Kam Mickolio

Orioles officials remained mum on the status of the proposed deal that would send ace pitcher Erik Bedard to the Seattle Mariners for five players, including young center fielder Adam Jones. At this point, neither Jones nor any of the other main players involved in the deal has taken a physical, a source familiar with the talks said. However, officials from both sides remain confident that a deal can be reached. Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail has not returned several calls from The Sun the past couple of days.

Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds celebrated the Fourth of July weekend by launching rockets all over Atlanta and Arlington, Texas, and now ranks eighth in the major leagues in home runs. J.J. Hardy has re-emerged as one of the best all-around shortstops in the game and was one of the top candidates to represent the O's at next week's All-Star Game. In other words, Andy MacPhail's two major trades of the past offseason seem to have turned out pretty well, even if the rest of his team appears to be coming apart at the seams.

Here's a look at what other media are saying about the Orioles offseason moves, which include the addition of Mark Reynolds and J.J. Hardy. • Mike Burke of the Cumberland Times-News writes in a column that the Orioles made good moves but that they might fall short compared to their division rivals. So during a week in which Baltimore sports fans were in dire need of any kind of good news, the addition of Reynolds and Hardy, while hardly the second coming of Frank Robinson and Luis Aparicio, and the potential for adding another RBI producer, provides some good news.

More than three years after being traded away together by the Seattle Mariners in the Erik Bedard deal, Orioles center fielder Adam Jones and starting pitcher Chris Tillman had slightly divergent views on the lasting motivation of that move. Jones said he didn't care while Tillman wanted to prove something, and, together, they led the Orioles to a 4-2 victory Wednesday night in front of an announced 11,561 at Camden Yards. "First of all, it was good seeing those guys again, the few that are left," said Tillman, who faced the Mariners for the first time in his career.

In a flurry of expected moves, the Orioles set their Opening Day 25-man roster following Saturday's final exhibition game. The decisions include designating for assignment last year's utility infielder Robert Andino, who became expendable when the Orioles traded for veteran Julio Lugo on Thursday. "I have a responsibility to do what I can to make the team as good as I can and, in my judgment, Lugo was a better fit for us," said Andy MacPhail, the club's president of baseball operations.

Six Orioles pitchers threw eight shutout innings against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, but it was center fielder Jeff Salazar who should be credited with the save. Salazar, a veteran signed to play center in Triple-A Norfolk, made several strong running catches in the Orioles' 3-1 win before an announced 8,232 at Hammond Stadium, including an over-the-back snag of a soaring fly ball by Michael Cuddyer to end the first inning. Salazar's grab was the key play that settled starter David Hernandez, who threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing five hits and walking one. "I told Salazar, 'As long as you catch the ones going over your head, we'll be OK,' " Hernandez joked.

The Orioles scored three times in the first inning Wednesday night and defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-2, at McKechnie Field to end their six-game Grapefruit League losing streak. Adam Jones touched off the rally with a two-out triple against Pirates starter Zach Duke, and six straight Orioles reached base. Luke Scott delivered the most productive swing of the night with a two-run single, and Ty Wigginton brought home the other run with a hit to give Brad Bergesen a nice cushion before he took the mound for his first exhibition appearance.

When he was traded to the Orioles' organization in December as part of the Ramon Hernandez deal, Brandon Waring was hoping just to get noticed by his new employers. "Going into a new season with a new team, you just try to put your name on the map," said Waring, who hit 26 homers and batted .273 at Single-A Frederick to earn the organization's 2009 Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year award. "That's what I tried to do every day, just come out and keep the same approach, not put too much pressure on myself," Waring said.

- In a flurry of expected moves, the Orioles set their Opening Day 25-man roster after Saturday's final exhibition game. The decisions include designating for assignment utility infielder Robert Andino, who became expendable when the Orioles traded for veteran Julio Lugo on Thursday. "I have a responsibility to do what I can to make the team as good as I can and, in my judgment, Lugo was a better fit for us," said Andy MacPhail, the club's president of baseball operations.

Barring a roster move before tonight, manager Dave Trembley will be left with nobody on his bench when the Orioles resume their April 28 game against the Chicago White Sox that was suspended after the 11th inning. The game, which will start at 6:05 p.m. before the regularly scheduled three-game series opener, will pick up in the top of the 12th inning with the score tied at 3. The Orioles, considered the road team, will send Kevin Millar up to the plate first. "It would be to our benefit for Millar to go up there and hit one out," Trembley said, aware of his limited pitching and position-player options.

