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

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Game Stories:

Jimenez encouraged by outing in Orioles' 5-2 loss to Blue Jays The Sun 3/21

Davis knocks first spring HR vs. Blue Jays MLB.com 3/21

Jiménez says today was “even better” than last outing (O’s lose 5-2) MASNsports.com

3/21

Columns:

Keeping Chance Sisco in camp a sign Orioles believe top prospect is close The Sun 3/22

Slow spring starts growing more significant for Orioles Chris Davis, Mark Trumbo, J.J.

Hardy The Sun 3/22

Orioles' bullpen personnel could be the final thing figured out this spring The Sun 3/21

Steve Pearce: Blue Jays' 'hard and aggressive' pursuit meant elbow surgery with Orioles

worth it The Sun 3/21

Orioles' Seth Smith confident hamstring injury won't require season-opening DL stint

The Sun 3/21

Oliver Drake's rough spring creating roster quandary for Orioles The Sun 3/21

Pipeline report: Prospects in Orioles' camp MLB.com 3/22

Q&A with O's prospect Cody Sedlock MLB.com 3/22

Q&A: Duquette talks winning formula, hopes for O's MLB.com 3/21

Rematch with Blue Jays not on Ubaldo's mind MLB.com 3/21

Trumbo flying under the radar this spring MLB.com 3/21

O's optimistic Smith won't start season on DL MLB.com 3/21

Wade Miley says he’s ready for next start MASNsports.com 3/22

Orioles lineup vs. Rays MASNsports.com 3/22

Kirby updates Álvarez’s transition to right field MASNsports.com 3/22

Peña and Perez reassigned, wrapping up a 5-2 loss MASNsports.com 3/21

Showalter on Drake, Álvarez, Britton and Joseph (updated) MASNsports.com 3/21

Dickerson day-to-day with sore shoulder (plus other notes) MASNsports.com 3/21

Mark Trumbo on spring struggles and getting WBC players back MASNsports.com 3/22

Dylan Bundy has dealt with injuries, but Bobby Bundy has been through more

MASNsports.com 3/22

Minor league notes on Branden Kline, Mike Yastrzemski and more MASNsports.com

3/21

Notes on Ryan Mountcastle, David Hess and more from minor league camp

MASNsports.com 3/21

Machado and Schoop “bromance” to be featured in Baltimore Magazine

MASNsports.com 3/22

Introducing MASNsports.com’s 2017 guest bloggers MASNsports.com 3/20

Adam Jones is making Orioles fans proud with play after amazing play at World Baseball

Classic CSN Mid-Atlantic 3/22

Orioles' Mark Trumbo Is Flying Under The Radar PressBoxOnline.com 3/21

Is It Time For Orioles To Worry About Seth Smith? PressBoxOnline.com 3/21

Adam Jones Dubbed The ‘Hero’ As USA Beats Japan In WBC CBS Baltimore 3/22

Orioles’ Zach Britton Hopes To Duplicate Great 2016 Season CBS Baltimore 3/21

Radio musings: Richard Justice on the Orioles and MLB; Roger McDowell on pitching

BaltimoreBaseball.com 3/22

Spring Training Primer: Blessed with options; Ubaldo and the Jays; Davis hits first

homer BaltimoreBaseball.com 3/22

Ubaldo Jimenez: ‘I didn’t even think about’ facing the Toronto Blue Jays again

BaltimoreBaseball.com 3/21

Spring Training Primer: Jimenez faces Jays; Nuno fills in for Miley; Drake’s chances

fleeting BaltimoreBaseball.com 3/21

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-rail-0322-20170321-story.html

Jimenez encouraged by outing in Orioles' 5-2 loss to Blue

Jays

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

March 21, 2017

First baseman Chris Davis hit his first home run of the spring and right-hander Ubaldo

Jimenez looked crisp for this time of year, but a big inning that chased the Orioles starter was all

the visiting Toronto Blue Jays needed for a 5-2 win Tuesday before a sellout crowd of 7,601 at

Ed Smith Stadium.

Jimenez battled a tight strike zone and his own command in a first inning in which he walked

two and had three full counts, but he settled in and glided through the next two frames before a

sky-high pop-up no more than 10 feet in front of the plate down the first-base line fell in for a

hit.

Davis didn't make a play for it, deferring to catcher Caleb Joseph, but Joseph had it bounce off

his mitt after a late turn in the wind. Toronto scored four that inning, spoiling the day statistically

but not dampening Jimenez's outlook on his outing.

"Today was even better," Jimenez said, comparing it with his previous spring starts. "After the

first inning, I was able to throw all my pitches. I was cruising along, I was attacking the hitters

and the splitter, slider, changeup, every pitch was in the strike zone. In the last inning, we got in

trouble a little bit."

Davis' opposite-field blast to lead off the fourth inning put the Orioles on the board, and they

scraped across a second run when Hyun Soo Kim singled off former Orioles minor league

lefty Jeff Beliveau, advanced to third on a ground-rule double by Joseph, and scored on a passed

ball.

Bullpen back on track: Logan Verrett, Jimmy Yacabonis, Darren O'Day and Donnie

Hart combined for five innings without allowing an earned run, stopping a run of poor days for

Orioles pitchers.

Verrett struck out three in two scoreless innings, and Yacabonis walked one in a shutout inning.

O'Day gave up an unearned run. Hart pitched a scoreless ninth.

The trouble with Tavarez: When manager Buck Showalter talks about trust with a talented but

unproven player such as Rule 5 outfielder Aneury Tavarez, Tuesday's game was a good example

why. Tavarez nearly overran a line drive in center field before jumping to catch it in the third

inning. He later ran into an out trying to steal third base with two on and one out on in the

seventh inning.

Tavarez has shown plenty of raw skills, but the team has reason to wonder whether they will

translate immediately into games.

Listening to the song: The best moment of Tuesday might have come before first pitch, with a

microphone malfunction forcing the traveling Toronto fans to spontaneously sing "Oh, Canada"

while the situation was worked out. The microphone didn't work for "The Star-Spangled

Banner," either, but the piped-in stadium instrumentation meant the singing was drowned out.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/220250316/kevin-pillar-blue-jays-beat-orioles/

Davis knocks first spring HR vs. Blue Jays

By Rich Dubroff / MLB.com

March 21, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Aaron Sanchez pitched into the fourth inning in his third Grapefruit League

outing, allowing just one hit as the Blue Jays beat the Orioles, 5-2, on Tuesday afternoon at Ed

Smith Stadium.

Sanchez, who was a sparkling 15-2 with a 3.00 ERA for Toronto in 2016, walked four and struck

out two over 3 1/3 frames. Chris Davis knocked his first home run of the spring in the fourth, the

lone blemish for Sanchez.

Sanchez said that Tuesday felt "like a game" to him, and he's ready to prepare for the final

stretch of spring.

"I was able to come out and compete and execute what I wanted," Sanchez said. "I was attacking

guys. Everything felt real good. It was the best I've felt this spring. Just want to continue to do

what's needed in these final 10-12 days."

Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez, who allowed four runs over four innings, gave up all four in the

fourth on a two-run single by Jon Berti and a two-run double by Kevin Pillar. Jimenez walked

three and struck out five.

"After the first inning, I was able to throw all my pitches," Jimenez said. "I was cruising along. I

was attacking the hitters. The split, the slider, the changeup, every pitch was working to both

sides until the last inning."

Blue Jays Up Next: Right-hander Marco Estrada will make his fourth Grapefruit League start

and look to throw over 70 pitches against the Tigers, who will have lefty Daniel Norris on the

mound for a 1:07 p.m. ET start in Dunedin, Fla., on Wednesday. Listen live to an exclusive

audio webcast.

Orioles Up Next: Left-hander Chris Lee, one of the contenders to be the Orioles' fifth starter,

gets the call against the Rays at 6:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday in Sarasota. Tyler Wilson, another

fifth-starter possibility, is scheduled to follow Lee. Watch the matchup live on MLB.TV.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/03/ubaldo-jimenez-says-today-was-even-

better-than-last-outing.html

Jiménez says today was “even better” than last outing (O’s

lose 5-2)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

March 21, 2017

ORIOLES QUICK WRAP

Score: Blue Jays 5, Orioles 2

Recap: Ubaldo Jiménez failed to get past the fourth inning, allowing four runs and throwing 76

pitches. He gave up five hits, walked three batters, struck out four and threw a wild pitch. ...

Chris Davis led off the bottom of the fourth inning with his first home run, a shot to left-center

field off Aaron Sanchez. ... Logan Verrett struck out three in two scoreless innings. ... The Jays

scored an unearned run off Darren O’Day in the eighth after an Alex Castellanos throwing error.

Need to know: Jiménez walked two batters, had three full counts and threw 27 pitches in the

first. He threw 31 in a four-run fourth. ... Caleb Joseph failed to catch a popup near the mound in

the fourth that went for a single and eventually was followed by four two-out runs. ... Chris

Johnson raced back, reached over his head and made a nice diving catch of Steve Pearce’s

blooper in foul territory. ... Hyun Soo Kim singled off left-hander Jeff Beliveau in the fourth

inning. Any hit for Kim off a southpaw is newsworthy.

On deck: Wednesday vs. Rays in Sarasota, 6:05 p.m. on MASN

________________________________________________

SARASOTA, Fla. - Ubaldo Jiménez failed in his last start to record the final out that would have

allowed him to complete five innings. He never made it into the fifth today, running his pitch

count to 76.

Jiménez allowed four runs and five hits, walked three batters, struck out five and threw a wild

pitch. It’s fair to say that he deserved better after a popup from Jarrod Saltalamacchia to lead off

the fourth fell near the mound as catcher Caleb Joseph reached for it.

All four runs scored with two outs and they’re earned because the play was ruled a hit instead of

an error. Justin Smoak flied out, Darrell Ceciliani singled, Gregorio Petit popped up for what

should have been the last out, J.B. Woodman walked and Jon Berti followed with a looping two-

run single into right field.

No ball was hit hard until Kevin Pillar lined a two-run double into left-center field.

“That’s something that happens in the game,” Jiménez said. “I was trying hard to get out of that

inning without any damage. That’s how the game goes sometimes. It’s not like I was thinking

about it, but I wanted to get out of that inning for us because we got a couple of extra outs.”

Jiménez allowed three runs and two hits in 4 2/3 innings in his last start against the Pirates in

Bradenton. He walked five batters and struck out five.

“Today was even better,” he said. “After the first inning I was able to throw all my pitches. I was

cruising along. I was attacking the hitters. The split, the slider, the changeup, every pitch was

working to both sides until the last inning. We got in trouble a little bit.”

Jiménez has walked 11 batters in 16 2/3 innings, but plate umpire Clint Fagan kept squeezing

him today - especially in the first inning.

“They were close, they were close,” he said, smiling. “I mean, I was in the zone. I guess they

weren’t close enough, but I thought I was pretty close. I just kept throwing until he started giving

it to me.”

This was Jiménez’s first game appearance against the Blue Jays since he surrendered Edwin

Encarnacion’s three-run walk-off home run in the wild card game. Encarnacion signed with the

Indians, the Blue Jays didn’t bring many of their starters today and the thought never crossed

Jiménez’s mind.

“No, no, I didn’t even think about that,” he said. “I just wanted to go out there and get my pitch

count up and throw all my pitches. I think that’s what I did today, especially after the first

inning.”

Jiménez isn’t concerned that he’s reaching these pitch counts in under five full innings.

“No, what we worry about is the pitch count,” he said. “I was able to throw 75 pitches. I did that

in my last game, too. I could have gone even more, but that’s part of the game. I had to throw a

lot of pitches in that last inning because I had to get a couple extra outs. There’s nothing you can

do about that. But I got to my pitch count.”

Jiménez thought after his last outing that his fastball command was coming around.

“It has been,” manager Buck Showalter said before today’s game. “I actually think this is the

best arm strength and consistent delivery he’s had since I’ve had him here, so I hope that bodes

well. I’m happy with where he is. Talk to me after the game and we’ll see. The other team is

going to tell me if that’s still doing well today.”

The Orioles are behind 5-2 in the top of the eighth inning. Logan Verrett followed Jiménez and

tossed two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Jimmy Yacabonis didn’t allow a run in the

seventh, but Jake Elmore lifted a sacrifice fly off Darren O’Day in the eighth after third

baseman Alex Castellanos’ throwing error.

The Orioles had two runners on base in the bottom of the seventh and Pedro Álvarez at the plate

with one out, but Rule 5 pick Aneury Tavárez was thrown out trying to steal third base.

Today’s attendance: 7,601, the fourth sellout of the spring.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-keeping-chance-sisco-in-camp-a-sign-

orioles-believe-top-prospect-is-close-20170322-story.html

Keeping Chance Sisco in camp a sign Orioles believe top

prospect is close

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

March 22, 2017

When the Orioles sent catchers Francisco Pena and Audry Perez back to minor league camp

Tuesday, it left top prospect Chance Sisco as the team’s sole nonroster catcher behind the

recently returned Welington Castillo and top backup Caleb Joseph.

The quiet Sisco doesn’t put too much stock in the fact that he’s the only member of that

nonroster group remaining. But with manager Buck Showalter expecting to give Castillo some

time off after a grueling workload in the World Baseball Classic, that Sisco is still in camp is the

greatest sign yet that the team views him as a contributor sooner rather than later.

“I don’t know,” Sisco said. “I hope so. I mean, I hope that I’m in a good spot to possibly get

called up [this year], but that relies on me playing well and the needs of the big league team, and

just going day by day.

“It does feel good to still be here, just because I get to be around longer, and your goal is to be in

the big leagues. So to stay in big league camp as long as possible is a good feeling, and I’m not

reading into anything.

Since Castillo left for the WBC, Sisco has gotten the biggest share of the catching work except

for Joseph, who started most of the home games. In 13 games, he has 16 at-bats with four hits

and two runs scored.

He has also shown himself to be capable behind the plate in a major league setting, which is the

main requirement because his lifetime minor league batting average of .323 shows he has a bat

that many believe will play at the big league level.

With a week to go in camp, and a strong likelihood that it’s just Joseph and Sisco catching as

Castillo gets a breather, Sisco hopes to finish camp strongly in hopes of leaving the best

impression possible.

“I’m just looking to have good at-bats, looking to be comfortable behind the plate and just get

my work in to get ready for the season,” he said.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-slow-spring-starts-growing-more-

significant-for-orioles-chris-davis-mark-trumbo-j-j-hardy-20170321-story.html

Slow spring starts growing more significant for Orioles

Chris Davis, Mark Trumbo, J.J. Hardy

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

March 22, 2017

As the Orioles prepare to welcome back some of their jet-setting stars from the World Baseball

Classic, they must be hoping that those who have spent the entire spring in camp get a boost

from having their team back to full strength and the urgency of a fast-approaching season.

