Norris: "There's a bigger buzz in the clubhouse, for sure"

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles pitcher Bud Norris is celebrating his 30th birthday today. He's used to being in spring training for the occasion and much prefers spending it in Sarasota after training with the Astros in Kissimmee.

"My girlfriend's here and her birthday was yesterday," Norris said.

Norris isn't certain when he's scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut, but he's ready.

"You work a lot of the offseason to get your body in shape, but really for the pitchers and catchers our first couple weeks is really to get our baseball legs back under us," Norris said. "I feel great. I'm excited to get back out there and we're excited to start playing baseball games again and not just have all these practices. It's time for another good year.

"I've had three side sessions already. I have one more I think on Thursday and go from there. Now, it's like putting the training wheels back on. You're really trying to teach yourself to get through it and I feel good."

Norris won a career-high 15 games last season and the Orioles reached the American League Championship Series. Two solid reasons why he's eager to get back on the mound.

"There's a bigger buzz in the clubhouse, for sure - personally and for the team and the city," Norris said. "We know what we accomplished last year. We've had a couple talks with just the group to talk about what we really want to accomplish and play two more weeks of baseball.

"We understand we've just got to take it one day at a time down here, but I'm excited to get it going again. This is a great group of core guys that helped us every day get better and that's what we're looking to do again and expand on the season we had last year and go all the way."

The rotation is intact and includes six candidates for five spots. The only question on Norris is where he'll be slotted.

"We're all going to take advances in our personal careers," Norris said. "(Kevin) Gausman has another year under his belt, (Wei-Yin) Chen has another year under his belt, Miggy (Miguel Gonzalez) has another year under his belt, and (Chris) Tillman, too, for that matter. We're excited for everybody to get back out there and learn and figure it out again.

"That's why we have such a great rotation with six guys for five spots, pushing each other every day, and we know that it's not going to be a free ride. Everybody pushes everybody and that's makes it a lot more fun, too."

Norris is one of 11 Orioles who can test free agency after the season. He won't let it become a distraction. That's why he's got an agent, to handle the business side of the game.

"You have to," Norris said. "What makes it easy is knowing we have a winning team around here and that the ultimate goal is to win a World Series. When you're focused on winning, that's the only focus you need and that's the only one you should have. My job is to go out there and pitch every fifth day, give my team an opportunity to win games and what happens happens. It's out of my hands and I just want to go play baseball. That's what it's about.

"We have an opportunity to do something very special again this season and that's what we're looking forward to."

Manager Buck Showalter said he knew Norris would make the rotation last spring, though he didn't broadcast it. There's certainly no doubt about 2015.

"Bud had some success in Houston before he got here, but I think he's established himself with his teammates as much as our fans that he's the guy we'd like to think we can count on, and he's got some track record now," Showalter said.

"I think Bud really with the changeup last season, which was a point of emphasis in the spring, you look back at the number of changeups he used in that playoff game (in the Division Series), how important it was, and it's gotten better since then. It might be a pitch that could help take him to another level.

"We've got guys like him and Tillman, some guys that still have another level they could go to. Bud is an athletic, competitive-driven guy. The endgame is pretty good."

Norris came up big in his first playoff start, shutting out the Tigers on two hits over 6 1/3 innings at Comerica Park to clinch the Division Series.

"I think when you pitch in that arena and that stage that he did last year at the end and present yourself like he did, I don't care if you're 31 or 21, there's a little voice in your head that really keeps you steady in how you feel about yourself and knowing what's there," Showalter said.

Norris' motor runs fast, as evidenced by his interviews, but he didn't speed out of control while faced with the pressure of a playoff start.

"I think that's why the changeup has been such a challenge for him, because it doesn't fit his personality at all," Showalter quipped.

"I wouldn't be honest if I said that I knew exactly what he was going to do. Until you're in that arena and until you're on that stage ... To get that return, usually you get a nice return for that the rest of their career when you're on that stage and handle it. He was pretty calm. Of course, I'm pretty confident and calm about the things that we think we're good at and Bud thinks he's pretty good."