SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are making contingency plans in case Justin Duchscherer is unable to start Wednesday's exhibition game against the Phillies in Clearwater. Duchscherer is being shut down for 48 hours while dealing with a sore hip. The Orioles will re-evaluate him before determining his status for Wednesday. "We'll see what the next step is where he's concerned," manager Buck Showalter said. "There are no tests scheduled at this point. We'll just kind of see what we're...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Justin Duchscherer is in the clubhouse, but he's not throwing or talking. Derrek Lee is in uniform, but he's not hitting. Brian Roberts took ground balls at second base and moved to a batting cage for situational hitting. He swung from both sides of the plate without any restrictions against Double-A Bowie pitching coach Kennie Steenstra. There's a piece of good news. Hitting coach Jim Presley kept barking out situations for each hitter. Infield back, man on third. Man...

I have gotten a similar question this week after just two Orioles were listed among Baseball America's top 100 prospects for 2011. The Rays had seven and the Yankees six players on the same list. "How can the O's have lost for 13 years and that's all we have to show from our farm system," several fans have asked? We need to keep in mind that the Orioles had four players on the same lists in 2009 and 2010. If one big job of a farm system is to send players to the majors, the O's have...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Justin Duchscherer isn't on the field today, and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail confirmed that the pitcher is dealing with some hip soreness. Add Brian Roberts, lose Duchscherer. Not the kind of break-even day the Orioles wanted. Duchscherer will take off the next 48 hours and be re-evaluated. He's been told to rest and receive treatment. "We'll just have to see how it plays out in the next 48 hours," MacPhail said. "Then, we'll have an idea what...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Second baseman Brian Roberts has taken the field for the pre-workout stretch. He's also expected to participate in infield drills. Roberts had to get the approval of the athletic training staff. He stated yesterday that it's been a "group effort" when determining whether he could work out. Roberts spent the last three days getting treatment for a stiff neck. He hasn't been able to participate in baseball activities, but he noted that his neck kept improving each...

SARASOTA, Fla. - It appears that Twitter has taken the morning off. I haven't been able to access it or post an update in more than an hour. So much for following me at @MASNroch. It's probably just as well. I've been known to stop short. The Orioles put a ping pong table in the middle of the clubhouse, which proves that manager Buck Showalter isn't all business. He'll let the guys have a little fun, as long as it doesn't interfere with their work. J.J. Hardy is ridiculously good. So...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles first baseman Derrek Lee won't take batting practice today after hitting outdoors for the first time yesterday afternoon. Lee said his surgically repaired right thumb is "a little bit tender." "Probably as expected, since it was the first time I hit on the field," he said. Lee plans to take BP tomorrow. "Overly cautious," he said. "I was hoping I would wake up feeling 100 percent, but I kind of knew I'd wake up sore." Meanwhile, Brian Roberts is outside...

SARASOTA, Fla. - I can't close out the day without letting manager Buck Showalter say a few words. Showalter noted that second baseman Brian Roberts' neck showed some improvement again today. "Better than yesterday, and the other day was better than that," Showalter said. "We'll see what tomorrow brings." Showalter confirmed that no further tests are scheduled for Roberts. X-rays came back negative. He's apparently been bothered by spasms. "They pretty much feel like they've got...

Lefthander Ross Detwiler continues to show good mechanics and renewed core strength following offseason rehabilitation from the hip injury that nagged him last season. The only bump in the first 10 days at spring camp in Viera, Fla., has been a slight head cold and sore throat that left him tired Thursday. But Detwiler will return to throwing live batting practice today. "Everything is feeling great," Detwiler said. "I think with my offseason program and really honing in on building...

SARASOTA, Fla. - No sense ignoring Brian Roberts in this entry. He's been a constant presence, though Derrek Lee provided a slight distraction earlier today. Roberts said his neck is "getting better every day." He received more treatment today to alleviate the soreness and also rode a stationary bike. "It's definitely better than it was a couple days ago," he said. "It's the time of the year where you just want to get it completely gone before you go back out there again." Asked...