First baseman Chris Davis, right fielder Mark Trumbo and shortstop J.J. Hardy have all been

fixtures in the team’s lineup in the absence of so many of the Orioles' top players. But with just

over a week left in camp, they have little to show for it.

Davis hit his first home run in 26 spring at-bats Tuesday to give him six hits in the Grapefruit

League, though he has walked seven times with eight strikeouts. Trumbo and Hardy are hitting

.182 apiece. While Hardy is still getting his approach back after being out with back spasms,

Trumbo’s surprising lack of power this spring is growing into a topic to watch.

Manager Buck Showalter said all three are at different stages, and any desire to see them pick it

up before Opening Day is mostly coming from them.

Davis, Showalter said, “had some of his better at-bats” of the spring Tuesday, including his

opposite-field home run.

“That’s a good sign, but see if he can do it again tomorrow or the next day,” Showalter said. “It’s

not something he and [hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh] have really stressed, really worked at. We

know he’s got pull power. He doesn’t have to pull the ball to hit home runs. Looking at a lot of

his successful periods, that’s what he’s been able to do.”

Hardy, Showalter said, isn’t where he’d like to be.

“He’s not happy with where he is offensively, but he got that fourth at-bat today and it was worth

it,” Showalter said. “I think he’ll be able to pick up the results a little bit as we close out these

last nine or 10 days.”

As for Trumbo, who signed a three-year deal this offseason for him to keep his league-leading

home run power in Baltimore, hasn’t shown that off to this point either.

“You know Mark,” Showalter said. “He’s not one of those guys who goes, 'Oh, my numbers will

be there. Oh, it’ll all be [there] when the bell rings.' He wants to hit a ball hard every time up.

He’s a little frustrated, but it will fall in place.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-spring-training-bullpen-0322-

20170321-story.html

Orioles' bullpen personnel could be the final thing figured

out this spring

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

March 21, 2017

In a spring training devoid of much roster drama, Orioles manager Buck Showalter has a perfect-

world scenario for how he'll fill the long relief role he cherishes so much.

Filling it in reality could prove much more complicated. Over the next 10 days, the team will

have to evaluate everything from performance and roster flexibility to the team's future vision for

a pitcher before deciding which of its candidates is ticketed for a minor league rotation or the

major league bullpen.

"We got in a bind last year where we didn't have the type of roster at Bowie and Norfolk and

Baltimore that we could maneuver around some of the challenges that some of [the injuries

presented]," Showalter said. "We're in a lot better shape there."

The long-relief role is given greater import in Baltimore than anywhere else because Showalter

values it so much, but with a starting rotation as unstable as the Orioles have had, it's a near

necessity.

Last season, they had 37 relief appearances of seven outs or longer, with Vance

Worley and Dylan Bundy leading the way with 12 and nine, respectively. Both of those players,

however, were static in their roster spots. Before Bundy went to the starting rotation at the All-

Star break, the Orioles had their two long men in the bullpen stuck their without minor league

options.

There's a crowd that can change that from a fluidity standpoint this year. Showalter says there are

four or five pitchers still competing to replace Chris Tillman in the starting rotation early in the

season — Mike Wright, Chris Lee, Gabriel Ynoa, Tyler Wilson and Jayson Aquino.

Meanwhile, Aquino (the lone overlapping pitcher), Logan Verrett, Richard Bleier, Vidal Nuno

and Zach Stewart are in another category reserved for long relief.

Early in the spring, Showalter was emphatic that those two pools were separate, and the five

developing starters would remain starters all year — with the other pool shuffling back and forth

as long relievers. He has softened on that stance a bit.

"I'd rather, hopefully, have those guys pitching in Triple-A as our what-ifs," Showalter said. "But

we're going to take the best 25 [players]. So there are some guys that are currently competing

that we're thinking about as a long reliever, too. But in a perfect world, we have [Chris] Tillman

healthy and those five guys will be down in Norfolk. Some things don't cooperate with us

sometimes, on paper. But I'd say everybody is still in play now."

Flexibility isn't a problem with any of them. All the pitchers still have a minor league option for

2017, even the 30-year-old Stewart, who is not on the 40-man roster.

So the candidates are there, though evaluating them this spring hasn't been smooth. Seemingly

every candidate for one of those long-relief spots started spring well but has scuffled of late.

Bleier allowed a run in his spring debut March 1 but strung together three scoreless outings

before allowing two runs on four hits in an inning Sunday against the Detroit Tigers. Nuno had

two good two-inning outings before the World Baseball Classic, but was used sparingly by

Mexico and has allowed four earned runs in 21/3 innings since —with his most recent outing a

spot start for the ailing Wade Miley on Monday.

Stewart allowed no runs on two hits in his first 82/3 innings this spring before he allowed three

earned runs in each of his past two appearances. And Logan Verrett, who pitched two shutout

innings Tuesday with three strikeouts, bounced back from a tough trip to Pittsburgh's camp last

week.

The 2015 Rule 5 draft pick who was re-acquired from the New York Mets this offseason

believes he has made a good impression in his return to camp.

"In spring training, we kind of preach that it's about the process, it's not about the results. So my

last outing in Bradenton, that was what I took away from it," Verrett said. "The process is

working, and I'm feeling better than I have the past few weeks of camp. I just built on that, and

today was another good outing. I don't know how many more we'll have, but with nine days left

in camp, two or three I'm sure. But we'll see. I think they know what I can do, especially from

what I've done in the past as well."

It creates an interesting conundrum for the pitchers competing for a starter's role. The path to

major league riches is through the rotation. The path to a major league roster spot might be in the

bullpen.

Wright defers to Showalter's plans on the matter, but points out that a stable role is nice, and he

hopes the distinctions between the two groups "doesn't mean it limits opportunity."

The rest are just trying to do what works for them. Last year was Nuno's first season of primary

relief, but he said it's "not different" knowing your role and staying in it, as opposed to going

back and forth.

"Just knowing the last couple of years, you've got to be ready every day — having your body

ready and getting accustomed to throwing whenever they're going to ask you to and being

reliable," Nuno said. "That's the key to being up here and having a steady job. If you're reliable,

and you get outs, you're going to play here for a long time."

Bleier was a career minor league starter who pitched in relief and primarily against left-handed

batters last year with the New York Yankees, but added a cutter to help his left-right splits and

expects he'll be built up to go long by the time the season starts.

"I think that you just have to be ready to pitch," Bleier said. "For me, it's whether I throw six

pitches at a time or 40, it's still the same concept of trying to get as many people out as I can, and

whenever they tell me I'm done, I'm done."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-steve-pearce-blue-jays-hard-and-

aggressive-pursuit-meant-elbow-surgery-with-orioles-worth-it-20170321-story.html

Steve Pearce: Blue Jays' 'hard and aggressive' pursuit meant

elbow surgery with Orioles worth it

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

March 21, 2017

Even by his own standards of coming and going, last year’s quick stint with the Orioles for

utility man Steve Pearce was a short one.

He played just 25 games with the Orioles last season after aggravating an elbow injury in early

August. Pearce batted .217 with a .729 OPS and three home runs before undergoing surgery in

mid-September to repair the flexor tendon in his right throwing elbow.

But Pearce was back at Ed Smith Stadium greeting his former Orioles teammates Tuesday, and

wasn’t interested in talking about whether another reunion was discussed during free agency.

Instead, it was clear the two-year, $12 million deal he signed during the winter meetings with

the Toronto Blue Jays was the right deal for both club and player.

“They were hard and aggressive," Pearce said. "As a player, when you have somebody who

wants you that bad and they come after you, they don’t mess around, they’re not trying to low-

ball — as soon as we got to a number we got comfortable with and they got comfortable with, it

was an easy sign."

That Toronto, which lost slugger Edwin Encarnacion in free agency and was able to bring back

outfielder Jose Bautista on a cut-rate deal, wanted Pearce was enough. He’s set to be part of a

first base/designated rotation with Justin Smoak and Kendrys Morales.

His elbow is “getting better every day,” he said.

“Right now, I’m throwing at about 150 feet,” Pearce said. “I just played my first game at first

base the other day. I’m going to go between playing first base and DHing and then when my arm

gets good, maybe I’ll get in the outfield.”

Even if he left it to his agent to say whether the Orioles were even in touch, Pearce said he’s glad

the team was as understanding as it was about his injury. The team knew Pearce had a balky

elbow when they traded minor-league catcher Jonah Heim for him, and were ultimately

supportive of the surgery route despite how the team needed Pearce’s right-handed bat late last

year.

“I felt bad about it, but what can you do?” he said. “I got there, I was excited to get over there

but at the same time, I was hindered a little bit. I couldn’t do what I wanted to do. It’s

unfortunate. I felt bad about it. They tried to help, but we didn’t want to mess around with it.

"At the end of the day, they gave their input and said, ‘You need to go get that surgery done so

you can be 100 percent for next year,' as opposed to playing in the playoffs, playing hurt. It’s a

possibility of doing some real serious damage if I tried to play through it.”

Around the horn: TextEditor

Catchers Francisco Pena and Audry Perez were reassigned to minor league camp, trimming the

Orioles’ camp roster to 44 players. Showalter said more cuts would before Thursday’s day off.

… Closer Zach Britton said he struck out all three batters he faced in a 12-pitch inning against

the Tampa Bay Rays’ Triple-A team at Twin Lakes on Monday. Britton said he expects to have

four or five more outings before spring begins, including back-to-back days. … Second

baseman Jonathan Schoop, whose Netherlands team lost in the semifinal to Puerto Rico on

Monday, will join third baseman Manny Machado and catcher Welington Castillo in camp

Wednesday, though none will likely play until Friday at the earliest.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-seth-smith-confident-hamstring-

injury-won-t-require-season-opening-dl-stint-20170321-story.html

Orioles' Seth Smith confident hamstring injury won't

require season-opening DL stint

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

March 21. 2017

Orioles outfielder Seth Smith is nearing two full weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury

that has lingered longer than he or the team hoped, but said he’s confident he won’t need to start

the season on the disabled list.

“I don’t think so,” he said when asked about not breaking camp with the Orioles. “I think we’re

moving in the right direction, and I still think there’s days out there to get work in and get ready

for the season. Like I said before, it’s just about being 100 percent going into the season, and

hopefully that comes before the season, obviously, so you get plenty of at-bats. But as of right

now, it seems to be moving in that direction.”

Smith, acquired in a January trade with the Seattle Mariners for pitcher Yovani Gallardo, was

immediately slotted into the left-handed hitting side of an outfield platoon and hasn’t had a

chance to make much of an impression.

He has one Grapefruit League hit — a home run — in his most recent game, March 8. He also

doubled in an exhibition game against the Dominican Republic the day before, but most of his

spring action came early, before many veterans begin to ramp up for the regular season.

As the intensity climbed, the hamstring problem that bothered him last spring popped up.

“Just as we got more into spring and I got more intense with my work and specifically my swing,

that’s when some of the soreness set in,” Smith said. “I tried to work through it a little bit and we

decided to back off and let it die down and strengthen it some other ways.”

Manager Buck Showalter was also of the belief Tuesday that Smith would be ready for the

beginning of the season. Smith took batting practice on the field before the game with his

teammates.

"He’s close, but until he does a lot of baseball activities and then feels fine the next day, it’s just

another day when we’ll see how he feels," Showalter said. "We’ll talk about it at lunchtime

today. ... Especially with minor leagues opened up, we’ll get plenty of at-bats. He’s a veteran

guy, kind of knows the drill. He’s a little behind, that’s obvious, but we think he can catch up."

Part of the team’s caution was that Smith didn’t let it recover last spring with the Mariners and

ended up dealing with it into April.

“I just remember maybe for the first week or so of the season I was still treating it daily and

trying to work through it, still not up to full speed but it didn’t last too far into that first month,”

he said.

Around the horn: Closer Zach Britton said he struck out all three batters he faced in a 12-pitch

inning against the Tampa Bay Rays’ Triple-A team at Twin Lakes on Monday. Britton said he

expects to have four or five more outings before spring begins, including back-to-back days. …

After ceding right field so often to newcomers Trey Mancini and Pedro Alvarez, Mark Trumbo is

back in right field for Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-oliver-drake-s-rough-spring-creating-

roster-quandary-for-orioles-20170321-story.html

Oliver Drake's rough spring creating roster quandary for

Orioles

By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun

March 21, 2017

Orioles manager Buck Showalter often warns that September baseball and spring training are the

greatest deceivers when evaluating a player, and in reliever Oliver Drake, it’s hard to tell which

is true.

Drake had perhaps his best stretch as a major leaguer last September, posting a 1.59 ERA in nine

appearances with 14 strikeouts. But he is following it up with a spring during which he has

allowed 11 earned runs and 20 base runners in 9 1/3 innings over eight appearances. It all makes

for a difficult evaluation of the 30-year-old former Navy standout, the only player on the 40-man

roster who is on the 25-man roster bubble and out of minor league options.

“That’s tough,” Showalter said. “Come on in the meeting tomorrow and help us. That’s the

quandary, every year, especially when they’re out of options. Every year, you go, is this going to

play? … That’s a hard one. That’s really where you earn your keep, because it’s full of

September and March really good performances that doesn’t seem to show up [later]. You look

at the pitchers they’re facing, the hitters they’re facing, especially early in the spring. There’s a

process there. You have to remember there’s a process.”

That process has been a “real frustrating” one for Drake.

“You don’t want to come to the spring and put up the numbers I have,” Drake said. “You just

want to get better each time you’re out there and make sure when the season comes, you’re

ready. … It’s just the quality of the pitches. I’m putting balls in the strike zone, but over too

much of the plate. They’re up and they’re balls that guys can hit instead of making quality

strikes. That’s kind of the big separator with it.”

Drake was first added to the 40-man roster in 2011, but didn’t get any big league time

the following year and burned an option before he was outrighted to the minors at season’s end.

He re-signed on a major league deal after the 2014 season and has spent parts of the last two

years in the majors. He’s compiled a lifetime 3.28 ERA in the minors and 3.48 in the majors.

Still, scouts have seen the same Drake as they have for years this spring, and there's a chance the

team could get him through waivers.

“There’s not anybody that you’re going to see today that has a better track record in the minor

leagues than Oliver Drake, so we try to keep that in mind, and he’s showed us flashes of it in the

big leagues,” Showalter said. “I try to keep that in mind. The track record usually the problem

with it is it’s been a short sample in the big leagues. There’s a lot of guys in that boat, but he’s in

a different boat because of the options. It's designed to protect the player, where you can’t hoard

these guys like people used to do years ago. Oliver is going to pitch in the big leagues this year.”

Drake, for his part, says he has tried to keep the team’s looming roster decision on him out of his

head as he tries to prepare for the season.

