O's Lose to Red Sox, Eveland, TIllman, Cuts & Frank Robinson Hospitalized

This afternoon, the Orioles lost to the Boston Red Sox, 6-1, in Sarasota, FL.

For some pitcher, Spring Training simply serves as a warm-up for the regular season; however, for a journeyman like Dana Eveland, that is not the case. He is trying to make the Opening Day roster as a starting pitcher – or a bullpen guy. Sadly, his outing on Sunday did not help out his case.

Eveland took the loss for Baltimore and gave up three runs – only one earned – in two innings of work. Watching the game on MASN up here, I would not say he was awful, but he was extremely hittable. He perhaps may have had the shakiest outing of any Oriole pitcher so far this spring.

On the other hand, another pitcher whose status is in limbo for the Baltimore Orioles, Chris Tillman was much better in his outing. Tillman was shaky in a previous outing this spring; however, he threw three scoreless innings on the mound.

Who knows if Tillman can possibly make the Opening Day roster at this point; however, his Sunday helps out his cause immensely.

Baltimore pitchers Zach Phillips, Pedro Strop and Oliver Drake each pitched scoreless frames. Veteran reliever Luis Ayala allowed two runs – one earned.

Adam Jones drove in the Orioles only run in the first inning.

Jon Lester, who started the game for Boston, threw four innings. He walked four, struck out and still continued his dominance over Baltimore – ok, so this game does not. It is scary to think about, but Lester is 14-0 in the regular season against the Orioles.

The Red Sox brought a few of their regulars in the starting lineup, and they did some damage off Oriole pitching. Dustin Pedroia had two hits and drove in; meanwhile, Cody Ross drove in two runs and also had two hits.

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Joins us on Facebook & Twitter...

We've now got a home on Facebook!

For now, it's a simple page, but we hope over the weeks and months, it will become something more.

Everyone seems to have one, so we've joined in on the fun.

It's just been up since Thursday afternoon, so take a minute, shoot us a like, leave a comment and take a look at some of the pretty pictures taken of the Orioles throughout the season.

A special thanks to James for getting our new Facebook page setup and we'll do out best to engage you all, plus make it interactive.

Click here to view/join our Facebook page.

And yes, we're on Twitter too...

Our Twitter home: The Oriole Post (main) & James Baker

Dan Duquette and Thoughts...

Recently, Orioles executive VP of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette appeared on the MLB Network and discussed the club's offseason with Clubhouse Confidential host Brian Kenny.

Here's the video. Not sure fans have seen it, but here it is.

Anyhow, with Spring Training now in full swing, what do you think of the moves made to improve the team?

So far, the pitching has been solid. Then again, you can't take much from exhibition starts, especially when the pitchers are so far ahead of the hitters.

I'm not sure what to think. I'll need to see how the team progresses over the next few weeks to come up with an opinion before Opening Day. I do see the Orioles still in the basement of the American League East -- especially with the improved Blue Jays, and we all know the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox are contenders.

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Brian Matusz Shines on Saturday & Chris Davis

This afternoon, the Orioles defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater, Fla, 1-0.

Once again, the pitching came through strong for Baltimore as they shut out a Philadelphia team with several of their everyday players in the lineup.

Brian Matusz was stellar on Saturday, throwing four shutout innings. Obviously, one cannot take a lot from a Spring Training start – especially in the second week; however, consider the hellish year that Matusz had in 2011, his outing raised eyebrows in a good way. He struck out four, allowed three hits and walked none.

Matusz is not a lock to make the 25-man roster right now, but his strong showing on Saturday undoubtedly improves his stock. I still believe unless Matusz becomes Bob Gibson re-incarnated, he may probably start the season off in Norfolk (Triple-A), and go from there.
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As well, pitcher Alfredo Simon – whose role on the Orioles might be in question the closer Opening Day approaches – hurled three scoreless innings. Luis Villarreal and Miguel Socolovich – who got the save – each tossed a scoreless frame.

