Notebook

After Jim Johnson seized the closer's role in the second half of last year and converted his final eight save chances, the Orioles knew they had a guy who could finish games if they needed him to. But there was also the possibility that Johnson could move to the starting rotation. Then there was the lower-back strain that cost him a good chunk of the spring, making it uncertain whether he would be ready for Opening Day. "I went through some periods in spring where I was kind of going, 'Boy, I don't know if he's going to quite get there,'" Orioles manager Buck Showalter said about Johnson.

•There were no youth leagues in their native Warrenton, Va., when David and Matt Miller wanted to begin playing lacrosse. And a journey that began in the backyard with their mother teaching them how to play while using the wooden women's sticks from her college days continues this weekend, with both brothers playing in the Division I men's semifinals. David Miller is a senior at Maryland and a starting short-stick defensive midfielder. Matt Miller , a junior, is starting defenseman for Notre Dame, the top-ranked defense in the nation.

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Former Navy coach Richie Meade is expected to be named the first men's lacrosse coach at Furman, Inside Lacrosse reported Tuesday. Meade and an official in Furman's athletic department declined to comment when reached; however, the Furman athletic department has confirmed that it has planned a news conference for Saturday in Boston to name its first head coach. Inside Lacrosse reported on April 20 that Meade led a list of candidates that the newly formed South Carolina Division I men's program was considering, and sources have told Inside Lacrosse that Meade visited campus last week and has been in negotiations with the university.

All signs point to the Orioles' recalling left-hander Dana Eveland from Triple-A Norfolk to start Friday's series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays at Camden Yards. Eveland was removed from Monday's start for Triple-A Norfolk after throwing just 63 pitches against Louisville. He threw five shutout innings and allowed just four hits. Eveland is not listed among Tides starters for games this week. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said there were "multiple candidates" for Friday's start, a spot vacated by right-hander Tommy Hunter , who was optioned to Norfolk on Monday after struggling in his past two outings.

After Jim Johnson seized the closer's role in the second half of last year and converted his final eight save chances, the Orioles knew they had a guy who could finish games if they needed him to. But there was also the possibility that Johnson could move to the starting rotation. Then there was the lower-back strain that cost him a good chunk of the spring, making it uncertain whether he would be ready for Opening Day. "I went through some periods in spring where I was kind of going, 'Boy, I don't know if he's going to quite get there,'" Orioles manager Buck Showalter said about Johnson.

• On a Notre Dame men's lacrosse team where everyone contributes, Clarksville's Jim Marlatt has grabbed the spotlight. The River Hill grad had a career-high five-point day in the NCAA first-round win over Yale. But it's depth that has been the key: 19 different players have hit the back of the net for the Irish, who play Virginia on Sunday in the NCAA quarterfinals. "We're just looking for the opening guy and whoever that guys is at the end of the play is going to get the goal," said Marlatt, a 2012 Big East Conference first-team honoree.

Despite their bullpen's success, the Orioles hadn't had a designated long man. Instead, their relievers had taken turns at multiple-inning stints. But now, the Orioles seem to finally have a long-relief candidate in left-hander Dana Eveland . Eveland's contract was purchased from Triple-ANorfolk last Friday so he could make a spot start against the Tampa Bay Rays, and he was subsequently sent to the bullpen. In Wednesday's 15-inning, 4-3 win over the Kansas Royals at Kauffman Stadium, Eveland threw three scoreless innings, giving the Orioles their longest relief outing of the season.

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts knew the significance of Wednesday's date. It marked the one-year anniversary of Roberts' last game, when his headfirst slide at Fenway Park triggered a second wave of concussion symptoms May 16, 2011. Roberts said Wednesday that he has thought about the date - and about being out of the game for a full year - but that it helps that he feels closer than ever to a return. Roberts, who averaged 152 games a year from 2004 through 2009, has played in just 98 games since the beginning of the 2010 season.

Orioles left fielder Nolan Reimold, on the disabled list with a neck injury, said Tuesday that he still is experiencing tingling in his thumb and forearm and weakness in his left shoulder several days after undergoing an epidural injection. “It's frustrating,” he said. “I don't know if I'll have a little improvement every day or wake up one day and have it be gone.” There hasn't been enough improvement to speculate about when he will be able to start a rehabilitation program.

The Orioles continue to make roster moves at a dizzying pace, the latest occurring Saturday afternoon when third baseman Mark Reynolds was placed on the disabled list with a strained oblique. To replace Reynolds on the 25-man roster, the Orioles purchased the contract of veteran infielder-outfielder Bill Hall and immediately inserted him into left field and in the seventh spot of the starting lineup against the Tampa Bay Rays. Hall, who was signed last month after failing to make the New York Yankees out of spring training, was not on the 40-man roster, so the Orioles had to make a corresponding move.

• For the bulk of the field, entrance to the tournament is based on building a strong season-long resume. This year, however, for Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion Canisius, earning a spot meant finding a spark at just the right time. The Golden Griffins (6-7, 5-3 MAAC), who are set to play No. 1 seed Loyola on Saturday, suffered a discouraging four-game losing streak during the middle of the season, capped by a 14-2 loss to conference power Siena. The team was racked by injuries, especially at defense and the faceoff position, forcing coach Randy Mearns to experiment with his roster.

The last time Koji Uehara was around the Orioles, he was saying tearful goodbyes in the visitor's clubhouse at Yankee Stadium last July. This week, Uehara was back at Camden Yards, this time with the Texas Rangers, the club that acquired him from the Orioles for Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter at the nonwaiver trade deadline. There were some hugs and handshakes this week, but Uehara said, he is a Ranger now. Uehara, the former Japanese star who spent his first 21/2 big league seasons in Baltimore, didn't fare as well in two months in Texas.