“You try not to think about those things,” Drake said. “They’re kind of out of your hands. I just

want to make sure I’m ready whenever the season starts.”

Around the horn: Outfielder Chris Dickerson will be unavailable for a few days with shoulder

soreness that cropped up Monday on a throw, Showalter said. Dickerson has also missed time

after he fouled a ball off his foot and was hit by a pitch above the elbow. ... Third baseman

Manny Machado and catcher Welington Castillo arrived in Florida from the World Baseball

Classic late Monday night, Showalter said, and will return to camp Wednesday. Second baseman

Jonathan Schoop, whose Netherlands team lost in the semifinal to Puerto Rico Monday, will also

be back in camp Wednesday, though none will likely play until Friday at the earliest. ...

Infielder Ryan Flaherty (shoulder) is pain-free, Showalter said, but won't play until after

Thursday's day off to be sure.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/220330764/orioles-pipeline-spring-training-report/

Pipeline report: Prospects in Orioles' camp

By Jonathon Mayo / MLB.com

March 22, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. -- By most accounts, the Baltimore Orioles' farm system is not highly rated.

They have just one Top 100 prospect, catcher Chance Sisco, and their Top 30 list isn't as deep as

many other organizations.

Now, just because an organization doesn't have a ton of elite-level prospects, or isn't highly

ranked by outside observers, doesn't mean it can't produce big league talent. That's exactly the

philosophy those running the system have taken, even if they do pay a little attention to what

others are saying.

"You do because they can evaluate Draft picks and they can evaluate how many prospects they

think you have," Orioles farm director Brian Graham said. "At the end of the day, it's how many

players you put in the big leagues. And how many players get ranked in the Top 100 or in

different polls, that's where their grading system comes from, and we understand that.

"We know we absolutely have one of the top farm systems in all of baseball in terms of player

development. We have a great staff, great instructors and teachers. The system and process we

have in place is unbelievable, it's off the charts good."

There is some proof to that. From high Draft picks like Manny Machado and Kevin Gausman, to

third-rounder Zach Britton, international signee Jonathan Schoop, even a 27th-rounder

like Donnie Hart, all are homegrown players. Maybe the rankings aren't kind to the Orioles, but

what matters the most are wins and losses.

"In the eyes of some of the evaluators and some of the media outlets, that's what you find,"

Graham said. "But you look up and we have all these players who came through our system who

are helping us have the best record in the American League over the last five years, with five

playoff appearances. I think people lose sight of that. A lot of really good players come through

our farm system."

That's a message that filters down from the top level. The perfect example is Hart, who made his

big league debut in 2016, a Minor Leaguer who beat the odds. His success has certainly brought

a certain energy to camp this spring.

"When you see guys like him, who never went to big league camp and then after Minor League

camp, he pitches in the big leagues last year and does so well, it really gives all the players an

optimistic view of what the future is," Graham said. "They believe they have the chance to get to

the big leagues. They believe they have the chance to impact the Major League club. They

believe in the system we have. It's a really neat feeling and a lot of it stems from Buck Showalter

and the culture that's created up there. It flows downhill."

Harvey on road back

Over the last two seasons, Hunter Harvey has thrown a total of 12 2/3 innings. He missed all of

2015 trying to rest and rehab through an elbow injury. He made just five starts in 2016 before

needing Tommy John surgery. Once firmly ensconced in Top 100 lists everywhere, Harvey is

still No. 3 on the Orioles Top 30 list, but most are taking a wait-and-see approach on evaluating

what kind of prospect Harvey will be once healthy. It sounds like that process could start at some

point this summer.

"He is doing great," Graham said. "Knock on wood, he's had no setbacks. I anticipate he'll be in

games sometime in July. He has the chance to be really good and really special. I know he has

not pitched a lot of innings the last two years. He could be ready for the big leagues really

quickly. That's how good he is."

Fortunately for Harvey, the Orioles have some experience in dealing with a top prospect with

premium stuff who has to work his way back from TJ surgery. Dylan Bundy had the surgery in

2013, and while he was further delayed by shoulder trouble in 2015, he pitched very meaningful

innings in Baltimore last year. It's a model that certainly should guide both Harvey and the O's

staff. "It absolutely helps," Graham said.

"We have a medical coordinator here, Dave Walker. He handles all our rehabs. He's done a

tremendous job with a number of Tommy John surgeries over the years. I think Dylan Bundy is a

good benchmark for Hunter Harvey. I think Hunter sees where Dylan is now and where he was a

year and a half ago and realizes he can be there, too."

Camp standouts

There are some pitchers standing out so far in camp, moreso than the hitters. Graham is just fine

with that, for now.

"Our arms are probably a little ahead of our position players at this point," Graham said. "That

said, whatever your big league team needs, you're hoping you'll be able to supply."

It looks like bullpen help might be the easiest order to fill. Stefan Crichton is taking lessons

learned from his Arizona Fall League stint in 2016 into big league Grapefruit League games,

tossing four scoreless innings while walking none and striking out five. Lefty reliever Garrett

Cleavinger, now the system's No. 14 prospect, is building off of his first full season in 2016,

when he struck out 12 batters per nine innings across two levels of A ball. He's also gotten to

show what he can do in big league games, with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless ball over three outings.

"We've had a couple of guys like that who have stood out and they're saying, 'Hey, I might be

ready for the big leagues quicker than you think,'" Graham said.

Graham also has liked what he's seen from right-hander Matthias Dietz, the club's second-

rounder from the 2016 Draft and current No. 13 prospect. The Orioles knew the junior college

product had arm strength, but it's his feel for pitching that has opened some eyes in camp.

"He has really been impressive this spring, with his command, his control, his ability to throw his

breaking ball for strikes," Graham said. "And there's the plus velocity. He's been really good."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/220283678/qa-with-orioles-prospect-cody-sedlock/

Q&A with O's prospect Cody Sedlock

By Jonathon Mayo / MLB.com

March 22, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Cody Sedlock was the Orioles' first-round pick in the 2016 Draft, taken No.

26 overall. After two years working out of the bullpen, Sedlock moved into Illinois' rotation as a

junior and moved himself into first-round consideration. The right-hander had a solid pro debut

and is preparing for his first full season of pro ball.

MLBPipeline.com: What are the things you needed to work on during Spring Training to get

ready for your first full season?

Sedlock: The coaches right from the beginning told me there was no rush. I'm trying to get one

pitch at a time. As a starter, I have quite a bit of pitches. Also being a guy who throws a four-

seamer and a two-seamer, or a sinker, it's one of those things where I had to find that first, which

I did. That's what I worked on the first couple of weeks. It was frustrating not having all my

other pitches right away, but I just keep working on it, trying to get a feel for all of my pitches

and it's finally starting to come together.

It took a lot of getting used to. For me, with my competitive nature, I want to be at my best every

single time I step on the mound and have my full arsenal. I'm used to going out and throwing

seven-plus innings and 100-plus pitches every time out. Once I was told what I needed to work

on, I stayed within myself and realized that if things are going to go the right way this year, I'm

going to have to work on one thing at a time.

MLBPipeline.com: You mention the two-seamer. That's something you added more later. How

did that pitch evolve into being your best weapon?

Sedlock: I always threw a two-seamer and four-seamer, but when I was out of the bullpen, it was

mostly four-seamers. When I was in the Cape, one time I was throwing a bullpen and I was

throwing a two-seamer. I had a good feel for it and the catcher missed it; it went right under his

glove. I said, 'I'm going to try and do that again.' At first it was 20 percent of the time, then it

worked to where it is now. Last year, about halfway through the season I made the commitment

where I throw 90 percent two-seamers. I do throw the four-seamer once in a while still.

MLBPipeline.com: How much have you talked to Twins prospect Tyler Jay, your college

teammate, about what to expect from this first Spring Training and first full season? Is he a guy

you can use as a resource?

Sedlock: I talk to him all the time. He's one of my best friends. He told me even before Spring

Training started, don't go full force before you get there and right when you get there. You're

going to be throwing a lot because they're going to try and build your arm up. He really helped

me with the process and what Spring Training is all about. I'm the kind of guy, I want to go full

out right when I get here and he told me to take it easy. I talk to him every day about how his

Spring Training is going as well.

MLBPipeline.com: You pitched out of the bullpen your first two years out of Illinois. When you

moved to starting in your junior season, did you have to learn to pace yourself more?

Sedlock: I almost throw the same velocity starting as I did out of the bullpen, but starting it

comes in the fifth or sixth inning for me. It really wasn't that different. When I was in the

bullpen, I always knew, and my coaches always told me, that I'd be a starter in the future. I kept

working on all of my pitches even though I didn't get to use them in games. Once I began

starting, I'd use the first couple of innings to get a feel for my pitches, then I'd ride it out for as

long as I can.

MLBPipeline.com: Some of the reason you were in the bullpen was because of a lack of feel for

pitching and some command issues, right? Then you made some adjustments in the Cape the

summer before your junior year that helped things click?

Sedlock: When I was in the bullpen, I had spurts when my command was good, but it wasn't as

good as I knew it could be. In college, you play four games a week. When you come out of the

bullpen, you can't really mix in those side bullpens in between because you never know when

you're going to throw next. Once I was starting again and getting more reps, that's when in the

Cape, my command started to get better. I learned how much better it was to be able to throw

inside to hitters, and go in and out, up and down. Since then, the more reps I get, the better I feel.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/220225766/qa-dan-duquette-talks-orioles-direction/

Q&A: Duquette talks winning formula, hopes for O's

By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com

March 21, 2017

Dan Duquette built the foundation for a winning team in Montreal, then put together the core of

the Red Sox team that ended Boston's 86-year title drought in 2004.

A strike robbed Duquette of his chance to see what the 1994 Expos could accomplish. He was let

go by the Red Sox in 2002, watching from afar as much of his work paid off in Boston two years

later.

Having restored a winning tradition in Baltimore since taking over as the Orioles' executive VP

of baseball operations in late 2011 -- the O's are one of only two teams in the American League

not to have a losing season during the past five seasons -- Duquette is looking to help his team

take the next step in '17.

MLB.com recently sat down with Duquette in his office at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., to

discuss his place in the unique tree of general managers from Amherst College, what it was like

for a Massachusetts kid to become the general manager of the Red Sox, what he sees for this

year's Orioles and whether his Expos or Buck Showalter's Yankees would have won the 1994

World Series.

MLB.com: You, Neal Huntington and Ben Cherington all played for Bill Thurston at Amherst.

What are the odds that three Major League GMs would come from the same college program and

play for the same coach?

Duquette: Well, Bill Thurston was there for, what, 45 years? (laughs)

MLB.com: Well, you didn't play together, the three of you.

Duquette: He's a really conservative grader; he doesn't recommend anybody unless they're top-

shelf. ... When he called to recommend Neal Huntington to me when I was in Montreal, I knew

that he wasn't calling for nothing. He's only going to recommend a guy to you if he is really

passionate about baseball and he believes he's going to make a career out of it. Bill calls me up

and says, "Hey, Danny, the leading hitter on our team is this kid named Neal Huntington. Neal

Huntington is about a .400 lifetime hitter, but he's a first baseman and he's not very tall. I don't

think he's a pro prospect. His father is a farmer; he grew up on a farm. He's a very industrious kid

and he loves baseball. I'd recommend you give him a shot. I think he'll be a general manager."

MLB.com: Pretty good eye for talent there.

Duquette: I said, "Fair enough." I recommended him to the Expos, and Bill Stoneman brought

him on and he went to work for us. Fast-forward a couple years later, I went to Boston and he

calls me up again. "Dan, I got this kid, also from New Hampshire. He's a baseball rat, he's got

great instincts and he's about the best kid I've had. He probably has the best instincts and I think

he'll be the best executive that I've ever recommended." I said, "Who's that, Bill?" He said, "It's

Ben Cherington. He's a pitcher on the team. He hurt his shoulder, he has to rehab and he went

into coaching with us. He's very passionate about baseball. He knows a lot about baseball, he

knows pitching. You should give him a shot." I said, "OK, I'll hire him as an intern. He can come

to work." He came to work during the interim, and Ben goes on and wins the World Series for

the Red Sox. Pretty good recommendations, right?

MLB.com: The talent you drafted and acquired with Expos during your time as GM in the early

1990s reads like an All-Star team. Do you ever wonder what the 1994 Expos, which you had a

huge hand in building, could have accomplished if not for the strike?

Duquette: That was tough on the whole city. We had a terrific player development operation. I

think we had the best record in baseball that year, we had the most wins and we also had the

lowest payroll. We were at the low end of the payroll, but we were at the high end of the talent

scale. The only way you can do that, of course, is have a great player development operation, and

that's what the Expos had.

MLB.com: Do you think it might have changed the course of baseball in Montreal if that year

had played out?

Duquette: Well, that's possible. The club had to put a lot of those players on sale the next year

given the conditions of the strike in order to survive. It would have been interesting to see if the

club could have survived in Montreal with a World Series championship. I think the club was

74-40 at the time of the strike, on pace to win, like, 107 games. Buck was with the Yankees that

year, and Buck's Yankees were in first place. Of course, Buck thinks the Yankees would have

won the pennant and the World Series.

MLB.com: Not surprising.

Duquette: It doesn't matter. I have a ball at home -- a 1994 World Series ball. Of course, that's a

collector's item; there was no 1994 World Series. We can speculate and discuss it. I have seen

some computer profiles that have run the series Expos-Yankees, and the computers said that the

National League team prevailed that year, but it didn't happen.

MLB.com: As a guy that grew up in Massachusetts, what was it like to get the Red Sox's GM

job?

Duquette: If you grow up in Massachusetts or you grow up in New England, the Red Sox have

this certain stature. It's important to the people of New England. My uncle, Father Don Bosco,

who is a parish priest, said it's part of the geographical lore of New England that you follow the

Red Sox. He went so far as to say, "I think it's even in the mother's milk there." The affinity for

the Red Sox gets passed down from generation to generation. I always followed the Red Sox;

they were the team of choice of my grandfathers and grandmothers. We used to go down to my

grandmother's for root beer floats and she would be sitting there in front of the TV watching the

Red Sox. She'd come out and get us our root beer floats, then go right back in there to watch the

Red Sox, so we'd go watch the games with her religiously. That's the way it is in New England;

the people in New England follow the Red Sox and the people around the Red Sox. They know

what you had for breakfast, for crying out loud. They're so passionate about it. It's just a great

area if you want to be a baseball fan.

MLB.com: You stayed out of baseball for nine years before returning with the Orioles. Was

there a point during that time when you thought your career as a baseball executive was over for

good?