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The Relentless March

This is March in Baltimore. Sixty degrees one day, thirty the next for no apparent reason. Being in education we are in the long period of uninterrupted time between President's Day and Spring Break that just makes the kids antsy and uncooperative. Daylight Savings time means we all start getting up in the darkness again, just as soon as we were all enjoying the sunshine but March does bring us one glorious thing - Spring Training baseball.

The Orioles opened up camp earlier this month and games are under way. Early impressions:

-Chen Wei-Yin is going to be a very good pitcher for us. He has only pitched two innings but his bullpen sessions have brought nothing but good news and he is starting to turn some heads. SI's Jon Heyman tweeted after Chen's start that he could be a "sleeper". I contend that Chen would not be such a "sleeper" if he were picked up by another team, but I digress.

-Brian Roberts is done. Stacey Long over at Camden Chat posted these pictures from the 2012 photo day sessions and I agree that Roberts looks so sad. He looks like a shell of his former self. His small frame is usually balanced out with an athletic physique but no more. A Summer and a half of limited work outs he just looks small. He looks so small that I just don't see how we will possibly see Brian Roberts start in a major league game this year. I honestly predict a contract buyout before Opening Day.

-Brian Matusz isn't "back" yet, but he is rounding the corner and about to pull into "back's" driveway. Yes, he gave up three runs in his first Spring Training start but the most important thing is his velocity. Matusz' velocity was back up in the low 90's consistently throughout his two innings. Matusz' inexplicable drop in velocity last season led to his horrendous nightmare of a Summer. There is no way that Brian Matusz is a 10 ERA pitcher and getting the zip on his pitches back is step one to getting back.

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Orioles Sign 18 to Contracts; Yoenis Cespedes' Huge Day

Yesterday, the Orioles signed quite a number of players - seventeen in total - to contracts for the 2012. It's no big thing, just some housekeeping and business to get out of the way.

From the Baltimore Sun: The Orioles renewed the contract of star catcher Matt Wieters on Saturday and announced they have agreed to terms with 17 other players who are under club reserve and were not eligible for salary arbitration. That completes the team's 2012 contract signings.

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The list of players who recently agreed to terms includes: Ryan Adams, Jake Arrieta, Josh Bell, Jason Berken, Zach Britton, Chris Davis, Oliver Drake, Ryan Flaherty, Tommy Hunter, Joe Mahoney, Troy Patton, Zach Phillips, Nolan Reimold, Alfredo Simon, Pedro Strop, Taylor Teagarden and Chris Tillman.

Wieters, who is one of the club's cornerstone players, is represented by super agent Scott Boras. No terms were released. He earned $452,500 in 2011.

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Finally, Yoenis Cespedes - who the Orioles were looking at to sign - played his first Spring Training game for the Oakland Athletics. Although the stats don't won't go into Cespedes' record, he left quite an impression.

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Orioles Give a Shout-out to the Loyola Greyhounds as they head to the big dance...

With March Madness and the NCAA Basketball Tournament starting soon, the Baltimore Orioles wanted to send their best wishes to the Loyola Greyhounds, who will be part of the big dance.

Right fielder Nick Markakis, second baseman Brian Roberts and center fielder Adam Jones give a shout out to the Greyhounds.

Arrieta Makes His Spring Debut, Reimold; O's and Rays Play to a Tie

This afternoon in Grapefruit League action, the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay rays played to a 3-3 tie. Baltimore’s Jake Arrieta made his spring debut on the mound and threw two scoreless innings in which he did not allow a hit.

Even though Arrieta won 10 games last year, he ended up needing surgery (to remove bone spurs in his elbow) last summer and missed two plus months of the 2011 season.

However, on Friday, Arrieta, according to various reports, threw hard – as high as 97 miles per hour recorded; in addition, he seemed not to show any ill effects from his surgical procedure and rehab.

For Arrieta, it is so far, so good; therefore, it is hard to gauge progress after only one spring training game. Then again, it is good for us fans to know that he is healthy.

Pitchers Pat Neshek, Chris George, Jon Link and Steve Johnson threw scoreless innings in their outing today; however, Brad Bergesen struggled, giving up two runs and Oliver Drake went four innings, but gave up a game-tying homer to Tampa Bay’s Brad Coon during the eighth inning.

