Verrett: "I knew coming into spring training I couldn't just be throwing well"

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have two more games scheduled for today, with only the one in Bradenton counting in the Grapefruit League standings and stats.

Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen is making his third start. He's tossed five scoreless innings with only two hits allowed, one walk and three strikeouts.

Chen will attempt to join Ubaldo Jimenez as the only Orioles' starters to complete four innings.

Logan Verrett threw two scoreless innings yesterday and said he'll probably pitch again on Tuesday or Wednesday. He's getting positive results so far, which is imperative as a Rule 5 pick.

Verrett has allowed two runs, walked one and struck out eight in seven innings.

"I knew coming into spring training I couldn't just be throwing well. I also had to put up good numbers," he said. "You can be throwing well and get hit all around the park, you know? I've had a couple spring trainings like that in my past, so coming in from the offseason I knew that, yeah, you've got to come in ready to pitch like it's July and you're competing for a pennant. That was kind of my mindset and so far it's been pretty good."

Verrett is offering his own critique. The Orioles haven't given him a sense of his chances of making the club, which isn't unusual at this point in the exhibition schedule.

"It's all been pretty quiet, but I'm really not worried about that right now," he said. "I can only control what I can control and go out there and put up zeros every time I take the mound and try to get outs."

The running joke in camp involves the media's obsession with the other Rule 5 pick in camp, Jason Garcia, whose fastball touches the upper 90s. He hasn't pitched above low Single-A, but he's garnered more attention than Verrett, dating back to their appearances at the January minicamp.

Manager Buck Showalter alluded to it yesterday when I prefaced a question about Verrett in the following way:

Me: "I know you've been asked about him a lot."

Showalter: "Not really. It's been mostly Garcia."

Does Verrett, labeled as "more polished" than Garcia due to his Triple-A experience, feel as though he's been flying under the Sarasota radar?

"I really don't know," he said, again flashing one of the most pleasant personalities in the clubhouse.

"Jason's a great pitcher and I think he's got great stuff. I enjoy watching him pitch just as much as anybody, so I really don't put much stock in what questions people are asking who who's saying what. I like I said, all I can control is what I do when I get the ball and I'm out there on the mound. That's about as far as my thinking goes."