Edgin stays in the mix for left-handed relief

Edgin stays in the mix for left-handed relief
SARASOTA, Fla. - Reliever Josh Edgin is expected to leave Orioles camp this week, but not because he's included among the cuts. It's probably too early to make a final determination on his status. Edgin will join his wife for the birth of their child. She's due on Thursday and the doctor may induce labor. His baseball life will beckon and he'll return to the complex with a full heart and the same opportunity to make the club. Though he hasn't received much attention, Edgin is in the thick...

Wrapping up an 8-6 loss

Wrapping up an 8-6 loss
SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he didn't see the collision earlier today involving Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman and Tigers infielder Jeimer Candelario. He heard it. Gausman avoided a trip to the hospital after passing a series of concussion tests, but the Orioles will check him closely on Tuesday after he reports to the complex. "I was watching the ball, the play," Showalter said. "It's one of your players that has a collision. Concerned about it. It's not a...

Wrapping up a 6-3 loss

Wrapping up a 6-3 loss
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles prospects took over the ninth inning today, with Chance Sisco hitting an opposite-field, three-run homer off Rays reliever Brandon Lawson after DJ Stewart singled and Ryan Mountcastle doubled. The Orioles stranded two runners in scoring position and lost to the Rays 6-3, but it provided a nice touch to an otherwise nondescript exhibition opener. "Yeah, especially back-to-back-to-back," said manager Buck Showalter. "I think we hit four balls hard that they caught....

Showalter speaks after today's intrasquad game

Showalter speaks after today's intrasquad game
SARASOTA, Fla. - Mike Wright, Chris Lee, Jeff Ferrell, Joely Rodríguez, Donnie Hart, Jimmy Yacabonis and Pedro Araujo are scheduled to pitch Friday afternoon in the exhibition opener against the Rays at Ed Smith Stadium. Wright will work the first two innings if the Rays allow it. I've lost count of how many times someone has referenced a "big spring" for Wright, who's out of minor league options. "Sometimes, it works as a real positive," said manager Buck Showalter. "I've seen...

Choosing this year's spring training dark horse candidate

Choosing this year's spring training dark horse candidate
We're down to six days before pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex for spring training, though it's expected that the place will be filled with early arrivals. Not a lot of feet drag into Sarasota. The time has come to offer my dark horse candidate to make the team. The challenge, of course, is doing it with so much uncertainty surrounding the roster. I could pick a left-handed hitting corner outfielder and he might be ousted by a future signing or...

Dickerson on Beckham, Russell on catchers, Coolbaugh on Davis

Dickerson on Beckham, Russell on catchers, Coolbaugh on Davis
The doors to the Baltimore Convention Center open this morning at 10 a.m. for season ticket holders attending the annual FanFest event and 11 a.m. for everyone else. Gauging the crowd's mood will be interesting, given the slow offseason and unexpected absences of star players Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop. Along with the anticipated questions about Machado's status on the team - traded or not traded, shortstop or third baseman - executive vice president Dan Duquette and manager Buck...

Notes on starting pitching market, contract talks and more

Notes on starting pitching market, contract talks and more
As the offseason moves closer toward the date when pitchers and catchers report to spring training, the Orioles haven't been able to find starters on the free agent market who are within their price range or don't pose a risk of flunking the physical. I've written that the club expressed concerns over the medicals on multiple starters, further thinning out a crop that doesn't impress beyond the upper tier. They're not in on Yu Darvish or Jake Arrieta and don't expect Alex Cobb or Lance...

Leftovers for breakfast

Leftovers for breakfast
The utility job in Baltimore remains open to a cluster of in-house competitors and the anticipated outsider, the latter's identity remaining a mystery. The Orioles seem to have targeted a specific player. The challenge is getting him under contract. Is it more important than finding three starting pitchers? Not even close. But it's still important. Every team has that guy on its roster. More of them are stressing the expansion of skills to include outfield play, especially if willing to go...

Can Faulkner provide left-handed relief for Orioles?

Can Faulkner provide left-handed relief for Orioles?
The annual Orioles minicamp gives manager Buck Showalter an opportunity to become more familiar with some of the minor league pitchers and the media a chance to figure out which ones grabbed his attention, intrigued him and can be viewed as potential contributors over the summer. Certain names come up without prompting, sometimes on multiple occasions during a single interview. Rule 5 pick Nestor Cortes Jr. was the hottest topic for three days, a scorching subject due to his ability to "spin...

More roster talk, Scott on Wynns and Givens on wins

More roster talk, Scott on Wynns and Givens on wins
Exactly how many holes exist in the Orioles' 25-man roster as they get closer to their report date for spring training? The calculation involves math, but I'm willing to move outside my comfort zone. The Orioles have two confirmed starters in Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy. The bullpen should include Brad Brach, Darren O'Day, Mychal Givens and Richard Bleier. Miguel Castro will be in the rotation or continue in his relief role. Trey Mancini and Adam Jones will compose two-thirds of the...

