*I wrote yesterday that it was an option for the team to have second baseman Brian Roberts travel with them back to Baltimore and continue his rehab. It looks like that will be the plan, manager Buck Showalter said today. You can read more from Roberts here.

*Wei-Yin Chen threw from 120 feet today at Tropicana Field with pitching coach Rick Adair, who said later he thought the lefty threw the ball “really well”. It’s the fourth time Chen has picked up a ball since suffering a lefty oblique strain.

*Wilson Betemit (right knee injury) was also here from Sarasota –where the team’s spring facility is– and said he is hoping to return not long after the All-Star Break. Betemit has been running and will progress to field work next week. He admitted it’s been a little frustrating to go through such a long, tedious rehab process and at first was afraid how his knee would hold up when hitting, but was pleasantly surprised.

“I want to play, but they want me to move slowly because it’s better for me to get better and better,” Betemit said. “The first month it was really sore. When I started stretching my leg, it was really hard. But I feel much better right now the last couple of months.”

*As expected, reliever Pedro Strop is listed on the available chart for tonight’s game so he will come off the disabled list.

*Happy Birthday to Rule 5 pick T.J. McFarland, who turned 24 today.

Here are your lineups…

ORIOLES LINEUP
Nate McLouth LF
Manny Machado 3B
Nick Markakis RF
Adam Jones CF
Chris Davis 1B
Matt Wieters C
J.J. Hardy SS
Chris Dickerson DH
Ryan Flaherty 2B

Kevin Gausman RHP

RAYS LINEUP
Matt Joyce RF
Ben Zobrist 2B
Kelly Johnson LF
Evan Longoria 3B
James Loney 1B
Desmond Jennings CF
Luke Scott DH
Jose Lobaton C
Yunel Escobar SS

Jeremy Hellickson RHP

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts said prior to Friday’s game that it’s “definitely realistic” to expect him back before the All-Star Break.

Roberts, who last played April 5, underwent hamstring surgery last month and made the short drive from the team’s spring facility in Sarasota, Fla. to St. Petersburg where the Orioles are taking on the Tampa Bay Rays.  The 35-year-old Roberts could stick around with the team after that with discussions Friday about the possibility of him continuing his rehab with the team in Baltimore.

“I was joking with Buck, I said ‘Will I get kicked off the plane if I get on it on Sunday?’,” Roberts said.  “And he said, ‘No, come on.’ And we talked about it a little bit when I got here. He said we’ll discuss it and talk to all the powers that be. It’s not the end of the world, but you just get tired of it, you get tired of being away from what you love being around. I’ve seen enough games on TV the last two years. I’m good on that.

I watch probably 95 percent of the innings since I’ve been gone. Usually laying in bed with ice on.”

Roberts has been progressing in baseball activities and building up his strength post-surgery. He runs, plays catch and recently went from hitting off the tee to taking batting practice off the coaches.  Asked to compare how he feels now versus prior to the surgery, Roberts said it’s like night and day.

“I would  love to be back before the [All-Star] break,” he said of a potential timetable. “I definitely think it’s for sure realistic. I don’t know if that’s July 10, July 1 or June 20. We will push it, but we will be smart. When I do get back I want to be back for the long haul, not just for a week. So we got to do it smart and do it right the first time.”

Roberts was in good spirits on Friday and was greatly warmly by teammates and coaches, exchanging hugs and spending time chatting behind the batting cage. After working hard this offseason to be a full-go this spring, Roberts injured his leg on a slide in the team’s third game of the year and he hasn’t played a full season since 2009. In his place the Orioles have primarily used Ryan Flaherty, although Yamaico Navarro and Alexi Casilla have also seen time at second base.

The longest-tenured Oriole in the organization, Roberts said he didn’t foresee any issues in continuing his rehab in Baltimore and that decision will be made in the next day or two.

“I texted [Showalter] and said I was going stir crazy, so I hope so,” Roberts said of heading north. “I just spend so much time down here. Obviously, it was necessary when I was here for my concussion that one year. But no one likes to be away from the team. Nobody wants to feel like they aren’t part of it. I don’t know what’s going to happen for sure, it’s going to be what makes sense for everybody, but obviously I’d love to be around the team and the guys. And continue that [rehab] process if that’s possible.

