Ed Smith Stadium

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The Orioles hit four homers against the Mets and closed their Grapefruit League schedule with a 7-1 win over the New York Mets. Three of those home runs caught in the wind blowing out in left field, which has been a constant at Ed Smith Stadium this spring. Center fielder Nate McLouth hit two solo homers, including one off the batter's eye in center field to lead off the second inning off Mets starter Dillon Gee. McLouth also hit an opposite-field homer to left in the fifth off Jeremy Hefner , one of three homers the reliever allowed on the afternoon.

Orioles Club releases its 2010 spring training schedule The Orioles on Tuesday announced their 2010 spring training schedule, which will open March 3 against the Tampa Bay Rays at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla. After 14 years in Fort Lauderdale, the club is training in Sarasota for the first time since 1995 and will play 16 home games in 2010 at its new spring facility. The team's first workout for pitchers and catchers is Feb. 18, and the first full-squad workout will be Feb. 23. All workouts before the start of exhibition games are free and open to the public.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Jim Palmer will make his 1991 exhibition debut against the Boston Red Sox today, but only if the Hall of Fame right-hander is able to pitch with a strained right Achilles' tendon.Palmer has been hobbled the past few days, but says he will make his scheduled start in the Baltimore Orioles' Grapefruit League "home" opener at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Fla.Manager Frank Robinson has left the decision entirely up to Palmer, who has been building toward this appearance since he began his unlikely comeback attempt in December.

Orioles outfielder Nolan Reimold went hitless in his first 22 at-bats last spring, a precursor to a disastrous 2010 season in which he spent 31/2 months at Triple-A. It took just one swing for Reimold to get this spring off to a promising start and provide even more evidence that he is ready to put last year behind him. The 27-year-old crushed Pittsburgh Pirates starter Paul Maholm 's first pitch of the second inning, sending it deep over the left-center-field wall. Reimold also walked three times and was the only Orioles starter to play the full game in the team's 6-4 win in their Grapefruit League opener at McKechnie Field.

- Orioles officials are confident that when the $31 million renovation of Ed Smith Stadium and Twin Lakes Park is complete, their spring training facilities, long regarded as among the major leagues' worst, will become one of baseball's best. "By the time we're through, when you consider travel, community, fields, facilities, absolutely it will," Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said. "When it's all said and done, it's really going to be something that we'll all be proud of."

Orioles manager Buck Showalter leaves for spring training today, a week before pitchers and catchers report to Sarasota, Fla., on Feb. 12. Expect everything to be set up exactly to Showalter's liking by that date. He ignores no detail, especially when it comes to the team's spring training set up. But Sarasota is already buzzing with activity. About 23 players in the organization are already training there. They're being overseen by Double-A Bowie manager Gary Kendall. Players are beginning to flow into the Ed Smith Stadium complex.

Orioles center fielder Adam Jones described himself as “marvelous” this morning, his first day back with his teammates since leaving for the World Baseball Classic on March 3. He'll be taking today and tomorrow off, and will play for the Orioles either Tuesday or Wednesday. Since Tuesday is a road game in Fort Myers, Fla., the best guess is that he'll be in the starting lineup Wednesday in Sarasota versus the Toronto Blue Jays. “I've played six straight nine-inning games, so my body feels good,” Jones said.

For Baltimore baseball fans inspired by the Orioles' surprising success last year, spring training couldn't have come soon enough. Those who never wanted that magic season to end along with newbie Birds fans are already flocking in droves to the team's Grapefruit League home at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. I had some genuine Smalltimore moments during the first two days of a recent five-day visit to the Gulf Coast of Florida, where the Orioles roost from February to the end of March.

Michael Gonzalez was the newly signed reliever last spring who struggled early and then spent a decent part of the Grapefruit League schedule facing minor league hitters and working on his mechanics. This spring, it's been Kevin Gregg who has made his past two appearances at Twin Lakes Park in minor league games. The purpose has been for Gregg to work on some mechanical alterations in a controlled environment. In minor league games, innings can be prolonged to allow pitchers to hit their pitch count and get their work in. "He had a couple of [big league]

In the hours leading to the official start of spring training, workers mounted the Orioles' retired numbers on the Ed Smith Stadium concourse, painted the railings the green that graces Camden Yards and decorated halls and offices with pictures of Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis and Adam Jones. After years of uncertainty about their long-term spring training home and 14 seasons at an overmatched facility in Fort Lauderdale, the Orioles have arrived here with their history in tow. "Even in its tentative state, we want to make it feel like home," said Orioles vice president for planning and development Janet Marie Smith as she viewed the stadium Tuesday.