Minor Leagues

When I heard the news, I thought it was a joke. My alma mater, Towson University, has made an entirely irrational decision to drop both men's baseball and soccer programs ("Angry coach says officials kept quiet about folding team," Oct. 4). Apparently, there is a collegiate rule that strives for gender equality participation in sports, and there was some imbalance in the numbers of female athletes versus male athletes. Once again, political correctness rears its ugly head, and who loses?

The Orioles' top position player prospect, Jonathan Schoop, was placed on the seven-day minor league disabled list Thursday with a lower back strain. The 21-year-old Schoop, who raised his stock after strong offseason performances in the Arizona Fall League and the World Baseball Classic, is hitting .268/.331/.386 with three homers and 18 RBIs in 34 games at Triple-A Norfolk. The injury isn't expected to be serious. Schoop is the Orioles' No. 3 prospect according to Baseball America behind pitchers Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman.

The Tampa Bay Rays, who will open their season Tuesday night against the Orioles, trimmed their roster to the 25-man limit by placing relief pitcher J.P. Howell on the 15-day disabled list (left shoulder strain) and reassigning pitcher Joaquin Benoit and infielder Hank Blalock to the minor leagues. Blalock, a former Texas Ranger, signed a minor league deal last month; the deal included a clause allowing him to try to sign with other teams if he was not going to be part of the roster coming out of spring training.

Orioles left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada, who is recovering from last May's Tommy John surgery, will make his first minor league rehab start for Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday afternoon at Lehigh Valley. It will be the first time Wada pitches in a minor league game since last April, when he lasted just 2 2/3 innings in a minor league rehab start for Norfolk. Wada, a former standout in the Japanese Pacific League who signed a two-year, $8.14 million contract before the 2012 season, has yet to pitch in a regular season game for the Orioles.

Minor Leagues Yesterday Triple-A International League Ottawa 9, Buffalo 2: Pedro Swann hit three doubles (4-for-5) and scored four runs for the Lynx (83-58). Double-A Eastern League Bowie 9, Norwich 4: Ed Rogers homered for the Baysox (71-68). Single-A Carolina League Frederick 9, Lynchburg 6: Mike Done went 3-for-4 with two RBIs to lead the Keys (31-36). Single-A South Atlantic League Lakewood 0, Delmarva 0, suspended after 10 innings Lake County 8, Hagerstown 5: Aaron Hornostaj went 3-for-5, including a double, but the Suns (20-46)

When Orioles right-hander Freddy Garcia was left without a job just a week before the regular season began this year, there was no doubt in his mind that he would pitch in the major leagues in 2013 if he was given the chance. Garcia - a 15-year major league veteran who won the World Series with the Chicago White Sox in 2005 and is the winningest Venezuelan-born pitcher in baseball history (152 career wins) - didn't need to prove anything after the San Diego Padres released him in late March.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Orioles left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada's recovery from Tommy John surgery is expected to take a significant step forward next week. Wada is slated to make one more start in extended spring training on Friday and after that he will likely be assigned to one of the team's minor-league affiliates to begin a rehab assignment. On Friday, Wada will go between five and seven innings and throw about 80 pitches, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "He looks good," Showalter said.

BOSTON -- The Orioles traded veteran reliever Luis Ayala to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, receiving minor league left-handed reliever Chris Jones in return. But the move was less about unloading Ayala than it was allowing the Orioles the opportunity to keep Rule 5 pick T.J. McFarland while moving to a seven-man bullpen. It lets the team go to back a four-man bench after playing short-handed since Saturday. The Orioles purchased the contract of outfielder Chris Dickerson from Triple-A Norfolk, and he replaced Ayala on the 40-man and 25-man rosters.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Orioles designated hitter Wilson Betemit underwent successful exploratory arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Wednesday. The procedure isn't expected to extend Betemit's initial recovery time of six to eight weeks from a Grade 2/3 posterior cruciate ligament tear in the knee. “They went in just to look and repair a couple of minor things, so everything in there was good news," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Thursday. “The anterior cruciate ligament is really good and the PCL looks like it's going to heal.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Despite pitching with a blister on his middle finger that prevented him from throwing breaking balls, Orioles right-hander Jake Arrieta felt good about his final tune-up before Friday's regular season home opener against the Minnesota Twins. Arrieta threw five innings against a collection of Orioles minor leaguers, throwing fastballs and changeups exclusively. Arrieta said the blister should be fine by Friday. “Just didn't throw the slider or the curveball today because those two pitches put pressure on the inside of my middle finger and it needs a couple days for that nail to grow out and let that skin to generate, but I'm all good to go,” Arrieta said.” Just fastball changeup [today]

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The Orioles have signed right-hander Freddy Garcia to a minor league contract in an effort to see whether the 14-year major league veteran can add to the organization's pitching depth. The 36-year-old Garcia, who spent the past two seasons with the Yankees, will report to Triple-A Norfolk and receive five to six starts there before the organization choses whether to purchase his contract. Garcia was released by the Padres on Sunday. “We're going to take a look at him for a few starts in Triple-A,” Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said.

The Orioles made a move Thursday night that likely solved their Opening Day roster logjam - for a few days, anyway. Right-hander Chris Tillman was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left abdominal strain, retroactive to March 22, the earliest date a transaction can be backdated this spring. That means Tillman is eligible to come off the DL on April 6 and pitch the fifth game of the season against the Minnesota Twins. It also means the Orioles have an extra roster spot to play with for the first four days of the season, which likely will allow Rule 5 left-hander T.J. McFarland and infielder Ryan Flaherty - two players who have been on the roster bubble since camp opened - to make the club.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- In his final spring outing, Orioles right-hander Jason Hammel, who will likely be the team's Opening Day starter, threw five innings against the Tampa Bay Rays' Single-A minor leaguers on the back fields of Ed Smith Stadium. Hammel allowed three runs -- all earned -- and three hits, striking out six and walking three. Unofficially, he threw 76 pitches, 47 strikes. He initially struggled through a 23-pitch first inning that was ended after just two outs, but he overwhelmed hitters with his fastball-changeup-curveball combo as the outing progressed.