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Nolan Reimold Struck in Face During Today's Game...

Let's all hope for the best with Nolan Reimold. During today's game on the road in Port Charlotte, he got hit in the head with a pitched ball...

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Baltimore Orioles left fielder Nolan Reimold has been taken to a hospital after being hit in the side of the head by a pitch from Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Alex Cobb in the first inning of their spring training game Friday.

Batting fifth, Reimold immediately dropped to the ground and was face down for several minutes. Hushed fans at Charlotte Sports Park looked on as Orioles trainers tended to the 28-year-old Reimold.

Reimold then flipped over and stood up on his own power before he was carted off the field and taken to Peace River Hospital.

Cobb, who was making his first start of the spring, was visibly upset, watching over Reimold with Rays catcher Jose Molina when Reimold was on the ground.

"It's probably the worst feeling you can have as a pitcher, seeing something like that and being the cause of a guy taking a step back in his career possibly," Cobb said after pitching three scoreless innings. "It's just something you never want to see on the baseball field, and when you're the cause of it, it's a feeling you can't describe."

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Orioles Defeat Braves, Jai Miller and Opening Day

This afternoon, the Orioles defeated the Atlanta Braves, 2-1, in Grapefruit League action. Jai Miller and Xavier Avery drove in runs late in the game after trailing 1-0; however, the Orioles got another solid pitching performance from the hurlers on the mound.

Jason Hammel pitched his first game as Oriole, tossing two scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and walked one. Pitchers Kevin Gregg, Darren O’Day, Pedro Strop, Michael Socolovich – who earned the victory - and Troy Patton each pitched a scoreless inning.

Zach Phillips gave up a run off an Eric Hinske homer in the seventh inning. Overall, he pitched two innings, and one gave up a hit – the Hinske longball.

Atlanta starter Mike Minor pitched three innings of scoreless ball.

I’m not sure if Jai Miller may have a role with the team when Opening Day comes around; however, he is making the most his playing time so far. He is 27 and far from a young prospect, but is an intriguing player.

He had two hits in three at-bats, and certainly has the tools to be an impact player off the bench. Miller as of this evening has driven in four runs during the short exhibition season.

Realistically, even if Miller made the roster, he may not see much playing time with Adam Jones and Nick Markakis in the fold. In addition, with Nolan Reimold and veteran Endy Chavez on the team, it may be hard to plug in Miller.

However, seeing Miller in the flesh at Fan Fest, he is a big man – athletic, fairly muscular and looks to be an imposing figure.

He has had success in the minors within the Oakland organization (before claimed by the Orioles on waivers), and has not had too many at-bats in the majors.

Miller is a .235 hitter in his brief major league career with a .288 OBP, two homers, and six RBI’s in 68 at-bats.

If Miller does make the 25-man roster, I would imagine that he could become a solid part of the major league squad. However, if he does not – at least he would be a welcome addition to Triple-A Norfolk. I would think if Reimold struggles early, or if Jones is traded, you will be seeing a lot of Miller.

Finally, if you are looking for tickets for Opening Day on Friday April 6th at Camden Yards, you might want to look at buying tickets – like now. It seems that the games is sold out – or close – with single seats remaining.

I only know this because I bought mine today from my ticket rep, and was a bit shocked that the Opening Day game was close to not having seats available.

Of course, you can also watch more of the Orioles - and any of the other teams in MLB - using at the MLB At Bat 12 app; as well, if you need a new IPhone 4s, IPad or any Apple product, you can go here for a deal. They also provide iPhone pay as you go, iPhone Contract pay monthly, and is the best place to buy an iPhone.

What About Chris Tillman?

When I look at Chris Tillman, I see a prototypical young pitcher – tall, good-sized and a guy who should throw in the high-90’s.

However, during his tenure with the Baltimore Orioles, Tillman has been a bust. Overall, he has been an extraordinarily inconsistent pitcher and fans – along with executives – have been wondering “will this guy ever figure it out? Is Tillman a major league-caliber pitcher, or a Four-A guy?