Duquette: No, I thought I would get another opportunity. I stayed active in youth baseball with

my sports academy; we had a summer college team in the NACBL and there were a lot of

players going from there into pro ball. Helping found the Israel Baseball League, I stayed active

in the international recruiting venue, so I thought I would get another opportunity. After my kids

got out of high school and went to college, that's when I started looking in earnest for another

serious opportunity in baseball. Fortunately, I got a shot with the Orioles; Mr. Angelos gave me

an opportunity to work with Buck, and I'm grateful for that.

MLB.com: Even though you left the Red Sox in 2002, you said it was fun to watch them win in

2004. Any mixed emotions as you were watching that, given that you were responsible for

bringing in so many players that ultimately helped them break that curse?

Duquette: It would have been nice to be with the team, but it didn't work out that way. I was glad

for the players that were the core players on that team, that they got an opportunity to be a part of

that group to win the World Series. Almost three-quarters of the contributions of that club came

from players that we signed, so the fans recognized that. It was a great thrill to see Pedro

[Martinez] and Derek Lowe pitch really good games to clinch the World Series in St. Louis.

MLB.com: After being hired by the Orioles in November 2011, you helped guide the team back

to the postseason for the first time since 1997. How satisfying was it to have such immediate

results?

Duquette: The Orioles are a great franchise. They had stumbled on some rough times, so I was

glad to help them get back into the playoffs. The fans just wanted some hope and we gave them

some hope. That was a fun year. We did all the statues for the living Hall of Famers; well, they

were all living then. The statues, then we turned the team around at the same time; it was kind of

a magical season for the Orioles. We've been able to get to the playoffs three times in the last

five years, so we've established a winning tradition with the club. Now we need to follow

through and give them a championship tradition.

MLB.com: You expressed no interest in Jose Bautista this offseason, saying, "Jose is a villain in

Baltimore and I'm not going to go tell our fans that we're courting Jose Bautista for the Orioles,

because they're not going to be happy." How often do you consider something like fan reaction

when considering potential acquisitions?

Duquette: (Laughs) Well that was an easy one; our fans just don't like Jose. We play those guys

25 times a year and he's the face of the Blue Jays. He's the villain in the play whenever we play

the Blue Jays. I like our guys. Our guys are good. [Mark] Trumbo is like a working-class-type

baseball player. If he was going to work every day on a construction site, you would understand

that he brings that kind of work ethic every day. That's the kind of player that our fans identify

with. We try to get gritty players that work hard every day and give their best effort every day.

Our fans seem to like that and respond to it.

MLB.com: Adam Jones has been the face of the Orioles for several years. How important is he

to the team both on and off the field?

Duquette: Adam has been great. He lives in the community, he's an excellent role model, he's

involved in the middle of our lineup, he's involved in the center of our defense and he's a central

man in our community. It's been fun working with Adam over the last couple of years. He

established a home there, he married a girl from Baltimore and he's had a really good run.

MLB.com: What's it like watching Manny Machado on a daily basis?

Duquette: That, to me, is a great thrill. I don't know that I could give him any higher praise than

Brooks Robinson gave him when he said, "I would pay money to see Manny Machado play." I

don't know what other compliment I could give Manny that would be higher than that.

MLB.com: Speaking of paying money and Manny, I asked [Nationals general manager] Mike

Rizzo this question with regard to Bryce Harper: Manny is going to be a free agent in two years.

Do you think about that a lot? So you think about this being a window? Do you think about

trying to extend him? When you have a player of that magnitude who is getting closer to free

agency, how much does that factor into your head when you're thinking about decisions with the

team?

Duquette: Well, Manny is a great player. He's a really gifted player. I enjoy watching him play

every day. These are some of the long-term decisions that the franchise has. The franchise will

have to contend with Manny's free agency, but I'm not sure we have to do it right now. We

certainly have to think about it.

MLB.com: What's your assessment of the state of the American League East?

Duquette: The American League East, that's a tough neighborhood. You've got to be ready to

play ball day in and day out in the American League East -- and you need to play a complete

game to win that day's game. These other clubs, they have a lot more resources than the Orioles

have, but fortunately we've been able to compete very effectively against them for the last five

years. We're going to do our best to do the same thing against this year.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/220250298/ubaldo-jimenez-faced-blue-jays-after-playoffs/

Rematch with Blue Jays not on Ubaldo's mind

By Rich Dubroff / MLB.com

March 21, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Nearly six months ago, the Orioles' 2016 season ended when Edwin

Encarnacion hit a decisive home run off Ubaldo Jimenez to give the Blue Jays the win in the

American League Wild Card Game.

After Jimenez allowed four runs over four innings to the Blue Jays in Tuesday's 5-2 loss at Ed

Smith Stadium, he said Toronto wasn't on his mind.

"No, no, I didn't even think about that," said Jimenez, who walked three and fanned five. "I just

wanted to go out there and get my pitch count up and throw all my pitches. I think that's what I

did today, especially after the first inning."

Encarnacion left the Blue Jays after the season to sign with the Indians, and Jose Bautista, fresh

off the World Baseball Classic, didn't play in the game, either. That made it easier for Jimenez to

concentrate on just getting ready for the season.

It didn't matter to Jimenez that he couldn't complete five innings. In his previous start against the

Pirates last Wednesday, he exited after 4 2/3 frames.

"No, what we worry about is the pitch count. I was able to throw 75 pitches," Jimenez said. "I

did that in my last game, too. I could have gone even more, but that's part of the game. I had to

throw a lot of pitches in that last inning because I had to get a couple extra outs. There's nothing

you can do about that. But I got to my pitch count."

Jimenez could have escaped without allowing a run, but catcher Caleb Joseph dropped a popup

near the mound hit by Jarrod Saltalamacchia to lead off the fourth, opening the door for a four-

run inning.

"He had a five-inning outing there in him," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "I'm happy

with where he is."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/220255650/orioles-mark-trumbo-is-having-a-quiet-spring/

Trumbo flying under the radar this spring

By Rich Dubroff / MLB.com

March 21, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. -- For Mark Trumbo, it has been a quiet spring both on and off the field. But

after leading the Majors in home runs (47) last season, and signing a three-year, $37.5 million

contract in January, Trumbo is happy that he has gone fairly unnoticed in the clubhouse this

spring.

"Kind of business as usual, kind of ramping up here," Trumbo said. "We'll probably mix in a few

more games as we get going here closer to the season opening up."

In Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Blue Jays at Ed Smith Stadium, Trumbo went 0-for-3, dropping his

average to .182 with three RBIs. He has yet to homer.

The spring itself has been a little different because several of the Orioles' big-name players have

been playing in the World Baseball Classic.

"I think that it seems a little bit off. That's not a putdown on anybody in here, obviously,"

Trumbo said. "The core group of guys, obviously in Spring Training especially, is when

everybody starts to find their continuity. With what's going on, it's just part of the deal. We'll be

fine. It's a little bit different than years that the WBC is not going on."

Trumbo doesn't seem fazed that most of the attention has been on others.

"I couldn't care less. I think it's great," Trumbo said. "There hasn't really been a whole lot of talk

about it. It's kind of how you want it. Spring Training is the time to kind of get things going.

People are always at various stages. I'm probably at the point of my career where it's more

important … we're not trying as hard to make a team. I think that's probably pretty much figured

out. Trying to be ready to go and kind of built to last I think for the whole season."

With nine days before the Orioles leave Florida, Trumbo is eager for the season to begin.

"You do get a feeling that things are getting towards that point," Trumbo said. "It's not anyone's

first … maybe a few guys. Most guys that have done this, you kind of know when it's time to

really kind of ramp it up. I think that we're getting close, but it doesn't do any good to put some

kind of extra pressure on yourself because it is. It's going to come when it comes. We'll be ready

to go."

With Trumbo and Pedro Alvarez back, the Orioles return their top six home run hitters from a

team that knocked a Major League-high 253 last season. Despite that, there has been little talk

about the power the Orioles have in 2017.

"For us, it's not that big a deal," Trumbo said. "We are a team built on power, and I'm sure it will

show up just like it did last year. It's one of our strengths."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/220248584/orioles-seth-smith-might-not-start-year-on-dl/

O's optimistic Smith won't start season on DL

By Rich Dubroff / MLB.com

March 21, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Outfielder Seth Smith and infielder Ryan Flaherty continue to be missing

from the Orioles' lineup.

Smith, who has a strained right hamstring, hasn't played since March 8, and Flaherty, who is out

with a sore right shoulder, last appeared on March 13.

Manager Buck Showalter said that Smith is participating in baseball activities and is close to

returning. Even though it will be at least two weeks between games for Smith, Showalter doesn't

think he's in danger of opening the season on the disabled list. Smith can always play in

additional Minor League games for extra at-bats.

"He's a veteran guy, kind of knows the drill," Showalter said. "He's a little behind, that's obvious.

We think he can catch up."

Flaherty has improved, Showalter said, and should play on Friday.

Other injury updates

• Outfielder Chris Dickerson will miss a few days with a sore left shoulder.

• Showalter reported that left-hander Wade Miley, who was scratched from Monday's game with

flu-like symptoms, is feeling better.

• Zach Britton struck out the side in a Minor League game on Monday, and the closer said that

he will pitch on Wednesday against Tampa Bay. Britton will then take a few days off before

pitching on consecutive days. He could appear on March 31 when the Orioles travel to Norfolk,

Va., to face their Triple-A team.

• Outfielder Michael Bourn, who has yet to play this spring because of a broken right ring finger,

will have it re-examined on Friday.

Roster moves

The Orioles reassigned catchers Francisco Pena and Audry Perez to Minor League camp

following Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Blue Jays at Ed Smith Stadium.

The two were reassigned because the Orioles expect Welington Castillo back from the World

Baseball Classic on Wednesday.

Pena went 1-for-12 (.083) with two RBIs, while Perez had gone 1-for-11 (.091).

The cuts leave 44 players in Major League camp, including 10 non-roster invitees.

Classic returns

• Castillo, Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop are expected back from the Classic on

Wednesday, but they aren't expected to play that day, Showalter said. Castillo and Machado

competed for the Dominican Republic, and Schoop for the Netherlands.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/03/wade-miley-says-hes-ready-for-next-

start.html

Wade Miley says he’s ready for next start

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

March 22, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. - Wade Miley isn’t certain about the date of his next start. He only knows that

he’s healthy enough to take the ball when it’s given to him.

Miley was scratched from Monday’s game against the Red Sox in Fort Myers because of flu-like

symptoms that he says have lingered for about a week.

Manager Buck Showalter noted that Miley also was under the weather on March 14 while

allowing three runs and seven hits in three innings against the Rays. Miley seemed fine on

Monday morning, but began to feel sick again and returned to Sarasota.

Vidal Nuño got the start in Miley’s place and allowed three runs and four hits in 1 2/3 innings in

a 7-4 loss.

“I feel great,” Miley said this afternoon. “I started to feel a lot better yesterday. I’ve got a little

cough going, but everything else, I feel back to kind of normal.”

Miley thought he could pitch through his illness on March 14, but didn’t get the desired results.

“That morning I didn’t feel the best,” he said. “It’s kind of up and down. It’s weird. I feel good

one day and then the next day I feel crappy and then it kind of set in. But I took a couple days

and relaxed, stayed in bed, and I feel a lot better.”

Asked what’s next for him, Miley said, “I guess normal. I don’t know.”

He’d gladly take normal after being sick and also having to leave a start against the Pirates in the

second inning after a line drive hit him in the forearm and ribcage area. In four starts this spring,

he’s allowed seven earned runs (eight total) and 16 hits in nine innings.

“I didn’t miss that much time,” he said. “I played catch a couple times in between. But I have no

idea. I didn’t talk to anybody.”

Third baseman Manny Machado and catcher Welington Castillo walked into

the Orioles clubhouse shortly before it opened to the media at noon. They’re back from the

World Baseball Classic, with second baseman Jonathan Schoop expected to join them. He’s

probably here and just hasn’t been spotted.

The players are putting on their annual talent show. Caleb Joseph’s impressions usually bring

down the house.

For the Rays

Corey Dickerson LF

Kevin Kiermaier CF

Evan Longoria 3B

Brad Miller 2B

Colby Rasmus DH

Logan Morrison 1B

Tim Beckham RF

Luke Maile C

Daniel Robertson SS

Chris Archer RHP

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/03/orioles-lineup-vs-rays-21.html

Orioles lineup vs. Rays

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

March 22, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. - Pedro Álvarez is serving as the designated hitter tonight for the Orioles on

MASN and Mark Trumbo is playing right field.

Caleb Joseph is catching left-hander Chris Lee. Rule 5 pick Aneury Tavárez is in center field.

Zach Britton, Brad Brach and Tyler Wilson are listed as the relievers.

For the Orioles

Aneury Tavárez CF

J.J. Hardy SS

Chris Davis 1B

Mark Trumbo RF

Pedro Álvarez DH

Chris Johnson 3B

Hyun Soo Kim LF

Caleb Joseph C

Robert Andino 2B

Chris Lee LHP

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/03/kirby-updates-alvarezs-transition-to-right-

field.html

Kirby updates Álvarez’s transition to right field

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

March 22, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. - Pedro Álvarez played right field Saturday and Monday and served as the

designated hitter yesterday. He’s being tossed into the deep end of the pool, but also thrown the

occasional life preserver.

Álvarez isn’t a Swimmies kind of guy. Trust me on this one.

The Orioles aren’t leaving him out to dry. Álvarez gets lots of reps on the back fields as he learns

a new position, alternating each day between first base coach Wayne Kirby and vice president of

baseball operations Brady Anderson.

Manager Buck Showalter first suggested it last September, and agent Scott Boras told reporters

at the Winter Meetings that Álvarez was attempting to make the switch. Or at least expand his

resume.

Álvarez signed a minor league deal with the Orioles earlier this month and they took over the

transformation.

“The process started with the footwork, early work the first couple days with the footwork,”

Kirby said. “And then the reps with the individual defense. And then, after BP, we go back out

there for another 15 minutes and work on more footwork - drop-step reads, first-step quickness.

“It’s just a continuation of it. Did the same thing with (Mark) Trumbo, did the same thing with

Trey (Mancini). I get them one day and Brady gets them one day, so that way they’re hearing

two different sides of how to play the outfield. Pretty much the same thing. Just planting the

seed.”

Álvarez played a single into a double Monday in Fort Myers, attempting a sliding catch on

Marco Hernandez’s liner. He dived for a ball hit into right-center field during a B game and

played it on one hop.

“Pedro’s doing good,” Kirby said. “He wants to rush the thing, but it takes time. You can’t rush

it. He’s trying to power shag every five balls. Play it live like a game. That’s how you power

shag and that will help him increase game awareness. And Trey’s doing the same thing.

“The only thing I fear is the third deck and we can’t experience that until the season starts. That’s

my only fear, because I watched (Hyun Soo) Kim go through it last year, I watched Joey go

through it last year. It’s a different animal, depth perception. You’ve got to be ready for that.”

