World Champions 1983 1970 1966

American League Champions 1983 1979 1971 1970 1969 1966 American League East Division Champions 2014 1997 1983 1979 1974 1973 1971 1970 1969

American League Wild Card 2016 2012 1996

Tuesday February 28 2017

Game Stories

Schoop shows power stroke in Os loss to Yanks MLBcom 227

Wrapping up a 4-1 loss MASNsportscom 227

Orioles lineup vs Phillies MASNsportscom 228

Columns

World Baseball Classic is nice in theory but it creates headaches across MLB The Sun

227

Ubaldo Jimenez allows one run in first start of spring as Orioles lose 4-1 to Yankees The

Sun 227

Ubaldo aims to reduce long counts add innings MLBcom 227

Orioles ready to begin departing for 17 Classic MLBcom 227

Showalter on Bridwell and Scott MASNsportscom 228

Does Carlos Martinez deal provide a framework for Kevin Gausman others

MASNsportscom 227

Drake allows spring homer but still could emerge in Orsquos lsquopen come April

MASNsportscom 228

Jim Henneman Outfield-Depth Debate Spans Decades PressBoxOnlinecom 227

Buck Showalter Sees Signs Ubaldo Jimenezs Late-Season Success Will Continue In

2017 PressBoxOnlinecom 227

Castillo Trying To Learn Orioles Pitchers In A Short Time CBS Baltimore 228

Spring Training Primer Bournrsquos injury Jimenezrsquos start Schoop flying coop soon

BaltimoreBaseballcom 227

Spring Training Primer Buck on Jimenez Schoop leaves with a bang Wrightrsquos up

BaltimoreBaseballcom 227

FAN OF THE DAY She roots for the Orioles but passes on lsquoNatty Bohrsquo Sarasota

Herald-Tribune 227

Oriolesrsquo Buck Showalter still deflecting postseason bullpen blunder Daily News 227

Buck Showalter has closed the book on not using Zach Britton Newsday 227

Klapisch Showalter still searching for a championship NorthJerseycom 227

Castillo trying to learn Orioles pitchers in short time Daily Herald 227

Orioles pick anthem regular from Selinsgrove for opening weekend The Daily Item 227

httpmoriolesmlbcomnewsarticle217254268aaron-judge-helps-yankees-defeat-orioles

Schoop shows power stroke in Os loss to Yanks

By Rich Dubroff MLBcom

February 27th 2017

SARASOTA Fla -- In his final game before leaving Orioles camp to join the Netherlands for

the World Baseball Classic Jonathan Schoop hit a long third-inning home run as the Os fell to

the Yankees 4-1 on Monday afternoon

Schoop is 3-for-8 in three spring games He also has two doubles

I feel like I have enough games in I think we have two more exhibition games down there to

get ready Then weve got to play three games down there before the tournament starts but Im

ready I feel good Schoop said

Ubaldo Jimenez started and allowed one run on two hits in two innings in his first Grapefruit

League start

Chad Green started for the Yankees and allowed one hit and walked a batter in two innings

Green is competing for one of the two vacant slots in New Yorks rotation

Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge drove in New Yorks first run with a fielders choice in the first

inning and also showed off his arm in right throwing out Hyun Soo Kim at second after Kim

tried to turn a single into a double

Weve seen him throw before so we were not surprised manager Joe Girardi said

Minor League infielder Thairo Estrada hit a three-run ninth-inning home run to give the Yankees

the lead

Yankees Up Next The Yankees will have a pair of split-squad games on Tuesday hosting the

Tigers at George M Steinbrenner Field and traveling to Fort Myers Fla to face the Red Sox

Probable Opening Day starter Masahiro Tanaka will face Detroit while rotation candidate Luis

Cessa sees Boston Both games begin at 105 pm ET

Orioles Up Next Mike Wright who began the 2016 season with the Orioles makes his first

Grapefruit League start on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies at Spectrum Field at 105

pm ET Barring injury Wright is competing for a spot in the Orioles bullpen

httpmoriolesmlbcomnewsarticle217254268aaron-judge-helps-yankees-defeat-orioles

Schoop shows power stroke in Os loss to Yanks

By Rich Dubroff MLBcom

February 27th 2017

SARASOTA Fla -- In his final game before leaving Orioles camp to join the Netherlands for

the World Baseball Classic Jonathan Schoop hit a long third-inning home run as the Os fell to

the Yankees 4-1 on Monday afternoon

Schoop is 3-for-8 in three spring games He also has two doubles

I feel like I have enough games in I think we have two more exhibition games down there to

get ready Then weve got to play three games down there before the tournament starts but Im

ready I feel good Schoop said

Ubaldo Jimenez started and allowed one run on two hits in two innings in his first Grapefruit

League start

Chad Green started for the Yankees and allowed one hit and walked a batter in two innings

Green is competing for one of the two vacant slots in New Yorks rotation

Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge drove in New Yorks first run with a fielders choice in the first

inning and also showed off his arm in right throwing out Hyun Soo Kim at second after Kim

tried to turn a single into a double

Weve seen him throw before so we were not surprised manager Joe Girardi said

Minor League infielder Thairo Estrada hit a three-run ninth-inning home run to give the Yankees

the lead

Yankees Up Next The Yankees will have a pair of split-squad games on Tuesday hosting the

Tigers at George M Steinbrenner Field and traveling to Fort Myers Fla to face the Red Sox

Probable Opening Day starter Masahiro Tanaka will face Detroit while rotation candidate Luis

Cessa sees Boston Both games begin at 105 pm ET

Orioles Up Next Mike Wright who began the 2016 season with the Orioles makes his first

Grapefruit League start on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies at Spectrum Field at 105

pm ET Barring injury Wright is competing for a spot in the Orioles bullpen

httpwwwmasnsportscomschool-of-roch201702wrapping-up-a-4-1-loss-2html

Wrapping up a 4-1 loss

By Roch Kubatko MASNsportscom

February 27 2017

SARASOTA Fla - Oliver Drake entered a tie game today in the top of the ninth inning and let

the first three batters reach base punctuated by Thairo Estradarsquos three-run homer that gave the

Yankees a 4-1 win

Manager Buck Showalter said infielder Paul Janish probably will make the trip to Clearwater for

Tuesdayrsquos game against the Phillies

Infielder Ryan Flaherty will stay back due to a sore right shoulder Showalter said hersquos hoping

that Flaherty will be available for Wednesdayrsquos game against the Red Sox in Sarasota

ldquoJust a little sorenessrdquo he said ldquoBeen throwing a lot Decided to back off him a couple of days

Expect him to be a player probably the day after tomorrow I hope anyway If it doesnrsquot get

better wersquoll look into it a little deeper But we donrsquot suspect anything more than that right nowrdquo

Jonathan Schoop provided the Oriolesrsquo only run with a shot to left field that cleared the bleachers

in the bottom of the third inning Schoop was playing his last game before joining Team

Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic

ldquoItrsquos a good farewellrdquo Showalter said

Adam Jones saved a run in the second with a sensational diving catch in right-center field to rob

Jorge Mateo

ldquoAdam made a heck of a play on that ballrdquo Showalter said ldquoNot many people get to that Thatrsquos

why things change with depths The windrsquos blowing in yoursquove got a guy up whorsquos not a power

hitter You have to change some thingsrdquo

Jones threw out a runner at third base Saturday in Bradenton and made a diving grab today If

hersquos playing too shallow itrsquos working in the first week of games

ldquoItrsquos something that wersquove discussed and looked at and Adamrsquos all-inrdquo Showalter said ldquoHersquos a

very receptive guy if your presentation is right because he wants whatrsquos best for the team Where

Adam plays a lot of it is dictated by

ldquoItrsquos not some blanket that you put over it Thatrsquos where the mistake is made Itrsquos whorsquos hitting

wherersquos the ballpark what are the conditions whorsquos pitching what situation is the game in is it

Zach Britton is it a fly ball pitcher Anybody who just says lsquoThis is what you do every timersquo is

going to make a lot of mistakes and yoursquore going to regret it Yoursquore going to take away a lot of

skills that guys possess

ldquoIt would be interesting if you polled the pitchers where theyrsquod like him to play But we learn

from other things that you see There are situations where you might be but thatrsquos what spring

training is for Itrsquos something we have and will discuss and see what adjustments we want to

makerdquo

Left-hander Donnie Hart struck out two batters in a scoreless inning Hersquos retired all six batters

hersquos faced so far with a pair of strikeouts

Hart retired Estrada today on a liner to first and struck out Cito Culver and Rashad Crawford

The first two batters hit from the right side which is significant Right-handers batted 292

against him last season and left-handers were 5-for-38 with 11 strikeouts

ldquoHersquos been impressive so farrdquo Showalter said of Hart

ldquoI told you all before when I kept looking at this guy and kept asking about him when you see

guy at that angle whorsquos closing for an upper-level team that tells you he can defend himself

against right-handed hitters at that level The first thing that hit me was changeup and command

Donnie showed me that he can get the ball on the inner half of the plate and either be a strike in

there or off the plate and not miss out over it

ldquoHersquos very conscientious athletic a strike-thrower Hersquos got a chance to help us I like Donnie

Hersquos very serious about the right thingsrdquo

Starter Ubaldo Jimeacutenez was charged with one run over two innings after Austin Romine reached

in the first inning on a bouncer that eluded first baseman Mark Trumbo

ldquoI donrsquot want to jinx himrdquo Showalter said ldquoHis delivery has been about as tight as Irsquove seen it as

far as the workout even the side days the pitching Yoursquove all seen some of the spring training

outings when hersquos trying to get his work in and depending on how you score balls he had a lot of

ground balls He threw strikes and hersquos done it two or three times

ldquoIn the first couple of workdays I could tell I was telling Roger (McDowell) lsquoHave you done

anything with himrsquo He said lsquoNorsquo Irsquom hoping he found something last year and hersquos going to

run with it this yearrdquo

McDowell inherits the job of trying to keep Jimeacutenez from losing the consistency in his

mechanics and home plate

ldquoIrsquom not saying Rogerrsquos just walking around and saying lsquoIrsquoll let him do whateverrsquo rdquo Showalter

said ldquoTalking with him and trying not to get him over-coached Wersquove got a long time down

here and hersquos doing well though itrsquos kind of like I tell the hitters all the time lsquoYoursquore going

good yoursquore swinging the bat well you need to make some notes actually write down some

notes what yoursquore feeling what are some things Yoursquore going to want to reach back for that

ldquoSometimes itrsquos the feeling as much as it is the mechanics of it I know Rogerrsquos trying to figure it

out now lsquoYoursquore in a pretty good groove How do you feel What do you dorsquo Then you also

talk some mechanical things So far so good Irsquom encouraged about Ubaldo He could mean a lot

to us Itrsquos a big year for himrdquo

Jimeacutenez a pending free agent is most responsible for himself Therersquos only so much that others

can do for him

ldquoItrsquos about the playerrdquo Showalter said ldquoIf it was that easy yoursquod just say lsquoTake your left little

toe and make sure itrsquos pointed in that direction and everythingrsquos finersquo I wish it was that easy Itrsquos

hard to stay together mechanically for 100 pitches every fifth day

ldquoLast year he got into a real good groove and some of that was part of it And sometimes itrsquos a

placebo Itrsquos about the results Itrsquos still about the resultsrdquo

httpwwwmasnsportscomschool-of-roch201702orioles-lineup-vs-phillies-8html

Orioles lineup vs Phillies

By Roch Kubatko MASNsportscom

February 28 2017

SARASOTA Fla - Chris Dickerson is leading off and playing right field for the Orioles in

todayrsquos game against the Phillies in Clearwater

Caleb Joseph is catching and Robert Andino is playing shortstop

For the Orioles

Chris Dickerson RF

Johnny Giavotella 2B

Anthony Santander DH

Trey Mancini 1B

Logan Schafer CF

Chris Johnson 3B

Aneury Tavaacuterez LF

Caleb Joseph C

Robert Andino SS

Mike Wright RHP

Ryan Flaherty said his right shoulder began bothering him five or six days ago but he could play

today if needed He wonrsquot make the trip but hersquos expected to play Wednesday against the Red

