Wrapping up a 10-6 loss

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles were outscored 23-8 today while losing both split-squad games to the Twins in Fort Myers and the Rays at Ed Smith Stadium.

Now comes the glass that's half full.

"The guys that look like they've got a chance to be on our club are pitching well. That's good to see," said manager Buck Showalter.

"Zach (Britton) threw the ball well again. What did he give up, five or six groundballs? Darren (O'Day) made his first appearances. (Pedro) Beato's thrown the ball well. He's been impressive."

The same is true of Rule 5 outfielder Joey Rickard, who doubled twice tonight in a 10-6 loss. He also played a solid left field.

"He's been impressive," Showalter said. "I think it's obvious that he's a good defender. He's a guy, turns 24 during the year, sometimes timing is everything. He really kind of broke out this year between two levels and then carried it over to the Dominican. If he had stayed over there, he probably would have been MVP of the league. Some of our guys in Latin America really verified what we had on him here. So far so good.

"Good runner, walked 70-80 times last year. I really like what he brings defensively. A lot of guys play center field well and everybody thinks it will correlate to the corners, but sometimes it doesn't. First ball of the game, that's a lot tougher ... He makes tough plays look easier than they actually are. He had three plays over in Port Charlotte the other day that were all above-average plays. Seems to throw the ball to the right base and seems to have a lot of baseball IQ. He's interesting."

The Orioles will find out in a few days whether Jimmy Paredes has a small fracture in his left wrist. A sprain sidelines him a couple of weeks. A fracture puts him down four-to-six weeks and forces him on the disabled list.

A hand specialist who examined the MRI is concerned about one spot where Paredes is experiencing tenderness in the wrist.

Yovani Gallardo and Chris Tillman remain scheduled to make their debuts on Wednesday and Thursday. Tillman will throw live batting practice on Monday.

Maybe the Orioles already will have their first win. They're 0-5-1, which is causing some fans to give the panic button a two-fisted beating.

"I understand that," Showalter said when told about the perception that the Orioles are playing poorly. "I want to win every inning, every pitch, every game. There's some things that we have to do right now in the process that aren't a lot of things that you would do during the normal season. As long as our guys are getting ready to start the season in April, those things are going to pick up here after we get through tomorrow. The people that need to be healthy and progressing well are progressing well.

"We're taking this time to get to know a lot of people that we don't know. These opportunities to make good decisions on players for the Orioles and our fans, they fleet in a week or so, so we have to take advantage of these opportunities. Sometimes, it doesn't lead to the results you'd like.

"Believe me, I don't ever like walking off the field when somebody scored more runs than us. I think some of the guys we know are going to be on the club are looking forward to Monday and Tuesday and Thursday and (Saturday) and being out there a little. If we don't pitch better, it won't matter. We didn't pitch well in a few spots tonight and today and it cost us. We didn't catch the ball too well over there today."