O's game blog: Dan Duquette and Gary Rajsich talk draft

The Orioles are in the midst of a week's worth of pre-draft meetings. The First-Year Player Draft will be held over 40 rounds and three days beginning Monday.

The Orioles have the No. 21 selection in round one, their highest pick since taking right-hander Kevin Gausman fourth overall out of LSU in 2012. They have three other top 100 picks, with selections at Nos. 60, 74 and 98. The Orioles will have 11 picks in the top 10 rounds.

Today, Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette and scouting director Gary Rajsich updated reporters on draft preparations.

The No. 74 pick for the Orioles is a selection in competitive-balance round B and can be traded right up until the draft. Competitive-balance picks are the only draft picks that can be traded. The Orioles have dealt them away before, but it appears they will keep theirs this year.

"As of today we are planning on utilizing that pick to stock our farm system and draw from that pool of players to help our major league team," Duquette said.

"If you look at our major league team, we have players on it that were premium drafts. Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Manny (Machado), they were all taken in the top five. Adam Jones, J.J. Hardy, I think they were taken in the second round, Seth Smith also a second round pick. Chris Davis was, I think, around a sixth-round pick, and the most recent draft pick to come up to our team, Trey Mancini, was an eighth-round pick. Players come from all different rounds of the draft. Mychal Givens was taken in the second round as a position player and he ended emerging as a top reliever. There are players coming from all over the board that can end up playing in the big leagues."

The draft meetings are taking place this week in the warehouse.

"We've got about 20 people in," Duquette said. "They are focused very acutely on the pitching and we are going to try and find some good solid pitching depth. Also, they are focused on position players but they spent a lot of time this week on pitching. We need a lot of good pitchers in the American League East to face lineups with great depth. We are looking forward to the draft with four picks in the top 100."

Duquette was asked if there is pressure on the front office and scouts to hit on draft picks.

"If you do a good job, I kind of liken it to opening presents on Christmas Day for the organization. If you get some good players in the draft, you should have some good talent that will be an asset to the club for years. If you bring up a player or two every year from your farm system to help your club, to me you have a healthy and productive farm system. That's what we're aiming to do with the Orioles, bring up a couple of players each year to help the club remain competitive in the East. The crux of those players are going to come from the player draft," he said.

Rajsich said the team is trying to pare down a list it is currently working from of players who might be available with that 21st pick.

"We are trying to get all the information we can about the guys we think might be in our range for our pick. Obviously, there are several we know will be picked before. We are trying to hone in on the five or six guys that might be available to us. And what some of our options are by taking each one," he said.

Rajsich said the team is prepared to take players from the Baltimore area and/or Maryland if the spot is right to take them with a certain selection.

"We look especially hard at local guys. We do. And we would like to take them if it works out. If they're in the right spot on the board at the right time to take them, we are happy to do that. We like local talent and there are a few of them this year," Rajsich added.

As for tonight's game: The pitching matchup seems favorable to the Orioles as they start left-hander Wade Miley (2-3, 2.82 ERA) against Pittsburgh right-hander Chad Kuhl (1-5, 6.02 ERA).

Miley ranks fifth in the American League in ERA. Over his last three starts, he has gone seven innings twice with a 2.37 ERA. In five home starts, Miley is 1-2 but with an ERA of 1.01, which ranks as lowest in the AL among those with five home starts. He gave up one run over seven innings in his last start against Boston.

Kuhl has just two quality starts in 11 games this year and none over his past eight outings. In his last five starts, he is 0-3 with a 6.56 ERA and has thrown five innings or less five times. He has a 7.36 ERA in the first inning and 8.44 in the second.

The Orioles' win in 10 innings last night was their fifth walk-off win of the season, and they are 20-10 at home and 5-2 in games against National League opponents. They are now 10-1 in series openers at home. They wrap up a nine-game homestand tonight and will have a 6-3 record if they can win tonight.