Sox in Sarasota

httpwwwbaltimoresuncomsportsoriolesbs-sp-orioles-wbc-0228-20170227-storyhtml

World Baseball Classic is nice in theory but it creates

headaches across MLB

By Peter Schmuck The Baltimore Sun

February 27 2017

Everyone knows why Major League Baseball is so high on the World Baseball Classic and just

about everyone working in the industry knows the important talking points about the social and

economic benefits of globalizing the sport

Orioles manager Buck Showalter obviously knows them and starts just about every conversation

about the upcoming tournament with the same preamble

People smarter than me are trying to grow the game globally Showalter said again on

Monday Its a reminder that were not in this alone When we say these are the best players in

the world it is the world

Thats true of course and there is certainly a lot to be said about the beauty of international

competition and cooperation which well get to see when the tournament begins on March 6 But

that doesnt mean there arent fair questions about the impact of the event on spring training and

on the preparation of key players for the upcoming major league playoff races

Showalter talks a lot about the internal clock that governs each player over the eight months that

begin at the start of training camp and continue through the course of the regular season and

beyond There are examples of that rhythm being disrupted in previous World Baseball Classics

ndash Orioles reliever Pedro Strops regular season struggle in 2013 is often cited ndash so the coaching

staff has been in contact with each of the WBC teams to ascertain how the Orioles participants

will be handled

Ubaldo Jimenez allows one run in first start of spring as Orioles lose 4-1 to Yankees

There are some unique challenges this spring that we dont normally have Showalter said I

understand the return were trying to get The biggest thing probably is the clock that changes

Players are creatures of habit and routine and every team is completely different because theyre

going to come back from this and were going to have to slow down and start the clock again

The subject was particularly relevant on Monday because young second baseman Jonathan

Schoop was playing in his final pre-WBC exhibition game against the New York Yankees at Ed

Smith Stadium Hes heading off to join the Netherlands for the first round which takes place in

South Korea so hell have to spend about 20 hours on an airplane each way and is leaving much

earlier than the other WBC-bound Orioles

Pitchers and catchers reported for duty on Monday Feb 13 2017 The Orioles begin the 2017

season at home against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 3

Its really exciting Schoop said not so much for the flight ndash its a long flight ndash but its exciting

for us to play together Since I was little I was playing against those guys ndash [Jurickson]

Profar Didi Gregorius [Andrelton] Simmons and with my brother there too Its going to be fun

for the country Im looking forward to it

Netherlands coach Hensley Meulens who played for Showalter in New York in the early 1990s

has kept in contact with his old manager and kept him apprised of the way he plans to use

Schoop who celebrated his pending departure with a long home run in the third inning of

Mondays spring training game

Hensley asked me about any limitations on Jon Showalter said I asked him what he was

planning on doing with him Hes planning on rotating those guys around I really appreciated the

call Were proud of Jon I know its a big moment for him He takes a lot of pride in that

There is probably more risk involved in the accelerated early training schedule for the pitchers

so pitching coach Roger McDowell has been in contact with USA pitching coach Jeff Jones to

discuss Mychal Givens and Mexico coach Rigo Beltran to check on the plans for new Orioles

left-hander Vidal Nuno The Orioles are most concerned about the proper handling of Givens

because of his quick emergence as a solid major league setup guy and his relatively little

experience as a pitcher

I think the way theyve got it set up for the pitchers theres a real protection there Showalter

said I think its the position players as much as the pitchers Therell be another conversation

if they get through the first round because it kind of escalates a little bit

Though the biggest concern is a serious injury that cuts into the regular season Showalter said

theres nothing he can say to Schoop on the way out of town that will make him any safer once

the WBC games begin Telling a player to play carefully might lead to the opposite of the desired

effect

If you play with caution youre more likely to get hurt Showalter said If he just plays in the

way he normally does hes a very durable player knock on wood Its an emotional game for

them This means a lot to them Im not going to take that away from them but Id rather him

play full out than be cautious Thats where a lot of the injuries come in If he just follows what

hes been doing he should be OK

The internal clock concept doesnt apply only to individual members of the team The departure

of six key players also figures to have an impact on the competitive ebb and flow of spring

training for the entire club

Sure it does Showalter said Your perfect spring training you start off sharp and everything

and then you always hit a lull in camp and then you finish up strong We had the opposite of that

last year Thats the perfect world but because of the WBC theres not that rhythm to spring

training where at this point we want to do this at this point we want to have this behind us at

this point we want to start coming back to things so next year well be able to retain them

When it comes to the WBC and spring training things are tough all over The Orioles are

sending only a major league relief pitcher and a bullpen bubble guy along with Schoop and

fellow position players Adam Jones Manny Machado and Welington Castillo Imagine how

Showalter might feel if he were managing the Seattle Mariners who have 11 possible WBC

participants and have committed most of their projected starting rotation ndash superstar Felix

Hernandez Drew Smyly and former Oriole Yovani Gallardo

The Detroit Tigers had an MLB-high 15 players on the original list of WBC participants released

three weeks ago though some are minor leaguers and a couple of major league pitchers are in the

designated pitcher pool that makes them available to join teams that advance beyond the first

round

httpwwwbaltimoresuncomsportsoriolesblogbal-ubaldo-jimenez-allows-one-run-in-first-

start-of-spring-as-orioles-lose-4-1-to-yankees-20170227-storyhtml

Ubaldo Jimenez allows one run in first start of spring as

Orioles lose 4-1 to Yankees

By Eduardo Encina The Baltimore Sun

February 27 2017

In Ubaldo Jimenezrsquos first Grapefruit League start of the season his performance was better than

indicated as the Orioles lost 4-1 to the New York Yankees in front of an announced 6969 at Ed

Smith Stadium on Monday afternoon

Jimenez allowed one run on three hits over two innings but probably deserved a better fate He

commanded his fastball overcame early adversity and needed just 10 pitches to get through his

second inning of work Overall 17 of Jimenezrsquos 29 pitches were strikes

He threw strikes and hersquos done it two or three times Orioles manager Buck Showalter In the

first couple of workdays I could tell I was telling [pitching coach] Roger [McDowell] lsquoHave

you done anything with himrsquo He said lsquonorsquo Irsquom hoping he found something last year and hersquos

going to run with it this year

ldquoHis delivery has been about as tight as Irsquove seen it as far as the workout even the side days the

pitching Showalter said Irsquom in the dugout Yoursquove all seen some of the spring training outings

when hersquos trying to get his work in and depending on how you score balls he had a lot of

groundballs

He didnrsquot deserve the earned run charged to him in his two-inning outing on Monday The

second batter he faced Yankees catcher Austin Romine hit a grounder to first that Mark Trumbo

failed to backhand but it was ruled a hit

And after Romine moved to third on Greg Birdrsquos double he scored on a fielderrsquos choice a ball

that would have been the third out of the inning if Trumbo had made the play on Rominersquos

grounder

ldquoItrsquos part of the game especially this time of year Wersquore here a little bit early so it takes a little

bit more for everybody to get ready Jimenez said

The game went into the ninth inning tied at one before right-hander Oliver Drake unraveled

allowing the first three hitters he faced to reach base culminating with Thairo Estradarsquos three-

run homer to left field

Yankees prospect Clint Frazier opened the inning with a double and Kellin Deglan singled to put

runners at the corners before Estrada blasted a 1-0 pitch to left for the game-deciding homer

Schoop goes deep Playing in his last game before leaving the team to join the Netherlands

World Baseball Classic team in South Korea second baseman Jonathan Schoop hit his first

home run of the spring tattooing a first-pitch 91-mph fastball from Yankees left-hander Evan

Rutckyj well over left-field fence

Schoop a native of Curacao played in three of the Oriolesrsquo first four Grapefruit League games

in order to get as many at-bats as possible for the WBC Schoop was 3-for-8 with all of his hits

being of the extra-base variety (two doubles and a homer)

ldquoI feel like I have enough games inrdquo Schoop said ldquoI think we have two more exhibition games

down there to get ready Then wersquove got to play three games down there before the tournament

starts but Irsquom ready I feel goodrdquo

Jones ranging Orioles outfield Whether Orioles center fielder Adam Jones plays too shallow is

often a topic of discussion -- and Jones has expressed his concern about the teamrsquos outfield

defense around him On Monday Jones was forced to cover an inordinate amount or ground

With two outs in the second inning Jones saved a run by making a diving catch in front of Seth

Smith in right field robbing Jorge Mateo of a base hit

ldquoAdam made a heck of a ball on that ballrdquo Showalter said of Jones catch on Mateos ball ldquoNot

many people get to that Thatrsquos why things change with depths The windrsquos blowing in yoursquove

got a guy up whorsquos not a power hitter You have to change some thingsrdquo

In the fourth Jones had to range into left field to prevent an inside-the-park home run when left

fielder Hyun Soo Kim lost Aaron Judgersquos ball in the sun and it landed over his head

Hart perfect Left-handed reliever Donnie Hart pitched a perfect seventh inning for the Orioles

and has retired all six batters hersquos faced in spring training

Hart recorded a pair of strikeouts getting Cito Culver swinging and Rashad Crawford looking

Hart who was used in a situational lefty role last season has retired as many right-handed hitters

(3) as he has left-handed hitters

When I kept looking at this guy and kept asking about him when you see a guy from that angle

that is closing at an upper-level team [Hart had four saves at Double-A Bowie] that tells you he

can defend himself against right-handed hitters at that level Showalter said

Scott escapes jam Flame-throwing minor leaguer Tanner Scott stranded the go-ahead run on

second in the eighth inning striking out Wilkin Castillo and Jorge Saez to escape the jam

Scott issued a one-out walk to former Oriole Ji-Man Choi who moved to second on a wild pitch

But Scott prevented the run from scoring with the back-to-back strikeouts ending the inning by

getting Saez to swing through a 97-mph fastball

He threw some good breaking balls today Showalter said Hersquos not just a one-way harry with

the fastball

httpmoriolesmlbcomnewsarticle217257418ubaldo-jimenez-aims-to-reduce-long-counts

Ubaldo aims to reduce long counts add innings

By Rich Dubroff MLBcom

February 27th 2017

SARASOTA Fla -- Ubaldo Jimenez is trying to pick up where he left off at the end of the 2016

regular season Last September Jimenez was 3-1 with a 231 ERA in five starts and threw the

