Showalter addresses rotation competition after 3-1 win

Showalter addresses rotation competition after 3-1 win
DUNEDIN, Fla. - For the Orioles, it was another day and another good outing by a starter that is not guaranteed a spot in the opening day rotation. Jake Arrieta pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings today in the Orioles' 3-1 win over Toronto and the competition for the fifth starter's job is heating up. Manager Buck Showalter spent most of a 10-minute postgame session with reporters talking about just that. At one point, he asked reporters who they would take, not that he needs any help from...
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Jake Arrieta talks about his outing (O's win 3-1)

Jake Arrieta talks about his outing (O's win 3-1)
DUNEDIN, Fla. - After pitching 4 2/3 innings of shutout ball today, Jake Arrieta said he may have had his best mix of pitches this afternoon that he's ever had in a game going back in his memory bank. He also had a top-notch slider in his outing against Toronto. "Today was the best sequence I've had from start to finish in a long time," he said. "Not just this spring, but since I can remember. The way I mixed my pitches from my slider, my curveball and mixing those in around good-located...
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Behind Arrieta, O's take early lead over Jays (Arrieta done)

Behind Arrieta, O's take early lead over Jays (Arrieta done)
DUNEDIN, Fla. - Playing the Toronto Blue Jays for the fourth time this spring, the Orioles have taken an early 2-0 lead after three innings. The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a Nolan Reimold RBI groundout. It scored Lew Ford who doubled with one out. The O's made it 2-0 in the second on Danny Valencia's RBI double, which scored Taylor Teagarden, who had doubled high off the fence in left. That was three doubles in the first two innings against Jays lefty J.A. Happ, who...
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Showalter on Bundy's move to the minors, a Reimold update and more

Showalter on Bundy's move to the minors, a Reimold update and more
DUNEDIN, Fla. - In his pregame session with reporters here, Orioles manager Buck Showalter talked about the timing of today's move sending top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy to minor league camp. Bundy was optioned to Double-A Bowie this morning. "Innings," Showalter said. "Time for him to get stretched out a little bit more and they are not here for him. He's going to start the year in Bowie and we want to get that mindset and adjustment made as soon as possible. We've had two springs...
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O's option Bundy to Bowie, Redmond to Norfolk

O's option Bundy to Bowie, Redmond to Norfolk
DUNEDIN, Fla. - The Orioles made two roster moves before today's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Orioles have optioned right-hander Dylan Bundy to Double-A Bowie and right-hander Todd Redmond to Triple-A Norfolk. In four spring training appearances, Bundy went 1-1 with a 1.13 ERA. Over eight innings, he has allowed six hits, two runs (one earned) with six walks and five strikeouts. Bundy was not expected to make the opening day roster and today's move makes that official. Bundy's...
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Quiet Flaherty is letting his bat do the talking right now

Quiet Flaherty is letting his bat do the talking right now
SARASOTA, Fla. - Ryan Flaherty hit another homer for the Orioles yesterday. It you want him to say much about that, you may be disappointed. He made just a few comments in a brief postgame interview Friday, but his bat is starting to speak loudly. Flaherty hit a two-run homer with two outs in the last of the 10th as the Orioles played to a 3-3 tie with Boston. It was his third homer in his last seven games and third of the spring as he tied Conor Jackson and Steve Pearce for the team lead. So...
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Brian Roberts passes another test with head-first slide

Brian Roberts passes another test with head-first slide
SARASOTA, Fla. - Brian Roberts said it was by design that he was not trying to steal many bases in the early spring training games. But that changed today in the last of the first inning. After he singled off Boston's Clayton Mortensen, he stole his first base this spring. Not only did he steal second but he went into the bag sliding head first, just like the Orioles have seen him do many times before, but certainly not very much lately. "It was good," Roberts said. "It's something that...
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Revisiting the strange play from Thursday's game with Luis Exposito

Revisiting the strange play from Thursday's game with Luis Exposito
SARASOTA, Fla. - To say the least, it was a confusing play in the ninth inning of yesterday's game. Dylan Bundy was pitching against Tampa Bay with a man on third and none out of a 3-3 game. He threw a pitch in the dirt. Right after that, the umpire at third base ruled the runner could advance to home. What had happened? A balk? No. Actually the runner was awarded two bases (although he only needed one in this case to score) when O's catcher Luis Exposito touched the ball with his...
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A look at the process of evaluating the fifth starter candidates

A look at the process of evaluating the fifth starter candidates
SARASOTA, Fla. - As manager Buck Showalter and pitching coach Rick Adair go about sizing up the large field of candidates to win the Orioles' fifth starter's job, you know Showalter must be evaluating a lot of things. For him, it is certainly more than just about the stats. "There's a lot of things," Showalter said. "Let's face it, the first time they throw a side (session) on the back field in February, you're getting feedback. That's human nature, we're watching. You guys come in...
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LJ Hoes is soaking up the experience at Orioles' camp

LJ Hoes is soaking up the experience at Orioles' camp
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles' 2012 winner of the Brooks Robinson Award, which goes to their minor league Player of the Year, is using spring training here at major league camp to do more than just "get his work in." LJ Hoes is taking advantage of what he calls a "blessed opportunity" every day here at Ed Smith Stadium. Hoes has a locker between Nolan Reimold and Nick Markakis. He has become close friends with Adam Jones. He is taking time to pick their brains on a lot of things, things...
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Trying to win the games 90 feet at a time

