Camp

SARASOTA, Fla. - Right-hander Jair Jurrjens was hoping to show the Orioles once more what he can do on the mound before the club makes its final roster decisions. A line drive off the bat of Thomas Neal ended Jurrjens' last audition 21 pitches into Wednesday night's Grapefruit League game. The New York Yankees designated hitter smashed a comebacker right at Jurrjens, who instinctively turned to the side and was struck in the right ribs. He immediately left the game, two batters into the second inning.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Before Tuesday's game, the Orioles reassigned outfielder Lew Ford to minor league camp, cutting the spring roster to 37 players, which included nine non-roster invitees. After Monday's injury to designated hitter Wilson Betemit, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that “some of the dynamics changed” in forming the 25-man Opening Day roster. That means that when whittling down the mix of reserve players, players who can play first base as well as outfield have a better chance of making the team, because Betemit could have served as a backup first baseman.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The stability of the Orioles starting rotation - in which four pitchers essentially had spots locked up  - and a Grapefruit League schedule that included a heavy dose of American League East opponents was possibly the best thing that could have happened to Orioles pitching prospect Kevin Gausman. In Gausman's first spring camp, he's had a chance to compile innings in major league games because the Orioles didn't want to pitch their established starters against division competition.

The Orioles made two outfield roster cuts before Monday's game, optioning Russ Canzler to Triple-A Norfolk and reassigning Jason Pridie to minor league camp. The moves trim the Orioles spring training roster to 38 players, including 10 non-roster invitees. Canzler, who played both outfield and first base competing for a reserve spot, recorded a .265/.324/.294 batting line this spring in 23 games. Pridie, a non-roster invitee, had a solid spring, hitting .310/.341/.548 with two homers and nine RBIs in 19 games.

This spring's competition for the fifth spot in the Orioles' starting rotation came a little bit closer to a conclusion Saturday when the team optioned left-hander Zach Britton to Triple-A Norfolk. The team also optioned infielders Jonathan Schoop and Yamaico Navarro to Triple-A and reassigned right-hander Daniel McCutchen to minor league camp. Those moves trim the Orioles' spring roster to 40 players. In five Grapefruit League outings this spring, the 25-year-old Britton had a 6.10 ERA, allowing 13 hits and seven runs in 10 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts and four walks.

Orioles left-hander Mark Hendrickson returned to camp on Saturday after joining his wife, Cortney , for the birth of the couple's third child back home in York, Pa. Hendrickson missed the child's birth -- he was standing in the line at the airport for a 6 a.m. flight on Wednesday while his wife was in labor, video chatting with her she was in the delivery room -- but was in the air when the baby, which they named Sophia Joy , was delivered....

The Bel Air Police Explorer Program is hosting a one-week Youth Police Camp this summer for children who are interested in the law enforcement profession. Campers will participate in classroom and hands-on activities with the many different officers from various units within the Bel Air Police Department, including a daily regimen of physical training. There will be demonstrations from the police K-9 unit and the Harford County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit and Motorcycle Unit. The campers will be required to wear a uniform consisting of a T-shirts with camp logo and a baseball cap. The cost to attend the camp is $40 per child.

The Orioles have made three more cuts, optioning catcher Luis Exposito to Triple-A Norfolk and sending non-roster invitees Daniel Schlereth and Adam Russell to minor league camp. Exposito, who is on the 40-man roster, batted .381 with a .481 on-base percentage in 14 spring games. But the 26-year-old had struggled defensively, making two errors, including a catcher's interference that allowed the winning run to score when he scooped up a live ball with his catcher's mask. Exposito, who batted .056 in nine games with the Orioles last year, will compete for the starting job at Norfolk.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Catcher Chris Robinson returned to Orioles camp on Wednesday after playing a key role in a brawl in last week's World Baseball Classic pool play game between Canada and Mexico. Robinson, the starting catcher for Canada, reached on a bunt single in the ninth inning with Canada comfortably leading Mexico 9-3. The Mexican team didn't like that, and Mexico pitcher Arnold Leon threw two pitches near the next batter, Rene Tosoni, before plunking him with the third. That incited a benches clearing brawl.