More notes before today's home exhibition opener

SARASOTA, Fla. - Left-hander T.J. McFarland and right-hander Dylan Bundy will follow starter Kevin Gausman to the mound today in the Orioles' home exhibition opener against the Tigers.

Mike Wright is listed as the Orioles' starter Friday against the Blue Jays in Dunedin. Toronto is starting knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.

Another reminder that left-hander Wei-Yin Chen and Miguel Gonzalez are starting the two split-squad games on Thursday. The Rays are starting Nathan Karns in Port Charlotte and the Jays are starting left-hander Daniel Norris in Sarasota.

Here's the Tigers lineup for today's game:

Anthony Gose DH
Jose Iglesias SS
J.D. Martinez RF
Nick Castellanos 3B
Aaron Westlake 1B
Bryan Holaday C
Daniel Fields CF
Hernan Perez 2B
Andrew Romine LF

Anibal Sanchez RHP

Eddie Gamboa may want to study Dickey on Friday. Not a bad idea to send him to Dunedin.

Gamboa agreed with manager Buck Showalter that he should have thrown more knuckleballs yesterday. He gave up an RBI triple to Gose and three-run homer to Westlake on fastballs.

"Absolutely, I need to start doing it more," Gamboa said this morning. "I've been throwing it for two years now, so I should be able to have a good groove for it. Not yet. That's my primary pitch and that's why I'm here. The more I can throw it, the better, and I know it's going to get better with more experience.

"I got beat yesterday with fastballs, which is a terrible situation, but in a weird way, I'm happy to kind of get through that experience, so I can prepare myself for what's the come in the future, and that's going to be throw as may knuckleballs as I can.

"The first two hits were fastballs down the middle. They were two-seamers that didn't want to move and they got crushed along with the home run, too. I had two other pitches that I didn't really throw very much yesterday and for the most part, it was fastballs and knuckleballs and those were the ones I got beat on.

"It was first time out and it didn't go as we wanted to, but that's what we're here for. We're here to get better and hopefully I can do that."

Gamboa reverted back over the winter to throwing the knuckler about 50 percent of the time. The Orioles had him at 80 percent last season.

"As a pitcher you always go to your comfort, and for me I've been throwing fastballs and changeups for 20 years now, so it's hard to go to something you're unsure whether you can throw it for a strike or not. And for this spring, that's what I'm going to have to do, get used to it and get comfortable with it," Gamboa said.

"I've got to find a medium where I could throw the knuckleball as consistently as possible around the strike zone and that's going to be the ultimate goal for me this year and the future."

Gamboa's best shot to reach the majors is with the knuckleball, the reason Showalter wanted him to convert a few years ago.

"I'm here to try to help the team any way I can," Gamboa said. "I know that in the future, and even now, my future is going to be with the knuckleball and that's a big reason I'm here. I'm trying to perfect it the best I can and help the team however I possibly can."

He's getting the necessary help along with way, including sessions with Hall of Famer Phil Niekro.

"He's come in and worked with me," Gamboa said. "Steven Wright and I are represented by the same agency and he's a phone call away. R.A. Dickey, I've been able to have a brief conversation with him and text back and forth. It's nice to have them. It's a small fraternity, but we're all kind of in our own little worlds right now. Everybody's getting ready for the season, so I try not to bother anybody and try to figure it out with the coaching staff that we have here.

"The coaches we have here are unbelievable. They have experience with knuckleballers. Mike Griffin's had a couple knuckleballers of his own, so he can work with me. Even in the minor leagues with Blaine Beatty, he really helped me out when I was in Bowie.

"Everything's here. Same way with Showalter. He had R.A. Dickey for the longest time with the Rangers and that's why I'm here, to try to perfect that pitch and try to get out of my comfort zone a little bit and try to be the best I can be with the knuckleball."