Orioles first complete game in two years on Sept 5 at Tampa Bay

Jimenez made his first spring start of 2017 allowing one run on three hits in two innings against

the New York Yankees on Monday

I was commanding the fastball and keeping the ball down I think thats what I did I was able to

get a lot of ground balls I still have to get a couple of my breaking balls over Jimenez said

In the first inning Jimenez allowed a single to Austin Romine The ball was hit to first

baseman Mark Trumbo and he couldnt handle it but it was scored as a hit After a double

by Greg Bird Romine scored on Aaron Judges fielders choice

Jimenez wasnt upset by the miscue

Its part of the game especially this time of year Were here a little bit early so it takes a little

bit [longer] for everybody to get ready Jimenez said

He threw 29 pitches in two innings and hes trying to reduce the number of deep counts

I think thats what I was able to do in the last part of the season That was attacking the strike

zone getting ahead and staying ahead Thats going to save me a lot of pitches and going to

allow me to get deeper in the games Jimenez said

It was the first time Welington Castillo caught his fellow Dominican

[Castillo is] great Hes great said Jimenez I forgot about it but I realized he caught me a

couple of games in the Dominican Winter League in 2010 Were on the same page Hes a good

guy He wants to learn every day He works hard Hes going to do everything possible to do the

best for the team

httpmoriolesmlbcomnewsarticle217257420os-ready-to-begin-departing-for-17-classic

Orioles ready to begin departing for 17 Classic

By Rich Dubroff MLBcom

February 27th 2017

SARASOTA Fla -- Six Orioles will leave the team within the next week for the World Baseball

Classic One of them second baseman Jonathan Schoop departed after Mondays game to

prepare to join the team from the Netherlands

In Sundays spring win over the Pittsburgh Pirates Classic-bound players had six of the Orioles

10 hits Adam Jones had a long home run and a double Welington Castillo had two hits Manny

Machado hit a homer and Schoop had a hit

Those guys are pushing earlier than normal and you can tell theyve all got a lot of pride in the

teams and countries theyre going to be playing for and they really want to present themselves

well and I think we saw a little byproduct of that today manager Buck Showalter said Sunday

Castillo and Machado will leave this Sunday to play for the Dominican Republic Left-handed

pitcher Vidal Nuno also leaves Sunday for Team Mexico Jones and right-handed pitcher Mychal

Givens leave a week from now to play for Team USA

Givens who threw a scoreless inning in his first game on Friday against Detroit is getting

pumped about pitching for his country

Definitely to wear that uniform with the USA on the front representing and trying to bring a

[championship] to the US side is really exciting to do Givens said

Schoop who hit a long home run to left field in the third inning Monday played all 162 games

last season Showalter said he wouldnt advise him to play it safe

Jonathan Schoop belts a solo home run to left field tying the game at 1 in the bottom of the 3rd

inning

If you play with caution youre more likely to get hurt If he just plays in the way he normally

does hes a very durable player knock on wood Showalter said Its an emotional game for

them This means a lot to them Im not going to take that away from them but Id rather him

play full out than be cautious Thats where a lot of the injuries come in hellip If he just follows

what hes been doing he should be OK

Schoop is thrilled to be playing with the Yankees Didi Gregorius Bostons Xander Bogaerts

Texas Jurickson Profar and the Angels Andrelton Simmons as well as his brother Sharlon an

Orioles Minor Leaguer

Its exciting for us to play together Since I was little I was playing against those guys Schoop

said Thats going to be fun for the country Im looking forward to it

On March 11 Team USA faces the Dominican Republic and theres a chance Givens could face

Machado in an emotional game

Its just the whole meaning of the World Baseball Classic countries trying to prove theyre the

best Givens said Its a good thing for baseball to have that competitive nature trying to

represent your country doesnt matter who it is Im going to be competitive and try to represent

the name on the front of the jersey

httpwwwmasnsportscomschool-of-roch201702showalter-on-bridwell-and-scotthtml

Showalter on Bridwell and Scott

By Roch Kubatko MASNsportscom

February 28 2017

SARASOTA Fla - The Orioles are on the road again after two straight home games making the

long drive to Clearwater to play the Phillies at 105 pm

Mike Wright is on the mound after working the first inning in the first intrasquad game and

retiring all three batters he faced He struck out Rule 5 pick Aneury Tavaacuterez retired Johnny

Giavotella on a ground ball and retired Ryan Flaherty on a fly ball to left field

Tavaacuterez is supposed to play left field and bat leadoff today Flaherty is supposed to stay back at

the Ed Smith Stadium complex and receive treatment on his sore right shoulder

Irsquoll go out on a limb and say Giavotella will make the trip Hersquos appeared in all four games

going 3-for-3 in the opener in Lakeland

The Orioles are trying to as manager Buck Showalter says get their arms around Parker

Bridwell They may have learned a little more about him yesterday by how he responded to

Saturdayrsquos poor outing Or he just confirmed what they already knew that hersquos got the stuff to

get hitters out and is working to become more consistent

Bridwell 25 served up back-to-back home runs to the Piratesrsquo Chris Bostick and Jin-De Jhang

in the eighth inning accounting for three late runs in a 6-2 loss at LECOM Park He gave up a

one-out double yesterday to the Yankeesrsquo Greg Bird but he induced a fielderrsquos choice grounder

from Aaron Judge and popup from Rob Refsnyder

A solid response to Saturday and an example of why the Orioles remain so intrigued by him

despite their occasional frustration

ldquoItrsquos kind of been Parkerrsquos challengerdquo Showalter said ldquoWe even saw it in the big leagues Hersquoll

go through an inning or sequences and yoursquoll go lsquowowrsquo and then it gets away from him He got

a little cutter happy last timerdquo

Bridwell made two relief appearances with the Orioles last season his first exposure to the

majors and allowed five runs and five hits in 3 13 innings He struck out three batters but also

surrendered two home runs

Four of the runs scored over 1 13 innings in an Aug 24 game against the Nationals in DC In

his debut three nights earlier he struck out the first batter he faced the Astrosrsquo Evan Gattis and

retired Tony Kemp on a liner to center field but Jake Marisnick homered to left field

Bridwell came back out for the ninth and allowed a leadoff single to Teoscar Hernandez who

was erased on stolen base attempt A fly ball and called third strike completed Bridwellrsquos line

Bridwellrsquos minor league experience consists of only four games at the Triple-A level He was a

starter through 2015 but he made 20 relief appearances among his 27 outings in 2016 the role

change coming after he broke a rib

ldquoItrsquos a tough callrdquo Showalter said ldquoA lot of people are talking bullpen starter bullpen starter I

know how I feel about it but Parkerrsquos got the full assortment and Irsquom hoping this is the year that

he really pops because hersquos a guy who you get asked about a lot because hersquos got all the

presentationrdquo

Teams have been inquiring about Bridwell for years and the Orioles keep refusing to part with

him Theyrsquod like for their faith and patience to be rewarded making the 2017 season an

important one for him

Meanwhile left-hander Tanner Scott struck out two batters in a scoreless eighth inning after

coming over from minor league camp He walked one batter

Scottrsquos fastball kept climbing into the upper 90s but the Orioles already know he can bring the

heat

ldquoIt was good for Tanner to get in thererdquo Showalter said ldquoHe threw some good breaking balls

Hersquos not just a one-way Harry with the fastball

ldquoI was talking to Roger (McDowell) today Rogerrsquos got a couple things hersquod like to see him do

with his hands and close him off a little more His presentation is a little open Thatrsquos why he

misses up and away a lotrdquo

The breaking ball must develop to complement Tannerrsquos fastball which has been clocked at 100

mph

ldquoYou know the guys are going to have to cheat a little bit to get the fastball and it makes them

really susceptible to the breaking ball because the recognition is so laterdquo Showalter said ldquoIf he

can get a breaking ball like he threw today it gives him a chance to really take it to another level

And a lot of it is because of velocityrdquo

httpwwwmasnsportscomsteve-melewski201702does-carlos-martinez-deal-provide-a-

framework-for-kevin-gausman-othershtml

Does Carlos Martinez deal provide a framework for Kevin

Gausman others

By Steve Melewski MASNsportscom

February 27 2017

Itrsquos a question that all major league teams face at some point with their promising young talent

When is the right time to take a risk and sign that player to a long-term contract

On the plus side you can lock up a core player for years to come buy out some free agent years

and have some cost certainty You may even be able to save a few million dollars But there is

potential on the negative side because those dollars are guaranteed despite any future injury

andor player drop-off in performance What if the player gets hurt andor doesnrsquot pan out to be

as good as you thought The future salaries still have to be paid

The St Louis Cardinals recently locked up right-handed starting pitcher Carlos Martinez with a

deal that could provide a possible framework for a future Orioles deal with one of their own

right-handers Kevin Gausman And maybe a year or two after that with Dylan Bundy

Martinez was signed to a five-year deal that reportedly guarantees $51 million The club will pay

him $45 million this year and then $115 million over the following four seasons from 2018-

2021 St Louis holds a club option that is reportedly for $17 million with a $500000 buyout in

2022 and for $18 million with a $500000 buyout in 2023

Martinez who was originally under team control through 2019 before this contract now is under

team control through 2021 at the least and possibly through 2023 with the option years St Louis

bought out at least two free agent seasons

Comparing their 2016 stats

Martinez 16-9 with a 304 ERA 195 innings 122 WHIP 78 hitsnine innings 32 walksnine

innings and 80 strikeoutsnine innings

Gausman 9-12 with a 361 ERA 180 innings 128 WHIP 92 hitsnine innings 24 walksnine

innings and 87 strikeoutsnine innings

Martinez is the better pitcher right now ranking 10th in the majors in ERA at 302 the last two

years among pitchers with 300 or more innings He is 25 and has 3073 years of service time

Gausman is 26 with 2151 years of service

In his first year of arbitration eligibility last year Martinez earned $37 million In his first year

of arbitration this year Gausman was signed to a deal for $345 million and that could increase

to $355 million if he meets incentives for starts made

Gausman is under Orioles control through 2020 so the Orioles have his services for four more

seasons even without him inking a long-term deal To buy out even one free agent year the

Orioles would have to sign him to a five-year deal if that contract was starting in 2017 So

theyrsquove got him locked up for a long stretch even without a long-term deal at this point

If the Orioles did look to even think about locking up Gausman or any other young player right

now those options years tacked onto the end of a deal like with Martinez could be important

They provide a club with the chance to lock up a player over a longer term with few gauranteed

dollars on the line - just the buyout portion of the contract

For any player especially a pitcher a five-year deal is a risk Especially when a team can go

season to season through arbitration Going year to year minimizes the injury risk or the lack of

performance risk

While the Orioles know they have Gausman under team control through 2020 they are only on

the hook right now for his 2017 salary Sure they fully expect him to be a core piece and a top-

of-the-rotation starter for years to come But if something kept that from happening they are not

locked in right now for any long-term dollars

On the other hand if they signed Gausman right now to a deal similar to what Martinez got they

could be getting Gausman at a potential bargain if he continues to improve and becomes an All-

Star-caliber starter

The club already has so many players that can be free agents soon a list that includes Chris

Tillman after the 2017 season and Manny Machado Zach Britton and Adam Jones following the