Mancini got a head start on Álvarez with his own outfield experiment. He let one ball skip past

him in right this spring, but otherwise has avoided embarrassment:

“Again, it’s a process,” Kirby said. “Like (Monday), Pedro saw a topspin ball hit in the outfield.

You’ve got to be out there a lot to understand what that ball’s going to do. And the wind comes

into play. There are so many variables. Everybody thinks the outfield is easy. It’s not easy. You

get high skies and all that. But Trey’s adapting real well.

“The whole thing about playing the outfield is controlling your body. You have to read fast and,

‘Do I have a chance to get it or do I not have a chance to get it? Play it safe.’ Plan A, I can get it.

Plan B, keep it (in front), secure the ball. I think that’s the biggest thing.

“You don’t just dive after the ball because you want to dive after the ball. You dive for the ball

because you think you can catch it and it won’t get by you. They’ve got to get all that

functioning in their brain.”

The center fielder, and there have been a few of them, offers assistance to anyone in the corners -

and especially when it’s a newbie.

“And still they’re going to have to go out there and play with Adam (Jones) when he gets back,”

Kirby said.

Kirby is always on the stop step of the dugout to direct outfield traffic.

“It’s just getting them familiar with when to look in,” he said. “The other day I told Trey, ‘I want

you looking in every pitch,’ because our defense changes so much. (Craig) Gentry, the same

way. These guys who came through different systems where you stand here no matter what. We

play the game. We play the pitcher, we play 0-2 counts where people hit, 2-2 counts where

people hit, full counts, hitter’s counts, how we’ve got to stay pull. So there’s a lot of things that

go into the outfield positioning.”

It’s going to continue tonight no matter who’s in right field. Álvarez may get a chance to do it

under the lights.

Meanwhile, left-hander Chris Lee gets his second spring start tonight against the Rays at Ed

Smith Stadium. The game airs on MASN.

Lee was a bit nervous in his most recent outing against the Phillies, allowing two hits and

walking two batters in three scoreless innings. He’s surrendered only two runs in 11 innings this

spring, with three walks and nine strikeouts.

Asked yesterday what he wants to see from Lee tonight, manager Buck Showalter replied, “The

process.”

“Take what was thrown at him in the last start,” Showalter added. “He’ll have some lights and

fans and a good lineup and it’ll be another part in his process. Hopefully, he takes another step.”

Someone has to step up as the fifth starter and Lee is under consideration.

“He’s one of the four or five guys we’re looking (at),” Showalter said, “so he could make a case

for himself (tonight).”

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/03/pena-and-perez-reassigned-wrapping-up-a-

5-2-loss.html

Peña and Perez reassigned, wrapping up a 5-2 loss

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

March 21, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles reassigned catchers Francisco Peña and Audry Perez following

today’s 5-2 loss to the Blue Jays. The camp roster stands at 44, including 10 non-roster players.

Peña was 1-for-12 and Perez went 1-for-11.

Welington Castillo, Caleb Joseph and top prospect Chance Sisco are the only remaining catchers

in camp. Castillo returns on Wednesday from the World Baseball Classic.

More cuts are coming on Wednesday.

Manager Buck Showalter indicated that Rule 5 picks Aneury Tavárez and Anthony

Santander will come down to the wire. Santander hasn’t been available since undergoing an MRI

arthrogram on his right elbow.

“Trying to see if we can get Santander back on the field, see if we can get a look at him,”

Showalter said. “He’s a good-looking young hitter. We want to see if he’s a good-looking young

outfielder. If he’s unable to make it physically, then we’ll probably put him on the disabled list.

“Tavárez has done some good things, too. They’re two good picks. See how it shakes out.”

Ubaldo Jiménez allowed four runs in the fourth inning today, all of them scoring with two outs

after Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s popup fell near the mound. Joseph tried to make the catch, but it

shouldn’t have been his ball.

“First baseman’s ball,” Showalter said. “We will cover that again.”

Jiménez walked three batters, but plate umpire Clint Fagan didn’t do him any favors.

“I thought he got squeezed somewhat,” Showalter said. “I thought he was around the zone the

whole day, made some quality pitches that weren’t called that will normally get called. He had a

five-inning outing there in him. I’m happy with where he is.”

Logan Verrett allowed two hits and struck out three batters in two scoreless innings to lower his

ERA to 4.66.

“Better,” Showalter said. “He stepped up. It’s that time of the year. He was 90-94 mph today. It’s

that time of the year. They’re releasing the hounds. He was better today.

Command still has been a little off, but he’s kind of had a track record of that, something he’s

got to get better at that if he’s going to play a role for us.”

Chris Davis, starting at first base today, hit his first home run after the Orioles fell behind 4-0.

He’s 6-for-26 this spring.

“I thought he had some of his better at-bats today, stayed on the ball good,” Showalter said.

“Couple nice defensive plays. Good to see Chris having multiple good at-bats.”

Davis’ home run traveled to left-center field, which usually is an indication that he’s feeling

good physically and emerging from a slump.

“That’s a good sign, but see if he can do it again tomorrow and the next day,” Showalter said.

“It’s something that he and Scott (Coolbaugh) really have stressed and really worked at. We

know he’s got pull power. He really doesn’t have to pull the ball to hit home runs. Looking at a

lot of his successful periods, that’s what he’s been able to do.”

Mark Trumbo went 0-for-3, striking out to end the third after Aaron Sanchez walked the bases

loaded, and is 6-for-33 with no home runs.

“If you know Mark, he’s not one of those guys who says, ‘Oh, my numbers will be there when

the bell rings.’ He wants to hit a ball hard every time up, so he’s a little frustrated with it, but

he’s working on it,” Showalter said. “It’ll fall into place.”

Outfielder Seth Smith won’t play before Friday while making slow progress from a sore right

hamstring. He’s not considered available on Wednesday and the Orioles are off the following

day.

“They’re really wanting to get this all the way out,” Showalter said.

Showalter said he’s looking forward to seeing Castillo, third baseman Manny Machado and

second baseman Jonathan Schoop on Wednesday.

“It’s been a long time,” Showalter said. “Missed them.”

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/03/showalter-on-drake-alvarez-britton-and-

joseph.html

Showalter on Drake, Álvarez, Britton and Joseph (updated)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

March 21, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter always warns against falling in love with

September and spring training statistics. They can be the great foolers.

Where does this leave reliever Oliver Drake, who isn’t fooling many hitters in the Grapefruit

League?

Drake was fantastic over the final month of the 2016 season, posting a 1.59 ERA in 11 1/3

innings and holding opponents to a .146 average. He’s gone in the other direction since reporting

to camp, allowing 11 runs and 18 hits over 9 1/3 innings for a 10.61 ERA. Opponents are batting

.409.

Which one is the fooler?

“That’s tough,” said manager Buck Showalter. “Come on in the meeting tomorrow and help us.”

Drake can’t be sent down without clearing waivers and another team may lean more toward the

September stats and the minor league track record.

“That’s the quandary every year, especially when they’re out of options,” Showalter said. “Every

year you go, ‘OK, is this going to play?’ It’s like trying to read (Joey) Rickard. He couldn’t have

had a better spring than he had last year. Is it going to carry over to this spring and April, May

and June? It’s hard.

“That’s really where you earn your keep, because it’s full of September and March really good

performances that don’t seem to show up. And you look at the pitchers they’re facing, the hitters

they’re facing, especially early in the spring. There’s a process there and you’ve got to remember

where you are in the process. Early in the spring, don’t get fooled. That last week, you really get

a feel when guys are starting to lock in their stuff.”

Drake surrendered three runs and five hits yesterday over 1 1/3 innings against the Red Sox in

Fort Myers. He’s allowed three runs in three of his eight outings, also doing it in back-to-back

appearances against the Yankees on Feb. 27 and March 2.

“We’re going to take the best 25 and Oliver’s got a chance to be one of those,” Showalter said.

“There’s not anybody that you’re going to see today that has a better track record in the minor

leagues than Oliver Drake, so we try to keep that in mind, and he’s showed us flashes of it in the

big leagues. I try to keep that in mind.

“The track record, usually the problem with it is it’s been a short sample in the big leagues, but

there’s a lot of guys in that boat. But he’s in a different boat because of the options. It’s designed

to protect the player, where you can’t hoard these guys like people used to do years ago.

“Oliver is going to pitch in the big leagues this year.”

It just may not be with the Orioles.

Pedro Álvarez is the designated hitter today after starting in right field yesterday and hitting his

second Grapefruit League home run. He also homered in a B game against the Pirates.

Asked whether Álvarez understands that he might have to begin the season at Triple-A Norfolk

while learning to play right, Showalter replied, “Everything’s been addressed.”

“He’s showing us that spring training doesn’t mean a whole lot, does it?” Showalter said. “He

had other options. He liked being here and the way he was treated. I’m sure there are going to be

some people during the course of the next week or so go, ‘Wow, forgot about him.’ “

As I wrote earlier, Zach Britton struck out the side yesterday while pitching in a minor league

game at Twin Lakes Park. He threw 12 pitches.

“Some guys are not good at it,” Showalter said. “He’s real good at simulating the aggressiveness

and the tenacity you need in those games even though it’s down there. He’s good at simulating

what he needs to simulate and it usually shows up, so you feel comfortable sending him down

there.”

Britton appreciated how Caleb Joseph drove over to Twin Lakes to catch his one inning.

“I would say it was about 60 percent Caleb, 40 percent us, but that’s Caleb,” Showalter said

when asked where the idea came from. “That’s another one of those things you can’t quantify in

a stat. I don’t think that shows up anywhere in analytics, does it?”

Update: Ubaldo Jiménez allowed four runs and five hits in four innings, with three walks, five

strikeouts and a wild pitch. All four runs scored with two outs in the fourth.

Chris Davis hit his first spring home run in the bottom of the fourth and a passed ball later in the

inning scored Hyun Soo Kim to reduce the Blue Jays’ lead to 4-2.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/03/dickerson-day-to-day-with-sore-shoulder-

plus-other-notes.html

Dickerson day-to-day with sore shoulder (plus other notes)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

March 21, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles outfielder Chris Dickerson is day-to-day with a sore left shoulder,

the latest setback in his attempt to break camp with the team.

“Hopefully, it’s only a day or two. He kind of tweaked it on a throw yesterday,” said manager

Buck Showalter.

It’s been a difficult spring health-wise for Dickerson, 34, who also missed time after fouling a

ball off his right shin - the swelling moving down to his foot - and after being hit by a pitch on

his right elbow.

Dickerson is 8-for-32 with a double and two home runs in 17 games. The Orioles re-signed him

to a minor league deal over the winter.

Showalter said outfielder Seth Smith also remains day-to-day with a sore right hamstring.

“He’s doing some baseball activities,” Showalter said. “He’s close, but until does a lot of

baseball activities and then feels fine the next day ... Just another day we’re going to see how he

feels. We’ll talk about it at lunchtime today.

Smith hasn’t played since hitting a home run, his only spring hit, on March 8. But Showalter said

the club isn’t in the danger zone regarding Smith’s availability on opening day.

“Not yet, especially with minor leagues opened up,” Showalter said. “We can get plenty of at-

bats. He’s a veteran guy. He knows the drill. He’s a little behind, that’s obvious, but we think we

can catch up.”

Infielder Ryan Flaherty’s return keeps getting pushed back. He’s now expected to wait until

Friday to play again after recovering from a sore right shoulder.

“He doesn’t feel any pain or any discomfort, but we’re going to make sure,” Showalter said.

Third baseman Manny Machado, catcher Welington Castillo and second baseman Jonathan

Schoop are expected to be in camp on Wednesday to watch the annual spring talent show.

Showalter doesn’t know when they’ll get back in the lineup. The team is off Thursday.

“I’m going to talk to them first,” Showalter said. “I know Welington caught a lot of baseball

games. An 11-inning game in March is not something he normally does.”

Left-hander Wade Miley told a reporter this morning that he’s feeling much better after being

scratched from yesterday’s start with the flu.

The Orioles are expected to make five or six cuts over the next two days.

The Orioles summoned pitchers Richard Rodriguez, Jed Bradley, Jimmy Yacabonis and Luis

Gonzalez, infielders Alex Castellanos and Jeff Kemp and outfielders Cedric Mullins and Michael

Choice from minor league camp.

Former Orioles infielder/outfielder Steve Pearce made the trip today with the Jays and is serving

as the designated hitter:

For the Blue Jays

Kevin Pillar CF

Ryan Goins 2B

Steve Pearce DH

Jarrod Saltalamacchia C

Justin Smoak 1B

Darrell Ceciliani RF

Gregorio Petit SS

J.B. Woodman LF

Jon Berti 3B

Aaron Sanchez RHP

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/03/mark-trumbo-on-spring-struggles-and-

getting-wbc-players-back.html

Mark Trumbo on spring struggles and getting WBC players

back

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

March 22, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. - If you are a veteran player and your spot in the lineup is secured, you are

probably not too worried about having poor stats in spring training.

That pretty much describes Orioles outfielder Mark Trumbo. A year after batting .256/.316/.533

and career highs with 47 homers (which led the majors) and 108 RBIs, he has struggled during

spring training.

Trumbo described his hitting today this spring as “very mediocre.” He is 6-for-33 and batting

.182/.250/.212. He hasn’t homered yet, is 1-for-12 in his last four games and doesn’t have an

extra-base hit since he got his only one - a double against the Phillies - seven games ago.

“So far the results haven’t been very good, but it’s nothing new,” Trumbo said in the Orioles

clubhouse. “I’ve had good springs, I’ve had lousy springs. I’ve always, more or less, figured it

out when the season comes around and been able to produce. It is just part of the process.

“There are different points in your career. If you’re a young player trying to make the team, it is

important. You always want to produce and provide offense for your team. But at this point

where I am at, it is not quite as crucial as when I was 23 or 24 and trying to make a team.”

Trumbo did have a strong spring last year in Florida in his first season as an Oriole, batting

.290/.313/.548 with five homers and 17 RBIs. That preceded a season where he made the All-

Star team and won a Silver Slugger Award. That preceded a winter where he was a free agent,

stayed on the market longer than expected and then re-signed with the Orioles in January. He got

a three-year deal worth $37.5 million.

Trumbo said his poor spring is not because he is working on certain aspects of his swing or his

game. He just has not gotten a lot of hits under the Florida sun.

“Once you are up there, you are competing (not working on something specific). There is

nowhere near enough time to try and do anything but put an at-bat together. Maybe there have

been times when I was a little more selective than I would normally be or a little more

aggressive, depending on how I am doing.

“You do try to work on some things, but at the end of the day, these pitchers are getting after it.