Tillman, as we all know came to Baltimore in the Erik Bedard trade with the Seattle Mariners several seasons ago. He was considered a centerpiece of that trade at the time - along with Adam Jones - and pegged as part of the future with the Baltimore Orioles.

While Jones has won a Gold Glove, been an All-Star, and is an emerging all-around player in the sport; Tillman has struggled in the organization and has seemingly shuffled between the majors and Triple-A umpteen times.

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Brian Roberts

It is yet to be seen if Brian Roberts will take part in some of the action in a live game this spring. As we all know, Roberts had missed much of the past two seasons dealing with post-concussion syndrome issues and other injuries. He has been going through workouts; however, it's all been done on the back fields according to the Baltimore Sun and taking ground balls, plus some batting practice.

Then again, it seems that Roberts is still not ready for full-fledged work yet. I've noticed that he looks a tad smaller than in previous years and doesn't have some the bulk anymore.

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A Good Day for the Orioles & Chen

This afternoon, the Orioles earned their second win of the Grapefruit League exhibition season as they defeated the Minnesota Twins, 6-0.

Wei-Yin Chen – who is one of the new Asian arms on the roster – struck three in two innings. In his first time against major league hitters, he did well and considering his struggles in the beginning of camp, it was nice to see. According to various, most notable from Roch’s blog, he was throwing strikes and had very good command.

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Orioles Can't Defeat Red Sox; Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gregg

The Orioles won their second game of the Grapefruit League season as they lost to the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers, 5-4.

Baltimore showed Boston their B-lineup, as most of the regulars played last night in Sarasota. Starter Dana Evelend gave up a run in two innings; meanwhile, Chris Tillman – who is trying to make the club – struggled, going two innings and giving up three runs (two earned).

However, the highlight of the day was Dylan Bundy, who threw a scoreless inning and retired Jacoby Ellsbury ad Adrian Gonzalez in succession. Well, Bundy will obviously not be coming up to Baltimore on Opening Day; however, based on what I have read in the media, he has shown poise beyond his years. If he keeps this up throughout the minors, Bundy will be in the majors fairly quickly.

From what I’ve heard – Bundy might be the best pitcher in camp as-is right now. That might be an overstatement, but he does look that good.

Wilson Betemit and farmhand Xavier Avery plated two runs each.

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MASN Announces 2012 Orioles Broadcast Schedule

From the good folks at MASN...

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MASN Announces 2012 Orioles Broadcast Schedule

MASN, the television home of the Baltimore Orioles, today announced its Major League Baseball schedule for the 2012 season. Once again, all Orioles games broadcast by MASN will be available in crystal-clear high definition, including the home and season opener against the Minnesota Twins on April 6 and interleague games against the Washington Nationals (May 18-20, June 22-24), Philadelphia Phillies (June 8-10), Pittsburgh Pirates (June 12-14), Atlanta Braves (June 15-17) and New York Mets (June 18-20).

The Orioles will have 95 games air live on MASN and MASN HD, and an additional 64 games will be broadcast on MASN2 and MASN2 HD. Three Orioles game are currently scheduled to air on national networks in 2012.

Gary Thorne and Jim Hunter will again share play-by-play duties in the MASN broadcast booth, where they will be joined by Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer and Orioles Hall of Fame shortstop Mike Bordick as color analysts. Thorne begins his 27th season of Major League Baseball play-by-play coverage, his fifth with the Orioles, and Hunter returns for a 16th season as part of the Orioles broadcast team. Palmer enters his 20th season as a color analyst for the Orioles, his only team in a 19-year major league career. Bordick joins MASN for his first season in the booth.

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Expanded Playoffs: Not Such a Good Idea..

We all should have expected this...

From Sports Illustrated: MLB commissioner Bud Selig announced in November that the league would like to expand from two to four wild card berths. At the time, he said the changes would be instituted by 2013, but that he hoped they could be put into place by 2012.

