SARASOTA, Fla. - After a nice stretch of home cooking, the Orioles hit the road again for another game played under the lights. The clubhouse opens to the media at 2 p.m. and I'll be Tampa-bound about an hour later for tonight's matchup with the Yankees. Since Jeremy Guthrie is getting his innings at the minor league complex, the Orioles will dip into their bullpen for tonight's game. Jim Johnson, Rick VandenHurk, Mark Hendrickson, Michael Gonzalez, David Riske and Clay Rapada are making...

Nationals catching prospects Sandy Leon and David Freitas are getting their work in at the accelerated camp after completing very solid 2010 seasons, Leon with the Single-A Hagerstown Suns and Freitas with the Short-Season Single-A Vermont Lake Monsters. Leon made notable progress with Hagerstown in 2010, playing in 98 games and accruing 325 at-bats. Leon hit .249 with 10 doubles, six triples a pair of homers with 36 RBIs. Last week, his name came up when I spoke to Sammy Solis and he talked...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles didn't go down quietly in the ninth, scoring four runs in a 14-8 loss to the Astros before 5,262. Robert Andino hit a two-run homer, Nolan Reimold and Michel Hernandez doubled, and Ryan Adams stroked an RBI single. Manager Buck Showalter noted that Brad Bergesen's command "wasn't real good." "He had one good inning. Got his work in, got his pitch count up a little bit. We'd like to see him be a little more sharp, but at this stage of spring training,...

SARASOTA, Fla. - That escalated quickly. I mean, that really got out of hand fast. It jumped up a notch. The Astros lead the Orioles, 14-4, in the ninth. They're outhitting the Orioles, 15-4. Ryan Drese was charged with five runs and seven hits in three innings. That's no way to compete for a starting job. Kevin Gregg talked about the mechanical adjustment, which didn't prevent him from serving up Brett Wallace's grand slam. (Is it just me, or has Wallace already played for half the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Kevin Gregg allowed five runs (four earned) and three hits, with one walk, in one-third of an inning. Brett Wallace hit a grand slam, and Wynn Pelzer replaced Gregg after a runner reached on an error. Pelzer had his own issues, surrendering a two-run double to Brian Bogusevic and hitting J.R. Towles. Gregg explained later that he made a mechanical adjustment that pitching coach Mark Connor recommended. Gregg was focused on leaning forward, rather than staying back, to get...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Brad Bergesen was pulled from today's game after four innings and 52 pitches, 26 for strikes. Bergesen faced the minimum number of batters through 3 1/3 innings despite two four-pitch walks, but he allowed back-to-back singles, a sacrifice fly by Jason Michaels and Bill Hall's two-run homer. Astros 3, Orioles 1. Bergesen walked two and struck out one. In his last three starts, Bergesen has allowed nine earned runs and 16 hits, and walked five, in 9 2/3 innings. Kevin...

SARASOTA, Fla. - I vowed to withhold this blog entry until Jake Fox's ball landed, but I don't have all day. Fox crushed a 1-1 pitch from Astros starter Aneury Rodriguez and cleared everything in left field. Pretty much everything in Sarasota. Fox's fifth spring home run gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead. He also has eight RBIs. Manager Buck Showalter gave Fox a start behind the plate and has been rewarded in multiple ways. Fox also threw out Bill Hall trying to steal to end the second...

SARASOTA, Fla. - I passed along a few quotes from manager Buck Showalter this morning before heading to the clubhouse. Here are a few more: On the results of Justin Duchscherer's MRA and Brian Roberts' MRI: "With him and Robby, there wasn't anything new going on there, but that doesn't mean everything is fine. There's still things that have been a challenge for both of them." On whether Duchscherer has been eliminated from the opening day rotation: "Not yet. But it's certainly in...

SARASOTA, Fla. - First baseman Derrek Lee said his wrist felt good after hitting soft tosses, and he'll take live batting practice tomorrow. "It'll be a good test," he said. "If it feels good off coaches' BP, then it won't be much longer before I'm in a game. I just want to make sure I get it right so I can be out here with these guys when it counts." And when will that happen? "No, I am not saying. I got in trouble (with that) last time," he said, grinning. "The doctor gave me...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Second baseman Brian Roberts returned to the clubhouse after visiting a back specialist today. He described his back as feeling "much better, definitely. Quite a bit better." And he remains hopeful of starting the April 1 opener after assuring reporters following yesterday's MRI that the discomfort wasn't related to his herniated disk. "Saw the doc today and got good, encouraging news, so I'll start to try to progress starting today," Roberts said. "He just said that...