“I don’t think there would be any issue with it. I understand there are some things where we send a lot of guys down there, because we do have a great facility down there and you don’t always want five or six DL guys around all the time. Like I said, it will be whatever makes sense. But I would certainly be happier with it if it happened.”

*The Orioles recalled left-handed reliever Mike Belfiore to take the roster spot vacated with the optioning of Xavier Avery after the series finale in Houston. Belfiore was up here once earlier this year but did not pitch and he could have another short stay with right-handed reliever Pedro Strop here and eligible to come off the disabled list as early as tomorrow.

*Nick Markakis is back after spending the last two days with his family attending his grandmothers furneral.

*Einer Diaz will serve as first base coach tonight with Wayne Kirby missing tonight’s game to attend his daughter’s high school graduation. He will return tomorrow.

*Wei-Yin Chen continues to progress on his throwing program, and is up to 90 feet pain-free as he works his way back from a left oblique strain.

*Jair Jurrjens (right thumb) will probably not make his next scheduled start, as I blogged in Houston. Jurrjens tried to spin the ball and still felt some discomfort in that area.

*Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Tsuyoshi Wada had his  “best stuff outing” last night for Triple-A Norfolk. Wada also had a slight increase in his fastball velocity.

“That was good to see,” Showalter said. “I know [Triple-A manager] Ronny [Johnson] was pretty positive about it.”

ORIOLES LINEUP
Nate McLouth LF
Manny Machado 3B
Nick Markakis RF
Adam Jones CF
Chris Davis 1B
Matt Wieters C
J.J. Hardy SS
Chris Dickerson DH
Ryan Flaherty 2B

Jason Hammel RHP

RAYS LINEUP
Matt Joyce RF
Ben Zobrist 2B
Kelly Johnson LF
Evan Longoria 3B
James Loney 1B
Desmond Jennings CF
Luke Scott DH
Jose Molina C
Yunel Escobar SS

Chris Archer RHP

The Orioles shouldn’t have to worry about negotiations with first-round pick Hunter Harvey.

“I’ve never really been a big fan of college and school in general,” said Harvey, son of former Angels closer Bryan Harvey, shortly after being selected by Baltimore with the 22nd overall pick. “I wanted to get my pro career started and get to the big leagues.”

It’s a welcome sentiment for the Orioles, who have had their last three top picks in the First-Year Player Draft already reach the Major Leagues –including 2012’s first-rounder Kevin Gausman—and have placed an added emphasis on improving through the Draft.

“Harvey is a future frontline starter,” O’s scouting director Gary Rajsich said. “He is a tall, lean, projectable right-handed pitcher with a good fastball, good curveball, and a changeup. He throws strikes, competes, and comes from a baseball family.”

Harvey was the first of three Day 1 picks for the Orioles, who selected prep outfielder Josh Hart with the 37th overall pick in the compensation round. Hart, out of Parkview High School in Lilburn, Ga., is a centerfielder who helped lead Parkview to a fourth straight region championship and a berth in the Class AAAAAA state semifinals by hitting .449, with five home runs, 29 RBIs, 39 runs scored and 33 stolen bases this spring.

The 18-year-old Hart , who has committed to Georgia Tech, is a gap-to-gap hitter with average speed and listed at 6-foot-2  and 180 pounds.  An athletic high school talent, Hart and Harvey will give the Orioles a pair of promising prep prospects in a Minor League system that has graduated most of its top tier guys.

Harvey, drafted from Bandys High School in Hickory, N.C., is listed at 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds and has a three-pitch mix that includes a fastball in the mid-90s. Harvey has much more than his impressive bloodline — brother Kris is currently in the Pirates’ system — going for him, turning heads at a pair of East Coast showcases in August in which he topped out at 97 mph.

