Orioles left-hander Troy Patton will have to leave spring training in Sarasota, Fla., in late February to appear in a courtroom in Houston.
Patton, 25, who was charged with DWI on Sunday night when his vehicle ran over a curb in a Houston city street, made a preliminary appearance at the Harris County Criminal Court on Friday, according to Harris County Assistant District Attorney Donna Hawkins.
Patton's court appearance was reset for Feb. 25, 12 days after Orioles pitchers and catchers report to Sarasota for spring training. Patton, who has an outside chance to make the club as a reliever, has team permission to leave camp to get his legal affairs in order.
"He should do whatever he has to do to make it right with the legal system — and not do it again," Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said.
Patton, who has not had a previous drunken driving arrest according to Houston police, could potentially offer his plea Feb. 25 if the hearing is not reset again. Hawkins said it is not unusual for court dates to be reset more than once.
It's possible that Patton requests admittance into an accelerated rehabilitation program for first-time offenders — which would involve a strict year of probation.
Patton pitched in one game for the Orioles in 2010 after missing most of the past two seasons because of injury. He could not be reached for comment.
Duchscherer works out
The Orioles and an undisclosed team watched a private workout for free-agent right-handed starter Justin Duchscherer on Friday in Phoenix.
Duchscherer, 33, who is attempting to come back from hip surgery, ran, did conditioning drills and threw between 50 and 55 pitches in an hour-plus workout, according to his agent, Damon Lapa.
Lapa said his client's velocity is already in the mid-80s and that he threw all four of his pitches for strikes from the set and stretch positions. Duchscherer will host a public workout in Phoenix on Tuesday, and 29 teams — with the Oakland Athletics, his former club, the lone exception — have been invited.
The Orioles have been looking to sign a veteran starter, and Duchscherer has been an effective one when healthy. He is 14-11 with a 3.01 ERA in 32 starts but made just five last season and none in 2009 because of injury.
Green signs minor league deal
The Orioles agreed to terms Friday with infielder Nick Green on a minor league deal with an invitation to big league spring training. The sides nearly had an agreement in December, but after Cesar Izturis re-signed, Green decided to keep his options open.
Green, 32, who has played with seven big league clubs, including the other four teams in the American League East, will compete with Brendan Harris and Robert Andino for a potential bench spot.
A career .237 hitter over parts of six major league seasons, Green has seen action at every position except center field and catcher. That includes a two-inning pitching stint with the Boston Red Sox in 2009. Last year, Green played five games with the Los Angeles Dodgers and nine with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Beimel joins Pirates
The Orioles' search for a second lefty in the bullpen continues as the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Joe Beimel to a minor league contract Friday. The Orioles were a finalist for Beimel, who was 1-2 with a 3.40 ERA in 71 relief appearances with the Colorado Rockies in 2010. But he chose to return to his native Western Pennsylvania and the team for which he debuted in 2001.
Michael Gonzalez is the only left-handed reliever guaranteed a spot on the 25-man roster. Other possibilities include Patton, Pedro Viola and Clay Rapada. The club could still pursue another free-agent lefty or two, including 36-year-old Mark Hendrickson.
Hendrickson has pitched for the Orioles the past two seasons and has shown interest in returning, but would have to do so on a minor league deal, which the Orioles have offered. The Colorado Rockies are also in the mix for Hendrickson.
Minor league staffs announced
The Orioles unveiled their minor league coaching staffs Friday, appointing Gary Allenson (Triple-A Norfolk), Gary Kendall (Double-A Bowie), Orlando Gomez (Single-A Frederick) and Ryan Minor (Single-A Delmarva) as the managers of their top affiliates.
Allenson, who managed the Tides for the first two months of the 2010 season, returns to Norfolk after serving as the Orioles' third base coach for the season's final four months. His hitting coach will be Brad Komminsk, who had spent the previous four seasons as the manager of the Baysox, and Mike Griffin will be back as Tides pitching coach.
Kendall was promoted to Bowie from Aberdeen after a three-year stint managing there. Kendall's staff includes pitching coach Kennie Steenstra and field coaches Denny Hocking and Einar Diaz. Pitching coach Blaine Beatty and field coach Mike Devereaux will work under Gomez in Frederick, while Minor's staff includes Troy Mattes (pitching) and Jose Hernandez (field).
The Orioles have not named their manager for short-season Single-A Aberdeen, but Scott McGregor (pitching) and Cesar Devarez (field) will return and Moe Hill will join the staff from Bowie.