Orioles Spring Training Update No. 1

So much for all the hope. With five exhibition games under their belts, the Baltimore Orioles still aren't winning ballgames. They've gone 1-4 so far.


March 3
The O's started off strong in their first exhibition outing, destroying the Tampa Bay Rays 12-2.

The player who really stood out was Josh Bell, who many consider the Orioles' third baseman of the future. Bell played DH, batting in 3 RBIs, including two solo homeruns.

Here was the lineup for that day, absent of second baseman Brian Roberts, who is struggling with a back injury.

Adam Jones CF
Cesar Izturis SS
Nick Markakis RF
Miguel Tejada 3B
Matt Wieters C
Luke Scott LF
Garrett Atkins 1B
Josh Bell DH
Justin Turner 2B

Jeremy Guthrie RHP

March 4

The Orioles faced a tough 5-6 defeat by the Tampa Bay Rays. The weak link here seemed to be Mark Hendrickson, who allowed two runs on three hits in one inning.

Felix Pie CF
Robert Andino SS
Lou Montanez RF
Ty Wigginton 3B
Scott Moore DH
Jeff Salazar LF
Brandon Snyder 1B
Craig Tatum C
Blake Davis 2B

Brian Matusz LHP

March 5

The Orioles fell to the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-5. God, I hate Pittsburgh; but obviously earning only three runs is not going to win a ballgame.

Adam Jones CF
Cesar Izturis SS
Nick Markakis RF
Miguel Tejada 3B
Matt Wieters C
Luke Scott DH
Garrett Atkins 1B
Jonathan Tucker LF
Justin Turner 2B

Chris Tillman RHP

March 6

The O's struggled under newly attained pitcher Kevin Millwood, losing to the Detroit Tigers 5-9. Millwood retired just two of the ten batters he faced, reaching his pitch count with only two down in the first inning, MLB.com reported. Pitcher Brandon Erbe showed his youth and inexperience when he gave up three runs in the sixth inning.

Felix Pie LF
Robert Andino 2B
Nolan Reimold DH
Ty Wigginton 3B
Lou Montanez RF
Brandon Snyder 1B
Jeff Salazar CF
Michel Hernandez C
Blake Davis SS

Kevin Millwood RHP

March 7

I wonder if it was as beautiful in Florida as it was here in Maryland today. The Orioles suffered another one-run loss, this time to the Boston Red Sox, ultimately losing 4-5. This loss might be indicative of the season to come for the Orioles, considering many of the names on the lineup are projected to be our starters.

Adam Jones CF
Ty Wigginton DH
Nick Markakis RF
Miguel Tejada 3B
Matt Wieters C
Luke Scott LF
Garrett Atkins 1B
Miguel Abreu 2B
Cesar Izturis SS

Jeremy Guthrie RHP

Look for another Grapefruit League update in a few days. In the mean time, keep your eye out for position breakdowns in the outfield, infield and catcher positions. I will also be talking about who will be our go-to clean-up hitter (looks like they've been splitting time between Tejada and Wigginton).

P.S. Please excuse the wacky formatting. I'm not sure what went wrong with this post.