Injured second baseman Brian Roberts sat out today's extended spring training games in Sarasota after receiving treatment on his sore back. The Orioles played two games against Tampa Bay, winning them both, but Roberts pushed back his debut for the second straight day. No games are scheduled tomorrow, so Roberts will have to wait until Monday if he's deemed ready. "Hopefully, whatever is bothering him will clear up by then," said Gary Kendall, the Orioles' extended spring training...

I woke up this morning convinced that the day would move at a much slower pace than yesterday. We're back on a standard schedule. Get out of bed, check the blog comments and file my first entry. Arrive at the ballpark around 3 p.m., fire up the laptop and check the blog comments. Enter the clubhouse at 3:35 p.m. and copy the lineup. Run up to the press box and post the lineup. Go back down to the clubhouse and talk to a few players. Head for the interview room at 4 p.m. for the manager's...

Here is the final part of my series of interviews with Jim Callis of Baseball America. Today he discusses the O's drafts under Joe Jordan and the dollars the Orioles have spent on the draft. He gives Jordan solid marks for his drafts. "They've been good. I know some Baltimore fans, at least from the emails I get, are a little impatient, saying Matt Wieters isn't all he was cracked up to be and Brian Matusz is struggling. But those were two very good picks. They were guys that didn't...

Manager Jim Riggleman decided to go with Tyler Clippard in the seventh inning and then Drew Storen in the eighth of the Nationals 4-2 losing streak ending win over the hot Cincinnati Reds at Nationals Park. Similar to Cristian Guzman leading off and Nyjer Morgan batting second, this change paid dividends for the Nats quickly. Riggleman said he thought he might use Clippard for two innings, but after the Nats rallied for two runs to take the lead in the bottom of the seventh and the pitching...

I passed Andy MacPhail on the stairs as I returned to the press box. He wasn't waiting in the manager's office. That's probably a good sign. Wait, we're not doing that anymore. Never mind. The Orioles were shut out for the fifth time this season. It only seems like 15. They've tallied eight runs in their last seven games. It only seems like one. They've been blanked or held to one run six times in the last nine games. Clay Buchholz became the fourth pitcher to throw a complete game...

Tonight's attendance: 30,070. If you could read Juan Samuel's mind right now, you'd be blushing. The Orioles turned a 3-6-1 double play in the eighth inning, with reliever Frank Mata covering first base. They executed it perfectly. Too bad Mata lost track of the outs. Mata tossed the ball toward the mound, then realized his mistake and chased after it. The bases were empty, so no harm done, but it was another mental lapse. A MASN camera showed Samuel in the dugout, staring at the field...

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. At least if you're measuring their impact on the 2010 Orioles. I know it's early. Juan Samuel has been manager for four innings. But we've just confirmed that there are no quick fixes. Chris Tillman couldn't get out of the second inning. Matt Wieters committed a passed ball on a strikeout. Miguel Tejada couldn't handle a sharp bouncer to his glove side that was scored a hit. Mark Hendrickson grooved an 88 mph fastball to Kevin Youkilis in the...

As Chris Tillman was walking the second batter of the game, still unable to secure an out and running up his pitch count, the television monitors in the press box cut to Juan Samuel speaking to the media earlier today. Sportswriters can't pass up a good quip. "There's Juan resigning." "He said the team needs a new voice." "He's already lost the clubhouse." Tillman loaded the bases with no outs on a single and two walks. He struck out Kevin Youkilis on a 91 mph fastball and retired...

President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail told me that Brian Roberts is experiencing some minor back pain that's unrelated to the herniated disk, according to the report that he received. "Right now, they don't think it's a big deal," MacPhail said. "He might just slide back to baseball activities, depending on how the symptoms progress, but nobody thinks it's a big deal at this point." The Orioles traveled to Port Charlotte today, but Roberts stayed back in Sarasota and hit in...

Interim manager Juan Samuel told reporters today that second baseman Brian Roberts had a "minor setback" that prevented him from appearing in his first extended spring training game in Sarasota. Head athletic trainer Richie Bancells passed along the news to Samuel. Samuel couldn't provide any other details, but he added that Roberts is scheduled to play tomorrow. For the Orioles: Corey Patterson LF Miguel Tejada 3B Nick Markakis RF Ty Wigginton 1B Luke Scott DH Matt Wieters C Adam Jones...