Thoughts on Asher, Hart, Crichton and Yacabonis

Thoughts on Asher, Hart, Crichton and Yacabonis
There are no holiday updates on the Orioles' search for starting pitching and a left-handed reliever with plus velocity and the splits to present the option as a specialist. The 40-man roster includes 24 pitchers, and the Orioles have announced 14 more on minor league deals since Nov. 28. Maybe there's strength in numbers. I've spent part of the offseason choosing Orioles who need to step up or have various questions circling over their heads. Let's toss out another handful. * Alec Asher is...

More on Hays, the Edgin signing and Jones' tailgate

More on Hays, the Edgin signing and Jones' tailgate
Yesterday in this space I wondered whether the Orioles would use catcher Chance Sisco in a platoon with Caleb Joseph or anoint one of them as the primary starter - assuming that the rookie breaks camp with the team, of course. Don't ever assume or else ... you know the rest. I'm shifting my focus this morning to another rookie, outfielder Austin Hays, who was chosen as the organization's Minor League Player of the Year. Hays could get most of the at-bats among the candidates for right field....

Three Orioles who must maintain improvements

Three Orioles who must maintain improvements
When a team loses 19 of its last 23 games and tumbles to the bottom of the division with a sickening thud, the natural inclination is to pick apart each player and focus on the negatives that destroyed a season. Finding the silver linings can be a strain to the eyes. I randomly chose three players who trended upward in a specific area and will need to keep heading in that direction as the Orioles attempt to ditch the cellar and get back into contention. Can Jonathan Schoop rev up the on-base...

Wondering how Moylan would fit in bullpen

Wondering how Moylan would fit in bullpen
As the GM meetings began Monday morning in Orlando, Fla., the Orioles already had their first "interested in" report. Which is similar to "in on." Don't let the phrasing confuse you. The bullpen always is a priority with the Orioles, no matter the returnees, and MLB.com's Mark Bowman wrote that they've expressed interest in right-hander Peter Moylan. There doesn't seem to be a nagging need for one if factoring in right-handers Brad Brach, Darren O'Day and Mychal Givens. Moylan led the...

Pushing the prospects, AFL update and Morrow memories

Pushing the prospects, AFL update and Morrow memories
As the Orioles try to plug holes and upgrade in spots over the winter, they figure to maintain their aggressive approach with certain prospects in their system. They may have to go station to station on the basepaths, but they aren't afraid to bump minor leaguers a level or push them harder up the ladder. I like this mindset. Cedric Mullins skipped high Single-A Frederick after batting .273/.321/.464 with 37 doubles, 10 triples, 14 home runs and 30 stolen bases at low Single-A Delmarva. He had...

Orioles remain in market for left-handed relief

Orioles remain in market for left-handed relief
The shopping list compiled by the Orioles every winter always includes left-handed relievers. There's a steady search for a specialist who can compete for a job in spring training. Richard Bleier gave them more than matchups this season after executive vice president Dan Duquette pulled off a Feb. 21 trade with the Yankees. He offered up a 1.99 ERA in 63 1/3 innings. Bleier would seem to be a lock to break camp with the Orioles in 2018 as a second lefty along with closer Zach Britton, but...

Orioles will reload, not rebuild

Orioles will reload, not rebuild
It is a question worth asking even though we pretty much know the direction the organization will take: Should the Orioles be rebuilding now after posting a losing record in 2017, and with several veterans not signed beyond 2018? The Orioles seem much more inclined to be reloading than rebuilding. They are still looking to add to their roster and improve their pitching to make another run for the playoffs in 2018. But we all know that free agency awaits for four key players after the 2018...

Orioles avoid shutout but lose again, 4-3 (with quotes)

Orioles avoid shutout but lose again, 4-3 (with quotes)
ST. PETERBURG, Fla. - The Orioles weren't going to get a deep start tonight from Miguel Castro. They knew it was going to be a bullpen game. The only question was how long it would take for the phone to ring. Castro escaped jams in back-to-back innings before Brad Miller broke a scoreless tie in the fourth with a three-run homer, and the Orioles lost again 4-3 before an announced crowd of 15,416 at Tropicana Field. The Orioles have dropped 18 of their last 22 games and are 75-86 overall and...

Jiménez lasts only three innings in 8-3 loss (with quotes)

Jiménez lasts only three innings in 8-3 loss (with quotes)
Ubaldo Jiménez would like to get back two pitches thrown tonight in the second inning. Both of them 92 mph fastballs. Both ending up in bad locations. Both causing a lot of pain. One fastball was planted in the back of leadoff hitter Logan Morrison with the count 0-2. The other was launched to left field by Wilson Ramos for a grand slam. If Jiménez was making his final Camden Yards start with the Orioles, as presumed, he went out in a blaze of gory. Jiménez allowed six runs over three...

Boston scores two in the 11th to rally and beat O's (with quotes)

Boston scores two in the 11th to rally and beat O's (with quotes)
The Boston Red Sox picked up a win important to their AL East title hopes. The Orioles just added another loss and more frustration. Boston trailed by five runs in the fifth inning tonight, but rallied to tie the game and then won it 10-8 in 11 innings over the Orioles. Now 86-64, they stay three games ahead of the Yankees for first place. The Orioles fall to 73-78 with their 10th loss in the last 12 games. This was the start of the final homestand of the year. After he pitched a 1-2-3 tenth,...