Lindstrom nearing return to mound

Reliever Matt Lindstrom, on the disabled list since May 11 with a slightly torn ligament in his right middle finger, played catch from 60 to 100 feet today at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. He's scheduled to throw batting practice on Saturday and pitch in at least two Gulf Coast League games. He also could report to Double-A Bowie before finally being activated. The Orioles are hopeful that he returns before the All-Star break that begins July 9. Joel Pineiro (shoulder) threw four innings today in a simulated game in Sarasota, followed by left-hander Dontrelle Willis (forearm), who pitched the last five. They had no complaints regarding their health, according to Orioles manager Buck Showalter. Pineiro is scheduled to start a Gulf Coast League game on Tuesday. Eventually, he'll return to Triple-A Norfolk. The same is expected of Willis, who is working out as a starter. How the Tides make room in their rotation is anyone's guess. Outfielder Nolan Reimold (herniated disk in neck) underwent his MRI today. The Orioles are waiting for the results. Right fielder Nick Markakis will accompany the Orioles on their road trip in Atlanta and New York. Tomorrow will be two weeks since his surgery to remove a broken piece of hamate bone from his right wrist. Markakis' goal is to be activated during the next homestand. He had the stitches removed earlier this week and the Orioles' medical staff is trying to keep the scar tissue down to a minimum. Showalter won't set a target date for Markakis' return. He indicated that Markakis probably would need to go on a rehab assignment to get some at-bats. Showalter said Chris Davis, who's serving again as the Orioles' designated hitter, will get some starts at first base and perhaps in left field. He could end up at those positions on double-switches while the Orioles are playing by National League rules in their next six games. EyeBlack has teamed-up with the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) to assist the organization with awareness and fundraising efforts by producing "Keep Dad in the Game" EyeBlack for Father's Day. PCF is the world's leading philanthropic organization funding and accelerating research for prostate cancer. "Keep Dad in the Game" is PCF's official tagline used for their annual Home Run Challenge Father's Day fundraising initiative. With support from Major League Baseball, PCF's Home Run Challenge has become one of the organization's biggest annual campaigns producing close to $40 million in funding to date. Additional information for the campaign can be found at HomeRunChallenge.org. For the partnership, EyeBlack is producing patented PCF branded sets which will be used by PCF Founder and Chairman Michael Milken, as well as some of baseball's greatest players and managers during their stadium tour which begins on June 7 at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif. Joining Michael Milken on the 2012 tour will be Tommy Lasorda, Joe Torre, Tim Salmon, Eric Karros, Goose Gossage and more. EyeBlack will also be selling "Keep Dad in the Game" EyeBlack product on www.EyeBlack.com, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting PCF.