2018 season

With all that to ponder and address should the Orioles also entertain a multi-year deal for

Gausman Could that deal look similar to the extension for Martinez

httpwwwmasnsportscomsteve-melewski201702drake-allows-spring-homer-but-still-could-

emerge-in-os-pen-come-aprilhtml

Drake allows spring homer but still could emerge in Orsquos

lsquopen come April

By Steve Melewski MASNsportscom

February 28 2017

Even though he gave up a three-run homer in the ninth inning yesterday there are reasons to

believe that right-hander Oliver Drake has a solid shot to head north with the Orioles for opening

day in April

Drake could be pushing for a bullpen spot for several reasons They include his strong finish last

year a subtle role change he made in the second half with Triple-A Norfolk and the fact that he

is now out of options

The Orioles drafted Drake in the 43rd round out of the Naval Academy in 2008 and hersquos been in

the organization ever since If he truly turned a corner late last year the Orioles may be inclined

to hang onto him rather than risk losing him to another club through waivers late in spring camp

Drake went 1-0 with an ERA of 400 in 18 big league innings last season In September he

pitched to an ERA of 164 and a batting average against of just 128 Over 11 innings he gave up

five hits with two walks and 14 strikeouts

In addition to getting more consistent outs he also showed better pitch efficiency an

improvement that manager Buck Showalter said he needed to make Over his last few games of

the year he had a pair of two-inning stints on only 24 pitches an outing of 1 23 innings on 23

pitches and one-inning outings of eight and 11 pitches

So the now 30-year-old Drake finished strong and Showalter noted as much late last year

Showalter said solid fastball command was been the biggest key for Drake in that regard but not

the only one

ldquoI tell you what Irsquove seen a little different split from himrdquo Showalter said in the final days of the

2016 season ldquoThere is a big difference between split (finger fastball) and forkball And last

couple of outings his off-speed pitch has looked more split-like than fork-like Itrsquos been later

(with its movement) itrsquos been harder Hersquos gotten my attention the last two or three outings

Hersquos got a good look on his face And he gives you a weapon against left-handed hitters He has

really worked hard with command of his fastball That has helped some Hersquos done well Irsquom

proud of himrdquo

Further helping Drakersquos cause to stick in the majors is that he has shown the ability to be a multi-

inning reliever At Norfolk last season all 27 of his outings through June 18 were of one inning

or less After that he pitched more than an inning 16 times in 20 games and went two innings or

more in five of his last 11 Triple-A games

In his big league career Drake has fanned 38 in 33 23 innings and has also shown an ability to

get out left-and right-handed batters At Norfolk in 2016 lefty batters hit 171 against him and

right-handers batted 244 In the majors he gave up a 154 average versus left-handed batters and

a 175 mark versus right-handed hitters

According to BrooksBaseballcom stats from last year Drake gave up a batting average against

of 231 on his four-seam fastball with the Orioles in 2016 and 074 on his split-finger pitch He

used the four-seamer about 54 percent of the time and the splitter about 46 percent Over the

years that split has been a pitch he can throw both for strikes to try and get ahead of hitters and

bury it down in the zone to try and get hitters to chase it

The Orioles pretty much have five bullpen spots accounted for with Zach Britton Darren

OrsquoDay Brad Brach Mychal Givens and Donnie Hart If they go with a seven-man lsquopen that

would allow for them to also carry a long reliever and a third left-hander

The Orioles bullpen doesnrsquot have many openings It might be hard for a pitcher that hasnrsquot been a

bullpen regular to this point like Drake to get one But if the alternative is losing a pitcher that

has thrown well and can go multiple innings they are going to have to think hard about that one

httpswwwpressboxonlinecom20170227jim-henneman-orioles-outfield-depth-debate-spans-

decades

Jim Henneman Outfield-Depth Debate Spans Decades

By Jim Henneman PressBoxOnlinecom

February 27 2017

SARASOTA Fla -- When Adam Jones and Dan Duquette got into a verbal sparring match a few

weeks ago over the Orioles outfield defense or lack thereof it looked like what most politely

could be termed a minor dustup between the center fielder and the clubs executive vice

president of baseball operations

In reality it may have merely highlighted a tendency not only of the Orioles but just about every

other team in baseball playing outfielders especially those in the middle of the field too close to

the action It is the classic case of when is deep too deep and shallow too shallow And its

not exactly as easy as deciding whether to let your 4-year-old jump into the pool

When Jones pointed out the obvious that the Os had done little to improve their corner outfield

defense Duquette was quick to mention that former MLB outfielder and now-MLB Network

analyst Doug Glanville had not-so-subtly suggested Jones should play a little deeper thereby

helping the overall defense by cutting off the angles

Truth be told just about every major league center fielder plays shallow Jones is hardly the

only culprit but he may be the one hurt the most by the defensive strategy For years the

defensive analytic experts (if there really are such people) have almost routinely trashed Jones

while American League managers and coaches have supported him as a Gold Glove-caliber

defender

Would Jones be a more productive defender if he played deeper as Glanville suggests Its

probably not an answerable question and the irony is Glanville himself was known as a center

fielder who played notoriously shallow But this debate (dustup) does bring back some

memories of a similar battle of words -- along with a defensive philosophy thats hard to argue

with

Orioles Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver used to make the rounds with Gold Glove center

fielder Paul Blair about positioning depth It got so heated between innings one time that when

he returned to the field Blair positioned himself on the edge of the warning track and folded his

arms as if to ask Am I deep enough now In another age he and Weaver wouldve been ideal

for cellphone coverage with a tag line Can you see me now

Weavers philosophy was simple You dont get beat on the ball [that falls] in front of you he

said Its the ball over your head that beats you

There are exceptions to every rule which even Weaver admitted but he never backed off of his

most demanding commandment for his outfielders If it goes over your head and stays in the

ballpark you better catch it

Pitchers however often disagreed Its the bloop single that I hate the most if they hit it [to the

warning track] they usually deserve it But the short fly that drops kills me is how former

Orioles right-hander Doyle Alexander once explained it He wasnt alone which says a lot about

how pitchers sometimes think

So just how deep is too deep Or how shallow is too shallow It depends on who you ask -- and

whether the ball lands in grass or leather And on a very incidental note Jones made what would

be termed a sensational diving catch in right-center field here Feb 21

Not sure if anybody knew from where he started

This time last year Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim and Twins first baseman Byung Ho Park

were the big names coming out of the Korean Baseball League and both were under a lot of

scrutiny While Park drew a mixed reaction with the Twins Kim labored horrendously with the

Orioles

The Twins went into the season with high hopes for Park but the Os were so disenchanted with

Kim they tried to send him to the minor leagues Kim utilized his option to decline the

assignment was booed by his new hometown fans on Opening Day and was little more than a

spectator for the first two months

Somewhere along the line a light bulb seemed to go off and Kim became one of the Orioles

most dependable offensive threats during the second half of the season and is now considered at

least a platoon fixture in the lineup Park who has $925 million left on a four-year contract

never got on track and just before the start of spring training he was removed from the Twins

40-man roster

Meanwhile at $7 million for two years Kim looks like the bargain of this year -- just like he

became the surprise of last year

Its only fitting that infielder Robert Andino came back to the Orioles before finishing his career

because truth be told it almost ended here before really getting started And Andino has

manager Buck Showalter to thank for his survival He had played in only 79 games during four

years with the Marlins before being traded for former right-handed phenom Hayden Penn April

1 2009

Andino played 78 games for the Os that year hit 222 and was headed to oblivion shunted to the

minor leagues in 2010 Thats the year Showalter took over as manager and saw something he

liked in what amounted to a 16-game September audition

A year later given a chance to reclaim a starting job Andino hit 263 in 139 games and his

average plummeted to 211 in 2012

But all anyone remembers is the hysteria he delivered with a key hit in 2011 the one that

knocked the Red Sox out of the playoffs in the last game of the year

You could read all about it in the final chapter of Sixty Years of Orioles Magic the still

almost-up-to-date history of the Orioles franchise on select bookshelves everywhere

httpswwwpressboxonlinecom20170227orioles-buck-showalter-see-signs-ubaldo-jimenezs-

late-season-success-will-continue-in-2017

Buck Showalter Sees Signs Ubaldo Jimenezs Late-Season

Success Will Continue In 2017

By Rich Dubroff PressBoxOnlinecom

February 27 2017

SARASOTA Fla -- Late last season Ubaldo Jimenez pitched well and now in his final year

before free agency Orioles manager Buck Showalter thinks it will continue

In his first spring training start Feb 27 Jimenez allowed a run on three hits in two innings and

Showalter is happy with the right-hander

I dont want to jinx him His delivery has been about as tight as Ive seen it as far as the

workout even the side days the pitching Showalter said

Jimenez who signed a four-year $50 million contract three years ago has had an erratic career

with the Orioles and now hes with a new pitching coach Roger McDowell Early in spring

training Showalter noticed a difference

In the first couple of workdays I could tell Showalter said I was telling Roger Have you

done anything with him He said no Im hoping he found something last year and hes going to

run with it this year

While some may detect a sense of urgency in the 33-year-old Showalter said he doesnt

necessarily buy that way of thinking

Thats for you guys and for history and the way it works Showalter said To me thats almost

a kind of a slap in the face that it wasnt important before Is there a certain sense of urgency

That depends on the player I dont see that with Ubaldo Well see how it plays

I dont see that as a negative thing There are very few instances of that being a negative

During his first three seasons Jimenez was a lightning rod for criticism and Showalter said its

unwarranted

You know what a good human being he is His teammates really rally around him when

something good happens to us as a result of something hes done because the way he has

handled some of the criticism is pretty exemplary but hes tired of handling it Showalter said

He wants the other part of it [There isnt] anybody with more pedigree than he has and a lot of

people tell me for two or three years he was the best pitcher in the game

Jimenez is hoping he can continue the success of last season when he went 3-1 with a 251 ERA

in his final five starts He thinks he can avoid unnecessary pitches

I think thats what I was able to do in the last part of the season Jimenez That was attacking

the strike zone getting ahead and staying ahead Thats going to save me a lot of pitches and

going to allow me to get deeper in the games

It was the first time Jimenez worked with new Orioles catcher Welington Castillo who will

depart March 5 to play for the Dominican Republic

Hes great Hes great I forgot about it but I realized he caught me a couple of games in the

Dominican Winter League in 2010 Jimenez said Were on the same page Hes a good guy He

wants to learn every day He works hard Hes going to do everything possible to do the best for

the team

SCHOOP DEPARTS Jonathan Schoop hit a long home run in his final game before departing

for the World Baseball Classic where hell play for the Netherlands

httpswwwpressboxonlinecom20170227orioles-buck-showalter-see-signs-ubaldo-jimenezs-

late-season-success-will-continue-in-2017

Buck Showalter Sees Signs Ubaldo Jimenezs Late-Season

Success Will Continue In 2017

By Rich Dubroff PressBoxOnlinecom

February 27 2017

SARASOTA Fla -- Late last season Ubaldo Jimenez pitched well and now in his final year

before free agency Orioles manager Buck Showalter thinks it will continue

In his first spring training start Feb 27 Jimenez allowed a run on three hits in two innings and

