The Juan Pierre rumors (and Patton update)

I made the bold move of detaching myself from Twitter last night, so I'm playing catchup to all the Juan Pierre questions. For example: * Did the Orioles get Pierre? * Have you heard the Juan Pierre rumblings? Any hope of that trade happening? * Any truth to the Juan Pierre rumors? * Is there any truth to the Juan Pierre rumor? (that the O's have acquired him?) * Did the Orioles get Juan Pierre? What did they give up to get him? Is he going to play on Tuesday? Will he be batting leadoff? * Rumors floating around that #Orioles have acquired #JuanPierre. OK, the last one isn't a question, but I'm including it. My reputation for withholding news must be growing. The Orioles didn't trade for Juan Pierre yesterday, and as far as I know, they haven't traded for him today. His name has come up as executive vice president Dan Duquette checks on available outfielders. Duquette met with manager Buck Showalter before yesterday's game and I'm sure they continue to talk. But Pierre woke up a Phillie today and had lunch as a Phillie. He's still more of a cheesesteak guy than a crabcake guy. Duquette confirmed yesterday that he was considering players from inside and outside the organization, and later that morning, Showalter informed reporters that Endy Chavez would join the team on Tuesday. That takes care of the "inside" part. As for the Pierre rumor, a website apparently reported that the Orioles traded for him because, I'm told, he was scratched from the Phillies lineup. Well, he pinch-hit in Game 2 yesterday, and it wasn't for the Orioles. Pierre isn't in the Phillies lineup tonight, which will probably fuel more speculation. However, the Marlins are starting a left-hander, Wade LeBlanc. They also may prefer Ty Wigginton's defense in left field (I kid, I kid). Pierre makes sense for the Orioles because he could bat leadoff and he's hitting .304/.346/.364 with 34 stolen bases in 40 attempts. He has six hits in his last 15 at-bats. And the Orioles wouldn't have to give up much, since he wouldn't be eligible for the postseason roster. It's just a question of whether the Phillies are willing to part with Pierre for little in return. The two sides have been trade partners and former scouting director Joe Jordan is the Phillies' director of player development. It's not out of the realm of possibility with Nick Markakis undergoing surgery on this left thumb Tuesday in Sarasota and the Orioles trying to get into the playoffs for the first time since 1997. It could happen. It just didn't happen yesterday or this afternoon. As Showalter says, we'll see. NOTE: Reliever Troy Patton, on the disabled list with a sprained right ankle, threw off a regular mound today in Sarasota. Patton threw off a flat mound and half mound on Friday. Today was his first time on a regular mound since sustaining the injury. Patton made it through today's session without any issues, and he's scheduled for another one on Wednesday. There's still no timetable for his return. The Orioles currently have three left-handers in their bullpen: Brian Matusz, Randy Wolf and Zach Phillips.