As it currently stands, the winner of each of the league’s three divisions, plus one wild card in each league, form to make an eight team playoff system. Under the current system, the only penalty for claiming the wild card as opposed to the divisional title is that the wild card team is forced to play the opponent within their league with the best record in the opening round of the playoffs.

Under the new proposed system the two wild card teams from each league will face each other in a one or three game series before the rest of the post season begins.

Well, I appreciate the drama of last season's final day and I'm sure this new decision about the playoffs will be good for business, the gates at ballparks, plus TV ratings. It seemed that Major League Baseball -- um, Bud Selig -- was going to pull out all the stops and make sure this all happened.

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About Yesterday and Brian Matusz

On Monday, the Orioles kicked off their Grapefruit League season with two games, winning the earlier game against the Tampa Bay Rays on the road; meanwhile, losing the nightcap against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium.

The nightcap was shown live on MASN, and the Orioles did not look all that hot. We all got out first glimpse of Brian Matusz on the mound in 2012, and although his location was off, according the radar gun on the broadcast, he was throwing a lot harder. Overall, he struck out three in two innings of work – against a Pittsburgh B-lineup.

He did give up three runs, however. Then again, it is just his first start of Spring Training. I would not read too much into his result in light of 2011. It is the time of year when pitchers try new things, get comfortable on the mound and build up stamina.

Who knows what will happen to Matusz from here. I believe Matusz still has options left for the minors; therefore, so if there are struggles down in Sarasota, he might find himself in Triple-A to start the season. He will need to show signs of improvement considering the amount of arms vying for a rotations spot.

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Luke Scott Revisited, Annoys Red Sox Nation

Ah, I cannot remember any local athlete who people loved and scorned at the same time than Luke Scott.

Yes, Scott often shot off his mouth when it came to controversial topics, politics, his rights as a gun-toting American, as well as the President of United States; however, he always was a fascinating character. In addition, when he was not streaky, he could hit the ball a long way.

However, as much as I criticized Scott over the years for his silly statements, he came off as a hard-working guy, who many people appreciated. In fact, once you looked past his controversial statements, you almost came off appreciating Scott for who he was.

I met him a few times, and was always gracious, candid, plus appreciated his life as a major-league ballplayer.

Now, he has shot off his mouth again, but this time at the Boston Red Sox -- specifically, their fans. Scott wanted to share his feelings on the legendary final night of the 2011 season, and in vintage style ... it was done.

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Nick Johnson...

The Baltimore Orioles signed first baseman Nick Johnson to a minor league deal last month. Why am I devoting a post to a player who will more than likely serve as a backup? Well, that is if he makes the Opening Day squad.

Well, I’ve been following Johnson since he started off his career with the New York Yankees, and he is the epitome of a classic ballplayer. In his early years, Johnson

Well, this deal is another in a good amount of 'value' or 'bargain-bin' contracts that Dan Duquette has offered to veterans and minor league free agents this season.

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Opening Night at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota...

For Oriole fans who are travelling down - or are in Florida - to catch Opening Night at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota:

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Orioles Announce 2012 Spring Training Opening Night Plans

The Orioles have announced plans for the first game of their 2012 spring training season and their 3^rd season in Sarasota. The team will face the Pittsburgh Pirates at the newly renovated Ed Smith Stadium on Monday, March 5, at 7:05 p.m.

On Monday and throughout the season, ballpark gates will open two hours prior to the scheduled first pitch. All fans will receive a 2012 spring training magnet schedule presented by the Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau and the first 1,000 female fans in attendance will receive a Bird of Paradise flower courtesy of Beneva Flowers.

FIRST PITCH

Orioles Hall of Famer and current Special Assistant to the Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations BRADY ANDERSON will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game.

A veteran of 15 major league seasons, 14 with Baltimore, Anderson holds the Orioles’ all-time stolen bases record (307). He ranks among the top 10 in Orioles career batting leaders in 12 categories and also holds the club single-season records for total bases (369), home runs (50), extra-base hits; (92) and hit by pitch (24). Anderson was named to the American League All-Star team three times and was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2004.

In his current role Anderson assists Dan Duquette with player relations and player development and oversees conditioning throughout the organization.

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