Showalter is happy with the right-hander

I dont want to jinx him His delivery has been about as tight as Ive seen it as far as the

workout even the side days the pitching Showalter said

Jimenez who signed a four-year $50 million contract three years ago has had an erratic career

with the Orioles and now hes with a new pitching coach Roger McDowell Early in spring

training Showalter noticed a difference

In the first couple of workdays I could tell Showalter said I was telling Roger Have you

done anything with him He said no Im hoping he found something last year and hes going to

run with it this year

While some may detect a sense of urgency in the 33-year-old Showalter said he doesnt

necessarily buy that way of thinking

Thats for you guys and for history and the way it works Showalter said To me thats almost

a kind of a slap in the face that it wasnt important before Is there a certain sense of urgency

That depends on the player I dont see that with Ubaldo Well see how it plays

I dont see that as a negative thing There are very few instances of that being a negative

During his first three seasons Jimenez was a lightning rod for criticism and Showalter said its

unwarranted

You know what a good human being he is His teammates really rally around him when

something good happens to us as a result of something hes done because the way he has

handled some of the criticism is pretty exemplary but hes tired of handling it Showalter said

He wants the other part of it [There isnt] anybody with more pedigree than he has and a lot of

people tell me for two or three years he was the best pitcher in the game

Jimenez is hoping he can continue the success of last season when he went 3-1 with a 251 ERA

in his final five starts He thinks he can avoid unnecessary pitches

I think thats what I was able to do in the last part of the season Jimenez That was attacking

the strike zone getting ahead and staying ahead Thats going to save me a lot of pitches and

going to allow me to get deeper in the games

It was the first time Jimenez worked with new Orioles catcher Welington Castillo who will

depart March 5 to play for the Dominican Republic

Hes great Hes great I forgot about it but I realized he caught me a couple of games in the

Dominican Winter League in 2010 Jimenez said Were on the same page Hes a good guy He

wants to learn every day He works hard Hes going to do everything possible to do the best for

the team

SCHOOP DEPARTS Jonathan Schoop hit a long home run in his final game before departing

for the World Baseball Classic where hell play for the Netherlands

It was the Orioles only run during their 4-1 loss to the New York Yankees before 6969 at Ed

Smith Stadium

Schoop is 3-for-8 in three games with two doubles and the home run

I feel like I have enough games in Schoop said I think we have two more exhibition games

down there to get ready Then weve got to play three games down there before the tournament

starts but Im ready I feel good

Its a longshot but Schoop and his buddy Manny Machado who is playing for the Dominican

Republic could meet in the final and that would result in a seasons worth of trash talking in the

Orioles clubhouse

It would be exciting because we play with each other since the minor leagues and now we can

play against each other Schoop said The last time we played against each other is I think in

the Futures Game It would be exciting Im looking forward to it

Showalter is supportive of the event even though hell lose Schoop Castillo Machado pitchers

Mychal Givens and Vidal Nuno and center fielder Adam Jones

The positives are a lot bigger than the drawbacks Showalter said People smarter than me are

trying to grow the game globally Its a reminder were in this alone When we say these are the

best players in the world it is the world There are some unique challenges this spring that we

dont normally have I understand the return were trying to get

Showalter wants to make sure the players dont lose sight that theres a long season following the

WBC

Well have a conversation when they get back Showalter said Some of them will be quicker

than others They cant all win

NOTES Infielder Ryan Flaherty is out with shoulder soreness hellip Showalter said he hasnt

pitched right-handed relievers Brad Brach or Darren ODay because of the length of spring

training and they may pitch around the time closer Zach Britton does Britton is nearing a return

to action after missing a few days with discomfort in his left oblique hellip Showalter thinks

infielder Paul Janish who signed Feb 25 will play in a game shortly

COMING UP The Orioles play the Philadelphia Phillies at Spectrum Field in Clearwater Fla

at 105 pm Feb 28 Mike Wright will face Clay Buchholz

httpbaltimorecbslocalcom20170228castillo-trying-to-learn-orioles-pitchers-in-a-short-

time

Castillo Trying To Learn Orioles Pitchers In A Short Time

CBS Baltimore

February 28 2017

SARASOTA Fla (AP) mdash Welington Castillo has a short time to familiarize himself with

Baltimorersquos pitching staff before leaving Sunday to play for the Dominican Republic in the

World Baseball Classic

The 29-year-old takes over this season from Matt Wieters who had caught for the Orioles since

2009 but left as a free agent and finalized a deal Friday with Washington

ldquoI think Irsquom going to have enough time to know themrdquo the 29-year-old Castillo said ldquoI know

therersquos a lot of guys in here Day by day Irsquom going to get to know themrdquo

Castillo had a similar experience when he was traded from Seattle to Arizona in June 2015

ldquoYoursquove got to get to know them pretty quickrdquo Castillo said ldquoI feel that Irsquom going to be good

and that everybody in here knows what to do too so itrsquos going to be easier for merdquo

Castillo missed his first scheduled game with the Orioles on Saturday because of neck spasms

and went 2 for 3 Sunday

ldquoHe seems positive upbeat which is good out of a catcher You want a guy whorsquos easy to talk

tordquo said Darren OrsquoDay whose sidearm motion can be difficult for catchers ldquoJust throwing to

him I can tell hersquos going to steal strikes for us Hersquos got a lot to learn so hersquos going to have to

catch a lot of different guysrdquo

Castillo hasnrsquot caught OrsquoDay and fellow relievers Brad Brach and Zach Britton yet in a game

Britton has been slowed by oblique discomfort and starter Chris Tillman hasnrsquot thrown yet

because of shoulder soreness

Showalter likes what hersquos seen from Castillo

ldquoThey have a lot of guys to pick to be there to catch for the Dominican and they picked him

OK That tells you a little bit about his stature and I have respect for what he brings toordquo

Showalter said ldquoHersquos a humble kid Hersquos a pleaserrdquo

Castillo will join new Orioles teammate Manny Machado on the Dominican team

ldquoHonestly I was a little bit in between because I know Irsquom going to a new team new players

new pitching staffrdquo Castillo said ldquoIrsquom going to have time to get to know them At the same

time I want to represent my country hellip ldquoWe are blessed because the Dominican Republic has a

lot of good players but the WBC is every three or four years so who is going to guarantee me

that Irsquoll still be in baseball in three or four more years Why not go there and get the

experiencerdquo

httpbaltimorecbslocalcom20170228castillo-trying-to-learn-orioles-pitchers-in-a-short-

time

Castillo Trying To Learn Orioles Pitchers In A Short Time

CBS Baltimore

February 28 2017

SARASOTA Fla (AP) mdash Welington Castillo has a short time to familiarize himself with

Baltimorersquos pitching staff before leaving Sunday to play for the Dominican Republic in the

World Baseball Classic

The 29-year-old takes over this season from Matt Wieters who had caught for the Orioles since

2009 but left as a free agent and finalized a deal Friday with Washington

ldquoI think Irsquom going to have enough time to know themrdquo the 29-year-old Castillo said ldquoI know

therersquos a lot of guys in here Day by day Irsquom going to get to know themrdquo

Castillo had a similar experience when he was traded from Seattle to Arizona in June 2015

ldquoYoursquove got to get to know them pretty quickrdquo Castillo said ldquoI feel that Irsquom going to be good

and that everybody in here knows what to do too so itrsquos going to be easier for merdquo

Castillo missed his first scheduled game with the Orioles on Saturday because of neck spasms

and went 2 for 3 Sunday

ldquoHe seems positive upbeat which is good out of a catcher You want a guy whorsquos easy to talk

tordquo said Darren OrsquoDay whose sidearm motion can be difficult for catchers ldquoJust throwing to

him I can tell hersquos going to steal strikes for us Hersquos got a lot to learn so hersquos going to have to

catch a lot of different guysrdquo

Castillo hasnrsquot caught OrsquoDay and fellow relievers Brad Brach and Zach Britton yet in a game

Britton has been slowed by oblique discomfort and starter Chris Tillman hasnrsquot thrown yet

because of shoulder soreness

Showalter likes what hersquos seen from Castillo

ldquoThey have a lot of guys to pick to be there to catch for the Dominican and they picked him

OK That tells you a little bit about his stature and I have respect for what he brings toordquo

Showalter said ldquoHersquos a humble kid Hersquos a pleaserrdquo

Castillo will join new Orioles teammate Manny Machado on the Dominican team

ldquoHonestly I was a little bit in between because I know Irsquom going to a new team new players

new pitching staffrdquo Castillo said ldquoIrsquom going to have time to get to know them At the same

time I want to represent my country hellip ldquoWe are blessed because the Dominican Republic has a

lot of good players but the WBC is every three or four years so who is going to guarantee me

that Irsquoll still be in baseball in three or four more years Why not go there and get the

experiencerdquo

httpwwwbaltimorebaseballcom20170227spring-training-preview-bourns-injury-jimenezs-

start-schoop-flying-coop-soon

Spring Training Primer Bournrsquos injury Jimenezrsquos start

Schoop flying coop soon

By Rich Dubroff BaltimoreBaseballcom

February 27 2018

Whatrsquos happening Ubaldo Jimenez who had a 1-2-3-4 inning in his intrasquad game Thursday

takes the mound against the New York Yankees this afternoon Jimenez who isnrsquot known for

always being efficient threw so few pitches in his intrasquad inning that he faced an extra batter

whom he retired

Today will be Jonathan Schooprsquos final game before he takes off to join the Netherlandsrsquo entry in

the World Baseball Classic The Netherlands begins WBC play against Korea in Seoul on March

7

Zach Britton isnrsquot scheduled to pitch yet but perhaps he will by the end of the week now that the

discomfort in his left oblique is gone Brittonrsquos schedule is unaffected because he wouldnrsquot have

pitched in a game in February

ldquoWe had time and based on the innings I need now we had all the time in the world to an

extent Obviously if this was the middle of March then I think yoursquore a little bit more worried

about it But I didnrsquot think it was anything serious and itrsquos gone away in about what four or five

daysrdquo Britton said

Whatrsquos happened Over the weekend Christian Walker was claimed on waivers by Atlanta and

left-handed reliever TJ McFarland was granted his release

Walker a first baseman who was converted to the outfield last year was designated for

assignment Tuesday when left-handed reliever Richard Bleier was acquired from the Yankees

Walker had his path blocked to the majors by Chris Davisrsquo re-signing and the emergence of Trey

Mancini

ldquoItrsquos a good move for him as human beingrdquo Orioles manager Buch Showalter said of Atlantarsquos

claim ldquoHersquoll get a good look and a good opportunity thererdquo

McFarland was designated for assignment Feb 19 when another lefty Vidal Nuno was picked

up from the Dodgers The Orioles maintain interest in McFarland and would like to sign him to a

minor league contract

Infielder Paul Janish was signed to a minor league contract Saturday with an invitation to spring

training his third such deal in as many years

Whatrsquos up with Michael Bourn mdash Signed as a minor league free agent a week ago Bourn

mishandled a football thrown to him in a workout Friday and broke his right ring finger