Hitless in his past 14 at-bats, Mark Reynolds was held out of the starting lineup Wednesday night for the first time this season, but Orioles manager Buck Showalter said there are no plans for the slumping third baseman to sit for an extended stretch. "We've considered it," Showalter said. "Obviously, we're doing it today. You kind of look what the other options are, and right now, we're giving him a day not starting. We'll see what tomorrow brings. I'm going to have a conversation with him between now and game time and get another feel for where he is. He's a 27-year-old man. This is not some guy who has been playing in the big leagues for 100 years.

Here's a look at what other media are saying about the Orioles offseason moves, which include the addition of Mark Reynolds and J.J. Hardy. • Mike Burke of the Cumberland Times-News writes in a column that the Orioles made good moves but that they might fall short compared to their division rivals. So during a week in which Baltimore sports fans were in dire need of any kind of good news, the addition of Reynolds and Hardy, while hardly the second coming of Frank Robinson and Luis Aparicio, and the potential for adding another RBI producer, provides some good news.

The Orioles knew all the drawbacks. Mark Reynolds batted just .198 last season for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He has struck 200 times in each of the past three seasons, while no other player has done it once in the history of baseball. In 26 career games against American League East teams, including the Orioles, Reynolds is 10-for-67 (.149) with one homer, seven RBIs and 33 strikeouts. However, the Orioles ultimately decided that those inadequacies were well worth adding his power to the middle of their order, and Monday they acquired the slugging third baseman from the Diamondbacks for relievers David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio.

Michael Gonzalez, whom the Orioles signed to a two-year, $12 million contract this winter to be their closer, has been placed on the disabled list with a strained left shoulder after three shaky outings -- an injury the club thinks is new despite Gonzalez's troubles this spring. "I asked him how long this has been going on, and he said his shoulder has been bothering him the last couple days," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "That's the answer that I got from Mike, so that's where I take it."

- In a flurry of expected moves, the Orioles set their Opening Day 25-man roster after Saturday's final exhibition game. The decisions include designating for assignment utility infielder Robert Andino, who became expendable when the Orioles traded for veteran Julio Lugo on Thursday. "I have a responsibility to do what I can to make the team as good as I can and, in my judgment, Lugo was a better fit for us," said Andy MacPhail, the club's president of baseball operations.

In a flurry of expected moves, the Orioles set their Opening Day 25-man roster following Saturday's final exhibition game. The decisions include designating for assignment last year's utility infielder Robert Andino, who became expendable when the Orioles traded for veteran Julio Lugo on Thursday. "I have a responsibility to do what I can to make the team as good as I can and, in my judgment, Lugo was a better fit for us," said Andy MacPhail, the club's president of baseball operations.

As Erik Bedard passed his physical and finalized an incentive-laden, one-year deal with the Seattle Mariners on Saturday, his agent confirmed that the left-handed pitcher gave plenty of thought about a reunion with the Orioles. "He was seriously considering it," Mark Pieper said. "Baltimore is one of the teams that we went pretty far in our discussions with. They were one of the finalists." Bedard, who had left shoulder surgery in August and won't be ready for the start of the season, agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million with an $8 million mutual option for 2011.

Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds celebrated the Fourth of July weekend by launching rockets all over Atlanta and Arlington, Texas, and now ranks eighth in the major leagues in home runs. J.J. Hardy has re-emerged as one of the best all-around shortstops in the game and was one of the top candidates to represent the O's at next week's All-Star Game. In other words, Andy MacPhail's two major trades of the past offseason seem to have turned out pretty well, even if the rest of his team appears to be coming apart at the seams.

Six Orioles pitchers threw eight shutout innings against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, but it was center fielder Jeff Salazar who should be credited with the save. Salazar, a veteran signed to play center in Triple-A Norfolk, made several strong running catches in the Orioles' 3-1 win before an announced 8,232 at Hammond Stadium, including an over-the-back snag of a soaring fly ball by Michael Cuddyer to end the first inning. Salazar's grab was the key play that settled starter David Hernandez, who threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing five hits and walking one. "I told Salazar, 'As long as you catch the ones going over your head, we'll be OK,' " Hernandez joked.

The Orioles scored three times in the first inning Wednesday night and defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-2, at McKechnie Field to end their six-game Grapefruit League losing streak. Adam Jones touched off the rally with a two-out triple against Pirates starter Zach Duke, and six straight Orioles reached base. Luke Scott delivered the most productive swing of the night with a two-run single, and Ty Wigginton brought home the other run with a hit to give Brad Bergesen a nice cushion before he took the mound for his first exhibition appearance.