Observations on the expanded roster, a missing person and team chemistry

The clubhouse is getting more crowded today with the arrivals of reliever Ryan Webb, outfielder Quintin Berry and catcher Steve Clevenger. Left-hander T.J. McFarland returned yesterday, but he won't be recalled until this afternoon.

Berry is the only real newcomer. The trade for Alejandro De Aza, another left-handed hitting, plus defensive outfielder with speed didn't impact Berry as the Orioles expanded their roster.

You've seen the list of call-ups and players on the taxi squad in Sarasota. The most glaring omission is infielder Steve Lombardozzi, whose name isn't found anywhere.

Cord Phelps and Jimmy Paredes rated ahead of Lombardozzi, who doesn't figure to remain on the 40-man roster through the winter. He could be on the move again.

The Orioles weren't bringing back Jemile Weeks, but they were able to package him with Ivan DeJesus Jr. and get Kelly Johnson and Michael Almanzar in return from the Red Sox. Well done.

I need to take a longer look at Paredes. He had a bad day at third base yesterday, but I saw him make a couple of fine plays earlier in the series.

He's not Manny Machado. Let's not put that kind of pressure on anyone. Machado's bat is missed, but his glove is missed a whole lot more. There's going to be a void at third base.

I'm wondering how many more starts Delmon Young will receive in left field. Manager Buck Showalter likes his bat in the lineup and he wants to keep Nelson Cruz's legs fresh by using him often as the designated hitter, but defense always matters and the Orioles sought an upgrade by obtaining De Aza.

David Lough didn't hit enough to work his way into at least a platoon role, reducing him to defensive replacement status, but it's worth noting that he went 4-for-10 with a double and triple in July and 7-for-21 with a double in August. He's batting .345/.387/.414 in the second half, though we're talking about only 33 plate appearances.

I'm going to point out something next that means the world to some fans and absolutely nothing to others. Pick a side.

This is an extremely close-knit group at Camden Yards. Tight friendships that reach all corners of the clubhouse.

One player walks in wearing a football jersey and a teammate lights up and claims to own the same one in another color. A pitcher throws a bullpen session and the rest of the staff comes along to watch and offer support. Jokes are cracked and hugs come easily, as if they haven't seen each other for months instead of hours.

Joe Saunders leaves, comes back and is treated like family. Berry will feel the love later today.

I've become more aware of these gestures, visible to anyone who steps inside the clubhouse, and they extend to the manager's office.

Showalter approved of the trades that were made Saturday night, but also sensitive to how they would be received by players who may be impacted. He put Lough and Ryan Flaherty in Sunday's lineup and they played major roles in the victory.

"I thought it was important to start those two guys, especially after the trades," Showalter said. "Just a way of not only talking to them, but let them know how much we respect what they've done for this club."

Does anyone have more respect for Nick Markakis than his manager?

"He's such a self-starter and so consistent, but once you get to know him you understand why, especially when you're around his mom and dad, and the kind of father and husband he is," Showalter said yesterday when asked about the right fielder.

"Nick gets it. He gets what this is all about. I see how genuinely he takes happiness from the Orioles doing well. That sounds kind of corny, but he's a pretty sincere guy. Teammates really respect what he does. You look at what he's done, he sneaks up on a lot of people. Look at some of those stat sheets and all-time hits leaders in Baltimore history; it gets your attention. And if it doesn't, I try to get it up there where somebody will notice it. Sometimes, we don't completely grasp what we're watching here, OK?"

Showalter has an open-door policy with his players and Markakis is a frequent visitor.

"He always kids me because I'll ask him after a night game - he might have had two or three scuffle games - and I'll go, 'Hey, need a day tomorrow? What are you thinking?' " Showalter said. "He always goes, 'No,' and he gets three hits the next day.

"He came in my office the other day. I walk out of the office and he's standing there. Scared the hell out of me. He goes, 'You didn't ask me. You didn't ask me.' I said, 'What do you mean?' And he said, 'No, I'm fine' and walked out. He got hits the first three times up. Every one, he'd get to first and look over at the dugout at me and go (nods head).

"He does so many things that I wish everybody could see. But he doesn't drop his guard. And understandably why. It's pretty entertaining. I feel bad in a way that you guys don't get to see it as much. He's fun."

The CC Sabathia fastball that crushed Markakis' thumb in September 2012 and kept him out of the playoffs still irks Showalter, as if his own son were harmed.

"Still bothers me and how it happened and why it happened," Showalter said. "You don't ever say it, but that was as big a kick in the you-know-whats as anything with that whole situation. But it also kind of reminded all of us how fleeting it can all be in a day's time, whether it's (Matt) Wieters or (Steve) Pearce or whether it's Manny. The game doesn't stop. It goes right on."

Ubaldo Jimenez provides another example of the closeness and the support. He's having a nightmarish season after signing that four-year, $50 million contract. I have no doubt that his inability to throw strikes tested the patience of the guys playing behind him, but they still have his back.

Caleb Joseph caught Jimenez Sunday afternoon and suffered right along with him.

"It's been a while since he's pitched," Joseph said. "I was trying to tell some family members a few days ago that it's like not getting an at-bat for a week and going in there and trying to hit a home run. I thought his action was really good, I thought the ball was coming out of his hand really nice. It's just one of those things where he's going to have an outing where he does well and really tries to build on that outing.

"We're all behind him. There's not one guy here who doesn't understand what he's going through. Everybody at some point has kind of been going through what he's going through, so we're 100 percent behind him. We want him to succeed just as much as he does. It's just kind of a rough patch right now and hopefully we can give him some more opportunities to get out there and get the ball rolling."

Jimenez heard the booing as he walked off the mound in the ninth inning, four of the five Twins reaching base against him. Joseph hurt for him.

"Sure, of course," Joseph said. "We're like a family in here and you don't want anybody to ever struggle on your team. You want to try to do whatever you can to support and help through the struggles.

"Guys were picking me up every day when I was 1-for-29 or whatever. Guys would say, 'Hey, it's OK,' and those are the type of people that, when they're talking to you, your teammates, those are the conversations that really lift you up. Your parents and your friends can say whatever they want, but when your teammates are the ones supporting you, that's what makes it special, so we can try to do that for him, And he can come around. He's going to come around. We believe in him."