy the fourth-overall pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft. A year later, they selected Kevin Gausman, also with the fourth pick. With Gausman under team control through 2020 and Bundy through 2021, this pair of young guns could head up future rotations...

For his latest trick, Cedric Mullins homered off Craig Kimbrel

For his latest trick, Cedric Mullins homered off Craig Kimbrel
Outfielder Cedric Mullins is the little guy with a little pop in his bat. Just ask Boston closer Craig Kimbrel. This spring, Mullins has made a very big impression on Orioles manager Buck Showalter. Even though he is officially not even a non-roster player on the major league roster, 22-year-old Mulins has been called over often from minor league camp by Showalter. The skipper has been impressed by Mullins on offense and defense. "I like more the calmness in the outfield," Showalter said...

A look at a big outlier among Mark Trumbo's 2016 stats

A look at a big outlier among Mark Trumbo's 2016 stats
During a season where he hit 47 home runs (four more than anyone else in the majors), made the All-Star team and won a Silver Slugger Award, there was one line on the stat sheet that was very unimpressive for Orioles slugger Mark Trumbo. You would think a right-handed power hitter might mash against left-handed pitching. But in 2016, Trumbo hit just .173/.223/.385 against lefties with 10 home runs. He hit .284/.334/.550 with 37 homers against right-handed pitchers. His OPS was .932 versus...

Britton on predictions, more on fifth starter and a player impressing on farm

Britton on predictions, more on fifth starter and a player impressing on farm
For the Orioles, the players can change from year to year, but the predictions that the team won't do well seem to be the same. Different year, same predictions. That topic didn't come up with too many players when I was at spring training in Florida the last nine days, but it did with pitcher Zach Britton. It seems this topic is very individual to the player. Some take motivation from it, some brush it off and don't give it a single consideration. "I think I kind of use it both ways I...

MLB.com's Richard Justice talks Orioles

MLB.com's Richard Justice talks Orioles
Hey, look, a national writer that doesn't always predict doom and gloom for the Orioles. Of course, they all do not do that, but MLB.com columnist Richard Justice has often written eloquently about the Orioles' resurgence since it began in 2012. A former Orioles beat writer for The Baltimore Sun from 1984-1989, Justice has written about the Orioles also as a columnist at The Sun and when he wrote for The Washington Post. He's been around this team for many years. He's one of the sharpest...

Showalter on Wright's struggles and more after tie with Twins

Showalter on Wright's struggles and more after tie with Twins
FORT MYERS, Fla. - The candidates for the Orioles' fifth starter's job are not exactly setting the world on fire lately. Lefty Chris Lee allowed two runs and five hits in two innings on Wednesday. Tonight against the Twins, right-hander Mike Wright allowed seven hits and five runs over two innings, raising his spring ERA to 8.38. No one is grabbing the ball and running with it. Is manager Buck Showalter concerned that, at this point, no one has presented himself as the leader for that...

Early exit for Mike Wright tonight (O's, Twins tie at 5-5)

Early exit for Mike Wright tonight (O's, Twins tie at 5-5)
ORIOLES QUICK WRAP Score: Twins 5, Orioles 5 Recap: Mike Wright's fifth outing of the spring (counting a B game) was his worst. He had a 4.70 ERA in Grapefruit League games coming into this outing and exits with an ERA of 8.38. He allowed six hits and five runs in the second inning. He gave up four straight two-out run-scoring hits. ... Vidal Nuño, making his third appearance since returning from the World Baseball Classic, threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as did...

O's pregame notes on returning WBC players and more

O's pregame notes on returning WBC players and more
FORT MYERS, Fla. - A few notes from manager Buck Showalter's pregame session with reporters before tonight's game with the Twins at CenturyLink Field. * A couple of the club's returning World Baseball Classic players - Manny Machado and Welington Castillo - are expected to play for the Orioles at home tomorrow night in Sarasota. Adam Jones and Jonathan Schoop will likely not play yet tomorrow. The returning WBC players will probably play in home games only during the rest of the spring...

Schoop on returning to team, Flaherty on returning to lineup

Schoop on returning to team, Flaherty on returning to lineup
SARASOTA, Fla. - With the end of the World Baseball Classic, the Orioles now have the whole band back together at their spring training camp. Outfielder Adam Jones was at Ed Smith Stadium earlier today, second baseman Jonathan Schoop met with reporters in the clubhouse this afternoon and pitcher Mychal Givens is at minor league camp this afternoon at Twin Lakes Park. Third baseman Manny Machado is expected to play tomorrow night at 6:05 p.m. in Sarasota when the Orioles host the Twins. We await...

Spring training notes on Cedric Mullins, Trey Mancini and Jesus Liranzo

Spring training notes on Cedric Mullins, Trey Mancini and Jesus Liranzo
SARASOTA, Fla. - It happened on a back field at the Ed Smith Stadium complex and in a B game with the Orioles playing the Pirates. A young man from minor league camp standing just 5-foot-8 got into the box. He got a pitch to drive and didn't miss it. He crushed a homer off the batter's eye in center field to tie the game. Seconds later, 22-year-old outfielder Cedric Mullins, who last season played at Single-A Delmarva - three levels below the majors - was getting congrats from a few Orioles...

Dariel Álvarez: Now a hitter and a pitcher

Dariel Álvarez: Now a hitter and a pitcher
SARASOTA, Fla. - He's been an outfielder since the Orioles signed the Cuban native to an $800,000 bonus on July 26, 2013. But this season, Dariel Álvarez will be a pitcher and designated hitter when he plays in games in the O's minor leagues. Long-known for his big-time right arm, Álvarez clearly fell behind a host of others on the Orioles' major league depth chart in the outfield. Now the organization wants to move him to the mound as a potential power reliever with hopes he can pitch...

Chris Lee on outing: "I need to be more efficient than that"

Chris Lee on outing: "I need to be more efficient than that"
SARASOTA, Fla. - It was just a spring training game. It won't count for much once the regular season starts. But for 24-year-old left-hander Chris Lee, tonight probably felt like a lot more. With the days left on the spring schedule dwindling, it was his latest chance to audition for the Orioles' fifth starter job. Lee entered his fifth spring appearance and second start with real good numbers: an ERA of 1.64 and just two runs allowed over 11 innings. But then he gave up two runs in a...

Welington Castillo returns to team, feels ready to start the season

Welington Castillo returns to team, feels ready to start the season
SARASOTA, Fla. - New Orioles catcher Welington Castillo rejoined the team today from the World Baseball Classic. He pretty much has pronounced himself ready to start the season and said manager Buck Showalter agrees. Castillo caught many innings over six high-level games, giving him a much different experience than he'd get in a normal spring training. He said it left him feeling ready to go. "Honestly, I think so. Pretty good, competitive games," Castillo said this afternoon. "Everyone is...

Mark Trumbo on spring struggles and getting WBC players back

Mark Trumbo on spring struggles and getting WBC players back
SARASOTA, Fla. - If you are a veteran player and your spot in the lineup is secured, you are probably not too worried about having poor stats in spring training. That pretty much describes Orioles outfielder Mark Trumbo. A year after batting .256/.316/.533 and career highs with 47 homers (which led the majors) and 108 RBIs, he has struggled during spring training. Trumbo described his hitting today this spring as "very mediocre." He is 6-for-33 and batting .182/.250/.212. He hasn't homered...