SARASOTA, Fla. - Josh Bell played first base in the ninth inning of Tuesday's home exhibition opener. Today, Bell will make his first start there.
For the Orioles:
Brian Roberts 2B
Nick Markakis RF
Luke Scott LF
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Mark Reynolds 3B
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
J.J. Hardy SS
Josh Bell 1B
Brian Matusz LHP
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Minnesota Twins are coming here from Fort Myers. Better that they make the trip than me.
The lineup hasn't been posted, and the Orioles closed the clubhouse to the media at 8:30 a.m. for a players association meeting. Bobby Bonilla and Phil Bradley are in the house.
Left-hander Brian Matusz is starting for the Orioles today. Adrian Rosario, Kevin Gregg, Koji Uehara, Jeremy Accardo, Clay Rapada and Josh Rupe also are slated to pitch.
The Twins are sending pitchers Carl...
CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Phillies homered twice off left-hander Nick Bierbrodt in the bottom of the ninth, and another run scored on Chris Jakubauskas' wild pitch, but the tying run was stranded on second base.
Orioles 6, Phillies 5.
Manager Buck Showalter must have really wanted this win. He removed Bierbrodt with one out and a runner on third, and his last two relievers were warming up in the bullpen.
He didn't need Mike Ballard or Chris George. Jakubauskas retired Harold Garcia and...
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Brian Bass pitched the eighth inning for the Phillies, and his former team loaded the bases with no outs on singles by Robert Andino, Brandon Snyder and Pedro Florimon. Matt Angle's bouncer to first scored Andino for a 6-1 lead.
Michael Gonzalez and Jim Johnson each threw a scoreless inning. Pedro Viola is pitching the bottom of the eighth, and he just gave up a run on Delwyn Young's single. Orioles 6, Phillies 2.
Chris Tillman said he was a little too "jumpy" on the...
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Matt Wieters has three singles and two RBIs today. Felix Pie contributed a run-scoring double in the seventh, and Wieters delivered pinch-runner Nick Green for a 5-1 lead, though an interference call on the third baseman took away the RBI.
Zach Britton walked into the hallway outside the visiting clubhouse, saw the five reporters waiting for him and brought up the elephant in the room.
"Could you tell how nervous I was?" he asked with a grin.
"I have no idea what...
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Jake Fox homered, singled and drove in two runs in yesterday's home exhibition opener.
Apparently, the bus ride didn't cool him off.
Fox has singled twice today as the starting catcher. He played first base yesterday.
Joe Mahoney is starting at first today, and he singled to right field in the fourth inning.
Left-hander Zach Britton was a little too amped up in the third inning. He appeared to be overthrowing, and Fox made two trips to the mound to settle him...
CLEARWATER, Fla - Chris Tillman completed two innings today, and he got quite a workout.
Tillman threw 42 pitches, 25 for strikes. He allowed one run and three hits, walked one and struck out one.
The Phillies threatened in the second when John Mayberry Jr. doubled with one out and Brian Schneider walked. With Mark Worrell warming in the bullpen, Tillman got a fly ball and grounder to escape the jam.
Tillman threw 21 pitches in each inning.
It's common knowledge that Tillman needs to...
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Chris Tillman retired the first two batters he faced in the first inning, striking out Jimmy Rollins, but he's behind 1-0 as we move to the top of the second.
Raul Ibanez singled with two outs and scored on Ryan Howard's double to right. The wind might have knocked down the ball and prevented it from landing on the hill beyond the fence.
Tillman threw 21 pitches, 12 strikes.
Randy Winn, who couldn't make a play on Howard's fly ball, led off the game with a walk, but...
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter just arrived in Clearwater after staying back to watch Justin Duchscherer throw off flat ground and further test his left hip.
Showalter indicated that Duchscherer got through the session without incident and could throw off a mound Friday.
"He had a good day," Showalter said. "Threw on flat ground, stretched it out. We'll see how he feels the next day or two. It was good. It was encouraging."
Also, Derrek Lee took batting practice...
SARASOTA, Fla. - I'm heading to Clearwater later this morning. Here's the Orioles' lineup:
Randy Winn RF
Felix Pie CF
Josh Bell 3B
Matt Wieters DH
Nolan Reimold LF
Jake Fox C
Brendan Harris 2B
Joe Mahoney 1B
Cesar Izturis SS
Chris Tillman RHP
Left-hander Zach Britton will follow Tillman to the mound. Left-hander Michael Gonzalez also will pitch today.
