SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles first baseman Chris Davis must be shut down for 72 hours after receiving a cortisone injection yesterday in his right elbow to reduce the inflammation and hasten his recovery and eventual return to the lineup. However, he reported this afternoon that his condition is improving and expressed a desire to start playing again.
The cautious approach will remain in order before Davis can get back into it.
"Basically, it was kind of a plateau in the rehab," he said,...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Austin Hays is the designated hitter and Trey Mancini is batting second and playing first base for the Orioles' split-squad game against the Phillies at Ed Smith Stadium.
Tim Beckham is leading off. Anthony Santander is in left field.
For the Orioles Tim Beckham 3B Trey Mancini 1B Manny Machado SS Adam Jones CF Jonathan Schoop 2B Craig Gentry RF Anthony Santander LF Austin Hays DH Caleb Joseph C
Andrew Cashner RHP
Rule 5 pick Pedro Araujo, Mychal Givens and Darren O'Day are...
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are playing split-squad games against the Red Sox this afternoon in Fort Myers and the Phillies tonight in Sarasota, and the pitching creates interest in both halves.
Hunter Harvey makes his third start today after allowing two runs over four innings against the Rays and Twins. Andrew Cashner has graduated from simulated games and makes his first appearance tonight in the Grapefruit League since signing his two-year deal with the Orioles.
Colby Rasmus, Danny...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter has reached the point in Orioles camp when he begins to field questions about his opening day starter and the alignment of his rotation. It's an annual drill that usually unfolds during batting practice. He wanders over to the dugout area, provides injury updates and waits for it.
Showalter won't tip his hand this early. He's usually inclined to ask the media when it needs to know, saving it for a slow news day.
Spring results don't carry a lot of...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Pick your favorite Orioles home run in the first inning.
Manager Buck Showalter issued the challenge to the intimate media gathering following today's 13-5 win over the Pirates, then pointed out how Trey Mancini's two-run homer was hit into the wind in left-center field and bounced on the platform tower next to the batter's eye.
A big-boy shot for sure.
Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop launched balls into the left field picnic area off Pirates starter Chad Kuhl and the...
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles announced today that they reached agreements on one-year deals with 28 players who aren't eligible for arbitration. It's that time of the spring.
Here's the list:
Right-handers Pedro Araujo, Alec Asher, Dylan Bundy, Miguel Castro, Stefan Crichton, Mychal Givens, Hunter Harvey, David Hess, Jesus Liranzo, José Mesa Jr., Yefry Ramirez, Mike Wright Jr., Jimmy Yacabonis and Gabriel Ynoa.
Left-handers Richard Bleier, Nestor Cortes Jr., Donnie Hart, Chris Lee and...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles first baseman Chris Davis received a cortisone injection this morning in his right elbow in an attempt to reduce the inflammation and accelerate his return to the lineup.
Manager Buck Showalter emphasized that Davis hasn't experienced a setback.
"Nothing that's going to stretch that out any more, and if anything, we hope it shortens it," Showalter said.
According to Showalter, he hasn't been told anything about the injection that leads him to be concerned.
"Not...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Mark Trumbo is optimistic that his return to the Orioles' lineup is coming soon after a sore quadriceps muscle forced him into the training room.
Trumbo felt the discomfort last weekend and it increased while he was playing in Tuesday's game against the Twins in Fort Myers. Manager Buck Showalter, after talking to head athletic trainer Brian Ebel, said the injury could sideline Trumbo for about a week.
"It's showing some really good improvement. I like where it's going,"...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Anthony Santander gets another start in left field today and Colby Rasmus is leading off and playing right, as the Orioles host the Pirates.
Chris Davis remains out of the lineup. Trey Mancini is starting at first base.
Left-hander Jayson Aquino is making his first start as Gabriel Ynoa's replacement. Ynoa has been diagnosed with shin splints and will be unavailable for at least the next two weeks.
Available relievers include Richard Bleier, Donnie Hart, Brad Brach, Jimmy...
SARASOTA, Fla. - With the season opener less than three weeks away, the Orioles aren't any closer to deciding on a fifth starter for their rotation. However, the slim chances of Gabriel Ynoa winning the job turned to zero with yesterday's news that his shin splints will keep him out for at least two weeks.
The in-house candidates remain Mike Wright Jr., Miguel Castro and Rule 5 pick Nestor Cortes Jr. Any temptation to keep Hunter Harvey likely will be extinguished due to his failure to pitch...
