Rick Kranitz

It appears that the Orioles are more likely to announce a new first base coach and bench coach before revealing their choice for a new front office position. And as long as we're throwing out candidates for first base coach, we need to remember Moe Hill, who joined the major league staff in September after completing his second season at Double-A Bowie, and his fifth in the organization. Hill, who spent three years at Single-A Frederick, is a former outfielder who also happened to work with the outfielders at Bowie.

In a move that has been anticipated since Buck Showalter took over as Orioles' manager in August, the club has agreed to terms with Mark Connor to become its new pitching coach. Connor, 61, has been on Showalter's staff in each of the manager's three previous stints in the majors, including time as Showalter's pitching coach with the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers. Connor attended part of the Orioles' organizational meetings in Phoenix this week and a club source confirmed that Connor has reached an agreement to be the Orioles' pitching coach.

Orioles right-hander Brad Bergesen has been throwing pain-free off flat ground for several weeks and hopes to have at least 10 extended mound sessions before spring training starts. "It's just a normal offseason for me at this point," said Bergesen, who suffered a left shin contusion when he was hit with a line drive by Kansas City's Billy Butler on July 30. "It took forever just to get that thing back to 100 percent. It is now, but it was pretty frustrating to deal with.

The Orioles staged such a dramatic turnaround over the final two months of the 2010 season that it's still hard to believe, but it's not hard to explain. The proof was in the pitching stats. The club had a league-worst 5.18 ERA when Buck Showalter managed his first game as an Oriole on Aug. 3. The staff ERA was just 3.54 the rest of the way, and the starting rotation was even better than that (3.16). Obviously, something changed dramatically upon Showalter's arrival. Maybe it was the attitude of the team as a whole.

The Orioles had mixed results from their split-squad games Saturday, but the most encouraging aspect from the afternoon was the performances of two of their young starters. Chris Tillman, who is fighting for the fifth spot in the rotation, took a major step forward with his best performance of the spring, throwing five innings in a 6-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Fort Myers, Fla. Brad Bergesen, who is expected to be the club's No. 4 starter, also looked solid in four of his five innings as the Orioles' primary lineup beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-2, at home in Sarasota.

The bottom of the sixth inning last night started with Nick Markakis stroking a single to center field off Phil Hughes and ended seemingly an hour later with Kevin Millar swinging through a pitch from Edwar Ramirez. In between, the Orioles scored seven times, turning a tie game against the New York Yankees into a satisfying rout. When the most productive inning of the Orioles' season was finally over, the fans who had come to Camden Yards to cheer on the home team gave it a standing ovation.

In a move that has been anticipated since Buck Showalter took over as Orioles' manager in August, the club has agreed to terms with Mark Connor to become its new pitching coach. Connor, 61, has been on Showalter's staff in each of the manager's three previous stints in the majors, including time as Showalter's pitching coach with the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers. Connor attended part of the Orioles' organizational meetings in Phoenix this week and a club source confirmed that Connor has reached an agreement to be the Orioles' pitching coach.

TORONTO -- A day after pitcher Steve Trachsel failed to close out an eight-run lead and appeared incredulous when Dave Trembley came to the mound to take him out, the Orioles' manager acknowledged that the club could make a decision shortly on the veteran's roster status. Trachsel allowed four runs (two earned) after entering in the eighth inning Saturday with the Orioles leading 9-1. He got out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, but he was removed in the ninth without getting an out after allowing a two-run double to Kevin Mench and walking Brad Wilkerson.

The Orioles' already thin pitching staff is in danger of getting even thinner as the club waits to find out more about Daniel Cabrera, who is experiencing discomfort in his right forearm. Concerned about the recent fall-off in Cabrera's velocity, the Orioles had their No. 2 starter undergo a magnetic resonance imaging on his right arm Tuesday. Manager Dave Trembley said the MRI came back negative but that Cabrera recently disclosed that he has felt discomfort. The development casts doubt on Cabrera's next start, which is scheduled for this weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays on the road.

TORONTO - -For the first time in 10 weeks, Orioles rookie starting pitcher Jason Berken wasn't asked about his confidence. He didn't field any questions about his stretch of losing decisions, or his escalating ERA. He didn't need to suppress his emotions either while wondering whether his first stint in the big leagues was coming to an end. "It's been a long two months, that's for sure," said Berken, managing a smile after he pitched the Orioles to...

