Orioles set to play first home exhibition game

SARASOTA, Fla. - Now comes the home portion of the exhibition schedule. And it's the Braves' turn to make the two-hour drive from Disney.

Ask them later if it's really a small world after all.

Ubaldo Jimenez takes the mound for the Orioles and could go two innings if his pitch count allows it. Mike Wright threw 27 yesterday, but only eight in the second.

The Braves are countering with right-hander Aaron Blair, 23, the 36th overall selection by the Diamondbacks in the 2013 draft out of Marshall University.

Blair was part of the Dec. 9, 2015 trade that sent pitcher Shelby Miller to Arizona. He's a non-roster invitee to camp. He was 6-3 with a 2.70 ERA in 13 starts last year with Double-A Mobile and 7-2 with a 3.16 ERA in 13 games (12 starts) at Triple-A Reno.

Zach Britton also will pitch today. He's looked outstanding in bullpen sessions and an intrasquad game, his stuff so nasty that it should come with an NC-17 rating.

Britton threw 11 of 15 pitches for strikes in the intrasquad game. He stayed on the mound for four outs, inducing three ground balls and striking out Xavier Avery.

Poor Avery walked back to the bench and muttered to the baseball gods about the cruelty in getting his first spring at-bat against Britton.

Dariel Alvarez started in center field yesterday, but he'll step aside for Adam Jones today. Though he grounded out in both trips to the plate, manager Buck Showalter found the silver linings. Alvarez left his free-swinging ways back in Sarasota.

"Alvarez had some good, patient at-bats today," Showalter said. "That was good to see. Something he knows he really wants to focus on here."

Alvarez displayed the same patience last spring, but it didn't transfer to Triple-A Norfolk. He needs to break camp without breaking the habit.