DUNEDIN, Fla. - Chris Tillman will make his first Grapefruit League start on Tuesday against the Twins in Fort Myers. He's thrown a couple of simulated games.
Manager Buck Showalter has been shielding his main starters from division teams and the Twins, who provide the opposition on opening day at Camden Yards. With Tillman taking the mound on Tuesday, it's safe to assume that he won't debut in the regular season until the Orioles travel to Houston.
Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman and Andrew...
DUNEDIN, Fla. - Orioles pitcher Gabriel Ynoa will be out a minimum of two weeks with a "stress reaction" in his shins, likely eliminating him from consideration for a roster spot on opening day.
"It's not a stress fracture, just some inflammation," said manager Buck Showalter. "Luckily, they took the MRI and caught it. Could have turned into a stress fracture. But that's probably going to be two weeks minimum with Ynoa."
Ynoa was a longshot to win the fifth starter's job, but the...
DUNEDIN, Fla. - The Orioles have reduced their camp roster to 49 players this morning by reassigning right-handers Tim Melville and Asher Wojciechowski to the minor league complex.
Melville allowed two runs and four hits yesterday in 1 1/3 innings after two scoreless appearances covering four frames. Wojciechowski also pitched yesterday against the Blue Jays and surrendered two runs and four hits in two innings. He allowed four runs and 12 hits over 6 2/3 innings in his three outings.
Neither...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Right-hander Gabriel Ynoa is unable to make his scheduled start on Saturday against the Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium.
An MRI on Ynoa's shins revealed a "stress reaction," which we're told shouldn't be confused with a fracture.
Orioles manager Buck Showalter said yesterday that Ynoa has been bothered by shin splints, which led the team to arrange an MRI in the late afternoon. Ynoa is out of minor league options and competing for a spot in the rotation or bullpen.
Ynoa has...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Miguel Castro makes his first start today in the Grapefruit League and the Orioles make their only trip to Dunedin to play the Blue Jays.
Tim Beckham, Trey Mancini, Danny Valencia, Pedro Ãlvarez and Caleb Joseph also are on the trip. Valencia is starting at first base.
The bench includes Joey Rickard, Ryan Mountcastle, DJ Stewart, Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander, Austin Wynns, Andrew Susac, Engelb Vielma, Erick Salcedo and Corban Joseph.
Relievers available today include...
SARASOTA, Fla. - I've learned over the years that spring training exists to get players ready for the upcoming season, to determine how to plug holes in the roster and to give sportswriters a chance to post grainy photos and pretend to sympathize when it snows back home.
It also sharpens our skills at fitting a bar tab into our per diem.
Managers use the annual camps to do a little experimenting. Where else are you going to turn Trey Mancini into a left fielder and try to turn Pedro Ãlvarez...
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles will make two or three roster cuts Friday morning before their game against the Blue Jays in Dunedin.
There's no update on Gabriel Ynoa's MRI because it isn't scheduled until 5 p.m. He's bothered by shin splints.
Kevin Gausman will throw a simulated game Friday morning on Field 4, just as Andrew Cashner, Dylan Bundy and Chris Tillman have done the past three days.
The home-and-home series began today with the Orioles losing 9-3 at Ed Smith Stadium. Catcher...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Lacking a fastball that pops a catcher's mitt and pokes holes in bats, Nestor Cortes Jr. has to be extremely fine with his pitches. He has to hit his target, change speeds and arm angles, and rely on deception and a pitching IQ that's enabled him to win at various levels of the minors.
Cortes didn't miss many bats this afternoon and his quest to win the fifth starter's job took a hit.
The Orioles aren't done auditioning the first of their three Rule 5 picks, but Cortes...
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have reassigned reliever Perci Garner to minor league camp before today's game against the Blue Jays.
The camp roster is down to 51 players.
Garner tossed three scoreless and hitless innings in his three appearances, with two walks and two strikeouts. He made the trip to Port Charlotte yesterday and escaped a jam after a pair of two-out walks.
The Orioles signed Garner as a minor league free agent on Dec. 1 and he underwent arthroscopic surgery later in the month...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Chris Tillman threw 61 pitches over three innings in this morning's simulated game. The crowd included Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Darren O'Day and Zach Britton.
Mark Trumbo is unavailable due to a sore right quadriceps muscle. Manager Buck Showalter estimated, after talking to head athletic trainer Brian Ebel, that Trumbo could be out for three to seven days.
"We're probably going to give him time to get that completely healed," Showalter said. "He's got a quad going on...