Fort Lauderdale

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Melvin Mora arrived at Fort Lauderdale Stadium last week, and in what has become his annual rite of spring, predicted his numbers for the coming season. ".340, 20-plus and 100-plus, and help the team win," Mora said of his projected batting average and home run and RBI totals, a wide smile stretching across his face. Mora, the emotional third baseman who has worn an Orioles jersey longer than any other current player, had plenty to digest this offseason. He had shoulder surgery in November, saw two of his closest friends (Ramon Hernandez and Daniel Cabrera)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -After another long workout, Koji Uehara walked into the Orioles' clubhouse yesterday morning with his translator, trainer and masseuse following closely behind. Uehara smiled at a reporter who was near his locker and then joked with a couple of his new teammates as about a dozen Japanese reporters watched his every move. Several minutes later, Matt Wieters arrived at Fort Lauderdale Stadium flanked by fellow Orioles prospects Brad Bergesen and David Hernandez. Wieters unpacked his equipment bag before several team officials, players and reporters made their way to his locker.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -Nonroster pitcher Brad Hennessey is not reading too much into his starting assignment in the first exhibition game of the Grapefruit League season, but that doesn't mean there isn't much to read into. "It's spring training," he said. "I guess you just try go to with it. Not a big deal." That's probably the best way to approach your spring debut, but it actually might be a big deal. Pitching coach Rick Kranitz didn't downplay the significance of the former San Francisco Giants right-hander making the first exhibition start against another major league club, though he conceded that Jeremy Guthrie would have made the start if he hadn't been preparing to join Team USA this week.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -The Orioles are not going to be tempted to accelerate the development of top pitching prospect Brian Matusz, but that isn't going to stop him from showing them what they'll be missing at the major league level this year. Matusz pitched three scoreless innings of relief in yesterday's 5-2 Grapefruit League victory over the Florida Marlins at Fort Lauderdale Stadium, his third consecutive scoreless outing if you count his appearance against the Italian national team in the Orioles' first game of the spring.

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. -- Brian Roberts leaned forward at his locker yesterday and dug a spoon into his yogurt parfait, a healthy breakfast alternative that matches the healthy attitude he brings into the clubhouse each morning. He laughed at a failed prank by one of his teammates, and hardly bore the look of a man who's stressed about his financial future. Another day passed without Roberts signing a contract extension. He marked the occasion by collecting singles in his only two trips to the plate and stealing a base in the Orioles' 4-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- When Orioles starter Erik Bedard arrived at Fort Lauderdale Stadium yesterday on the day pitchers and catchers were scheduled to report, he playfully sighed at a small group of reporters standing not far from his locker. Though he was joking yesterday, the left-hander doesn't hide his disdain for dealing with the media. But given a choice between answering questions or listening to Orioles officials discuss his statistical shortcomings, Bedard would surely take the former.

Cruising around the west coast of Florida this week, a few thoughts came to mind: Is there any place in the free world with more strip malls per square mile than the greater Tampa-St. Pete area? Are they called strip malls because, at least in Tampa, there seemingly is a strip joint on every corner? Aren't the Orioles lucky that they have a great city like Fort Lauderdale to spend six weeks in? And could Fort Lauderdale Stadium be any worse? Spending a few days in Clearwater, Sarasota and Tampa opened the eyes to how bad the Orioles' big league training facility is for fans, players and media alike.

Cruise lines are having trouble filling cabins in the Caribbean this season. That's good news for you. In fact, this may be the best time to nab a bargain. "It's been a challenging environment in the Caribbean," said Howard Frank, Carnival Corp.'s vice president and chief operating officer, in a conference call to financial analysts. The hardest hit, he said, were the shorter three-, four- and five-day cruises. To prop up corporate coffers, Carnival Corp. is aggressively cutting prices for its fleet of ships in the Caribbean, Frank said.

An excited bunch of Orioles filed out of the Fort Lauderdale Stadium clubhouse yesterday for the first workout of spring. They were greeted by about 20 fans ... and a nice, stiff wind. It was cold enough that several Orioles, including some who had trouble getting to Florida because of snow and ice on the East Coast, scurried back to the clubhouse to grab a sweat shirt or a jacket. "It's all relative," manager Sam Perlozzo said. "If I called up north right now and complained, I don't think I'd get any sympathy.

JUPITER, FLA. -- Scheduled to start yesterday's split-squad game against the Florida Marlins, Orioles pitcher Hayden Penn was held back until the fifth inning after disappointing team officials by leaving his equipment bag in Fort Lauderdale and making a return trip from Jupiter. Jeremy Guthrie made his first spring start and went two innings. Jon Leicester replaced him and also threw two, leaving Penn to wait until the fifth. Red Sox@Orioles Today, 1:05 p.m., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., MASN, 105.7 FM

Reliever Chris Ray, who appeared to be the Orioles' closer-in-waiting at the start of the season, was demoted to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday after two rough months. Ray was 0-1 with a 9.39 ERA in 17 games, allowing 16 earned runs in 15 1/3 innings. He had been pulled from his late-inning role and was used sparingly in the past few weeks, pitching just five times since May 9. "He needs to work in an environment that is going to give him an opportunity to succeed and work on his delivery and repeat it," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said.

