Roberts, Jones and Millwood
Roberts, Jones and Millwood
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The Orioles still expect Brian Roberts to be a full-go when he reports to camp. They haven't received any reports to the contrary. Manager Dave Trembley was asked whether Adam Jones might have gotten a little ahead of himself at one point last season (I know the guy's fast, but I didn't think he was that fast.) "I think he probably wanted to do a little bit too much too soon. I think he got out of his lane a little bit because he wants to do so well," Trembley replied. "We have to...
More from Moore
More from Moore
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Infielder Scott Moore said he began working out with former Orioles center fielder Brady Anderson in August after they met last spring and struck up a friendship. "I just happened to run into him," Moore told me earlier today. "I wore No. 9 the year I made the team out of spring training. Brady was a really good player here and I just talked to him about wearing No. 9 and how I thought that was pretty cool. He asked me where I worked out and invited me down to his house in the off-season,...
Tillman's new pitch
Tillman's new pitch
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
I just left the Orioles' clubhouse, which is open to the media from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Players will head to the back fields in a few minutes for the pre-workout stretch. Chris Tillman has started to experiment with a cut fastball, though he isn't sure whether he'll carry it into the regular season. Pitching coach Rick Kranitz approached Tillman with the idea, and the right-hander decided to run with it. "It's something Kranny mentioned to me, that I might want to work on it in the...
Quick hits
Quick hits
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Brandon Snyder has reported to camp. Nick Markakis is taking batting practice with Adam Jones and Felix Pie. I almost didn't recognize him without the thick beard and hair. Jones looks good in the cage. He's ripping line drives all over the field. Will Ohman was bringing some serious heat in his bullpen session. Mike Gonzalez was the opposite. He threw free and easy, but he wasn't popping the mitt. Chad Moeller caught Chris Tillman during the right-hander's session, and they had a...
Notes from today's workout
Notes from today's workout
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The Orioles still haven't scheduled a bullpen session for Brad Bergesen. They want him to complete two or three extended flat-ground sessions before advancing to the next stage. Bergesen suggested that an optimistic timetable would be late next week. Nick Markakis was launching balls over the outfield fence during batting practice. It was an impressive display. "We're going to have somebody to hit in front of Nick and we're going to have somebody to hit behind Nick this year. I don't...
Millwood and Markakis
Millwood and Markakis
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Kevin Millwood was the first Oriole on the field for the 9:15 a.m. pre-workout stretch, putting him at least 10 minutes ahead of everyone else. He's routinely the first player to arrive at each station. It hasn't gone unnoticed. "That's what a No. 1 guy does," manager Dave Trembley said. "Plus, he pitches his (butt) off every fifth day. He shows these guys what you're supposed to do. "I said, 'How are you doing?' And he said, 'I'm having a blast.' He's going to help us." None...
Life of Brian (Matusz)
Life of Brian (Matusz)
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Brian Matusz had his second bullpen session today since reporting to Sarasota, and the left-hander made noticeable strides. And I'm not talking about his delivery. "I made some good improvements today with my two-seam fastball," he said. "Both times I threw to Caleb Joseph, and we have a good relationship because he caught me at Frederick, so he knows about me and I know about him. "My first session, I was opening up with my front side with my two-seam fastball and I wasn't following...
Reimold's in camp
Reimold's in camp
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Outfielders Nolan Reimold and Matt Angle have reported to camp. Reimold has run on a treadmill, but not outdoors, while recovering from Achilles surgery. "It feels good right now. When I walk around, I don't feel anything. We'll see how it feels when I'm running around for 10 hours a day," he said. "After a lot of running, it still gets a bit little sore, but it's obviously better than last year." When I asked Reimold if he has any concerns about being ready for Opening Day, he...
Moeller and more
Moeller and more
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Continuing yesterday's blog entry about Chad Moeller talking at length to pitcher Chris Tillman after the right-hander's bullpen session, the veteran catcher told me the following: "There was nothing specific. It's always a matter of what I'm seeing, and also encouragement for him or to point out something that I may have seen that I didn't like. And in his case, there's nothing I saw that I didn't like. "I wanted to see how his cutter looked, and I was pleased with what it looked...
Early notes
Early notes
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Garrett Atkins and Luke Scott have reported to camp. Chris Tillman was removed from the field after experiencing back spasms, but it wasn't his day to throw. He's expected to be fine. Tillman's back tightened up after yesterday's session. Koji Uehara bounced some throws in front of catcher Craig Tatum during his session, but Tatum blocked each one cleanly. You can focus on the positive or the negative of that last sentence. Alfredo Simon's velocity was outstanding. It's hard to...