Notes from today's final full workout

SARASOTA, Fla. - Ubaldo Jimenez is scheduled to work two innings in Tuesday's exhibition opener against the Tigers in Lakeland, Fla.

The travel squad will include infielder Drew Dosch, outfielder Julio Borbon and pitcher Mychal Givens from minor league camp.

Manager Buck Showalter said Pat Connaughton, the Orioles' fourth-round pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft who plays for the Notre Dame men's basketball team, has been throwing to stay sharp and get his arm ready for minor league camp.

Connaughton allowed four earned runs (nine total) in 14 1/3 innings last year at short-season Single-A Aberdeen.

Left-hander Brian Gonzalez, the Orioles' first pick (third round), has lost 26 pounds in the past year.

"He's really had a great offseason," Showalter said, adding that Gonzalez may be summoned from minor league camp to sit in the dugout for a game.

Miguel Gonzalez worked out again with vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson over the winter in California. Showalter has noticed the change in Gonzalez's physique.

"I don't know if you all tapped on him, but he's like a rock," Showalter said. "He's got a goal of pitching 200 innings this year because that's been the one kind of bugaboo on him. Miggy's not the type of guy to talk about this, but his whole offseason he spent a lot of time with Brady. I hit him the other day and it was like hitting a rock. His body fat is actually down and his weight's up.

"The wear and tear, he's always had a couple spots where he's needed a DL period or miss a start. He's very upfront. If you know Miggy's personality, it's not like he's shirking a responsibility. If we can stay away from that, he could go to another level physically. He's done everything he can to be there for us every fifth day.

"He was pretty good last year, but the one thing he's missing is that durability."

Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen said he's making his first exhibition start on Thursday. Gonzalez said he's pitching in the night split-squad game in Sarasota, which puts Chen in Port Charlotte for the day game against the Rays.

Showalter was much happier with the crispness of today's workout after noticing that the group appeared more "uneven" a couple of days ago.

"We're ready as we'll ever be," Showalter said.

"I thought the day before yesterday we had like a spring training lull day. We knew the (intrasquad) game would be a little better and we knew today being the last day, we tried to really crisp it up a little bit. They've heard enough. It's time."

Showalter marveled at the plays made in the field during the intrasquad game.

"That's about as good a defensive game as you'll ever see in the first organized game," Showalter said. "I think we counted five or six plays that in a college baseball game would have been easy base hits and nobody would have said anything about them.

"I'm glad that Everth (Cabrera) and Jayson Nix and (Rey) Navarro and everybody got exposed to that yesterday because that's a pretty high level you want to hold up your end on."

Showalter confirmed that Paul Janish will take ground balls on Tuesday.

"Bobby (Dickerson) and him will go out in the morning. That won't be a challenge for him," Showalter said.

"I think he's got a good chance to be ready to start the season and he might even get in some things here before it's over. I know he's planning on it. I told Bobby I want to watch it a little bit."

The Orioles aren't permitted to work out the day before their April 6 season opener against the Rays at Tropicana Field. It's a mandatory off day.

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