They are not doing you any favors. You are just trying to get your timing down, lock in more of

a feeling than the results. But it is nice to get hits at the same time.”

Meanwhile, the Orioles are getting some of their key players back today from the World

Baseball Classic. Third baseman Manny Machado and catcher Welington Castillo have been

seen by reporters already and second baseman Jonathan Schoop is expected today as well.

Trumbo said the team overall took pride is seeing those players, along with center fielder Adam

Jones, do well on the WBC stage.

“Yeah, of course. Those are our teammates and it is natural to support guys that support you,”

Trumbo said. “Very impressed with what I’ve seen of everyone of those guys. They look very

ready for the regular season. Everyone is in great shape and healthy. All the things that you’d

like to see is all there.

“Anybody that follows the Orioles is pretty aware of what these guys do. Maybe they have

opened the eyes of some that haven’t seen them as much. But they are doing things that we are

more than used to. All of them provide similar-ish. Excellent defense. Good hitters in general

and they also have power. All the things they are doing to help their WBC teams, we have seen

here with us.”

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/03/if-you-think-dylan-bundy-has-dealt-with-

injuries-check-out-his-brothers-story.html

Dylan Bundy has dealt with injuries, but Bobby Bundy has

been through more

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

March 22, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. - If you think pitcher Dylan Bundy has been through a lot with elbow and

shoulder issues over the years, his older brother, Orioles minor league pitcher Bobby Bundy, has

been through more.

Bobby Bundy has had not one, but two major right knee ACL surgeries. He had bone spurs

removed from his right elbow twice and, like Dylan, he also had Tommy John surgery.

Bobby Bundy had right knee ACL surgery in December 2007. Despite that, the Orioles selected

him in round eight of the 2008 draft and signed him for $600,000. His career was going well and

he went 11-5 with a 2.75 ERA at Single-A Frederick in 2011, showing a fastball touching 93 and

94 mph. Three times, he was ranked by Baseball America among the Orioles’ top 20 prospects,

most recently at No. 17 following that 2011 season.

But in recent seasons, another injury always seemed to be right around the corner. From 2013-

2015, Bundy pitched just 22 2/3 innings. It looked like he would be healthy for the 2015 season,

but he blew out his right knee again while fielding a ball May 5 for Double-A Bowie. Then, 13

days later, another major surgery. If he didn’t have bad luck - no, make that absolutely terrible

luck - he had none at all.

Finally, there was last season. He was fully healthy and back to pitching at times like his old self.

In the Bowie bullpen, he went 3-1 with a 3.49 ERA. Using a fastball mostly in the low 90s but

sometimes touching more, along with a curve, cutter and changeup, Bundy pitched 49 innings

and allowed 46 hits with 19 walks and 46 strikeouts.

Despite everything he has been through, and that lengthy list of injuries, Bundy just kept

working to get back and he kept playing.

“Just with all the things I’ve been through, just trying to stay head strong and believing in what I

had done,” he said Tuesday at Twin Lakes Park. “All the things I have worked on and tried to

accomplish, just tried to stay with it. I knew if I could stay healthy, I could pitch well. Always

just tried to stay positive and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

“Going through basically about three and a half years of issues - maybe four, I can’t even keep

track - I knew some day there would be a light at the end of the tunnel.”

At one point, the Bundy brothers were both rehabbing from Tommy John surgery around the

same time.

“We had Tommy John surgery 12 weeks apart,” Bobby Bundy said. “Not that that is or was

better for either one of us to have it at the same time necessarily. But we did have someone to

say, ‘Hey are you feeling this? What is my next step? What do I have to look forward to?’ “

Dylan Bundy had the Tommy John procedure on June 27, 2013 and Bobby Bundy had his on

Sept. 23, 2013.

You have to wonder if there was ever a time when Bobby Bundy had to think that he might just

be snakebit and that this baseball thing was just not going to work out for him.

“That thought creeps into your mind from time to time when you’ve gone through all I had,” he

said. “You wonder, ‘Will I really ever get healthy?’ At the same time, I always just tried to stay

positive. But last year I was healthy for a full season for the first time in four or five years.”

May we all now knock on wood for this young man.

For the last two winters, Bundy has been a minor league free agent. Each time he re-signed with

the only organization he has ever known.

“I had a few teams that wanted to negotiate with me but it all came down to what the Orioles

have done for me and the opportunities they have given me,” he said.

“Throughout my surgeries and time on the DL, I felt like I have a home here and people that

understand me. I really wanted to come back.”

Dylan and Bobby Bundy have pitched in the same game as professional pitchers three times:

once in spring training of 2015 and twice later that year with Bowie. (Read about the first such

instance here).

Will both Bundys someday pitch in the same game for the Orioles at the major league level?

Wouldn’t that be a nice happy ending?

“I think it is impossible not to think about that,” Bobby said. “The Orioles are kind of historical

for having brothers in their organization. Dylan and I have talked about it. It is impossible not to

dream about it and hope that goal is a reality one day.”

United States wins: Team USA beat two-time champion Japan 2-1 last night in the World

Baseball Classic semifinals. Now, for the first time, the Americans play for the championship

tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern time against Puerto Rico. Right-hander Marcus Stroman of the Toronto

Blue Jays gets the start against right-hander Seth Lugo.

The Orioles’ Adam Jones was once again involved in a key Team USA rally. His fielder’s choice

grounder in the eighth inning broke a 1-1 tie. Brandon Crawford and Ian Kinsler singled with

one out to put runners on first and third for Jones, who got the go-ahead run in for the lead. In the

WBC, Jones is batting .226 (7-for-31) with two doubles, two homers and five RBIs.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/03/minor-league-notes-on-branden-kline-

mike-yastrzemski-and-more.html

Minor league notes on Branden Kline, Mike Yastrzemski

and more

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

March 21, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have dealt with a series of injuries this year at major league

camp. And, over at Twin Lakes Park, the O’s minor league staff is dealing with a few as well.

Right-handed pitcher Branden Kline, who had Tommy John surgery on Oct. 8, 2015, needed a

follow-up arthroscopic procedure last week. The Orioles’ second-round pick in 2012 out of the

University of Virginia, Kline has not pitched since going 3-3 with a 3.66 ERA in eight starts

early in the 2015 season for Double-A Bowie.

His Tommy John rehab and comeback was going very well, but then he felt some discomfort just

prior to reporting to spring training during his throwing program at his home. He had soft tissue

cleaned out of his right elbow. He could resume a throwing program in three to four weeks.

Orioles doctors saw Kline at spring training and sent him back to see Dr. James Andrews, who

performed his elbow ligament reconstruction in 2015, and it led to this follow-up procedure.

“He is obviously going to be behind (the rest of the pitchers),” Orioles director of player

development Brian Graham said this afternoon at Twin Lakes Park. “He is three to four weeks

away from a throwing program. Then you go from that program to bullpens and live BPs. It’s a

progression. But there is no structural damage, it was cleanup they needed to do. There is no

timetable yet for when he gets in a game.”

Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski is not going to be ready for opening day and will begin the season

in Florida at extended spring training. He had some pretty extensive core and hip labrum surgery

repairs over the winter. The Orioles are being conservative with him right now and an extended

spring will basically serve as his spring training. No date has been established for Yastrzemski to

play in the regular season.

Last year between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk, Yastrzemski hit .234/.325/.391 with

13 homers and 59 RBIs in 127 games.

“That surgery was more extensive that we knew going in,” Graham said. “But his rehab is going

very well. He took live BP today and is doing his workouts with the strength and conditioning

coaches.”

In yet another injury, fortunately a minor one, O’s left-handed pitching prospect Brian

Gonzalez was scratched from a scheduled start today due to cut finger. The cut did not require

stitches and Gonzalez should be back in a few days.

Gonzalez, who went 10-8 with a 2.50 ERA last season for Single-A Delmarva, had been

scheduled to throw three to four innings today against Boston minor leaguers.

The Orioles’ Dariel Álvarez, who recently resumed pitching, is progressing well on the mound at

minor league camp. Álvarez, who pitched briefly in Cuba before the Orioles signed him as an

outfielder in July 2013, threw off a half-mound two days ago. He will have his first bullpen

session off a full mound tomorrow.

The Orioles are bringing Álvarez along slowly and he will likely follow a similar path

that Mychal Givens used when he converted from shortstop to pitcher in 2013. Álvarez may

pitch in at least one minor league spring training or simulated game before opening day, but the

organization is targeting April 10 as the likely date of his first mound appearance in a regular

season minor league game once the season starts. To be determined is with which affiliate he

will pitch.

“He’s doing great. He feels good and looks good on the mound. He’ll probably get between 40

and 50 innings this year. So far, so good. He looks great,” Graham said.

Graham declined to provide any radar gun readings yet for Álvarez, but when he did showcases

as a pitcher before signing with Baltimore, he was throwing 93 to 95 mph according to scouts.

Álvarez will continue to swing a bat as a desginated hitter most days when he is not pitching in a

game. For instance, if the Orioles plan for him one week to pitch in games on Monday and

Thursday, he would DH on Tuesday and Wednesday.

It presents some interesting roster possibilities should Álvarez do well as a pitcher and, like

Givens, reach the major leagues as a hurler.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/03/notes-on-ryan-mountcastle-david-hess-

and-more-from-minor-league-camp.html

Notes on Ryan Mountcastle, David Hess and more from

minor league camp

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

March 21, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. - A few notes from the Buck O’Neil Baseball Complex at Twin Lakes Park.

This is the home of the Orioles’ minor league camp, where today at 1 p.m. teams representing

Single-A Frederick and Single-A Delmarva will play the Boston Red Sox.

At the same, teams representing Triple-A Norfolk and Double-A Bowie are on the road playing

Boston in Fort Myers. O’s minor league games continue through March 30.

The opening day rosters are not set yet for the four full-season affiliates and more will change as

players are cut from the Orioles and sent to minor league camp. You can’t put too much stock

yet into the minor league rosters and lineups.

* A bigger and stronger Ryan Mountcastle is beginning his third season in the organization. He

put on 15 pounds during the winter after a strong 2016 season at Delmarva.

He hit .281/.319/.426 with 28 doubles, four triples, 10 homers and 51 RBIs for the Shorebirds.

Drafted 36th overall in 2015, he is the organization’s No. 3 prospect per Baseball America.

Mountcastle is expected to move up to Frederick this year where, at 20, he will get a real

challenge in the Carolina League.

“Definitely the pitching will be better,” Mountcastle said. “The game gets faster when you move

up. But just excited to get the season going and see where it takes me.”

As with most young players, the Orioles feel Mountcastle could grow into more power as he gets

older. It has happened for others, including Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop.

“Yeah, I feel like I’ve gotten a little more power during the offseason, just lifting and getter

bigger. It will come. Pretty excited to see what the future holds,” he said.

* At the end of the 2015 season, right-hander David Hess, the club’s fifth-round draft pick in

2014, looked like he might be on a fast-track to the majors. He went 10-5 with a 3.64 ERA

between Frederick and Bowie. He ended the season pitching great, including in the playoffs as

Bowie won the Eastern League title.

But last season with the Baysox, the 23-year-old Hess went 5-13 with a 5.37 ERA. Hess said

spotty fastball command was an issue for him and some mechanics tweaks hopefully will get that

locked in better this year.

“A lot rides on fastball command,” he said. “We changed up a couple of small mechanical

things. Nothing too major. Also really just worked on a lot the mental aspect of things. Coach

(Alan) Mills helped me worked through that and how the mentality can affect the physical

aspects, as well.

“The (lack of) fastball command was such a big thing. The year before, when I was having

success, I really did well at keeping the ball down. I was working in and out and up and down.

Keeping hitters off-balance with my off-speed pitches. Last year, I just wasn’t doing that as well.

I had some flashes of it, but it was not there consistently.”

* The Orioles have re-signed infielder Jason Heinrich, their fifth-round draft selection in 2015.

He was released by Arizona on Wednesday. Heinrich was traded to Arizona on Aug. 31, 2016

for outfielder Michael Bourn. Now he’s an Oriole again.

* Rafael Palmeiro’s son, Preston Palmeiro, drafted in round seven as a first baseman by the

Orioles last June, is now also playing second base. He’ll be at that position here today at Twin

Lakes Park.

Today’s minor league lineups:

NORFOLK

2B Sean Coyle

CF Logan Schafer

DH Aderlin Rodriguez

1B Juan Francisco

SS Garabez Rosa

RF David Washington

LF Michael Choice

C Austin Wynns

3B Derek Peterson

BOWIE

2B Steve Wilkerson

3B Cameron Kneeland

DH Ryan Mountcastle

DH Austin Hays

LF DJ Stewart

RF Conor Bierfeldt

1B Alex Murphy

SS Erick Salcedo

C Stuart Levy

CF Ryan McKenna

FREDERICK

SS Ricardo Andujar

2B Drew Turbin

3B Jomar Reyes

RF Tristan Graham

DH Austin Anderson

1B Steve Laurino

C Jerry McClanahan

DH Garrett Copeland

CF Markel Jones

LF Austin Leyritz

DELMARVA

CF Cole Billingsley

3B Frank Crinella

2B Preston Palmeiro

C Christopher Shaw

1B Seamus Curran

RF Gerrion Grim

LF Jaylen Ferguson

DH Jason Heinrich

SS Alexis Torres

http://www.masnsports.com/orioles-buzz/2017/03/machado-and-schoop-bromance-to-be-

featured-in-baltimore-magazine.html

Machado and Schoop “bromance” to be featured in

Baltimore Magazine

By Bobby Blanco / MASNsports.com

March 22, 2017

They’re the two best friends that baseball could have. Their relationship on and off the diamond

defines friendship goals. And we get to see them in action every night.

The connection between Orioles third baseman Manny Machado and second baseman Jonathan

Schoop has been documented since their days coming up through the minor leagues. And as we

near the start of the 2017 season, Baltimore Magazine is giving fans the latest behind-the-scenes

scoop behind the most popular bromance in all of baseball.

The upcoming April edition of Baltimore Magazine will feature “True Bromance,” detailing the

simpatico relationship between Machado and Schoop. Reporter Mike Unger sat down with both

players to give readers an inside look at how their unlikely friendship grew over time from way

back when the two met in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League seven years ago.

“We talk about how close we are as a team and how good of a group of guys we have, but those

two are peas in a pod, that’s for sure,” said Orioles first baseman Chris Davis in the feature.

Be sure to check out “True Bromance” in the newest edition of Baltimore Magazine when it hits

newsstands next Friday, March 31.

http://www.masnsports.com/orioles-buzz/2017/03/introducing-masnsportscoms-2017-guest-

bloggers.html

Introducing MASNsports.com’s 2017 guest bloggers

By Peter Kerzel / MASNsports.com

March 20, 2017

There’s no doubt that you get some of the best baseball writing around at MASNsports.com,

with the unparalleled daily coverage of veteran Orioles writers Roch Kubatko and Steve

Melewski, plus a talented supporting staff. But we’re also proud to give a platform to some other

baseball opionions, creative and thought-provoking bloggers who fill cyberspace with their

opinions.

