Today's game, Young and Pearce

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are using two starters for today's game against the Tigers in Lakeland, one of the longest trips on the spring training schedule.

Not many roads, but lots of miles.

I'll say that the Tigers feed the media quite well, and we mostly use our stomachs to judge the camps. But there may be a revolt if they don't find more seats in their press box for visiting reporters.

I won't sit on anyone's lap. Not this time.

Chris Tillman will take the mound first, followed by Kevin Gausman. Manager Buck Showalter wants Tommy Hunter to work an inning, which should cover the entire game if it ends in regulation.

The Orioles get David Price, Joe Nathan and Joakim Soria.

Tillman has allowed one run, walked two and struck out 12 in nine spring innings. I'm including three innings against ... wait for it ... Puerto Rico Development Program.

(I'm not sure whether I've spent more time writing "the" or "Puerto Rico Development Program" in my spring training blog entries. Anyone willing and able to count for me?)

Gausman's last two outings have come against a Pirates B team and a Red Sox Single-A team. He was due to get back into the Grapefruit League, even in a relief role.

Delmon Young mentioned yesterday how he's been making lots of road trips - he welcomes the at-bats and opportunities to play in the outfield - so he may stay in the lineup today in Lakeland.

Young collected three hits on Tuesday and he homered yesterday. He also made a nice play in right-center field, running down a line drive from the Blue Jays' Justin Smoak.

"Delmon's a better outfielder than people give him credit for," Showalter said. "He's running as good as he ever has. He came in here with that in mind, to remind us.

"I was looking at his grades the other day when he came out as a free agent. He's running like that again, he's throwing. He's an above-average thrower.

"Delmon is an option for us in the outfield. He's not a pure DH and that was one of the reasons why we wanted to bring him back. He's a little better out there than people think he is. It may not always look aesthetically pleasing, but tell me one time last year where you went, 'Wow, that really hurt.' He takes a lot of pride in it."

Steve Pearce is a Lakeland native and Showalter planned on checking whether he wanted to make the trip. Pearce is batting .351 in 12 games and leads the club with five home runs, proving that he refuses to ease up despite having a guaranteed spot on the roster.

"We knew it wouldn't change the way he approached it, but I think coming into spring training having some peace of mind that he's going to be on the club when the season starts has been good for him," Showalter said. "I've actually seen him working a little more smarter and not always more, more, I've got to get somebody's attention every day. He knows that we know what he can bring and he's established himself here.

"He's a guy you're always trying to figure out a way to get him in the lineup. He's picked up right where he's left off. The want-to part hasn't changed at all. He understands he's 31, 32 and he's going to be on our club and he's got to be there for the long haul. Some of the challenges he's had in the past physically have been a lot because of all the work he did to take advantage of that one at-bat he might get somewhere to impress somebody.

"There was a short-hopped ball and he came and got the easy short-hop, where a lot of guys kind of lay back and maybe get a bad hop out of it. I commented to Cooley (hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh) in the dugout that Stevie hits the same way. He sees something, he's going after it. He's firing. He's not ever going to let the game play him. He's going to play the game."

And hearing "play the game" is going to make me think of a Queen song and album, which means I'm getting punchy after five weeks in spring training.