Jamie Walker

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. -- The Orioles signed Jamie Walker, a 35-year-old left-handed reliever, to a three-year, $12 million deal in the offseason. In response, his former Detroit Tigers teammate, Todd Jones, said of the Tennessee native: "$12 million is a lot of money, but $12 million in Tennessee? He might as well be Donald Trump. That's a lot of generic-brand beer, and a lot of NASCAR tickets. You know how many fishing lures you can buy at Wal-Mart with $12 million?" What do Orioles fans need to know about Jamie Walker?

JONES KEEPS HITTING There haven't been as many positives as the Orioles would like this spring, but the organization is certainly feeling good about the development of center fielder Adam Jones. The second-year Oriole went 3-for-4 to raise his spring average to .378. He singled in the first inning, doubled in the Orioles' four-run fourth and hit a two-run homer in the fifth. BULLPEN STRUGGLES It wasn't a good day for a couple of the relievers who will be in the team's Opening Day bullpen.

Good morning -- Jamie Walker --At your price tag, you just might have to throw more innings.

MOORE DOUBLES UP Utility infielder candidate Scott Moore doubled twice and scored the first run of the game, raising his average to .438. He is 7-for-16 with the two doubles, a triple and a home run in eight games. Manager Dave Trembley said yesterday that Moore is a candidate to make the Opening Day roster, depending on the size of the pitching staff, but he still appears to be something of a long shot to open the season in the major leagues. The Orioles already have Melvin Mora starting at third base and Ty Wigginton locked into the 25-man roster, which means they have to go with 12 pitchers and something has to give to make room for Moore.

Did the Orioles overpay for former Tigers reliever Jamie Walker? Of course, they did. Three years for approximately $11.5 million? For Jamie Walker? They also did the right thing - not to be confused with the Jaret Wright thing. Why don't I mind that the Orioles made such an extravagant financial commitment to a left-handed setup man? The answer is simple. It's not my money. You want a better bullpen? You want guys willing to play in Baltimore after nine straight losing seasons? It'll cost you. roch.

WHO'S HOT Alfonso Soriano of the Rangers is hitting .344 (21-for-61) during a 15-game hitting streak. WHO'S NOT Chris Reitsma of the Braves has blown seven of 22 save chances. BATTING LINE OF THE DAY Deivi Cruz, Giants 2B AB R H RBI HR 5 2 5 5 1 PITCHING LINE OF THE DAY Jamie Walker, Tigers IP H R BB SO 0 4 4 0 0

Jamie Walker, Orioles reliever How special is it to have your 12-year-old son in the clubhouse? "I think it's special for him more than it is for me. But it is special to have him here, but he also realizes that it takes a lot of hard work to get here. And I'm just glad that I can bring him as much as I can. It is special to me. He's my little man."

OH NO, CANO:: Robinson Cano got the game-winning hit with a single up the middle in the ninth inning off Jamie Walker. But the key play came two batters earlier when the Orioles failed to turn a double play on Alex Rodriguez. Shortstop Juan Castro's throw pulled first baseman Aubrey Huff off the bag, putting runners on first and third with one out. Walker struck out Jason Giambi for the second out, then allowed the single to Cano. WHERE'S THE O?: Brian Roberts' first-inning double, his career-high 51st of the season, was pretty much the Orioles' only offensive highlight.

JONES KEEPS HITTING There haven't been as many positives as the Orioles would like this spring, but the organization is certainly feeling good about the development of center fielder Adam Jones. The second-year Oriole went 3-for-4 to raise his spring average to .378. He singled in the first inning, doubled in the Orioles' four-run fourth and hit a two-run homer in the fifth. BULLPEN STRUGGLES It wasn't a good day for a couple of the relievers who will be in the team's Opening Day bullpen.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -Not satisfied with his fastball command and still not at his maximum pitch count, Orioles ace Jeremy Guthrie went to the bullpen after his outing yesterday to get in a few more throws. "I wanted to locate four or five balls on the outside part of the plate, which I didn't do very consistently in the game," said Guthrie, who threw three scoreless innings in the Orioles' 4-2 victory over the Florida Marlins at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. "I threw four of them, and all of them were right where I wanted.