Mahoney said he's eager to get some at-bats after fouling a ball off his right knee during Sunday's intrasquad game.
For the...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter gave today a passing grade. A nice ceremony before the first pitch to celebrate a refurbished Ed Smith Stadium, and an inspired power display that triggered a 12-6 victory over the Rays.
Who could complain?
"I'm glad that the weather held out for us," Showalter said. "It was a lot of fun. You couldn't have scripted it much better. It was a good start for the ballpark and everything. The organization and the city of Sarasota put a lot of time and...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Today's attendance: 7,497. That's a record for Ed Smith Stadium.
Jason Berken gave up two runs in the top of the seventh inning while I was waiting for Nick Markakis in the clubhouse. That's what happens when I leave my seat.
The Orioles held a 10-6 lead in the bottom of the seventh until Brandon Snyder doubled to score two runs. Make it 12-6.
David Riske only retired two batters in the sixth. He allowed the back-to-back homers to Manny Ramirez and B.J. Upton, and Casey...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Here are some quotes from Jeremy Guthrie, who retired all six batters he faced today:
On his outing:
"Everything felt like it left off at the end of last season, so that's good. I haven't thrown a strike in five months, so it's nice to go out there and be able to do that. Work ahead. The command wasn't tremendous, but I told Matt (Wieters) we would work on corners the next couple times, I guess. We worked on strikes."
On the offensive outburst:
"The guys are taking...
SARASOTA, Fla. - First base coach Wayne Kirby walked over to Nick Markakis this morning and asked whether the right fielder was ready to go to work after he stayed back in camp yesterday while the Orioles opened their exhibition schedule in Brandenton.
Markakis responded with a nod and a fist bump.
Boy, was he ready.
Markakis has homered twice, singled and driven in four runs through four innings. He connected twice off Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine and lined an RBI single off reliever...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Jake Fox just unloaded on Andy Sonnanstine, figuring that the Rays' starter is fair game today.
Fox, batting ninth today, homered to left-center field on the first pitch thrown to him.
Orioles 5, Rays 0.
Matt Wieters flied to left before Fox stepped to the plate.
Fox is starting at first base today. He's trying to make the club as the backup catcher or second utility infielder.
Just as I was going to send this entry, Nick Markakis launched his second home run in two...
SARASOTA, Fla. - I almost forgot that a game was being played today.
Brian Roberts singled off Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine in his first spring at-bat, and Nick Markakis followed with a home run to right field on a 1-1 pitch.
One out later, Vladimir Guerrero crushed the first pitch thrown to him. The ball cleared the left-center field fence in about three seconds.
Orioles 3, Rays 0.
Update: Adam Jones just cleared the seats in the party deck beyond the left field fence. That's three...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Derrek Lee took batting practice for the third straight day as he draws closer to playing in his first exhibition game.
Lee can't pinpoint when he'll debut for the Orioles, but his surgically repaired right thumb is responding well to the BP sessions and fielding drills.
"Hopefully soon," he said. "Today was the third day in a row hitting off coaches and it's still feeling good. I don't see a reason to keep delaying it. I'm still going to be cautious, but I'm...
SARASOTA, Fla. - A light rain is falling at the newly refurbished Ed Smith Stadium as the Orioles take batting practice.
Not a drop the entire time we've been here until today. Naturally.
Manager Buck Showalter hasn't provided an exact date when first baseman Derrek Lee will make his Orioles' debut in an exhibition game. He's mostly leaving it up to Lee, who continues to take batting practice and participate in fielding drills.
"I don't think anything's imminent," Showalter said....
SARASOTA, Fla. - Justin Duchscherer remains encouraged by the condition of his left hip this morning.
"Everything was OK yesterday," he said. "It's one of those weird things where guys who have surgery and come back might have a day or two where they just feel concerned, worried. So far, since the other day, everything's felt fine. I threw off flat ground, and they have a half mound, and everything was fine. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping it was just a one-day cranky...
BRADENTON, Fla. - With the wind blowing out to left field today, and lifting up a few houses, manager Buck Showalter had to be pleased with his pitchers. They allowed four runs, the last two on Miles Durham's homer off Josh Rupe in the bottom of the ninth that produced two unearned runs.
Lyle Overbay homered off left-hander Clay Rapada in the fifth inning.
"Rapada had as good an inning as anybody and gave up (a home run)," manager Buck Showalter said. "You've got to look at the...