Notes on Pearce, Wieters, Roe and more

Notes on Pearce, Wieters, Roe and more
Orioles outfielder Steve Pearce took live batting practice today in Sarasota and was hit by a pitch in his third at-bat. Chris Perez, serving a 50-game suspension that was handed down in June for a second positive test for a drug of abuse, drilled Pearce in the back. The Orioles ended the BP session and will check on Pearce Thursday before determining how close he is to going on a rehab assignment. Pearce is on the disabled list retroactive to July 19 with a strained left oblique. The Orioles...

Tigers claim Belfiore

Tigers claim Belfiore
The Orioles announced today that the Tigers claimed left-hander Mike Belfiore off waivers. Belfiore was designated for assignment on Sunday as the Orioles cleared space for reliever Evan Meek and outfielder Delmon Young on their 40-man roster. They also placed reliever Edgmer Escalona on the 60-day disabled list. Belfiore, acquired from the Diamondbacks on May 12, 2012 as the player to be named in the Josh Bell trade, allowed one run and five hits in two innings with the Orioles last season...

Belfiore designated for assignment, Escalona placed on 60-day DL

Belfiore designated for assignment, Escalona placed on 60-day DL
The Orioles finalized their roster this afternoon and created two openings on the 40-man roster for reliever Evan Meek and outfielder Delmon Young. Left-hander Mike Belfiore was designated for assignment and pitcher Edgmer Escalona was placed on the 60-day disabled list. Belfiore allowed one run and five hits in two innings with the Orioles last season and went 2-1 with a 3.18 ERA in 37 games at Triple-A Norfolk. Escalona made one appearance in an exhibition game this spring before being...

Orioles make three cuts, Jimenez outstanding in debut (O's win 15-4)

Orioles make three cuts, Jimenez outstanding in debut (O's win 15-4)
ORIOLES QUICK WRAP Score: Orioles 15, Phillies 4 Recap: Ubaldo Jimenez dazzled in his debut, retiring all six batters and striking out three. Nick Markakis singled, doubled twice and tripled to finish 4-for-4. The Orioles pounded A.J. Burnett for six runs and seven hits in three innings. Maybe a little payback to the Monkton resident. Need to know: David Lough was hit on the foot during an outfield drill a few days ago and scratched from the trip to Fort Myers. X-rays were negative. He was...

Notes on Belfiore, Urrutia, Hunter, S. Johnson, Ohlman, Bridwell and more

Notes on Belfiore, Urrutia, Hunter, S. Johnson, Ohlman, Bridwell and more
SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter estimated that five or six pitchers threw bullpen sessions today, though none of them with maximum effort in the middle of January. Showalter appreciated that left-hander Mike Belfiore came to Sarasota on his own. "That's pretty impressive," Showalter said. Belfiore, 25, drew an audience that included Showalter, pitching coach Dave Wallace and bullpen coach Dom Chiti. "They told us to take it easy," Belfiore said. "Effort level was...

Showalter speaks after 12-3 loss

Showalter speaks after 12-3 loss
The Orioles held another Fireworks Night following their 12-3 loss to the Red Sox. Seemed kind of redundant. Scott Feldman turned in his shortest outing as an Oriole, allowing eight runs and eight hits in 2 1/3 innings. "He was up. Basically up," said manager Buck Showalter. "There's a fine line there. I thought he might find his step. He had a pretty clean second inning, but he couldn't get back in there in the third. He just elevated a lot of pitches. "It's unfortanate. You're...

Notes before today's game

Notes before today's game
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter already planned on bringing left-hander Zach Britton to Tropicana Field today. Once last night's game stretched to 18 innings, he decided to also include left-hander Mike Belfiore on the expanded roster. "We were the only ones who got normal sleep," Belfiore said with a grin. "I found out at like 3 a.m. They called me right after the game. I kind of updated myself on the game, but I was still sleeping a little bit. But yeah, 3 a.m.,...

Orioles and Rays lineups

Orioles and Rays lineups
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Left-handers Zach Britton and Mike Belfiore shared a ride to St. Petersburg early this morning and sat on a couch together, chatting with catcher Steve Clevenger, when the clubhouse opened to reporters at 11 a.m. Belfiore said he got the call around 3 a.m., after watching the Orioles' 5-4, 18-inning loss to the Rays. He was dozing off, but he's learned to never put his phone ringer on silent or vibrate. Clevenger is behind the plate today. Alexi Casilla is starting at...

Now what? (Britton and Belfiore recalled)

Now what? (Britton and Belfiore recalled)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles didn't arrive in Tampa until around 3 a.m. on Friday. They played an 18-inning game that night. They have a 1:05 p.m. game today. Sleep fast - if they can sleep at all. The Orioles are 2 1/2 games back and tied with the Royals in the wild card race. Last night's defeat, which became official on David DeJesus' walk-off single, was quite the dagger. Are their playoff hopes dead? Absolutely not. But the degree of difficulty in getting there has been raised...

Orioles option Belfiore

Orioles option Belfiore
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - For the second day in a row, the Orioles recalled a player from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned him following the game. One and done. Left-hander Mike Belfiore was sent back to Norfolk after tonight's 2-1 loss to the Rays. He wasn't being punished. He didn't pitch. He just sat in the bullpen and watched for nine innings. The move was anticipated, and it's a clear signal that the Orioles plan to activate reliever Pedro Strop from the 15-day disabled list before...

