SARASOTA, Fla. - Third baseman Mark Reynolds hit a grand slam off minor league pitcher Chorye Spoone in the bottom of the first inning of today's intrasquad game. Spoone walked the first two batters he faced and threw a wild pitch, and Vladimir Guerrero reached on an infield hit to load the bases after Luke Scott flied out. Shortstop Pedro Florimon ranged far to his right to rob Guerrero of an RBI. Reynolds launched a 1-2 pitch over the 366-foot sign in left-center field. Spoone threw 23...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Derrek Lee looked impressive in the cage today during the club's first batting practice session inside Ed Smith Stadium. He won't play in the intrasquad game, but he took some of the most significant swings of the day. "He's getting a little more comfortable turning it loose," manager Buck Showalter said. Lee's surgically-repaired thumb doesn't restrict his throwing. He's been active in infield drills every morning. Vladimir Guerrero put on another show, launching...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Justin Duchscherer says he threw from 90 feet today without any discomfort in his hip. He's taking medication to reduce the inflammation. Duchscherer won't make Wednesday's start in Clearwater, but at least he sounded encouraged. "We'll treat it symptomatically," he said. "Hopefully, it's just inflammation." Duchscherer will be re-evaluated tomorrow. He was told yesterday to rest for 48 hours. I'll pass along the adjusted rotation for the first week of exhibition...

SARASOTA, Fla. - We're only talking intrasquad here, but it's still a game and it still comes with lineups. Enjoy. Team 1: Matt Angle RF Randy Winn DH Felix Pie CF Nolan Reimold LF Josh Bell 3B Joe Mahoney 1B Ryan Adams 2B Craig Tatum C Pedro Florimon SS Chorye Spoone RHP Team 2: Cesar Izturis 2B Nick Markakis RF Luke Scott LF Vladimir Guerrero DH Mark Reynolds 3B Adam Jones CF J.J. Hardy SS Matt Wieters C Brandon Snyder 1B Chris Jakubauskas RHP Other pitchers scheduled to throw include...

Justin Duchscherer will attempt to play catch today while dealing with soreness in his left hip that could prevent him from making Wednesday's exhibition start against the Phillies in Clearwater. Duchscherer has undergone three hip surgeries, the most recent on his left side on June 7. He skipped yesterday's workout and received treatment. "I feel OK," he said. "I threw my BP session the other day and it felt great. Came in, and the next couple days I've had just a little bit of...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are making contingency plans in case Justin Duchscherer is unable to start Wednesday's exhibition game against the Phillies in Clearwater. Duchscherer is being shut down for 48 hours while dealing with a sore hip. The Orioles will re-evaluate him before determining his status for Wednesday. "We'll see what the next step is where he's concerned," manager Buck Showalter said. "There are no tests scheduled at this point. We'll just kind of see what we're...

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...

I have gotten a similar question this week after just two Orioles were listed among Baseball America's top 100 prospects for 2011. The Rays had seven and the Yankees six players on the same list. "How can the O's have lost for 13 years and that's all we have to show from our farm system," several fans have asked? We need to keep in mind that the Orioles had four players on the same lists in 2009 and 2010. If one big job of a farm system is to send players to the majors, the O's have...

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...