troy patton

Manny Machado gets six at-bats and is cleared to sprint.

Steve Lombardozzi starts Wednesday against the Red Sox

The Orioles have set their 25-man roster, although it will not become official until Sunday.

The Orioles finished their Grapefruit League schedule with a 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays under the lights at Ed Smith Stadium on Thursday night.

SARASOTA, Fla. ¿ The rain has subsided here at the Ed Smith Stadium complex and it appear we¿re going to play tonight as the Orioles are scheduled to host the Rays tonight for a 7:05 game.

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. ¿ Orioles outfielder Nolan Reimold will open the season on the disabled list, manager Buck Showalter announced on Wednesday evening.

With just four days until Opening Day rosters must be finalized, the Orioles made four cuts Wednesday afternoon.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Orioles manager Buck Showalter has talked often this spring about the challenge of selecting the club¿s Opening Day roster ¿ and saying the best 25 players might not necessarily be the right 25 players to start the season with.

The Orioles will host the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium for their final spring training meeting.

When left-hander Brian Matusz arrived in the major leagues in 2009, his changeup was an essential part of his four-pitch arsenal. But as Matusz struggled as a starter before finding a home in the Orioles bullpen last season, he said lost his feel for the pitch.

The Orioles will travel just north to Bradenton, Fla., for a 7:05 p.m. game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at McKechnie Field.

Between the raindrops, the Orioles will try to fit in a split-squad road game against the Philadelphia Phillies this afternoon at Bright House Field.

Wei-Yin Chen became the first Oriole to go four innings this spring and Henry Urrutia¿s first homer helped contribute to a 2-2 tie with the Minnesota Twins.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado began running through first base and landing on the bag last week. Base running is one of the final drills Machado has to perform before he can be fully cleared and return to games.

Orioles prospect Jonathan Schoop homered for the second straight day Thursday, hitting a solo homer off Bud Norris in the first inning of an intrasquad game.

Evan Meek's journey from Rule 5 pick, to All-Star reliever, to nonroster spring training invitee has taken its share of wild twists and turns, but the Orioles hope that they've snagged the 30-year-old at just the right time.

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette will not rule out another free agent acquisition to upgrade the team's offensive lineup, though top remaining hitter Kendrys Morales would require the club to give up its third pick in the June draft.

SARASOTA, Fla. ¿ The Orioles could make an official announcement on the signing of South Korean pitcher Suk-min Yoon later today, but a press conference to introduce the right-hander likely wouldn¿t come until after the weekend.

The Orioles have finalized their spring training rosters -- or as finalized as they can be barring any additional signings amd with a week to go until pitchers and catchers report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Fla.

With the addition of right-hander Evan Meek on a minor league deal with an invitation to major league camp Wednesday, the Orioles now have 60 players invited to spring training.

Troy Patton is suspended for 25 games at the start of the 2014 season.

The Orioles' annual Fanfest runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

Even after a winning season in 2013, the club heads into Saturday's FanFest lacking much of the giddiness that permeated last year.

The Orioles have announced the autograph schedule for this year's FanFest event on Feb. 1. Autograph ticket vouchers go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. on the club's website.

The Orioles whittled their arbitration-eligible list from five to one Friday by settling with four players, including slugger Chris Davis, who will more than triple his 2013 salary next season.

Fans are still waiting for the Orioles to make a big play this offseason, but the front office obviously is more focused on keeping the guys they've got.

The Orioles have five arbitration-eligible players remaining after agreeing to a deal with Bud Norris

Club's executive vice president says Orioles are turning attention elsewhere to find new closer

Orioles left-hander Troy Patton has been suspended for 25 games without pay for testing positive for an undisclosed amphetamine, Major League Baseball announced this afternoon.

If you view the attempt to complete a deal with veteran closer Grant Balfour totally in its own context, there¿s no way to fault the Orioles for balking at the results of his physical and -- apparently -- pulling back the two-year contract that was agreed upon by both sides pending the medical examination.

And left-hander Brian Matusz, who spent the entire season as a reliever last year, will again among those pitchers competing for a starting rotation spot during spring training, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said on Thursday night.

The Orioles avoided arbitration with Nolan Reimold, ageing to a one-year deal worth $1.025 million plus incentives.

Today marks another significant day in the hot stove season because it is the annual tender deadline, the day when teams must tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players.

Dan Duquette said the Orioles will tender contracts to all nine of their arbitration eligible players.

The Orioles¿ signing of pitcher Kelvin De La Rosa on Monday was the latest addition to the club's growing group of left-handed relievers who could compete for bullpen spots in 2014.

The Orioles have signed left-handed reliever Kelvin De La Cruz to a one-year contract, the team announced Monday evening.

The Orioles haven't negotiated with any of their seven free agents yet as the exclusive signing period ended. But that's not too surprising.

The Orioles may not be demoralized, but they should be frustrated.

For the second straight night, the Orioles' late-inning fate was left to the bullpen Wednesday, and for the second consecutive night, the New York Yankees spoiled the Orioles' hopes for gaining ground in the American League wild-card race.