Rick Kranitz, who spent the past three years as the Orioles' pitching coach, has taken a minor league job with the Houston Astros the day after his Orioles contract expired. Kranitz, 52, was announced Monday as the Astros' minor league pitching coordinator, joining an organization that includes one of his closest friends, Houston manager Brad Mills. "First and foremost, I know the people at the top there very well … and it's an organization on the rise," Kranitz said.

— Not wanting to take any chances with a 35-year-old who has an extensive injury history, there was a time earlier this season when the Orioles wouldn't pitch Koji Uehara on back-to-back days. But not only has Uehara's role changed — from setup man to closer — but so has his workload. Uehara pitched in six of his team's past eight games before he was given the afternoon off in the Orioles' 6-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers today. With Uehara unavailable, Orioles manager Buck Showalter never had to tip his hand on whom he would have used in a save situation because the Tigers scored five times in the eighth inning to turn a one-run deficit into a four-run lead.

The Orioles have made it very clear how happy they are to have a healthy Brian Roberts back at the top of their lineup. But while Roberts played a big part in another Orioles victory Wednesday, the story of the night was Brad Bergesen's continued return to the form he showed last season. The right-hander put forth the best performance by an Orioles starter all season, allowing just one run and two hits in a complete-game, 3-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians in front of an announced 11,155 at Progressive Field.

If it were up to Orioles veteran right-hander Kevin Millwood, he would pitch through his right forearm strain. It's not his decision, however. So Millwood, who lasted just one inning Monday in the third-shortest start of his 14-season career, was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday to make room for outfielder Felix Pie, who was activated from the 60-day disabled list. "It's tough when you present a situation to somebody like Kevin, who likes the ball," interim manager Juan Samuel said.

A day after Adam Jones twice let Oakland Athletics base runners go from first to third base on singles up the middle, Orioles interim manager Juan Samuel and third base and outfield coach John Shelby met with the center fielder and urged him to concentrate more on his defense. A big part of the message was telling Jones, who usually positions himself shallower than most center fielders, to play a little deeper in an effort to cut down on the number of hits going over his head. "[We're]

A day after Chris Tillman gave up six runs in just two innings, the struggling starter was sent to the bullpen, where he'll be used in a long-relief role at least for the time being. The days off Thursday and Monday will allow interim manager Juan Samuel to go with a four-man rotation until June 26, when a fifth starter is needed. Pitching coach Rick Kranitz said Tillman and the recently demoted Brad Bergesen will be considered for that start. That means rookie right-hander Jake Arrieta, who started Tuesday night, will take Tillman's spot Sunday for the series finale in San Diego.

MINNEAPOLIS - -There might not be enough time left in the season for Jeremy Guthrie to achieve the number of wins he had hoped for before the year began, or to get his ERA down to a number with which he can be satisfied. But if Guthrie continues over the next month to pitch the way he has in his past two outings, the Orioles will feel much better about their 2010 rotation and the right-hander's position near the top of it. Guthrie held the Minnesota Twins to just a run over seven innings, and the Orioles salvaged one game of the three-game set with a 5-1 victory Wednesday in front of an announced 28,446 at the Metrodome.

Long before a save situation presented itself in the eighth inning of the Orioles' 8-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Sunday, manager Dave Trembley and pitching coach Rick Kranitz had decided that Jim Johnson was going to get the ball. It didn't matter what the inning was, or what was the situation. If there were key outs to get after starter Brian Matusz departed, they wanted Johnson, who blew a save and took the loss a day earlier, to get them. "I thought you had to go with the guy with the best stuff," Trembley said.

With the weather looking suspect and a series of potential rainouts threatening to throw the Orioles' rotation in flux, Jeremy Guthrie approached manager Dave Trembley and pitching coach Rick Kranitz last weekend in Minnesota and delivered a message. "He told both Kranny and I, 'Hey, if you need me to come back on three days' rest to face Cleveland, I'll do that,' " Trembley said. "So that kind of tipped me off that he was going to be ready to pitch today. But I was there with Guthrie in the minor leagues when he was pitching for the Indians on the other side, and I'm sure this is a big game for him. He may not say it, but I'm sure this was a big game for him."