Orioles recall Belfiore

Orioles recall Belfiore
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles have recalled left-hander Mike Belfiore from Triple-A Norfolk to take the roster spot vacated yesterday by outfielder Xavier Avery. Belfiore is in the visiting clubhouse at Tropicana Field and listed among the relievers on the Orioles' lineup card. Belfiore could be optioned on Saturday if the Orioles activate reliever Pedro Strop from the 15-day disabled list. Today's move leaves the Orioles with four left-handers in the bullpen. For the Orioles Nate...

Belfiore recalled from Norfolk

Belfiore recalled from Norfolk
MINNEAPOLIS - The Orioles have recalled left-hander Mike Belfiore from Triple-A Norfolk as the replacement for pitcher Steve Johnson on the 25-man roster. Belfiore's flight landed from Syracuse, and he's headed to Target Field. Belfiore, 24, was acquired from the Diamondbacks on May 12, 2012 as the PTBNL in the Josh Bell trade. He's on the 40-man roster, so a corresponding move isn't necessary. The Orioles now have four left-handers in their bullpen. Also, Freddy Garcia is available in...

Avery, Clark and Belfiore optioned to Triple-A Norfolk (and note)

Avery, Clark and Belfiore optioned to Triple-A Norfolk (and note)
BRADENTON, Fla. - The Orioles made three roster moves before today's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, optioning outfielder Xavier Avery and pitchers Zach Clark and Mike Belfiore to Triple-A Norfolk. They will report to the Twin Lakes Park complex until the Tides' season starts. Avery went 2-for-11 with two RBIs in 12 games. He never had a chance to make the 25-man roster with an abundance of outfielders in camp. Clark (UMBC) allowed three runs and six hits in seven innings, and manager...

The good and the bad from Saturday

The good and the bad from Saturday
SARASOTA, Fla. - Kevin Gausman dazzled the Orioles and Tsuyoshi Wada encouraged them. Glass half-full. Nick Markakis will undergo an MRI on his neck, Dylan Bundy's velocity is down and Chris Tillman has been scratched from today's start with abdominal soreness. Glass half-empty. We had lots to discuss and debate yesterday. Who knew a trip to Fort Myers could bring so much information and angst? Gausman's outing against the Boston Red Sox was the highlight. He pumped upper-90s fastballs...

Who will be left in the bullpen?

Who will be left in the bullpen?
I wondered aloud yesterday whether Orioles manager Buck Showalter would be willing to carry three left-handers in his bullpen. He began the 2012 season with one, Troy Patton, who beat out Zach Phillips. Showalter spent much of the summer wishing he had a second southpaw, which is why J.C. Romero eventually found his way to Baltimore. Brian Matusz solved that issue by converting to a lefty specialist. He's going to compete for a rotation spot in spring training, but the bullpen beckons if...

Bowie manager Gary Kendall talks about Schoop and Belfiore

Bowie manager Gary Kendall talks about Schoop and Belfiore
The Orioles added infielder Jonathan Schoop and left-handed pitcher Mike Belfiore to their 40-man roster yesterday. It will mean, for one, that each player will report to spring training when the big leaguers do. It also could be a big step for both as they look to get to the majors with the Orioles. The man who saw the pair play every day this year was Double-A Bowie manager Gary Kendall. Schoop, ranked by Baseball America as the club's No. 3 prospect, spent all season with the Baysox, and...

A look at some players that could be eligible for the Rule 5 draft (updated)

A look at some players that could be eligible for the Rule 5 draft (updated)
By 11:59 p.m. Eastern time tonight, the Orioles will have to set their 40-man roster for the Rule 5 draft which will be held Dec. 6 during the upcoming Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn. Essentially the rules state that a player in your organization that is not on your 40-man roster can be taken by another team in the Rule 5 draft if the player was drafted and signed at age 18 or younger and has five years with your club, or the player was drafted and signed at 19 and older and has four years...

More scouting reports from AFL

More scouting reports from AFL
The same rival scout who critiqued infielder Jonathan Schoop in yesterday's blog entry talks about six more Orioles minor leaguers who played for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. Pitcher Mike Belfiore, 24 - 12 starts, 12 1/3 innings, 1-1, 4.38 ERA, 14 hits, four walks, 13 strikeouts: "Between him and (Chris) Petrini, he's the one I like better, and lots of people I talked to kind of have the same impression. He looked pretty good for the most part while I was out there. He...

MLB ponders smaller September rosters (plus winter ball updates)

MLB ponders smaller September rosters (plus winter ball updates)
The time has probably come for a move like this. It looks like Major League Baseball officials are considering a change to the current rules that allow for teams to carry 40-man rosters in September. It seems some teams choose to call up few players while others bring in a truckload, and some in the sport feel it's not fair that those clubs have more players than others for late-season games. While my take on that would be, "too bad," the team with fewer players simply should have called up...

Looking at the O's minor league leaders in productive team plate appearances

Looking at the O's minor league leaders in productive team plate appearances
When Mike Boulanger was hired by Dan Duquette in January as the Orioles' minor league hitting coordinator, Boulanger told me he would track something he called productive team plate appearances both by O's minor league players and teams. PTPA, similar to something Buck Showalter referred to as productive outs for Orioles (or POFO), can be a hit, a walk, a sac bunt, a sac fly, hitting behind the runner or making the pitcher work with an eight-pitch at-bat. You get the point. It's a plate...