Bourn who would make $2 million if added to the 40-man roster has a March 27 opt-out date

that may become irrelevant because he may not be ready to play Hersquos out for an estimated four

weeks

Without Bourn Rule 5 draft choices Anthony Santander and Aneury Tavarez and Craig Gentry

another veteran major leaguer signed to a minor league contract will get longer looks for

outfield spots

What theyrsquore saying ldquoIt wasnrsquot football for fun first off I was doing it for conditioning It was

just a conditioning drill that you do and the ball just hit me in the wrong spotrdquo mdash Bourn on how

his freak injury occurred

Whatrsquos the number 6 mdash Thatrsquos how many hits Orioles whorsquoll play in the WBC had in Sundayrsquos

8-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates Adam Jones had a long home run and double Manny

Machado also had a home run while Welington Castillo had two hits and Schoop added one

Whatrsquos the record 2-1 mdash Last spring training the Orioles didnrsquot get their second win until their

15th game

httpwwwbaltimorebaseballcom20170228spring-training-primer-buck-jimenez-schoop-

leaves-bang-wrights

Spring Training Primer Buck on Jimenez Schoop leaves

with a bang Wrightrsquos up

By Rich Dubroff BaltimoreBaseballcom

February 27 2018

Whatrsquos happening Right-hander Mike Wright gets his first Grapefruit League start against the

Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater at 105 pm today

Wright who is battling for one of the final spots in the bullpen starts against an old Orioles

nemesis Clay Buchholz who is 11-7 with a 376 ERA in 23 regular season games against

Baltimore In his second big-league appearance in 2007 Buchholz pitched a no-hitter against the

Orioles at Fenway Park

Buchholz who is known for his slow pace was traded to the Phillies by the Boston Red Sox in

December So this could be the only time they face Buchholz and his methodical ways in 2017

Orioles closer Zach Britton is nearly ready to pitch in a game but manager Buck Showalter may

hold him out a bit longer even though Brittonrsquos oblique discomfort is gone Relievers Brad Brach

and Darren OrsquoDay also havenrsquot been scheduled to pitch in Grapefruit League action With the

length of this yearrsquos spring training Showalter is being careful with his top bullpen arms

Utility infielder Ryan Flaherty has soreness in his shoulder and is being rested for a few days

Whatrsquos happened Ubaldo Jimenez allowed one run on three hits in two innings in his first

Grapefruit League start a 4-1 loss to the New York Yankees on Monday Showalter likes how

Jimenez is pitching and thinks hersquos deserving of a strong 2017 after a solid end to the 2016

season (which ultimately finished with Jimenez allowing a game-ending homer in the AL Wild

Card Game)

ldquoYou know what a good human being he is His teammates really rally around him when

something good happens to us as a result of something hersquos done because the way he has

handled some of the criticism is pretty exemplary But hersquos tired of handling itrdquo Showalter said

ldquoHe wants the other part of it Not anybody with more pedigree than he has and a lot of people

tell me for two or three years he was the best pitcher in the gamerdquo

Whatrsquos up with Jonathan Schoop The second baseman hit a long home run in his final game

Monday before he plays for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic

Schoop will be the first of six Orioles to leave the team for the WBC Welington Castillo

Mychal Givens Adam Jones Manny Machado and newly acquired left-hander Vidal Nuno leave

early next week In three games Schoop is 3-for-8 with a home run and two doubles He thinks

hersquos ready to play internationally

ldquoI feel like I have enough games in I think we have two more exhibition games down there to

get ready Then wersquove got to play three games down there before the tournament starts but Irsquom

ready I feel goodrdquo Schoop said

What theyrsquore saying ldquoThatrsquos for you guys and for history and the way it works To me thatrsquos

almost a kind of a slap in the face that it wasnrsquot important before Is there a certain sense of

urgency That depends on the player I donrsquot see that with Ubaldo Wersquoll see how it plays I

donrsquot see that as a negative thing There are very few instances of that being a negativerdquo mdash

Showalter on whether impending free agency could be an incentive for Jimenez to excel in

2017

Whatrsquos the number 2 ndash Left fielder Hyun Soo Kim is 2-for-8 in spring games Last year he

started the spring hitless in 23 at-bats

Whatrsquos the record 2-2 mdash The Orioles play their third road game of the spring today At each

road locale theyrsquove played in a renamed park In their first game Friday they played at the

remodeled Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland Saturday it was LECOM Park

which for decades was McKechnie Field in Bradenton and today they play at Spectrum Field

formerly Bright House Network Field

httpwwwheraldtribunecomsports20170227fan-of-day-she-roots-for-orioles-but-passes-on-

natty-boh

FAN OF THE DAY She roots for the Orioles but passes on

lsquoNatty Bohrsquo

By Thomas Becnel Sarasota Herald-Tribune

February 27 2018

For a spring training trip to Florida Linda Huntt wore an Orioles T-shirt and matching earrings

She and her boyfriend Brian Blanchette share a passion for Baltimore baseball

Our first date was at an Orioles game she says I twisted his arm and hes been stuck with me

ever since

As a girl Huntt went to Baltimore Orioles games at Memorial Field

I remember watching Jim Palmer pitch and Boog Powell on first base she says I have my

dads ticket stub from the 1969 World Series

At Camden Yards Huntt likes to sit in the left field club level Instead of Natty Boh mdash

National Bohemian the traditional Baltimore beer mdash she prefers a Maryland IPA called Loose

Cannon

In Sarasota Huntt enjoys the baseball sunshine and warm weather Her boyfriend does too

Hes already talking about coming back next year she says

httpwwwnydailynewscomsportsbaseballbuck-showalter-deflecting-postseason-bullpen-

blunder-article-12983874

Oriolesrsquo Buck Showalter still deflecting postseason bullpen

blunder

By John Harper Daily News

February 27 2017

SARASOTA Fla mdash Buck Showalter was standing in front of me and I was determined to get an

answer to the question that bugged me all winter Why did one of the best managers in baseball

make the most glaring mistake of the playoffs

In the months since then Showalter had said little to explain his thinking in not using Zach

Britton baseballs best reliever in 2017 with his season on the line in a do-or-die scenario even

as the game remain tied through eight nine 10 innings

Having known him for some 25 years going back to his days managing the Yankees I also

knew it might be easier trying to pry government secrets out of a CIA agent than getting Buck to

go into detail about his decision-making that ultimately led to a 5-2 loss to the Blue Jays in 11

innings

Not that he doesnt like to talk No one is more engaging than Showalter on any number of

topics from Alabama football to the fallacy of pitch-framing statistics to best way to grip a golf

club which is often his way of filibustering to avoid questions hed rather not answer

On this day Buck saw dark clouds forming when a few New York writers cornered him so to

speak near the batting cage as the Orioles took BP

He went deeper into his stall game than usual changing subjects from his daughters pregnancy

to his sons scouting experience to his insistence that 51-year old Brady Anderson is in good

enough shape that he could play center field in the big leagues today all without pausing long

enough to allow the interrogation to begin

Finally I practically begged him for a timeout

Oh you guys have real questions he asked feigning surprise

Yes Buck

On the record

Yes Buck

And so it began Sort of anyway The conversation was mostly stops and starts as Showalter

quickly made it clear he wasnt revisiting his decision in any detail

But after protesting that this was no longer newsworthy he asked pointedly Which decision are

we talking about The one I made in the fifth inning the sixth inning the seventh inning

You know which decision I said

Yeah but thats my point he said If something works its right If something doesnt work

its wrong Sometimes you make a decision thats really chancy and you dont really like or you

pick the right thing and didnt work out

Its up to other people to engage right or wrong You realize its a what-have-you-done-for-me-

lately world

I pushed ever so gently But you feel it was the right move right

If you knew how everything was going to turn out in your life would you have done it

differently he asked Of course you would Thats my answer Its a result-oriented society

That may be true but the fascinating part to me is that with his season on the line a supreme

strategist like Showalter would play it by the book adhering to the philosophy that you save your

closer on the road until you have a lead to protect

In doing so however you take a huge gamble trying to extend the game with lesser pitchers

even using a starter like Ubaldo Jimenez in that game which proved fatal

In other words you get eliminated without ever using your best weapon which makes no sense

to me

But I couldnt drag Showalter into that debate as hard as I tried He kept deflecting and

deflecting to the point where I realized pushing harder was useless

It was frustrating partly because I like Buck and I know how smart he is running the game in the

dugout so I was hoping I could pull something out of him to shine a different light on the

subject

Instead I come away thinking what I always thought that he somehow convinced himself he

could steal a couple of more innings without using Britton knowing that the Blue Jays Francisco

Liriano was dominating the Orioles hitters on the other side

In any case it probably matters to me more than it should because Id like to see Showalter

finally get the chance to manage in the World Series

He was denied as far back as 1994 by the players strike in August when the Yankees had the

best record in the American League and the season never resumed Its still a sore subject for

Showalter he says he commiserates with Felipe Alou manager of the 94 Expos who had the

best record in baseball and talks trash to his current GM Dan Duquette who was an assistant

GM with the Expos then

Felipe and I talk about it all the time Showalter said And Im all over Duquette We had it

going on that year We would have been hard to beat

The 95 Yanks were sent home from the playoffs by that famous Ken Griffey Jr trip around the

bases in Game 5 of the ALDS George Steinbrenner replaced Showalter with Joe Torre and

championships have continued to elude him in Arizona Texas and now Baltimore

On Monday Showalter even raised the subject of retirement

I love spring training he said But there are some days when you kind of go what the hell am

I doing Im 60 years old doing this (bleep) I can see the end of the tunnel

I asked Jimmy Leland how he knew it was time He said when the wins didnt offset the pain

of losing When the losses hurt too much

Showalter clearly isnt there yet One minute he was talking about retirement the next he was

railing about how the whole world is picking the Orioles to finish last in the AL East this season

scoffing at the notion the Yankees are rebuilding

Oh please he said Weve got nine Rule 5 guys in camp You think the Yankees have nine

Rule 5 guys I dont think so You think the Red Sox have any I dont think the Blue Jays do

either

Suddenly Buck was fired up last October long forgotten Or was he just changing the subject

again At that point it was hard to tell

httpwwwnewsdaycomsportscolumnistsdavid-lennonbuck-showalter-has-closed-the-book-

on-not-using-his-closer-113184373

Buck Showalter has closed the book on not using Zach

Britton

David Lennon Newsday

February 27 2017

Buck Showalter five months later knew the Zach Britton question was coming No manager can

do what he did last October during that fateful night at Rogers Centre and not have his radar up

But even the affable Showalter one of our favorite guys to chat with has his boundaries

You donrsquot bump against them often The line materialized Monday when the conversation turned

to Brittonrsquos absence from that wild-card game the 11-inning 5-2 loss to the Blue Jays

Showalter never has provided an explanation for not using Britton and apparently has no

intention of offering one Period

ldquoIf something works itrsquos rightrdquo Showalter said before Mondayrsquos exhibition game against the

Yankees ldquoIf something doesnrsquot work itrsquos wrong Sometimes you make a decision thatrsquos really

chancey and you donrsquot really like or you pick the right thing and it doesnrsquot work out Itrsquos up to

other people to engage right or wrongrdquo

Thatrsquos more postgame analysis really and not a defense of the choice to leave Britton holstered

