March 20, 2012|By Eduardo A. Encina, The Baltimore Sun
The club is without a player representative because long-time rep Jeremy Guthrie was dealt to the Colorado Rockies on Feb. 6. Reliever Jim Johnson, who has been active with the union, will act as an informal liaison between the Orioles' players and the union until an official vote is held in June.
As part of his presentation, Weiner said he addressed the situation involving Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun, but "there weren't a lot of questions about the Braun issue." Braun tested positive for a banned substance and that was leaked to the media before he had a chance to appeal; the process is supposed to be confidential until an appeal is denied. Braun's appeal ultimately was upheld due to a procedural infraction in handling his testing.
"It is good that players have questions, they should have questions when you have a development like this," Weiner said. "Once they get the information I'm assuring them and they are accepting it, that we don't have any problems with the integrity of the program going forward."
Around the horn
After starting the spring 4-2-1, the Orioles (6-8-4) have just two wins in their last 11 Grapefruit League games. … Catcher Taylor Teagarden, already shelved with a back injury, was hit in the hand by a foul ball off the bat of former Oriole Ty Wigginton. X-rays were negative. … Second baseman Brian Roberts continues to hit in a cage and take ground balls, and he looked particularly sharp in pregame on Tuesday. Showalter said there's still no timetable him playing in a spring game. … Left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada threw a bullpen session Tuesday and is slated to next pitch on three days rest Thursday in a Triple-A minor-league game at Twin Lakes Park. … RHP Darren O'Day (groin) and Jason Berken (hamstring) both had successful pen sessions and could join Wada for a game at the minor-league complex on Thursday. … Showalter said he will likely meet with coaches and executive vice president for baseball operations Dan Duquette following Tuesday'sgame to discuss another round of cuts that could be made Wednesday morning. The roster, currently at 46, will likely pare down to 40 players.
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Baltimore Sun reporter Dan Connolly contributed to this article.
