No place like home opener for Orioles

Has anyone checked weather.com lately?

Warmer temperatures, wetter conditions. That pretty much sums it up.

The last time I looked, the heaviest rain arrives at 3 p.m., right around first pitch for the Orioles' home opener against the Blue Jays. But it eases up later in the day and I'm sure the club will do everything possible to avoid a potential doubleheader on Saturday.

Bud Norris is 4-0 with a 2.36 ERA in six starts against the Blue Jays. He's now 10-3 with a 3.58 ERA in 18 starts at Camden Yards. It just made sense to run him out there today.

Jose Reyes is 10-for-28 (.357) against Norris. Dioner Navarro is 5-for-14 (.357) with a double and home run. Jose Bautista is 1-for-13 with five strikeouts.

The Orioles sent Norris home a day early while completing their series against the Rays in St. Petersburg.

"I was moving into my apartment and unpacking boxes," Norris said. "I don't have a wife to do that, so that was all on me. But I appreciated Buck (Showalter) letting me get back here and get settled a little bit so I can get two good nights of sleep. I'll be ready to go."

Left-hander Mark Buehrle is 8-10 with a 3.57 ERA in 24 games against the Orioles. He's 3-5 with a 4.24 ERA in 11 games at Camden Yards.

Delmon Young figures to be the designated hitter today. He's 21-for-50 (.420) with two doubles, four home runs and nine RBIs against Buehrle. Center fielder Adam Jones is 11-for-31 with two doubles, a home run and five RBIs. Jonathan Schoop is 3-for-8 (.375) with a double and home run.

Ryan Lavarnway is 3-for-6 with a double. Caleb Joseph is 2-for-4 with a home run. Steve Pearce is 2-for-5 with two doubles. Everth Cabrera is 3-for-4.

You may have noticed that the current Orioles hit Buehrle. They're .398/.430/.633 against him.

Travis Snider is 2-for-3, but he may sit against a left-hander, with Pearce playing right field in his place.

Jones is still getting comfortable with Snider in right instead of Nick Markakis. They bumped into each other while chasing a fly ball at Tropicana Field, but still recorded the out.

"We're professionals, so we have to figure out how to play with each other," Jones said yesterday before the workout. "Obviously, I have to know his range and his speed. He can cover a lot of ground. I didn't realize how fast he is and how much ground he covers.

"You see we had a little synchronized tumble the other night. It was pretty funny. We both didn't know that we had both tumbled, which was pretty cool. But he's aggressive out there and I told him to be aggressive. Don't mind me. If you think you have a beat on the ball, don't be afraid of it. And we put in the time, so I think we have pretty good communication."

The Orioles are trying to get into more of a routine that matches the regular season.

"This is the first time we haven't put on sunscreen every day," Showalter said. "First time you're not up at 5 o'clock in the morning and 10 toes up at 9 o'clock at night. You finally get into that schedule and get into that routine."

Fans will pack the ballpark today no matter the conditions. The Orioles covet a home-field advantage, but they also know that they have to earn it.

"It's not their responsibility," Showalter said. "We've got to give them something to pull for, OK? You've got to deliver the goods.

"I told them all along, 'If we're competitive day in and day out and you play the game the way they can be proud of, you won't have a more loyal following that will be there for you through thick and thin.' To hear our people in Tampa Bay at the games and in spring training, our guys hear that. We travel well. But all along, that's been our responsibility to do something that they want to pull for and be a part of and trust.

"We take that trust and it's fleeting if you don't stay on it. Don't ever take it for granted."