Sarasota

There was a lot of media buzz in the Orioles clubhouse this afternoon that Deion Sanders, former NFL and MLB player and NFL Network analyst, is here and will take batting practice. But we're all baseball here - so the big news is that outfielder Bill Hall has been brought up from Sarasota, Fla. He was activated when the Orioles placed lefty Randy Wolf on the 60-day disabled list with a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. “I was in Sarasota [working out]

SEATTLE - Orioles top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy was asleep in his hotel room in Sarasota, Fla., at 3:45 a.m. Wednesday when his roommate told him that Brian Graham, the Orioles' minor league instruction coordinator, was on the phone. "[Graham] told me I was on a plane at 7 a.m. and I was going to pitch here in Seattle," said the 19-year-old Bundy, the fourth overall pick in 2011. "So I said, 'Are you messing with me?' And he said, 'No, I'm not going to mess with you at 4 in the morning.' So next thing I know I'm at the airport and on my way to Seattle.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that lefty Troy Patton(ankle) threw to four batters -- including two lefties -- in one inning in the organization's first instructional league game Sunday in Sarasota. He will pitch again Tuesday and Wednesday or in an elongated outing Tuesday. It's still possible he could join the club in Boston for Friday's game. Designated hitter Jim Thome (herniated disk in neck) will participate in simulated games Monday and Tuesday and then play in an instructional league game Wednesday in Sarasota.

Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis, out for the rest of the regular season with a broken left thumb, is scheduled to fly down to Sarasota, Fla., on Monday and have surgery Tuesday in hopes that he could return if the Orioles go deep in the postseason. Heading into the day, surgery appeared to be a season-ending option. But Orioles manager Buck Showalter said the doctor that performed Markakis' right wrist surgery in June reviewed the X-rays and CT scan on the thumb and believed surgery could give Markakis a chance to speed up the recovery.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he has liked what he has read in organizational reports about right-hander Jake Arrieta, who is 3-4 with a 4.91 ERA in eight starts at Triple-A Norfolk since being demoted in mid-July. Arrieta has allowed only two runs in each of his past two starts. "Good, he had a good outing last time out," Showalter said of Arrieta's recent performance. "He's getting real close to being in the form he needs to be to help. " Arrieta is expected to be a September call-up for the Orioles, but if the starters are pitching well, Showalter said Arrieta could be considered for a bullpen spot.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter's pregame press briefing unearthed one decent sized item and a couple other interesting things. Designated hitter Jim Thome, who has been rehabbing in Sarasota with a herniated disk in his neck, has been experiencing some weakness in his back and may need another epidural shot. He was hoping to be ready in early September. That would be in serious jeopardy if he has to get another shot. "Not a setback, he ... just feels some weakness in his lat (large back muscle)

The big news coming out of Buck Showalter's press briefing today in Arlington is that designated hitter Jim Thome is ahead of schedule and will head down to Sarasota, Fla., on Wednesday to begin rehab. Thome, who hasn't played since July 27 due to a herniated disk in his neck, was initially told by doctors that he needed to rest for 30 days, meaning he wouldn't be able to begin any baseball activities until September. “That was as much to slow him down,” Showalter said of the initial 30-day prognosis.

The Orioles are going for their fourth straight win tonight against the Mariners here at Camden Yards. Left hander Zach Britton (1-1, 8.35 ERA) hopes to rebound from his worst outing of the season. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings and allowed 7 runs and 7 hits in a 12-3 loss to the Yankees in the Bronx on Wednesday. “He's pitched well at times, and I have confidence that he will tonight,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “He's not walling around in self pity. I can tell you that.

Designated hitter Jim Thome said after he received an epidural shot for a herniated disk in his neck Thursday, doctors told him he would need to rest for 30 days before beginning baseball activities again. He has no exact timetable when he will return to the Orioles, but Thome is still shooting to be back sometime in September. The first of the month, however, looks unattainable. “With injuries I don't try to put a date because that can always change for the plus and minus sides.

Another one of the Orioles' attempts at a reclamation project has been lost for the year. Right-hander Joel Pineiro will undergo surgery Tuesday for a slap tear in his labrum. Doctors will also look at Pineiro's rotator cuff while performing surgery, according to Orioles manager Buck Showalter. The 33-year-old Pineiro was signed in April to a minor-league deal as rotation insurance after being released by the Philadelphia Phillies. He appeared in two games for Triple-A Norfolk, going 1-0 with a 3.65 ERA. He also pitched in three games in the Gulf Coast league in Sarasota.