OH NO, CANO:: Robinson Cano got the game-winning hit with a single up the middle in the ninth inning off Jamie Walker. But the key play came two batters earlier when the Orioles failed to turn a double play on Alex Rodriguez. Shortstop Juan Castro's throw pulled first baseman Aubrey Huff off the bag, putting runners on first and third with one out. Walker struck out Jason Giambi for the second out, then allowed the single to Cano. WHERE'S THE O?: Brian Roberts' first-inning double, his career-high 51st of the season, was pretty much the Orioles' only offensive highlight.

CLEVELAND - Orioles designated hitter Aubrey Huff could still be traded to a contender this month, but All-Star closer George Sherrill can't be. According to two baseball sources, Huff, who is having a resurgent season, passed through revocable "trade" waivers and can be dealt until midnight Aug. 31 and still be eligible for a contender's postseason roster. Sherrill, however, was claimed by at least one unnamed American League team and was pulled back by the Orioles. They now have lost revocable waivers on Sherrill, meaning he cannot be placed on waivers again without the risk of losing him with no compensation in return.

A day after watching reliever Lance Cormier serve up a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning, Orioles manager Dave Trembley said yesterday that he was done holding open auditions to fill Matt Albers' role. With Albers out until at least late August with a torn labrum in his right shoulder, Trembley will establish hard-throwing right-hander Dennis Sarfate as the team's primary bridge in the sixth and seventh innings to top setup man Jim Johnson and closer George Sherrill. "Sarfate is probably the best one right now," Trembley said.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Jamie Walker had walked angrily to the visiting clubhouse, again fearing that one of his pitches cost the Orioles another victory, when Ramon Hernandez stepped to the plate with two outs and the score tied in top of the ninth inning. With one swing, Hernandez provided the Orioles with a badly needed win and picked up Walker after he had surrendered another game-tying, late-game home run to Carlos Pena. Hernandez slammed Dan Wheeler's pitch into the left-field seats for a solo homer that was the difference in the Orioles' 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays before an announced 19,295 last night at Tropicana Field.

PITCHERS Ht. Wt. W-L ERA 78 Matt Albers, 6-0, 205, 4-11, 5.86 ERA -- Known to have great stuff, he needs to become more polished either as a fifth starter or a long reliever. 35 Greg Aquino, 6-1, 188, 0-1, 4.50 ERA -- Initial plan has Aquino in sixth- and seventh-inning role, but he's Plan B if George Sherrill fails as the closer. 77 Randor Bierd, 6-4, 190, -, - -- Rule 5 pick will need to work multiple innings because the team has an abundance of one-inning pitchers. 53 Chad Bradford, 6-5, 203, 4-7, 3.34 ERA -- Right-handed complement to Jamie Walker needs to keep getting ground balls and cut down on base runners.

Infielders Freddie Bynum -- Versatility will come in handy in an attempt to win a spot on the Opening Day roster. Luis Hernandez -- Shortstop's slick glove might allow the Orioles to overlook his offensive deficiencies. Aubrey Huff -- Difficult offseason included hernia surgery, but he says he will be ready to go. Kevin Millar -- Manager Dave Trembley has anointed the first baseman as the early favorite to bat cleanup. Melvin Mora -- Third baseman wants to remain an Oriole, but how much more losing will he be able to take?

If there were a lesson for Orioles pitcher Daniel Cabrera to ponder while he served a recent six-game suspension, it might have included the wisdom of throwing strikes instead of throwing behind a batter's head. You're more likely to win games that way. Cabrera didn't lose his composure last night, and he didn't lose a game. But he's still looking for that elusive first victory in more than a month. Not everything is in his control, even when he's maintaining his own. Trying to avoid the indignity of being the majors' sole leader in losses, Cabrera left after seven innings with the Orioles ahead 2-1. Pinch hitter Mark Grudzielanek homered off reliever Jamie Walker (3-2)