Since its introduction in 2011, MASNsports.com has welcomed guest bloggers to our site, and

2017 will be no different. This season, we’ll use a three-man rotation, offering a trio of

experienced bloggers for your reading pleasure each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We’ll

begin on opening day, of couse, which I think we can all agree is one of the best days of each

season.

Andrew Stetka of Eutaw Street Report will lead off each Monday, while Dillon Atkinson

of Orioles Uncensored will handle Wednesday duties. On Fridays, you can read the ruminations

of Zach Wilt from Baltimore Sports Report.

Each of our guest bloggers has a distinct voice and viewpoint, and we’re happy to give them an

opportunity to reach a larger audience. We hope you’ll read their posts, comment on them and

check out their sites.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/baltimore-orioles/adam-jones-making-orioles-fans-proud-play-

after-amazing-play-world-baseball

ADAM JONES IS MAKING ORIOLES FANS PROUD

WITH PLAY AFTER AMAZING PLAY AT WORLD

BASEBALL CLASSIC

By Lisa Redmond / CSN Mid-Atlantic

March 22, 2017

Team USA is headed to the World Baseball Classic for the first time ever (!).

After a 2-1 victory over two-time WBC winner Japan, Team USA will play Puerto Rico

Wednesday night for the title. Marcus Stroman is set to start for Team USA and Seth Lugo will

do the same for Puerto Rico.

The standout playmaker for the Americans has been Orioles pie-thrower Adam Jones. Jones, a

five-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove award winner, has dropped some jaws with huge

plays that helped push Team USA to the finals.

Against Colombia in the first round, Jones hit a walk-off single that allowed Christian Yelich to

score from third and lifted Team USA to a 3-2 victory in the tenth inning. His walk-off during

Friday night's game in Miami is only the third in WBC history for Team USA. The other

two came from David Wright and Alex Rodriguez.

Moving onto Saturday night's contest against the Dominican Republic, Jones made the highlight

play of the 2017 WBC. In his hometown of San Diego, Jones robbed fellow Oriole Manny

Machado of a monstrous home run. Nearly leaping into the stands, Jones somehow snagged the

should-have-been-gone ball.

After the catch, Team USA pitcher Tyler Clippard could be seen on video mouthing “Oh my

God,” while Machado couldn’t help but tip his hat to Jones as he ran back to the dugout. Team

USA would go on to beat the Dominican Republic 6-3 and advance to the semi-finals.

The Orioles star told MLB.com that even he was stunned when he caught the ball.

I'm still in kind of shock that I even got to that ball ... I mean, off the bat I'm just like this ball's

hit really far, so just keep going, keep going. You know this California air's going to slow it

down, and just never quit. That's just the style I play with. I don't mind running into a wall or

two.

The stats on that catch are pretty shocking, too. According to Statcast, Jones plays as shallow as

any outfielder does, usually at 307 feet from the plate. However, on this play he was 321 feet out,

helping him run down the ball with a leaping grab.

Statcast calculates that the ball left Machado's bat at a velocity of 106.2 mph and a launch angle

of 26 degrees. Those numbers combined gives a batter a 95% chance of a hit and a 90% chance

of a home run. But Machado's odds didn't mean much with Jones roaming center field.

After beating the Dominican Republic, Team USA moved on to play Japan Tuesday night and,

for the third time, Jones made the difference. At the top of the eighth with the score tied at 1

apiece, he hit a go-ahead RBI which bounced off the glove of Japan’s third baseman Nobuhiro

Matsuda, giving Brandon Crawford extra time to score before throwing Jones out at first. Team

USA went on to beat WBC heavyweight Japan, 2-1.

If you have watched any of the WBC games, you can see just how much fun Jones is having

throughout the series. Hopefully, the good times will keep rolling for Team USA as they play for

the title tonight at 9 p.m. at Dodger Stadium.

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/03/21/orioles-mark-trumbo-is-flying-under-the-radar

Orioles' Mark Trumbo Is Flying Under The Radar

By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com

March 21, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. -- A year ago, the Orioles added outfielders Mark Trumbo and Pedro Alvarez

and hit 253 home runs. Despite nearly all their top home run hitters returning, long ball talk has

been at a minimum this spring.

"I think, once the season starts, and we kind of start dealing with what we do, I think those topics

will come up more, but right now, I think everyone's aware of it," Trumbo said. "For us, it's not

that big a deal. We are a team built on power, and I'm sure it will show up just like it did last

year. It's one of our strengths."

After going 0-for-3 against the Blue Jays March 21, Trumbo is batting .182 with three RBIs. He

has yet to hit a home run this spring.

"He wants to hit a ball hard every time up," manager Buck Showalter said. "He's a little

frustrated. He's working on it. It will fall in place."

Trumbo has been missing his teammates, who are off at the World Baseball Classic. The rhythm

of spring training has been altered by their absence.

"I think that it seems a little bit off," Trumbo said. "That's not a putdown on anybody in here,

obviously. The core group of guys, obviously, in spring training especially, is when everybody

starts to find their continuity. With what's going on, it's just part of the deal. We'll be fine. It's a

little bit different than years that the WBC is not going on."

In a clubhouse with the major league saves leader and the major league home run leader, the

attention would seemingly be on the power hitter. But this spring, visiting writers have gravitated

to Zach Britton and left the home run king alone.

"I couldn't care less. I think it's great," Trumbo said. "There hasn't really been a whole lot of talk

about it. It's kind of how you want it. Spring training is the time to kind of get things going.

People are always at various stages. I'm probably at the point of my career where it's more

important to … we're not trying as hard to make a team. I think that's probably pretty much

figured out. Trying to be ready to go and kind of built to last, I think for the whole season."

JIMENEZ FACES BLUE JAYS: In his first game against Toronto since allowing the decisive

home run to Edwin Encarnacion in October's Wild Card game, right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez

gave up four runs in the fourth inning, as the Orioles lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-2, before

7,601 at Ed Smith Stadium.

Jimenez was undone when catcher Caleb Joseph dropped Jarrod Saltalamacchia's pop foul. It

was ruled a hit, and four runs later scored.

"That's something that happens in the game," Jimenez said. "I was trying hard to get out of that

inning without any damage. That's how the game goes sometimes. It's not like I was thinking

about it, but I wanted to get out of that for inning for us because we got a couple of extra outs."

Showalter said the pop foul should have been caught by first baseman Chris Davis.

"We will cover that again," Showalter said.

While Encarnacion now plays for the Cleveland Indians, Jimemez was still facing the team that

ended the Orioles' 2016 season.

"No, no, I didn't even think about that," Jimenez said. "I just wanted to go out there and get my

pitch count up and throw all my pitches. I think that's what I did today, especially after the first

inning."

Jimenez walked two in the first inning.

"I thought he got squeezed somewhat. I thought he was around the zone the whole day. He made

some quality pitches that weren't called that normally get called," Showalter said. "I'm happy

with where he is."

LONG BALL: Davis hit his first home run of the spring, an opposite field drive to left field off

righty Aaron Sanchez in the fourth inning.

"He had some of his better at-bats today, stayed on the ball good, made some nice defensive

plays," Showalter said. "Good to see Chris having some multiple good at-bats."

CUTS: The Orioles reassigned catchers Francisco Pena and Audry Perez to minor league camp.

The team has 44 players in spring training.

COMING UP: The Orioles host the Tampa Bay Rays at 6:05 p.m. March 22. Lefty Chris Lee

will face righty Chris Archer. Right-hander Tyler Wilson is scheduled to follow Lee. Closer

Zach Britton, who struck out the side on 12 pitches in a minor league game March 20, will pitch

an inning.

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/03/21/is-it-time-for-orioles-to-worry-about-seth-smith

Is It Time For Orioles To Worry About Seth Smith?

By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com

March 21, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Is it time for the Orioles to start worrying about outfielder Seth Smith?

Baltimore traded for Smith Jan. 6 from the Seattle Mariners, and he looked to be set as the team's

right fielder, but he hasn't played since March 8 with a sore right hamstring.

All along, manager Buck Showalter has said the injury was minor and day-to-day, but it's

lingered.

With the Orioles leaving Florida in just 10 days, Showalter said there's enough time for Smith to

be ready for Opening Day. The Orioles can always get additional at-bats for the 34-year-old in

minor league games.

"He's a veteran guy, kind of knows the drill," Showalter said. "He's a little behind. That's

obvious. We think he can catch up."

If Smith starts the season on the 10-day disabled list, it could open up a path for Rule 5 draft

choice Aneury Tavarez to begin the season with the Orioles.

ACHES AND PAINS: Infielder Ryan Flaherty, who last played March 13 with a sore right

shoulder, is now pain-free, Showalter said.

He's expected to play March 24 after the Orioles' off-day.

Left-handed pitcher Wade Miley, who was scratched from his March 20 start with flu-like

symptoms, feels much better, Showalter said, and could pitch in a minor league game March 23.

Outfielder Chris Dickerson tweaked his left shoulder March 20 and will be out a few days.

WBC WELCOME: The Orioles are expecting three players back from the World Baseball

Classic March 22. Catcher Welington Castillo, third baseman Manny Machado (Dominican

Republic) and second baseman Jonathan Schoop (Netherlands) should be in the clubhouse, but

they may not play until at least March 24.

Showalter will be carefully monitoring the trio, especially Castillo.

"I know Welington has caught a lot of baseball games," Showalter said. "An 11-inning game in

March is not something he normally does."

WHAT'S IN STORE FOR DRAKE: Right-handed reliever Oliver Drake has had a tough spring,

and it's come at a bad time. Drake is out of options, and if the Orioles want to send him to the

minor leagues, he'd have to pass through waivers.

Drake has allowed 18 hits in 9.1 innings and has a 10.61 ERA. On March 20, he allowed three

runs on five hits in 1.1 innings.

Last year, Drake, who's now 30, pitched well in September but has followed that with an awful

spring.

"He pitched some good games for us [last year]," Showalter said. "It will be a tough decision as

we go forward. He's got enough track record in the minor leagues. Someone will give him an

opportunity.

"There's not going to be anyone you're going to see today that has a better record in the minor

leagues than Oliver Drake. You try to keep that in mind. He's showed flashes of that in the big

leagues."

ANOTHER BRITTON: Buck Britton, older brother of Zach, and a longtime Orioles farmhand,

will be the hitting coach of Class A-Delmarva this season. It's his first crack at coaching.

"I guess reality hits pretty quick," Britton said. "I got injured midway in 2015. Last year, I kind

of didn't feel the same. I think this was baseball's way of telling me, this is kind of means to an

end.

"And I was an aging player, I'll be 31 in May. … Reality set in, and I was OK with it."

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2017/03/22/adam-jones-dubbed-the-hero-as-usa-beats-japan-in-

wbc/

Adam Jones Dubbed The ‘Hero’ As USA Beats Japan In

WBC

CBS Baltimore

March 22, 2017

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Team USA is heading to the final round of the World Baseball Classic

for the first time in the history of the tournament. USA beat Japan, 2-1 on Tuesday night and the

winning run was driven in by “American hero” Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles.

The two teams were evenly matched throughout the game and it was tied at 1-1 until the eighth

inning. That’s when the Americans were able to get back on the scoreboard against Kodai Senga.

In the end, the Americans came out on top with the help of the sensational Oriole, Mr. Adam

Jones.

The American team will be heading to the finals tonight for a rematch against the undefeated

Puerto Rico team.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2017/03/21/orioles-zach-britton-hopes-to-duplicate-great-2016-

season/

Orioles’ Zach Britton Hopes To Duplicate Great 2016 Season

CBS Baltimore

March 21, 2017

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — It’s been a short spring training for Zach Britton.

Early in camp, the Baltimore Orioles’ left-handed reliever, who converted all 47 of his save

opportunities in 2016, felt discomfort in his left oblique and was held out. Britton has said if this

were the regular season he would have pitched, and that he is close to being ready to go.

Manager Buck Showalter had wanted Britton to begin pitching in the second week of Grapefruit

League games and follow the plan he set for two veteran right-handers Brad Brach and Darren

O’Day.

Instead, the Orioles kept Britton out until March 14 when he allowed two runs on four hits in an

inning against Tampa Bay. Britton was upset after that game, but he followed it with a scoreless

inning on March 17 against Pittsburgh.

The oblique issues are long gone, Britton said.

“Well, the second one was a lot better than the first one. That’s a good sign,” Britton said. “No

more symptoms of that, nothing’s creeped back or anything. I feel really good now. I can just

focus on getting ready for the season. I feel pretty good with where I’m at this year compared to

where I was last year.”

Britton followed the two innings with a minor league game Monday where he struck out the side

on 12 pitches.

His schedule is set for the rest of spring. On Wednesday, Britton will pitch an inning against

Tampa Bay, and after a few days off, he’ll pitch on consecutive days,

“I’m pretty close. As a reliever now, it only takes a few innings., Britton said. “It kind of clicks

for you one day, and then you’re ready for the season to start where as a starter you’ve got to

build up those innings, and I don’t need to do that anymore.”

In 2016, Britton had a marvelous season. After giving up his third earned run of the year on April

30, Britton went nearly four months — until Aug. 24 when he allowed his fourth and final run.

“A historical year,” Showalter said. “I don’t think you’ll ever see another year like that.”

The Orioles ended that year with Britton famously sitting in the bullpen when the Toronto Blue

Jays won the American League wild-card game last October.

Early in spring training, Britton was the most popular interview subject in the clubhouse, but

now the attention has gone elsewhere.

“A lot of people want to ask me about the wild-card game, and I think you guys have all covered

it. I don’t know how much more you can say on that, but everyone wants to talk about it and

bring it up when they come in,” Britton said. “There are other storylines in here that were a little

more interesting, I think.”

NOTES: RHP Chris Tillman, who will begin the season on the 10-day disabled list, is set to

resume throwing on March 26. Tillman had a cortisone shot on his right shoulder on March 15. .

Showalter expects C Welington Castillo, 3B Manny Machado and 2B Jonathan Schoop in camp

Wednesday. Castillo and Machado played for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball

Classic. Schoop played for the Netherlands. . OF Seth Smith (hamstring) hasn’t played since

March 8. INF Ryan Flaherty (shoulder) has been out since March 13.

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2017/03/22/radio-musings-richard-justice-orioles-mlb-roger-

mcdowell-pitching/

Radio musings: Richard Justice on the Orioles and MLB;

Roger McDowell on pitching

By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com

March 22, 2017

Tuesday’s radio show on WOYK 1350 – and archived here and on the station’s website –

featured two interviews from Sarasota, Florida.

