masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgTAMPA – Orioles pitcher Bud Norris didn’t make it out of the second inning today in his worst start of the spring.

Norris had tossed five scoreless innings over two starts before today, with three hits, one walk and six strikeouts. However, he gave up three runs and four hits in 1 2/3 innings against the Yankees, with two walks and two strikeouts.

Norris threw 60 pitches, 35 for strikes. He also committed a throwing error that allowed a run to score.

Brad Brach replaced Norris with two outs…TAMPA – Orioles pitcher Bud Norris didn’t make it out of the second inning today in his worst start of the spring.

Norris had tossed five scoreless innings over two starts before today, with three hits, one walk and six strikeouts. However, he gave up three runs and four hits in 1 2/3 innings against the Yankees, with two walks and two strikeouts.

Norris threw 60 pitches, 35 for strikes. He also committed a throwing error that allowed a run to score.

Brad Brach replaced Norris with two outs and a runner on base, and the right-hander struck out Brian McCann.

In his last outing, Brach served up two home runs in two innings against the Pirates in Sarasota.

Carlos Beltran had an RBI single in the first today, and Norris issued back-to-back walks to load the bases before getting the next two outs and minimizing the damage. He threw 39 pitches.

Doubles by Zoilo Almonte and Brett Gardner in the second increased the lead to 2-0, and Gardner scored when Norris fielded Derek Jeter’s comebacker and threw wildly at third.

The Yankees lead 3-0 in the top of the third inning.

Third baseman Alex Gonzalez is 2-for-2 today and 9-for-20 this spring, with a double, two home runs and six RBIs.

Earlier today, I wrote about pitcher Mike Wright being shut down with right elbow tendinitis. Well, he’s fine now because he threw two scoreless innings in a minor league game at Twin Lakes Park, according to MASNsports.com’s Steve Melewski.

Update: Kevin Gausman retired the Yankees in order in the fourth on six pitches, but he allowed a run in the fifth.

Gausman issued a walk, threw a wild pitch and gave up an RBI single to Alfonso Soriano. His fastball has been 92-95 mph.

We’re told that Zach Britton, T.J. McFarland and Tommy Hunter also will pitch Friday in Fort Myers. Wei-Yin Chen gets the start.

Britton will be pitching for the fourth time in nine days. Sounds like a relief role to me.