Trying to win the games 90 feet at a time
SARASOTA, Fla. - When your manager is Buck Showalter, a player knows he has to take care of the little things and always be prepared to best do his job. The latest example came yesterday when Showalter spent a good portion of his postgame interview session talking about pitchers' times to home plate out of the stretch. It is clear Showalter was not thrilled with some of the organization's pitchers in that respect when he came to the Orioles and he and his pitching coaches - in the majors...
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Dylan Bundy talks about his outing today against Tampa Bay

Dylan Bundy talks about his outing today against Tampa Bay
SARASOTA, Fla. - For Dylan Bundy, it was a day when his velocity increased some from his last start, but his command was still not where he wanted it to be. Bundy took the loss this afternoon when he gave up a ninth-inning run as Tampa Bay beat the Orioles 4-3 in Sarasota. Bundy pitched the last three innings, allowing two hits and one run with two walks and one strikeout. He now has an ERA of 1.13 through four spring training games. "It's never up to my standards, you know," Bundy said...
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The injury factor

The injury factor
Maybe Orioles fans shouldn't take too much glee that the Yankees are dealing with injuries until they make sure their own house is in order. Nick Markakis dealing with a slight herniated disc in his neck. Nolan Reimold with right shoulder soreness. Chris Tillman doing better after a few days of dealing with abdomen soreness. Those are just a few of the nagging injuries that some Orioles are dealing with. While Markakis said he was "pretty optimistic" he'll be in the opening day lineup,...
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A closer look at the Orioles' schedule

A closer look at the Orioles' schedule
With the countdown now on to the start of the new season, today I am taking an in-depth look at the Orioles' 2013 schedule. Here are some notes on the schedule: * The Orioles will play nine of their first 12 games on the road with series at Tampa Bay, Boston and New York. They will play 20 of their first 32 games on the road. The Orioles went 46-35 on the road last year and that was the best road record in the American League. Only Washington (48) and Cincinnati (47) has more road wins in...
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Will the Bronx Bombers turn into a Bronx bust this year?

Will the Bronx Bombers turn into a Bronx bust this year?
Has the day many Orioles fans have been hoping for finally arrived? Are the New York Yankees finally going to take a step back in the American League East? Have age and injuries finally caught up to this team? I am sticking to my opinion that I will believe the demise of the Yankees when I finally see it. This is a franchise that has averaged 97.5 wins the last four seasons and has made the playoffs in 17 of the last 18 seasons. But this time you can make a solid case that they could be in...
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To bunt or not to bunt

To bunt or not to bunt
It was the top of the second inning of the United States-Canada game Sunday in the World Baseball Classic. Adam Jones came up with runners on first and second and none out, with the USA and Canada in a 0-0 tie. He dropped a sac bunt advancing both runners. Jones did not have one sac bunt last season and has just six in his 786-game major league career. This bunt was the one heard round the Twitter world. Within seconds, reaction was swift and many could not believe Jones dropped a bunt. Jon...
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Adam Jones comes up with a big hit as Team USA takes the lead on Canada (U.S. wins)

Adam Jones comes up with a big hit as Team USA takes the lead on Canada (U.S. wins)
With Team USA two innings and a few outs away from losing today, and getting eliminated from the World Baseball Classic, Orioles center fielder Adam Jones delivered what could turn out to be a tourney-saving hit. Jones' two-run double to left-center off Canada pitcher Jimmy Henderson in the top of the eighth turned a 3-2 USA deficit into a 4-3 lead and was one of the biggest hits of the tournament. Shane Victorino followed with an RBI single as Team USA moved in front 5-3 heading to the last...
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Schoop's big game has some O's fans pondering the future for the club's infield

Schoop's big game has some O's fans pondering the future for the club's infield
Even though much of the game was played during the late night and early morning hours when some fans could not or did not watch it live, Jonathan Schoop's big game against Cuba has certainly created a buzz through the O's fanbase, a buzz that includes some fans wondering what a future Orioles infield could look like. Will there be a day in the next year or next few years where Manny Machado patrols at shortstop and Schoop at second base? And how do others with promise like Ryan Flaherty...
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Jonathan Schoop's dramatic homer among biggest blasts in the WBC so far

Jonathan Schoop's dramatic homer among biggest blasts in the WBC so far
Orioles minor leaguer Jonathan Schoop took a swing and produced one of the most dramatic hits so far in the World Baseball Classic. Schoop's three-run homer in the top of the sixth turned a one-run lead for the Netherlands into a four-run edge in a 6-2 upset win over Cuba in a second-round opening game. Schoop also had a single and RBI double in this game. He went 3-for-6 with four RBIs against a Cuba team that went 3-0, allowing just five total runs in the first round. He came to bat with...
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MLB Network talks Orioles

MLB Network talks Orioles
I'll save the final predictions for the end of this blog, but let's just say the MLB Network's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" feature last night on the Orioles was real positive. The network spent some time recently with the Orioles in Sarasota and several interviews were featured on the broadcast last night. Analysts Sean Casey, who was in Sarasota, along with Al Leiter and Bill Ripken back in the studio all took turns with positive comments and observations about the club. Here is a sampling...
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