So we pushed a little more Was it the correct move to wait on using Britton for a save situation

that never happened

BaseballEncarnacionrsquos HR in 11th gives Blue Jays wild-card win

ldquoIf you knew how everything was going to turn out in your life would you have done it

differentlyrdquo Showalter said ldquoOf course you would Thatrsquos my answer Obviously if you knew

the results you would do something differently We donrsquot People want to play the game on

computers I donrsquot dwell on itrdquo

Fair enough Everyone knows how this one played out Britton the 47-for-47 closer with a 054

ERA warmed up three times that night starting in the eighth inning But with the score tied 2-2

in the 11th Showalter stuck with Ubaldo Jimenez who gave up a pair of singles before Edwin

Encarnacionrsquos walk-off blast

Showalter who is regarded as a brilliant in-game tactician was clobbered by an army of second-

guessers who couldnrsquot fathom why the gamersquos best relief pitcher wasnrsquot used in a do-or-die

playoff On the surface he seemed to cling to the conventional wisdom that a closer shouldnrsquot be

used in a tie game on the road On Monday Showalter hinted at other things possibly influencing

his judgment stuff he wouldnrsquot reveal

ldquoBritton could have pitched in the fifth inning in Torontordquo Showalter said ldquoHe could have

pitched in the sixth the seventh the eighth the ninth the 10th the 11th Therersquos a lot of factors

there But yoursquore careful about saying things that reflect some things that you just donrsquot talk

about And Irsquom not going to Wersquove moved onrdquo

The Britton Conspiracy remains the lasting narrative from that wild-card loss but Showalter

successfully navigated his way through six scoreless innings of bullpen use before Jimenezrsquos

failure

The way the rest of October unfolded made Showalter look even worse The 2016 postseason

featured the rise of the super-reliever as Andrew Miller showed how a closer-type pitcher could

be used in any situation from the fifth inning on to help decide the outcome His postseason

dominance bolstered the contention of those who have argued that a traditional closerrsquos role is an

antiquated notion like the sacrifice bunt

httpwwwnewsdaycomsportscolumnistsdavid-lennonbuck-showalter-has-closed-the-book-

on-not-using-his-closer-113184373

Buck Showalter has closed the book on not using Zach

Britton

David Lennon Newsday

February 27 2017

Buck Showalter five months later knew the Zach Britton question was coming No manager can

do what he did last October during that fateful night at Rogers Centre and not have his radar up

But even the affable Showalter one of our favorite guys to chat with has his boundaries

You donrsquot bump against them often The line materialized Monday when the conversation turned

to Brittonrsquos absence from that wild-card game the 11-inning 5-2 loss to the Blue Jays

Showalter never has provided an explanation for not using Britton and apparently has no

intention of offering one Period

ldquoIf something works itrsquos rightrdquo Showalter said before Mondayrsquos exhibition game against the

Yankees ldquoIf something doesnrsquot work itrsquos wrong Sometimes you make a decision thatrsquos really

chancey and you donrsquot really like or you pick the right thing and it doesnrsquot work out Itrsquos up to

other people to engage right or wrongrdquo

Thatrsquos more postgame analysis really and not a defense of the choice to leave Britton holstered

So we pushed a little more Was it the correct move to wait on using Britton for a save situation

that never happened

BaseballEncarnacionrsquos HR in 11th gives Blue Jays wild-card win

ldquoIf you knew how everything was going to turn out in your life would you have done it

differentlyrdquo Showalter said ldquoOf course you would Thatrsquos my answer Obviously if you knew

the results you would do something differently We donrsquot People want to play the game on

computers I donrsquot dwell on itrdquo

Fair enough Everyone knows how this one played out Britton the 47-for-47 closer with a 054

ERA warmed up three times that night starting in the eighth inning But with the score tied 2-2

in the 11th Showalter stuck with Ubaldo Jimenez who gave up a pair of singles before Edwin

Encarnacionrsquos walk-off blast

Showalter who is regarded as a brilliant in-game tactician was clobbered by an army of second-

guessers who couldnrsquot fathom why the gamersquos best relief pitcher wasnrsquot used in a do-or-die

playoff On the surface he seemed to cling to the conventional wisdom that a closer shouldnrsquot be

used in a tie game on the road On Monday Showalter hinted at other things possibly influencing

his judgment stuff he wouldnrsquot reveal

ldquoBritton could have pitched in the fifth inning in Torontordquo Showalter said ldquoHe could have

pitched in the sixth the seventh the eighth the ninth the 10th the 11th Therersquos a lot of factors

there But yoursquore careful about saying things that reflect some things that you just donrsquot talk

about And Irsquom not going to Wersquove moved onrdquo

The Britton Conspiracy remains the lasting narrative from that wild-card loss but Showalter

successfully navigated his way through six scoreless innings of bullpen use before Jimenezrsquos

failure

The way the rest of October unfolded made Showalter look even worse The 2016 postseason

featured the rise of the super-reliever as Andrew Miller showed how a closer-type pitcher could

be used in any situation from the fifth inning on to help decide the outcome His postseason

dominance bolstered the contention of those who have argued that a traditional closerrsquos role is an

antiquated notion like the sacrifice bunt

Showalter said he didnrsquot pay much attention to all that because he had only a passing interest in

the playoffs once the Orioles were eliminated When told we didnrsquot believe him he replied ldquoItrsquos

true Ask my wiferdquo

Regardless he strongly disagrees with the idea that a closer should be deployed at various points

of a game during the regular season too rather than just be saved for the ninth

ldquoOf course notrdquo Showalter said ldquoItrsquos not reality If you try to do that your guys will be on the

DL in April Anybody that doesnrsquot believe that go ahead and try it Irsquod love to play against you

You wonrsquot have your bullpen after about a month

ldquoItrsquos a trend that happens in the playoffs mdash no other time of the year Relief pitchers around here

laugh when people try to say that You canrsquot run those guys out there that much Appearances are

at an all-time high So are innings You canrsquot do it Itrsquoll bite yourdquo

Showalter has one of those super-relievers in Britton arguably the most lethal bullpen weapon in

baseball Next time wersquod bet the Orsquos manager doesnrsquot make the same mistake twice

Buck Showalter used these six relievers mdash and not Zach Britton mdash after removing starter Chris

Tillman with one out in the fifth inning against the Blue Jays in the AL wild-card game last

October

Pitcher IP

Mychal Givens 2 1frasl3

Donnie Hart 1frasl3

Brad Brach 1 1frasl3

Darren OrsquoDay1 2frasl3

Bryan Duensing 1frasl3

Ubaldo Jimeacutenez 00

Faced three batters all reached base

httpwwwnorthjerseycomstorysportscolumnistsbob-klapisch20170227klapisch-

showalter-still-searching-for-a-championship98485410

Klapisch Showalter still searching for a championship

By Bob Klapisch NorthJerseycom

February 27 2018

SARASOTA Fla ndash You can see Buck Showalterrsquos face tighten at the first mention of Octoberrsquos

wild-card shootout against the Blue Jays Hersquos knows whatrsquos coming Hersquos got the question ndash

and answer ndash memorized Buckrsquos eyes flash a Donrsquot Go There warning when asked to relive

the 11th inning of a tie game against the Blue Jays

Oriolesrsquo closer Zach Britton the gamersquos best lefthanded reliever never left the bullpen as Edwin

Encarnacion smoked a walk-off HR against Ubaldo Jimenez The blast ended the Oriolesrsquo season

and ran Showalterrsquos streak to 18 years without winning a pennant

Hersquos currently second on the list of managerial victories without a World Series appearance to

show for it The leader was Gene Mauch who won 1902 games over 28 seasons (1960-87)

Buck passed Jimmy Dykes last year to move into second place with 1429 You donrsquot have to

wonder if the gods have singled Showalter out The question is why

Buckrsquos legacy for preparation and hard work have given way to that of a permanent also-ran

Thing is hersquos arguably the smartest manager in the game a half-step ahead of Bruce Bochy

Terry Francona even Joe Maddon But Showalterrsquos critics will never forgive him for keeping

Britton in quarantine while the Blue Jays were celebrating Encarnacionrsquos home run

Showalter hasnrsquot wavered in his belief that closers arenrsquot supposed to appear in tie games on the

road But hersquos grown tired of litigating the case

ldquoIf something works itrsquos right If something doesnrsquot work itrsquos wrongrdquo Showalter was saying

before the Os hosted the Yankees on Monday ldquoSometimes you make a decision thatrsquos really

chancy and you donrsquot really like or you pick the right thing and it didnrsquot work out and hellip itrsquos up

to other people to engage right or wrong You realize itrsquos a what have you done for me lately

worldrdquo

Klapisch How Severino can crack the Yankees rotation

Klapisch Q-and-A with David Cone

Klapisch Is Aaron Judge ready for prime time

But was it the right move Showalterrsquos push-back is immediate After four months he still hears

the dog-whistle criticism in whatrsquos now a neutral question

ldquoIf you knew how everything was going to turn out in your life would you have done it

differentlyrdquo he said ldquoOf course you would thatrsquos my answer Itrsquos a result-oriented societyrdquo

Buck can be forgiven for being touchy At 60 he says ldquoI can see the end of the tunnelrdquo in his

managerial career The Orioles owe him for two more years and itrsquos possible if not probable

hersquoll never reach the holy grail Baseball Prospectus projects Baltimore to finish last in the East

in 2017 Buckrsquos fate took a further plunge when free agent Matt Wieters who hit 17 HRs with 66

RBIs last year signed with the Nationals

As much as Showalter loathes excuse-makers he admitted losing Wieters ldquois going to hurtrdquo As

always the Orioles will have to get by with a home run-oriented offense in tiny Camden Yards

Five of their returning players (Mark Trumbo Chris Davis Manny Machado Adam Jones and

Jonathan Schoop) topped 20 HRs last year The problem as always will be pitching Baseball

Prospectus believes no team in baseball will allow more runs than the Orsquos

httpwwwnorthjerseycomstorysportscolumnistsbob-klapisch20170227klapisch-

showalter-still-searching-for-a-championship98485410

Klapisch Showalter still searching for a championship

By Bob Klapisch NorthJerseycom

February 27 2018

SARASOTA Fla ndash You can see Buck Showalterrsquos face tighten at the first mention of Octoberrsquos

wild-card shootout against the Blue Jays Hersquos knows whatrsquos coming Hersquos got the question ndash

and answer ndash memorized Buckrsquos eyes flash a Donrsquot Go There warning when asked to relive

the 11th inning of a tie game against the Blue Jays

Oriolesrsquo closer Zach Britton the gamersquos best lefthanded reliever never left the bullpen as Edwin

Encarnacion smoked a walk-off HR against Ubaldo Jimenez The blast ended the Oriolesrsquo season

and ran Showalterrsquos streak to 18 years without winning a pennant

Hersquos currently second on the list of managerial victories without a World Series appearance to

show for it The leader was Gene Mauch who won 1902 games over 28 seasons (1960-87)

Buck passed Jimmy Dykes last year to move into second place with 1429 You donrsquot have to

wonder if the gods have singled Showalter out The question is why

Buckrsquos legacy for preparation and hard work have given way to that of a permanent also-ran

Thing is hersquos arguably the smartest manager in the game a half-step ahead of Bruce Bochy

Terry Francona even Joe Maddon But Showalterrsquos critics will never forgive him for keeping

Britton in quarantine while the Blue Jays were celebrating Encarnacionrsquos home run

