Xavier Avery

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The Orioles played on the Ed Smith Stadium main field for the first time this spring on Thursday afternoon, making it the site for their second straight day of intrasquad games. Much like the back-to-back intrasquad games on Wednesday, Thursday's game was played within a controlled environment. Pitchers were limited to 15 pitches, but they faced extra hitters if they retired three batters without meeting the pitch count. The game lasted 4 ½ innings. One example of the controlled environment: When catcher Matt Wieters launched a solo homer to left field off Troy Patton, Wieters didn't run around the bases.

When the Orioles open up spring training down in Sarasota two weeks from tomorrow, expect non-roster pitchers Mike Wright and Eduardo Rodriguez, who are among the organization's top pitching prospects, to be among those looking to make an impression in major league camp. With the World Baseball Classic pushing the beginning of spring training up a week, the Orioles likely limit some regulars, especially pitchers, when games begin on Feb. 23. That will give many of the Orioles' younger players an opportunity to make an impression during the opening days of the Grapefruit League season.

Former Orioles outfielder Endy Chavez has agreed to a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals, according to multiple reports. Chavez, 34, played in 64 games for the Orioles last year, batting just .203 with a .236 on-base percentage. He signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Orioles last December but by August was taken off the club's roster after battling injury and ineffectiveness. He was added again in September when Nick Markakis broke his thumb. After Norfolk's Triple-A season ended, Chavez returned to his family in New York City, before being summoned back to Baltimore.

The Orioles will likely officially announce they've resigned outfielder Nate McLouth to a one-year deal today, assuming everything goes well with his physical. And now that McLouth is back in the fold, one major question is whether he would return to the leadoff spot where he flourished for the last month of the season after Nick Markakis went down with a broken left thumb. Needless to say, McLouth's production out of the leadoff spot played a pivotal role in getting the Orioles to the postseason, and once the O's made the playoffs, McLouth was arguably the team's best hitter.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Orioles and outfielder Nate McLouth, one of their key stretch run players from last year's playoff season, agreed to a one-year deal Wednesday, essentially shutting the door on acquiring more major league outfielders, including free agent Nick Swisher. Although it is pending the completion of a physical, the Orioles came to terms on a one-year, $2 million deal with McLouth, a 31-year-old outfielder who batted .268 with seven homers and 12 steals in 55 games for the Orioles in 2012.

Despite national reports linking them with big-ticket left fielders that appear to be out of the club's financial comfort zone, the Orioles continue to pursue Nate McLouth , who seized the starting job last August and emerged as the team's hottest hitter in the postseason. The two sides maintained a dialogue after McLouth became an unrestricted free agent Oct. 29, and two industry sources said Friday the Orioles are still optimistic that the 31-year-old, left-handed hitter will return in 2013.

ARLINGTON, Texas - Cal Ripken Jr. was in the TBS broadcast booth for Friday night's American League wild-card game, alongside former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz and play-by-play man Ernie Johnson . Ripken had previously been a postseason studio analyst, but he only recently started working from the booth. And this is the first time, of course, that he has played this role as a broadcaster for an Orioles playoff game. "I'm enjoying being here," Ripken said before the game.

The Orioles team charter heading to Tampa Bay on Sunday night was forced to make an emergency landing in Jacksonville because of smoke coming out of the oven in the kitchen area of the plane, an industry source said. The landing was a precautionary move. The plane was inspected and the Orioles were slated to reboard to get back in the air shortly after a brief delay en route to St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport. When the Orioles landed in St. Petersburg around 11 p.m. Sunday, the team issued the following statement about the incident: "Due to a minor incident in the galley, the Orioles charter made an unscheduled landing in Jacksonville, Fla. en route to St. Petersburg tonight.

[ Down the stretch is a daily Orioles Insider blog that will set up the coming night for the O's and their American League competition as the push for the postseason continues. ] About last night O's drop first game of road trip to A's Betemit (wrist) likely out for the season Orioles players debate who's their MVP O's can make history if they win AL East Friday's full scoreboard AL East Standings BAL       81-63     -- NYY       81-63     -- TB         78-66     3 AL Wild-Card Standings OAK        83-61     -- BAL/NYY  81-63       -- LAA        79-66     2.5 TB          78-66      3 DET        76-67     4.5 Tonight's game Orioles at Athletics, 9:05 p.m. LHP Zach Britton (5-2, 4.72 ERA)

Orioles rookie Xavier Avery, who was caught stealing in the ninth inning to end Friday's 3-2 loss to the Oakland A's, said he had the green light to steal second in Chris Davis' at-bat if he thought he could make it. And he thought he could - in fact, he still thinks he was safe on the game-ender at second base. “That's what I was out there to do,” said Avery, who is six of nine in stolen base attempts in 27 games with the Orioles this year. “I had to try and get into scoring position.