Quick Hits: Early O's News...

The Orioles lost to their division rival, the Boston Red Sox 3-2 yesterday. However, Erik Bedard looked to be in mid-season form as he gave up a run via homer by Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, but he struck out 8 over five innings.

After the game, Erik Bedard was cool, calm and collected, so he does not find his outing on Friday to be a big deal.

The Baltimore Sun has a Q&A with Executive Vice President of Operations Mike Flanagan. It’s always good to hear what he has to say, as he’s got longtime ties with the organization and the man in charge of the front office.

Matt Palmer of the Examiner notes that the Orioles are still looking for a middle reliever or two for the upcoming season.

The Orioles have two games today, one in Port St. Lucie against the Mets, and one in Fort Lauderdale against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Roch Kubatko has the lineups on his blog for both teams.

Steve Trachsel had an amazing start on Thursday, and it showed a lot of skeptics that he still had a lot left in the tank.

Jorge Arangure has an article today in the Washington Post that looks at Tom Trebelhorn and his new challenge: trying to tend to his professional life as his ailing wife is trying to recover from a stroke. The piece is eye opening as it reinforces that baseball is just a game, and family along with love for your spouse is paramount.

Roch Kubatko also has a great piece on Jamie Walker, the one of the key bullpen acquisitions in the off-season. He comes off as a simple, country, fun loving guy who would be a hoot to hang out with.

As reported yesterday, the Orioles claimed pitcher Sean Tracey off the waiver wire after he was released by the Chicago White Sox.