As a senior, Hunter Harvey was 8-0 with 116 strikeouts and allowed just three earned runs. He gave up two extra-base hits over 54 2/3 innings and was named a starter for last year’s Under Armour All-America Game, played at Wrigley Field, in which he tossed three scoreless innings. In his junior season, Hunter Harvey went 7-0 with a 1.81 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 54 innings and has a changeup that’s typically a 10-15 mph differential from his heater, along with a curveball. He’s also working on adding a slider into the mix.

In nine seasons with the California Angels and Florida Marlins, Bryan Harvey recorded 177 saves — including a league-best 46 in 1991, when he was named the American League’s best reliever — and twice played in the All-Star Game (1991 and 1993).

Although the young Harvey never got to see him pitch, his father’s influence extends beyond pitching mechanics.

“He told me what he had to do to succeed — all the working out and all that,” Hunter Harvey said. “[But] he said one thing I had to get over was failure. The guys that can handle failure will be the ones who succeed. That’s definitely been the hardest part for me.”

“He’s taught me everything I need to know about the game and about being a man. Where I’m at today, I owe it all to him.”

Hunter Harvey is the Orioles’ second first-round high school pitcher in the past three years, joining 2011′s selection of right-hander Dylan Bundy.

The Orioles announced that first baseman Chris Davis has been selected as the AT&T Fans’ Choice Bobblehead. For the second consecutive year, fans were able to select the player they wanted immortalized in a bobblehead giveaway. The bobblehead is scheduled to be distributed during Fan Appreciation Weekend on Sunday, September 29 to the first 20,000 fans age 15 and over.

Voting began on March 25 and fans voted three different ways throughout the promotion: through unlimited mobile voting, online at http://www.orioles.com/bobblehead, and on the Orioles Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/orioles. The voting concluded May 15, with Davis beating out pitchers Wei-Yin Chen, Jason Hammel, Jim Johnson and outfielder Nate McLouth.

Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets in advance and arrive early to the Orioles’ 1:35 p.m. game vs. the Red Sox on September 29. This year, each time fans voted using their mobile device, they were entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win a Bobblehead VIP experience that includes four lower box tickets to attend the September 29 game and an autographed bobblehead of the 2013 Fans’ Choice Bobblehead player, plus an on-field experience prior to the game. The randomly selected winner is Brent Stuart from Hurlock, Maryland.

*The Orioles placed Steve Johnson on the disabled list today with a left oblique strain and have recalled outfielder Xavier Avery to take his place on the active roster. The move gives the team another outfielder until they get Nick Markakis –who is at his grandmother’s funeral– back on Friday. Johnson felt the injury for the first time while warming up in last night’s game and he will travel with the team to Florida tonight, heading to Sarasota for an MRI tomorrow.

Johnson said he wasn’t any better this morning and it’s not an injury he can pitch with as he had trouble finishing his pitches last night and allowed two homers over 2 1/3 innings.

Avery on paper is a “quick in and out” move, according to manager Buck Showalter, who had a short bench last night with no Markakis. The team wouldn’t have had Johnson available to pitch today anyways, and they could add another pitcher before the Tampa series starts.

*Pedro Strop is expected to be a player for the team on Saturday, which is the first day he’s eligible to come off the disabled list. The right-hander hasn’t had any issues with his lower back and is slated to throw an inning in extended spring –weather permitting– this afternoon. Strop will meet the team in St. Pete on Friday.

Here are your lineups..
ORIOLES LINEUP
Nate McLouth LF
Manny Machado 3B
Chris Davis 1B
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters DH
J.J. Hardy SS
Chris Dickerson RF
Ryan Flaherty 2B
Taylor Teagarden C

Miguel Gonzalez RHP

ASTROS LINEUP
Brandon Barnes CF
Jimmy Paredes RF
Jason Castro C
J.D. Martinez LF
Carlos Pena DH
Chris Carter 1B
Ronny Cedeno SS
Matt Dominguez 3B
Marwin Gonzalez 2B

Bud Norris RHP

*There was some initial confusion, but the Orioles rotation will remain on turn, with Miguel Gonzalez pitching on Thursday and Jason Hammel the series opener in Tampa on Friday followed by Kevin Gausman and Chris Tillman.

*Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Lew Ford will undergo groin surgery on Thursday in Philadelphia with Dr. William Meyers. The procedure, which will remove some scar tissue from this winter’s sports hernia, doesn’t necessarily rule him out to return this season but it’s unlikely.

*Wilson Betemit (right knee injury) started hitting in the cage for the first time yesterday, but manager Buck Showalter said it will be a long rehab as the team eases him back in and wants to make sure he builds up the proper strength in that area. There is no timetable for his return.

*Wei-Yin Chen (left oblique strain) did another 25 throws from 60-75 feet in extended spring today, repeating yesterday’s work, and continues to report no pain.

*Good to see former Orioles manager Dave Trembley, now serving as Houston’s third base coach, and chat with him on the field pregame. Trembley said he’s spoken to several players he managed in Baltimore including catcher Matt Wieters, center fielder Adam Jones and right fielder Nick Markakis, who all came over and say hi prior to Tuesday’s game.
ORIOLES LINEUP
Nate McLouth LF
Manny Machado 3B
J.J. Hardy SS
Adam Jones CF
Chris Davis 1B
Matt Wieters C
Danny Valencia DH
Steve Pearce RF
Alexi Casilla 2B

Freddy Garcia RHP

ASTROS LINEUP
Brandon Barnes CF
Jose Altuve 2B
Jason Castro DH
J.D. Martinez LF
Carlos Corporan C
Carlos Pena 1B
Trevor Crowe RF
Matt Dominguez 3B
Marwin Gonzalez SS

Dallas Keuchel LHP

The Casey Cares Foundation’s 4th Annual Casey Cares 5K will take place on Saturday, August 3 at 8 a.m. at Camden Yards in partnership with OriolesREACH. Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis and his wife Christina will serve as race ambassadors for the event with proceeds benefitting the Casey Cares Foundation, which provides uplifting and ongoing programs with a special touch to critically ill children and their families.

Registration for the race is open now through August 3, and both teams and individuals are encouraged to register. Entry fees are $30 per person through June 7; $35 per person June 8 – August 2; and $40 on race day. To register, visit http://www.caseycares5k.org.

The 3.1 mile run/walk begins and ends at Camden Yards and includes refreshments and a “Home Plate Finish” photo. Additionally, the first 650 registrants will receive an Under Armour t-shirt, and the first 300 registrants receive a complimentary ticket to that evening’s Orioles home game against the Seattle Mariners. Race winners in each age group will be announced in a pre-game ceremony at the game.

Greetings from Minute Maid Park, where the Orioles will take on the Astros for a three-game set that begins tonight. In case you missed it there were a few notes from Monday’s off day: Chris Davis was named the American League Player of the Week, Dylan Bundy was cleared by Dr. James Andrews to start a throwing program on June 10 and Wei-Yin Chen

*Wei Yin Chen threw 25 pitches today, from 60-75 feet, with no pain and the expectation is he will repeat that again tomorrow. It was the first time Chen has picked up a ball since he suffered the oblique strain.

*Nick Markakis will leave the team following tonight’s game to attend his grandmother’s funeral and he will miss Wednesday and Thursday. Markakis, who drove up to the Long Island area following Sunday’s game, said he was able to be with her for about an hour or so before she was pronounced dead. He will rejoin the team in Tampa on Friday and since the bereavement list requires a player to be out for three games, the team won’t put Markakis on bereavement but play short for two days. That could change if there’s a need to add an extra player, say a reliever, due to a short start.

*Speaking of starts, the team is deciding whether to start Jason Hammel on Thursday and push back Miguel Gonzalez and Kevin Gausman. Hammel had such a short start on Saturday, manager Buck Showalter said there’s a thought to getting him back out there sooner rather than later. But nothing beyond Chris Tillman and Freddy Garcia –for Wednesday– is set in stone just yet.

*Jair Jurrjens exited Sunday’s game after 2 2/3 innings, allowing six earned runs, with a right thumb injury that he had checked out today. Jurrjens is day-to-day and it’s nothing that serious –basically inflammation in the joint– but Showalter said he could miss his next start.

