steve tolleson

The Orioles headed back to Baltimore after their exhibition finale Friday night with their Opening Day roster essentially set. The one question remaining was the same one the Orioles brass has been asking itself the past week.

Former Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez cleared release waivers Friday, officially receiving his unconditional release from the club and becoming a free agent. It seems unlikely, but the Orioles still hope they can re-sign Gonzalez to a minor league deal and have him pitch in the rotation at Triple-A Norfolk. Gonzalez will likely get a major league offer elsewhere.

Reserves Xavier Avery and Steve Tolleson both hit two-run homers off Phillies reliever Ernesto Frieri as part of a five-run fourth inning. Garabez Rosa hit a game-tying homer and Ryan Flaherty scored on a wild pitch in the ninth as the Orioles won their exhibition finale, 8-7, over the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

A winless swoon that spanned all of spring training came to an end for the Orioles with Saturday¿s 8-1 win over the Minnesota Twins, but the victory was pyrrhic as catcher Matt Wieters left the game after the first inning with elbow soreness.

The Orioles didn¿t lose Thursday, but they didn¿t end their winless streak either. The Orioles rallied from a three-run deficit late in the game, but ended up settling for a 4-4 tie at Ed Smith Stadium.

The Orioles will play their final game in a stretch of five road games in their first seven to open their Grapefruit League schedule this afternoon against the Boston Red Sox at Jet Blue Park.

The Orioles entered their night split-squad home game Saturday night still searching for their first Grapefruit League win of the spring following an ugly 13-2 afternoon road loss to the Minnesota Twins at Hammond Stadium.

Intrasquad game lineups can be unconventional, and the ones for this afternoon's game at Ed Smith Stadium fits that description.

Buck Showalter held his first press gathering of spring training in the media workroom of the Ed Smith Stadium complex, and alluded to the fact that he could be in the same room a few days from now for a press conference to introduce a new free-agent signing. The Orioles are still engaged in negotiations to sign right-hander Yovani Gallardo and outfielder Dexter Fowler. Though neither has agreed to terms with the club, the Orioles were still considered the leading candidates for both.

Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim has been in the United States for less than a month, but the former South Korean baseball star has already begun making adjustments to the major leagues.

The Orioles announced their list of 17 nonroster players who will receive invitations to major league spring training.

They might not excite fans, but minor league signings are key to success.

The Orioles announced the signings of eight minor league players, all of whom will receive non-roster invitations to big league camp this spring.

The Orioles seem interested in Korean outfielder Hyun-soo Kim.

Defenseman Mike Green signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings, according to reports, formally closing the door on his tenure with the Washington Capitals.

After averaging eight runs a game over their past eight Grapefruit League contests, the Orioles' bats were much quieter in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Ed Smith Stadium.

Wei-Yin Chen allowed one earned run in five innings while throwing only 59 pitches.

On Thursday night, against a Toronto Blue Jays team that has one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball, right-hander Kevin Gausman made a strong case to remain in the Orioles starting rotation.

Jake Arrieta, who was demoted from the Orioles Monday after compiling a 6.63 ERA in four big league starts, made his 2013 Triple-A debut Friday night for the Norfolk Tides at the Charlotte Knights.

Baseball America has acquired the list of minor leaguers that have applied for free agency and there are 25 former Orioles farmhands that can now look for work elsewhere.

The Orioles have made a move to strengthen their infield defense, claiming 28-year-old second baseman Alexi Casilla from the Minnesota Twins on Friday.

To fill out the ALDS roster, the Orioles added Jason Hammel, Wei-Yin Chen, Miguel Gonzalez and Chris Tillman while removing infielder Omar Quintanilla and a trio of pitchers who were key for the club at different points this season: Steve Johnson, Jake Arrieta and Zach Britton.

Cal Ripken Jr. was in the TBS broadcast booth for Friday night's wild-card game, alongside former Braves pitcher John Smoltz and play-by-play man Ernie Johnson. Ripken had previously been a postseason studio analyst, but he only recently started working from the booth.

Veteran skipper Buck Showalter's unwavering, hands-on approach has been the key in transforming a woeful Orioles team into a winner.

Orioles left-hander Randy Wolf is dealing with elbow discomfort and could be lost for the remainder of the regular season and postseason, though he has not made a final decision on his immediate future.

Orioles set-up man Pedro Strop, who was supremely effective for most of this season, has struggled with his command for a few weeks, leading to speculation that he's getting worn down by the grind and spotlight of a major league season.

Former Oriole back at Camden Yards with New York after bouncing from team to team this season

The Orioles will face Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia today, and manager Buck Showalter's starting lineup offers a few tweaks from the one we're used to seeing against left-handed pitching.

Orioles pitcher Randy Wolf said he knew coming in he would be used in relief, and he didn't have a problem with that. His top priority was to pitch for a contender, but the 36-year-old said coming out of the bullpen will be an adjustment.

Outfielder Xavier Avery, utility man Steve Tolleson and catcher Luis Exposito were all with the team on Friday in New York and will be activated before Saturday's game.

The Orioles are in such a strange position right now that it¿s hard to predict what they¿ll do in several areas. One is September call-ups.

The Orioles have placed infielder Wilson Betemit on the 15-day disabled list after an MRI taken before Thursday's game showed a small cartilage tear in his right wrist and a deep bone bruise. First baseman Joe Mahoney was called up from Triple-A Norfolk to replace Betemit on the roster.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter expressed faith in slumping first baseman Mark Reynolds, saying he will continue to put Reynolds in the lineup despite his struggles.

The Orioles face Rays all-star left hander David Price this afternoon in the teams' series finale at Tropicana Field.

They were referring to the Orioles' two key hits with runners in scoring position in a five-run fifth inning, which fueled their 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. For a team that came in batting just .152 with runners in scoring position since June 14, those hits made the Orioles feel like they were suddenly cured.

Left-hander Dana Eveland arrived in Baltimore Thursday morning running on four hours sleep after receiving word that the Orioles were purchasing his contract from Triple-A Norfolk around 1:30 a.m.

The Orioles bullpen was forced to throw 6 1/3 innings Wednesday when starter Miguel Gonzalez couldn¿t get out of the third. So will a move be made this morning?

Matt Wieters is getting a day off from catching tonight against the Rays and their all-star left hander David Price.

Outfielder Steve Pearce became the odd man out Saturday when the Orioles added newly acquired infielder Omar Quintanilla to the 25-man roster.

It wasn't exactly a pre-trade deadline blockbuster, but the Orioles sent cash to the New York Mets on Friday for 30-year-old infielder Omar Quintanilla, who was designated for assignment earlier this week.

The Orioles have dropped the first two games of their four-game series against the Twins here in Minnesota, the the team will turn to right-hander Tommy Hunter to end the slide.