Showalter hasnrsquot wavered in his belief that closers arenrsquot supposed to appear in tie games on the

road But hersquos grown tired of litigating the case

ldquoIf something works itrsquos right If something doesnrsquot work itrsquos wrongrdquo Showalter was saying

before the Os hosted the Yankees on Monday ldquoSometimes you make a decision thatrsquos really

chancy and you donrsquot really like or you pick the right thing and it didnrsquot work out and hellip itrsquos up

to other people to engage right or wrong You realize itrsquos a what have you done for me lately

worldrdquo

Klapisch How Severino can crack the Yankees rotation

Klapisch Q-and-A with David Cone

Klapisch Is Aaron Judge ready for prime time

But was it the right move Showalterrsquos push-back is immediate After four months he still hears

the dog-whistle criticism in whatrsquos now a neutral question

ldquoIf you knew how everything was going to turn out in your life would you have done it

differentlyrdquo he said ldquoOf course you would thatrsquos my answer Itrsquos a result-oriented societyrdquo

Buck can be forgiven for being touchy At 60 he says ldquoI can see the end of the tunnelrdquo in his

managerial career The Orioles owe him for two more years and itrsquos possible if not probable

hersquoll never reach the holy grail Baseball Prospectus projects Baltimore to finish last in the East

in 2017 Buckrsquos fate took a further plunge when free agent Matt Wieters who hit 17 HRs with 66

RBIs last year signed with the Nationals

As much as Showalter loathes excuse-makers he admitted losing Wieters ldquois going to hurtrdquo As

always the Orioles will have to get by with a home run-oriented offense in tiny Camden Yards

Five of their returning players (Mark Trumbo Chris Davis Manny Machado Adam Jones and

Jonathan Schoop) topped 20 HRs last year The problem as always will be pitching Baseball

Prospectus believes no team in baseball will allow more runs than the Orsquos

None of this seems to faze Showalter He points out how wrong the experts were about the Orsquos

in 2016 Picked to finish last they won 89 games and made it to the wild-card game even if the

season ended in heart-breaking fashion

Yet Showalter has mostly moved on Nothing will ever crush him again like the Yankeesrsquo

meltdown in the 1995 AL Division Series against the Mariners While the old Kingdome

devolved into a riot after Edgar Martinezrsquos walk-off double in Game 5 Showalter was in his

office slumped over his desk sobbing into his hands

George Steinbrenner had stormed in presumably to blister Showalter but instead walked out

around when he realized his manager was near emotional collapse It was Showalter who turned

the Bombers around from 1992-95 and to this day is convinced they wouldrsquove won the World

Series in the strike-shortened 1994 season

But Steinbrenner never grasped the degree of Showalterrsquos love for the Pinstripes He fired Buck

soon after the loss to Seattle Showalter says the experience forever hardened his protective

shield

That would explain why Showalter is more at peace about his day-to-day life in the dugout He

used to wear out players and executives alike with his need for control Friends begged Buck to

lighten up Itrsquos taken decades but hersquos finally combined his IQ with a Zen-like calm

He can tweak the Yankees now with a mere arching of the eyebrows

ldquoOh pleaserdquo Showalter when told the Bombers are calling 2017 a rebuilding year

ldquoHow many Rule 5 players do they have (on their 25-man roster)rdquo he asked

None

ldquoThank yourdquo

The exchange needed no translation Showalterrsquos Orioles are paupers next to the Yankees and

Red Sox If anyone gets satisfaction from sticking it to the American Leaguersquos 1-percenters itrsquos

Buck But the clock is ticking and Showalterrsquos ultimate revenge winning a World Series may

be beyond his grasp

True or not Showalter asks only one favor Donrsquot bother feeling sorry for him

The more yoursquore in thisrdquo he said ldquothe more you realize itrsquos not about yourdquo

httpwwwdailyheraldcomarticle20170227sports302279863

Castillo trying to learn Orioles pitchers in short time

Associated Press

February 27 2017

SARASOTA Fla -- Welington Castillo has a short time to familiarize himself with Baltimores

pitching staff before leaving Sunday to play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball

Classic

The 29-year-old takes over this season from Matt Wieters who had caught for the Orioles since

2009 but left as a free agent and finalized a deal Friday with Washington

I think Im going to have enough time to know them the 29-year-old Castillo said I know

theres a lot of guys in here Day by day Im going to get to know them

Castillo had a similar experience when he was traded from Seattle to Arizona in June 2015

Youve got to get to know them pretty quick Castillo said I feel that Im going to be good and

that everybody in here knows what to do too so its going to be easier for me

Castillo missed his first scheduled game with the Orioles on Saturday because of neck spasms

and went 2 for 3 Sunday

He seems positive upbeat which is good out of a catcher You want a guy whos easy to talk

to said Darren ODay whose sidearm motion can be difficult for catchers Just throwing to

him I can tell hes going to steal strikes for us Hes got a lot to learn so hes going to have to

catch a lot of different guys

Castillo hasnt caught ODay and fellow relievers Brad Brach and Zach Britton yet in a game

Britton has been slowed by oblique discomfort and starter Chris Tillman hasnt thrown yet

because of shoulder soreness

Showalter likes what hes seen from Castillo

They have a lot of guys to pick to be there to catch for the Dominican and they picked him

OK That tells you a little bit about his stature and I have respect for what he brings too

Showalter said Hes a humble kid Hes a pleaser

Castillo will join new Orioles teammate Manny Machado on the Dominican team

Honestly I was a little bit in between because I know Im going to a new team new players

new pitching staff Castillo said Im going to have time to get to know them At the same time

I want to represent my country We are blessed because the Dominican Republic has a lot of

good players but the WBC is every three or four years so who is going to guarantee me that Ill

still be in baseball in three or four more years Why not go there and get the experience

Notes INF Ryan Flaherty is out with a sore right arm 2B Jonathan Schoop left after Mondays

game to report to the Netherlands WBC team

httpwwwdailyheraldcomarticle20170227sports302279863

Castillo trying to learn Orioles pitchers in short time

Associated Press

February 27 2017

SARASOTA Fla -- Welington Castillo has a short time to familiarize himself with Baltimores

pitching staff before leaving Sunday to play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball

Classic

The 29-year-old takes over this season from Matt Wieters who had caught for the Orioles since

2009 but left as a free agent and finalized a deal Friday with Washington

I think Im going to have enough time to know them the 29-year-old Castillo said I know

theres a lot of guys in here Day by day Im going to get to know them

Castillo had a similar experience when he was traded from Seattle to Arizona in June 2015

Youve got to get to know them pretty quick Castillo said I feel that Im going to be good and

that everybody in here knows what to do too so its going to be easier for me

Castillo missed his first scheduled game with the Orioles on Saturday because of neck spasms

and went 2 for 3 Sunday

He seems positive upbeat which is good out of a catcher You want a guy whos easy to talk

to said Darren ODay whose sidearm motion can be difficult for catchers Just throwing to

him I can tell hes going to steal strikes for us Hes got a lot to learn so hes going to have to

catch a lot of different guys

Castillo hasnt caught ODay and fellow relievers Brad Brach and Zach Britton yet in a game

Britton has been slowed by oblique discomfort and starter Chris Tillman hasnt thrown yet

because of shoulder soreness

Showalter likes what hes seen from Castillo

They have a lot of guys to pick to be there to catch for the Dominican and they picked him

OK That tells you a little bit about his stature and I have respect for what he brings too

Showalter said Hes a humble kid Hes a pleaser

Castillo will join new Orioles teammate Manny Machado on the Dominican team

Honestly I was a little bit in between because I know Im going to a new team new players

new pitching staff Castillo said Im going to have time to get to know them At the same time

I want to represent my country We are blessed because the Dominican Republic has a lot of

good players but the WBC is every three or four years so who is going to guarantee me that Ill

still be in baseball in three or four more years Why not go there and get the experience

Notes INF Ryan Flaherty is out with a sore right arm 2B Jonathan Schoop left after Mondays

game to report to the Netherlands WBC team

httpwwwdailyitemcomnewslocal_newsorioles-pick-anthem-regular-from-selinsgrove-for-

opening-weekendarticle_5da3b221-4fab-5ad1-be13-8034c0164acehtml

Orioles pick anthem regular from Selinsgrove for opening

weekend

Francis Scarcella Sunbury Daily Item

February 27 2018

SELINSGROVE mdash Sara Lauver sat in the Baltimore Orioles ldquobullpenrdquo for the past 10 years just

waiting for her chance to perform on opening weekend in front of nearly 46000 screaming

Major League Baseball fans inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Maryland

On April 8 Lauver 35 of Selinsgrove will finally get the call

Lauver the director of community impact for the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way in

Sunbury will be performing the National Anthem and singing through the seventh-inning stretch

when the Orioles take on the New York Yankees according to the Baltimore Orioles team

spokesman Greg Bader

ldquoOne of our longest-tenured performers Sara has been singing the national anthem at Oriole

Park at Camden Yards regularly over the past decaderdquo said Bader who serves as the Orioles

vice president of communications and marketing ldquoWe look forward to Sararsquos performances each

and every yearrdquo

Even though Lauver has been singing for the Orioles organization for the past 10 years the 2017

season will mark her first performance during opening weekend she said

ldquoI am very excitedrdquo Lauver said ldquoIt is such an honor and such a pleasure to do itrdquo

When Lauver was living in Baltimore in 2007 she sent a demo tape of her singing in hopes to

land a spot she said

ldquoI stayed in contact with the team and I became an emergency call person in case someone

couldnrsquot make itrdquo Lauver said

Lauver got her chance in 2007 and has now been booked to sing at least twice every season

With the singing booking come the perks Lauver said

ldquoI get eight tickets to each game I sing atrdquo Lauver said ldquoThe seats are great and are right down

the first base line I get to bring friends and familyrdquo

Lauver said when she sings she is placed in a private area about one hour before the first pitch

where she often times would see players walking by

ldquoOf course I get nervousrdquo she said ldquoIt is just such a great experience being able to sing in front

of 40000 fans while standing near home platerdquo

And the players may just take notice to her performances

ldquoI think Adam Jones and myself have a little thing goingrdquo Lauver joked ldquoIt is just really

awesome to see the players watchingrdquo

Jones plays centerfield for the Orioles

Lauver is also asked to sing God Bless America When she performs the classic during the

seventh-inning stretch she gets to stand on the Orioles dugout

Lauver also has been mentioned during national broadcast games on the Major League Baseball

Network she said

There is no monetary compensation for her performances Lauver said

ldquoI do it because every time is just such a cool experiencerdquo she said ldquoIt truly is just an honorrdquo

One of Lauverrsquos friends said she accompanied Lauver to a previous game and got goosebumps

when Lauver began to sing

ldquoThere is a reason the Orioles keep asking Sara to come back season after seasonrdquo Sara Bartlett

of San Diego said

ldquoShe has a beautiful voice that illuminates Camden Yards When she sings the fans connect with

her and as an Orioles fan myself I couldnrsquot be more proud of my friendrdquo

Lauver sings throughout the Valley at various events and is part of local band Blue River Spell

The April 8 game between the Orioles and Yankees starts at 405 pm The game will be

broadcast by the MLB Network