STILL FIGHTING With the Orioles apparently set on going with 13 pitchers and just 12 position players, reserve infielder Chris Gomez appears to be the odd man out for the Opening Day roster. But he made a late case for inclusion Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., going 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored and playing steady defense at shortstop. Gomez got off to a horrible start at the plate this spring, managing just one hit in his first 18 at-bats. That's the reason his average was at .200 after a three-hit day. PENN NOT MIGHTY Hayden Penn gave up six runs over 3 2/3 innings in what was cast by manager Dave Trembley as a make-or-break outing.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Koji Uehara was pretty proud of himself yesterday. "I pitched a perfect game," he said with a smile. In reality, Uehara pitched a perfect inning before the clouds opened up and delayed Sunday's exhibition game against the New York Mets at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. He struck out the first two batters he faced and got center fielder Jeremy Reed to ground out to second, and the infield was under water before the Orioles could get through the bottom of the inning. The game was delayed for about 80 minutes, so Uehara went to the covered bullpen area next to the back fields and simulated four more innings of work, throwing a total of 76 pitches.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -The Orioles' evolving rotation competition is down to six pitchers for three spots as manager Dave Trembley on Tuesday ruled out David Pauley for one of the starting vacancies. "There are other guys ahead of him right now," Trembley said. "The two rainouts hurt us. We're coming down toward the end of this. I would highly doubt he'll get another start. If anybody gets another start, I'll try to get it for [Hayden] Penn because he got bumped." Pauley, who was acquired from the Boston Red Sox this offseason for reliever Randor Bierd, has struggled this spring, compiling an 8.18 ERA in five appearances (three starts)

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Jeremy Guthrie walked out of Dodger Stadium on Sunday night just after Mark DeRosa connected for a two-run double, the eighth-inning hit cutting Team USA's deficit against Japan to two runs and breathing life into its chances of making it to the final of the World Baseball Classic. At the time, Guthrie, an analytical thinker if there ever was one, was torn. The last thing he wanted was to leave an experience in Los Angeles that he said "can't be matched" one game short of his and his teammates' ultimate goal.

JUPITER, FLA. - The muddled race for the Orioles' open rotation was further clouded yesterday, this time by the weather. The Orioles were supposed to have home-and-away split-squad games with the St. Louis Cardinals yesterday, but hard rain on an uncovered field at Fort Lauderdale Stadium forced the Orioles to cancel their home game. That meant they had to reduce their pitching outings by half, postponing performances by two rotation candidates: Hayden Penn and Brad Bergesen. Also, Danys Baez, who was supposed to pitch today, has been pushed back to tomorrow.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -No one should be surprised, but when the Orioles dispatched their three top pitching prospects to the organization's minor league camp in Sarasota over the weekend, the whole optimism-of-spring thing sort of went along for the ride across Alligator Alley. Brian Matusz could light up Fort Lauderdale Stadium with his curveball. Chris Tillman and Jake Arrieta could make the future appear as if it's just around the corner. The three of them created so much buzz during the early weeks of spring training that it was easy not to notice that the major league pitching staff they will someday lead was quietly coming unraveled.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -Brian Roberts walked briskly from the dugout toward the batting cage one morning last week and waited for Matt Wieters to finish spraying balls around Fort Lauderdale Stadium. When Wieters' batting practice round was done, Roberts, an eight-year veteran and two-time All-Star, presented him with a cup of water as Orioles manager Dave Trembley, hitting coach Terry Crowley and first baseman Aubrey Huff broke into laughter. Roberts' gesture was in mock deference to the newest Oriole, who is being touted as everything from a future Hall of Famer to the franchise savior before he has played a big league game.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Mark Hendrickson finally provided the Orioles with some good news on the pitching and injury front. The left-hander, who has been sidelined this spring with lower-back and hip pain, pitched three scoreless innings yesterday in an intrasquad game at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. Hendrickson, signed as a free agent this offseason to give manager Dave Trembley and pitching coach Rick Kranitz more flexibility, allowed two singles and hit a batter but walked none and threw 24 of his 38 pitches for strikes.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -The most important issue facing the Orioles this spring is the makeup of the starting rotation, and the latest news is not encouraging: The club has removed right-hander Matt Albers from consideration for one of the three open slots, and right-hander David Pauley allowed nine base runners in three innings in yesterday's 4-3 exhibition loss to the Minnesota Twins at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. That was just yesterday's rotation revelations. The day before, Japanese pitcher Koji Uehara was pushed back at least a few days with a hamstring strain and manager Dave Trembley conceded it would be hard for projected No. 3 starter Rich Hill to rebound from early spring elbow soreness and start the season on time.