I found them interesting – and thought you might, too.

The first was with Richard Justice, national baseball columnist for mlb.com.

Justice, who has covered the sport for three decades, recently wrote a piece on Chris Davis and

the new “Oriole Way.”

I grabbed Justice for a few minutes to hear his observations about the Orioles, as well as his 2017

World Series prediction.

He said he has joined “the cult of Buck” and again believes the team will be good. But he’s not

suggesting they are going to go all the way this year. You’ll have to listen to see who he believes

is going to represent the American League in the October Classic. And who is going to prevent

the Chicago Cubs from getting back there.

Following the Justice interview, I have a sit-down with new Orioles’ pitching coach Roger

McDowell. We cover McDowell’s transition from the same job in Atlanta, his relationship with

former Orioles’ pitching coach Dave Wallace and rekindling his friendship with former

teammate Alan Mills, now his bullpen coach.

We also talk about McDowell’s impressions of the Orioles’ pitching staff, including Dylan

Bundy and Kevin Gausman.

Give it a listen.

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2017/03/22/spring-training-primer-blessed-options-ubaldo-

jays-davis-hits-first-homer/

Spring Training Primer: Blessed with options; Ubaldo and

the Jays; Davis hits first homer

By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com

March 22, 2017

What’s happening: The Orioles always seem to have a roster crunch each spring.

Seemingly, there are multiple players on the bubble who are out of minor league options and

could be lost on waivers if they don’t make the 25-man roster. Such is life for a club that utilizes

its minor leagues as a continual revolving door for the big leagues.

Well, there’s a different twist in 2017: The Orioles have just one, out-of-option, bubble guy this

spring, U.S. Naval Academy product Oliver Drake, who has posted a 3.48 ERA in 33 2/3 innings

in parts of two seasons with the Orioles.

The 30-year-old right-hander must clear waivers before the Orioles can send him back to Triple-

A Norfolk if he doesn’t make the 25-man roster. And he’s not doing much this spring to make

his case for Opening Day, posting a 10.61 ERA and allowing 18 hits in 9 1/3 innings. But, with

some past big league success, it’s possible a club may claim Drake.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter doesn’t want to discount what Drake has done for the Orioles

in the past, including a 1.59 ERA in nine games during the final month of last year. In creating a

roster, Showalter must balance what he knows with what he’s seen most recently, even if it is in

spring exhibition games.

“That’s the quandary every year, especially when they’re out of options,” Showalter said.

“(Drake is) in a different boat because of the options. But (the system) is designed to protect the

player, where you can’t hoard these guys like people used to do years ago. Oliver’s gonna pitch

in the big leagues (for someone) this year.”

The Orioles are fortunate that all five pitchers vying for the club’s vacant rotation spot – created

due to Chris Tillman’s shoulder injury – can be sent to the minors. That’s especially important

for an organization that constantly shuffles its pitching staff, something that was difficult to do at

times in 2016.

“We got in a bind last year because we didn’t have the type of roster at Bowie and Norfolk and

Baltimore that we could maneuver around some of the challenges (we faced), especially the

starting pitching, some of the injuries that took place,” Showalter said. “We’re in a lot better

shape there.”

Lefty Chris Lee, who starts tonight against the Tampa Bay Rays, is one of the remaining

candidates to start, along with Mike Wright, Gabriel Ynoa, Tyler Wilson and Jayson Aquino.

Those that don’t win the job will likely be headed to Triple-A Norfolk, though Lee could go back

to Double-A Bowie to start 2017 given that’s where he was when he was shut down by a

lat/shoulder injury in May.

“In a perfect world, you’d have Tillman (healthy), and those five guys would be down in

Norfolk,” Showalter said. “But some things don’t cooperate with us sometimes on paper. But I’d

say everybody is still in play.”

It wouldn’t be a surprise if all of them pitched in the majors at some point before the season

ends. One certainly will in April – maybe even Lee.

“He is one of the four or five guys we’re looking at,” Showalter said. “He could make a case for

himself.”

Catchers Audry Perez and Francisco Pena were reassigned to minor league camp. The Orioles

have 44 players remaining in camp, including 10 non-roster invitees. More cuts are expected

Wednesday.

What’s happened: The Orioles lost 5-2 to Toronto on Tuesday, the exact same score as the last

time Ubaldo Jimenez pitched against the Blue Jays – the 11th inning of the American League

Wild Card game on Oct. 4. In that one, Jimenez entered in relief and allowed a three-run walkoff

homer by Edwin Encarnacion.

The stakes were a little different Tuesday, and Jimenez was pretty effective, except for a four-run

inning that was set-up by a pop-up that fell on the grass near the pitcher’s mound. Jimenez

allowed five hits and three walks while striking out five. Two of the walks were in the first

inning, on borderline calls.

“I thought he got squeezed somewhat,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “I thought he was

around the zone the whole day, made some quality pitches that weren’t called that would

normally get called. He had a five-inning outing there in him. I’m happy with where he is.”

Showalter said outfielder Seth Smith is “not yet” in danger of missing the beginning of the

season despite not playing since March 8 due to a strained right hamstring. Smith has logged just

11 at-bats in Grapefruit League action – he has one hit, a homer –and he won’t play until Friday,

at the earliest.

“With minor leagues opened up and everything, we can get (him) plenty of at-bats,” Showalter

said. “He’s a veteran guy, he kind of knows the drill. He’s a little behind, that’s obvious, but we

think he can catch up.”

WBC participants Manny Machado, Welington Castillo and Jonathan Schoop will be back to

camp Wednesday for the Orioles’ annual spring talent show. Showalter doesn’t know when

they’ll play in Grapefruit League action again. He said it depends on what the players want to do

after spending weeks away in high-leverage games.

Infielder Ryan Flaherty (shoulder) is slated to play in Friday’s game. Lefty Wade Miley, who

was scratched from his scheduled start Monday due to flu-like symptoms, was feeling better

Tuesday. He’ll likely pitch in a mir-league game in the next few days.

What’s up with: Chris Davis. He was hitting .143 (3-for-21) through his first nine Grapefruit

League games, but had two hits Sunday and then hit his first homer Tuesday. It was an opposite

field shot against Toronto’s ace Aaron Sanchez, so that’s a doubly encouraging sign.

What they’re saying: “We’re very comfortable with the return we’ve had with Brady’s input. We

welcome it and we need it. A lot of clubs would love to have someone like Brady. We’re lucky

to have him.” — Showalter when asked about his thoughts on a lengthy Fox Sports article that

suggested vice president Brady Anderson’s varied job responsibilities were viewed as disruptive

and/or without administrative accountability by some, including former pitching coach Dave

Wallace and ex-bullpen coach Dom Chiti.

What’s the number? 94 – Showalter said that’s what Logan Verrett’s fastball topped out at

during his two scoreless innings Tuesday. The 26-year-old right-hander’s fastball has averaged

90.5 during his big-league career, according to FanGraphs. But Showalter said this is “release the

hounds” time when Verrett and others fighting for jobs are really reaching back.

What’s the record? 12-11-2 – The Orioles have lost three straight. They play the Rays tonight at

6:05 p.m. (it will be televised on MASN) and then will have an off day Thursday, their final one

of the spring.

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2017/03/21/ubaldo-jimenez-didnt-even-think-facing-toronto-

blue-jays/

Ubaldo Jimenez: ‘I didn’t even think about’ facing the

Toronto Blue Jays again

By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com

March 21, 2017

Ubaldo Jimenez got the Grapefruit League start Tuesday against Toronto at Ed Smith Stadium.

Nothing real newsworthy there, except the last time he faced the Blue Jays was a slightly

different situation: The AL Wild Card game on Oct. 4, a game in which he allowed a walkoff

homer to Edwin Encarnacion in the 11th inning to end the Orioles’ season.

That moment will always be debated in Orioles’ circles; Jimenez, a starter, was summoned in a

tied game while all-world closer Zach Britton remained in the bullpen.

Tuesday was a different scenario, different lineup, lots of palm trees.

Jimenez said there were no flashbacks of that last pitch to Encarnacion (who is now with

Cleveland), no turning back the clock in his mind.

“No, no. I didn’t even think about that,” Jimenez said. “I just wanted to go out there and get my

pitch count up and throw all my pitches, and I think that’s what I did today, especially after that

first inning.”

Jimenez lasted four innings, giving up four earned runs on five hits and three walks while

striking out five. The line was a little rougher than the actual outing. Jimenez initially pitched

three scoreless innings and, at one point, retired eight of nine. He wiggled out of a two-walk jam

in the first with consecutive strikeouts.

But Jimenez was charged with four runs in the fourth, which was set up by a one-out, bases-

empty pop-up that fell in between catcher Caleb Joseph, first baseman Chris Davis and Jimenez.

“That’s something that happened in the game, but I was trying hard to get out of that inning

without any damage,” Jimenez said. “But that’s how the game goes sometimes. It’s not like I

was thinking about it, but I wanted to get out of that inning for us.”

Jimenez threw 76 pitches – 50 for strikes – and was pleased with his overall performance.

“After the first inning, I was able to throw all my pitches. I was cruising along, attacking the

hitters,” he said. “Split, slider, changeup, every pitch was in the strike zone until the last inning.

(Then) We got in trouble a little bit.”

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2017/03/21/spring-training-primer-jimenez-faces-jays-nuno-

fills-miley-drakes-chances-fleeting/

Spring Training Primer: Jimenez faces Jays; Nuno fills in

for Miley; Drake’s chances fleeting

By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com

March 21, 2017

What’s happening: Results are never particularly important when a starting pitcher with a job

locked up takes the mound in March.

Yet, when it comes to Orioles’ right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, it’s always worth monitoring how

he does, no matter the scenario.

And today is a situation that has some significance, at least from a narrative sense.

Jimenez takes the mound this afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium against the division rival Toronto

Blue Jays.

It’s the first time that Jimenez has faced the Blue Jays since last Oct. 4, when he gave up a three-

run, walkoff homer to Edwin Encarnacion to end the American League Wild Card Game and the

Orioles’ 2016 season.

The stakes are completely different, of course. And Encarnacion certainly won’t be in the Blue

Jays’ lineup today; he signed a free-agent deal with the Cleveland Indians in December.

But it’s important for Jimenez to keep building toward the regular season, even though his

rotation spot is set.

Jimenez’s results in his past two spring outings have not been good – six earned runs in a

combined 7 2/3 innings after allowing just one run in his first five Grapefruit League innings. In

his last outing, Jimenez became the first Orioles’ starter to complete four innings; he lasted 4 2/3.

Kevin Gausman has since gone five – and that’s a goal for Jimenez.

The next few Orioles’ starts after today will be taken by pitchers trying to make the rotation:

Chris Lee on Wednesday, Mike Wright on Friday and Gabriel Ynoa on Saturday. Thursday is the

last of two off days this spring for the Orioles.

Seth Smith (hamstring) and Ryan Flaherty (shoulder) are not expected to play today.

Welington Castillo and Manny Machado were expected back in Florida from the World Baseball

Classic late Monday night. They likely won’t return to the clubhouse until Wednesday.

What happened: Lefty Wade Miley was supposed to start Monday against his old team, the

Boston Red Sox, but he was scratched with flu-like symptoms.

Miley wasn’t feeling well in his last start, March 14, but he and the club thought he had

improved enough to pitch. He drove to Fort Myers, Fla., but was still dealing with illness and

was sent home.

That sent the Orioles scrambling – a little bit, anyway – to make up the innings. They summoned

minor leaguers Stefan Crichton and Scott McGough from Twin Lakes Park to help out if needed.

Lefty Vidal Nuno, who was supposed to pitch in relief, received the start, getting about an hour’s

notice. Nuno said the spot start wasn’t a problem, but his failure to put hitters away led to shaky

results: three runs on four hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings.

“Spring training is getting your work in, no matter whether it’s the first inning or any inning,”

Nuno said. “It’s just falling behind in the count and just not finishing my two-strike pitches. The

last two outings have been a little difficult for me in not getting the two-strike (pitches) where I

want them to be. It cost me a little bit today.”

Nuno, who had pitched once previously since coming back from Team Mexico last week, is

fighting for a bullpen job. So is righty Oliver Drake, who is out of minor-league options. He

relieved Nuno and gave up three runs on five hits in 1 1/3 innings.

Drake now has a 10.61 ERA and has allowed 18 hits in 9 1/3 innings, making it look like the

U.S. Naval Academy product won’t make the team and could be lost on waivers.

“The question is will (his pitch arsenal) play up here, and it did some last year for us,” Showalter

said. “High pitch counts. It’s been a lot of pitches getting through innings. So, you can just about

take him out of the multiple-inning-guy (role). It’s gonna be a challenge for him right now.”

Starting in the fourth, a cavalcade of unheralded minor league pitchers threw one inning for the

Orioles: Cody Satterwhite, Jefri Hernandez, Crichton, McGough and Brian Moran.

Pedro Alvarez, trying to make the transition from corner infield to outfield, played right again

Monday, and had a little trouble with a hard liner in the second off Marco Hernandez’s bat.

Alvarez slid as the ball bounced in front of him. He knocked it down, but it squirted to his right

and he momentarily lost track of it. Hernandez darted to second and was credited with a double.

Offensively, Alvarez had two hits, including a homer in his second consecutive game.

“I’ve seen guys that have been around forever not make that play. Defense, outfield, is going to

be a work in progress for him, just like it was for Mark (Trumbo),” Showalter said. “People

forget he was really good for us offensively for a couple months, and I think the last few days

have been a reminder of that.”

What they’re saying: “No more symptoms of that, nothing has creeped back or anything, so I feel

really good. Now, I can just focus on getting ready for the season, and I feel pretty good with

where I’m at right now compared to where I was last year. – Closer Zach Britton on overcoming

oblique discomfort early this spring.

What’s up with: Anthony Santander. The club was hoping to get the Rule 5 outfielder back in the

mix early this week. But Showalter said Monday that his “return to the lineup is not imminent.”

A MRA last week on Santander’s right elbow – which apparently ached when he threw —

showed only slight inflammation. Time is running out this spring to evaluate whether the 22-

year-old can play the outfield.

What’s the number? 13 – That’s how many players from minor league camp traveled with the

Orioles to Fort Myers in case they were needed to play. That’s 13 of 30 players on the day’s

roster that were not formally invited to big league camp. Only seven of those that made the trip,

including Miley, are on the 40-man roster.

What’s the record? 12-10-2 – The Orioles lost 7-4 to the Red Sox, their second straight

Grapefruit League defeat. This one looked like a loss before the first pitch was thrown. With

Miley’s illness, the Orioles used a makeshift staff against a Boston lineup that featured five

projected starters.