When his bullpen session was over, Justin Duchscherer thanked catcher Jake Fox and walked off the mound. It was exactly the uneventful and routine start to spring training that the Orioles had hoped for from Duchscherer.
"Free and easy, is that the way they say it?" manager Buck Showalter said when asked about Duchscherer's bullpen session. "I keep reminding guys like that to keep in mind the finish line. They've been through a lot of springs, and Duke's going to be there at the end of spring, we hope. Today was a good step for him."
Duchscherer, whom the Orioles signed this month, had left hip surgery in June. He has made just five starts since 2008 because multiple health problems, including a bout with clinical depression.
"I'm ahead of where I usually am," Duchscherer said. "Usually, I'd come to spring training having thrown maybe one or two bullpens to save my bullets, but this season was a little different. I had to get ready to show teams I was healthy. I'm done with the whole rehab. Basically, I'm doing my normal stuff. I'm limited in some of the things. I'm not going to go out there and run 100-yard sprints like I used to when I was younger. I've got to be careful with that kind of thing, so I do a lot of my conditioning on machines. But other than that, there are no limitations."
The 33-year-old right-hander threw about 40 pitches and was particularly pleased with his breaking ball. He said he feels he could face hitters now, but pitching coach Mark Connor has urged him to take it slowly.
"Basically, what he said to me is: 'You've been around, you know what you're doing, so we're not going to mess with you too much. Just don't overdo it and hurt yourself,'" Duchscherer said. "That's kind of the motto everyone's given me."
Asked where Duchscherer would fit into the rotation, Showalter said: "It's a health issue. If he's between the lines and on the field, he will fit high up in our rotation."
Snyder to get chance to catch
Brandon Snyder was a high school catcher when the Orioles made him the 13th overall pick in the 2005 draft. However, shoulder surgery in 2006 led to his moving from behind the plate.
He will be headed back there this spring, if only for a little while.
Snyder, 24, will get an opportunity to catch over the next couple of weeks as team officials look for ways to increase his versatility and give him a better chance to stick on the major league roster. Snyder, who arrived at camp Tuesday and took batting practice, will do some catching drills starting today.
Showalter, who knew Snyder was drafted as a catcher, said that he thinks this could be a way to enhance the player's value to the organization.
Snyder has primarily played first and third base as an Orioles minor leaguer. He hit .257 with nine homers and 43 RBIs in 98 games last year for Triple-A Norfolk.
Mahoney will be seen, not heard
Orioles first base prospect Joe Mahoney is reserved by nature, so he won't have a hard time fitting in at his first big league spring training.
"I'm really looking forward to this, a lot of new faces, a lot of new guys," said Mahoney, the Brooks Robinson Award winner as the Orioles' minor league player of the year in 2010. "I'm just looking forward to picking everybody's brain and learning as much as I can. ... I want to be seen, but like you said, I don't want to be heard and be that loud guy. That's not my personality anyways. I'll just listen, keep my ears open and see how it works."
Mahoney, who hit .319 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 52 games at Double-A Bowie after batting .299 with nine homers and 49 RBIs in 72 games for Single-A Frederick, is specifically looking forward to being around Derrek Lee.
"I heard he's a really good mentor," he said. "He's a Gold Glover. He's had some really good years and a heck of a career. I'm looking forward to working with him and picking his brain about the game."
Mahoney, 24, is also looking forward to being healthy again. He was supposed to play in the Venezuelan Winter League this offseason, but he hurt his right wrist in his first game. He went home to get it checked out and ultimately got a cortisone shot to help him deal with torn cartilage. He also had surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee. Mahoney said his knee is fine and he's just going to have to play through the pain in his wrist.
Gonzalez has 'look in his eye'
Michael Gonzalez's bullpen sessions were heavily scrutinized last spring as the reliever never looked healthy or comfortable. Gonzalez denied being injured and then went on the disabled list in April after blowing two of three save opportunities.
In his first bullpen session this spring, he looked significantly more comfortable and his stuff appeared much crisper, a positive development that could help distance him from the disaster that was last spring.
"I've actually heard enough about it, OK?" Showalter said when asked about Gonzalez and his problems last year. "He's got a good look in his eye. [He] feels good where he is physically compared to last year. I'm not going to dwell on whose fault it might have been. Let's move forward and build on the two good months he had for us. It could all change in one outing, but so far, so good. He felt really good today out there. He could be quite a weapon for us."
Around the horn
Reliever Luis Lebron, who had Tommy John ligament-reconstruction surgery last May, threw about 30 pitches from off the mound for the first time since having surgery. … All Orioles pitchers in camp, except the rehabilitating Brandon Erbe (McDonogh) have thrown at least one bullpen session. … Catcher Matt Wieters became the first player to hit a home run over the right-field fence on Field Four, the revamped field with the same dimensions as Camden Yards. … Snyder, Brian Roberts, Matt Angle, Tyler Henson and Brendan Harris were among the early arrivals who took batting practice. … The Orioles announced that they entered into a two-year agreement with Red Zebra Broadcasting to broadcast their games on AM radio stations ESPN 980 and SportsTalk570.