*Wilson Betemit (right knee injury) took some swings in the batting cages today down in extended spring training along with second baseman Brian Roberts. It was the first time hitting for Betemit, who is slowly working back in baseball activities.

*Taylor Teagarden is here and the O’s backup catcher will be activated and available off the bench. Teagarden, who has been on the disabled list with a dislocated left thumb, said the biggest hurdle was gripping a bat and the catching part came pretty easily once he got back into some games. He played at Triple-A Norfolk over the weekend.

With Teagarden here, that makes Chris Snyder the odd man out and his status is currently in limbo as the team waits to see if he will accept an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

*Pedro Strop threw a 20-pitch simulated game today, throwing to teammates Alexi Casilla and Steve Pearce, and the plan is for him to take a day off and fly to Sarasota, Fla. to throw an inning on Thursday. Strop will rejoin the Orioles in St. Petersburg on Friday and could be activated over the weekend. He is eligible to come off the DL on Saturday and said he hasn’t had any issues with his lower back.

*Troy Patton, initially drafted by the Houston Astros, grew up about 30-40 minutes from Minute Maid Park and now lives about a mile away in downtown Houston. Patton, who hasn’t been at this park since he was traded to the Orioles in ’08, said he expects to have about 30 people here a night.

Here are your lineups..
ORIOLES LINEUP
Nate McLouth LF
Manny Machado 3B
Nick Markakis RF
Adam Jones CF
Chris Davis 1B
Matt Wieters C
J.J. Hardy SS
Ryan Flaherty 2B
Danny Valencia DH

Chris Tillman RHP

ASTROS LINEUP
Brandon Barnes CF
Jose Altuve 2B
Jason Castro C
J.D. Martinez LF
Carlos Pena DH
Chris Carter 1B
Jimmy Paredes RF
Matt Dominguez 3B
Marwin Gonzalez SS

Lucas Harrell RHP

After Jason Hammel’s ejection in the fourth inning yesterday, TJ McFarland and Troy Patton spared the bullpen a little bit. But there’s still some pressure on rookie Kevin Gausman to go deeper into today’s game against one of the top offensive lineups in the Majors.

*Taylor Teagarden (dislocated left thumb) caught eight innings yesterday at Triple-A Norfolk and went 0-for-4. Manager Buck Showalter said the plan is for him to DH today and then reassess his health. He’ll bat third today and he could be close to being recalled by the Orioles.

*Reliever Pedro Strop (strained lower back) is scheduled to throw a simulated game Tuesday. He’ll have a workout day on Wednesday, at which point the team could decide whether to reactivate him from the 15-day disabled list or send him to a minor league affiliate for a rehab assignment. He’s eligible to return  Saturday, June 8.

*Nolan Reimold (strained right hamstring) will likely not travel on the road trip with the team to Houston and Tampa Bay. Showalter said he’s close to full health and would begin a rehab assignment if he gets to 100 percent while the Orioles are on the road.

*No real health update on Wei-Yin Chen (strained oblique), who reported being pain free for the first time the other day. He was scheduled to jog in the pool yesterday, and he could be back within the month, Showalter said. But there’s a very loose time table on his return because he hasn’t thrown a ball yet. Showalter said he hopes Chen will get to a mound in the next couple days, which would make a mid-June return possible.

*The Orioles have two affiliates in the Dominican Summer League this season, which began action yesterday.

And here are the lineups:

Detroit Tigers
Andy Dirks LF
Torii Hunter RF
Miguel Cabrera 3B
Prince Fielder 1B
Victor Martinez DH
Jhonny Peralta SS
Alex Avila C
Ramon Santiago 2B
Avisail Garcia CF

Rick Porcell RHP

Baltimore Orioles
Nate McLouth LF
Manny Machado 3B
Nick Markakis RF
Adam Jones CF
Chris Davis 1B
Chris Dickerson DH
JJ Hardy SS
Ryan Flaherty 2B
Chris Snyder C

Kevin Gausman RHP

Posted by Derek Wetmore