the following is a masn presentation. coming up on "o's xtra", dave trembley has changed the lineup once again. can it spark the orioles offense and get them going? we'll let you know what young arms will be representing the orioles in the all-star futures game as well as give you an in- depth look at two young shore birds. orioles rich hill will toe the rubber tonight as the birds try to salvage one game in south florida. all that and more coming up right here on masn. welcome to an evening of orioles baseball. it's the orioles and florida marlins in game three of the three-game series. "o's xtra" on masn brought to you by at&t.

your world delivered. o's lost two in a row including last night 5-2 setback. tonight, orioles send rich hill to the mound. marlins send lester sean west to the mound. he's 3-2 with an earned run average of 3.97. hello, everyone. tom davis can rick dempsey in our masn studios a half hour before the orioles take on the marlins in the third and final game of the three-game series. orioles conclude this road trip of interleague play tonight. they are 9-5 against the national league, but 5-15 versus the marlins since it started. they're 1-10 in miami. marlins are on a roll right now. they've had four straight victories hitting .2.77 during the process and they continue to have bad numbers. orioles away from home are 11- 22 on the road this season while hitting only .238 on the road. rick y-do the orioles have so many problems way from camden yards? >> i don't think it's just the orioles. i think a lot of teams have trouble playing on the road. eaton best teams in baseball. they say they can play .500

baseball on the road, still, that's pretty darn good. orioles right now are 5 1/2 games away from playing that good on the road .500. you think about the beginning of the season where they spent a lost time in their own division. they go up to boston. they played up there. they have not played well up in boston especially early on in the season. they have to go play the new york yankees and the toronto blue jays. they have not done well. as of late year dash last year, tampa bay is starting to give the orioles a lot of trouble. the orioles fundamentally are not a good team while they're on the road either. they don't play good defense in other teams' ballparks whichmeans they should take more time taking ground balls, cutting the man off. they're not good at that on the road to. explain that, i really can't. you go to seattle, they usually in the past have played very well against seattle. this year, seattle pot little better offense against them than they did and you go to oakland. absolutely no excuse for playing well in oakland. i think they ran into a buzzsaw

with their young guys with their staff that pitched a lot better. there's no excuses for some of it. some of it is explainable by look at the numbers on defense. >> most teams have luis gonzalezing -- losing records on the road. for more on tonight's game, back to south florida and check in with amber theoharis. amber? >> hi, tom. we'll have an update on koji uehara. we've known for a couple days now that he said his arm was feeling fatigued, but now it's being described as soreness. so, tomorrow, when the team returns home to baltimore, he will be examined by the team doctor, dr. wilkins. based on that examination, orioles will determine whether or not he is able to make his scheduled start on sunday against the nationals. now, it is no secret that this injury is just the latest in a long list of what many might call durability issues with uehara. it's not secret that koji is very effective through four or five innings of his start and then seems to hit a wall. naturally, a lot of reporters were asking the qens questions once again whether or not the orioles are considering putting

him in the bullpen. dave trembley had some answers. >> i haven't talked to anybody about it, but i've thought about it. i think right now our first -- our first thing that we need to get through is we need to get him checked out tomorrow with dr. wilkins and see where we're at. after we see where we're at, then we can kind of map something out through the all- star break and then just like with everybody else. try to get everybody to the all- star break. get those four days off and then regroup. >> so, we'll have more information tomorrow after koji visits the doctor. if he is not able to make the start on sunday, it's likely that david hernandez will be recalled from triple-a norfolk to get the start. he was pulled as we reported in last night's game after just the fourth inning. he started the game. he threw only 40 pitches and was removed. today, dave trembley said we will need a backup in case koji

can't go and it's pretty self- explanatory why hernandez had to leave the game early last night in norfolk. >> our thanks to amber. she'll be rejoining us during the game also on our post-game show. here is a look at the orioles starting lineup. ty wigginton hitting cleanup while nick markakis bats second and adam jones third. reimold plays right field, luke scott has the night off. rick, what are your thoughts on ty wigginton batting cleanup in dave trembley's lineup? >> i think it's his time to come on strong. you look at some of the numbers that he's had in the past. he's had 23 home run seasons. he's had 24 home run seasons. he's a guy who can put up big power numbers once he gets back into the lineup on a more regular basis. with the orioles, and really, let's go back even farther than that, a self-proclaimed never a good starter. one reason why is because he's such a hard swinger. right out of the box, first week of the season, he gets a chance to play. he just swinging as hard as he possibly can.

that's not a good thing. what wigginton needs to do is after playing regular for a little while, the swing starts to cut down. he starts to back off a little bit and starting to hit the ball where it is pitched. early in the season, he's not like that. when he gets locked in, he's one of those kind of guys that will go 3/4 of a season, half a season of carrying the ball club which is really what he's doing right now. he is very locked in. he's not overswinging at the ball and he's putting up some numbers. >> wigginton is batting .432 in his last 1 games. now, luke scott is known somewhat as a street kidder. coming off the disabled list, he hit eight home runs drove in 18 while hitting .400. over the last two weeks, scott has one home run and four rbi'sand a .200 batting average. do you see him as a streak hirtd? >> everybody says he's a hit streak. home run streaks is what they're talking about. when he gets hot, he'll hit the ball out of the ballpark every game at a time and once a game at a time.

he is very, very tough when he gets like that. then, everybody expects he's going to power the ball every single game for a month or two months at a time. that's not right because pitchers make adjustments off of luke scott. maybe he's not a hitter like a tony gwen or like a rod carew of the past who consistently makes good, hard contact. when they start adjust to go him and not giving him pitches he can pull, he'll had a tough time being a consistent hitter. he's getting his base hits in the middle of the streaks. you don't notice it because it's just a single. for me, that was a big night. he hits his home runs when he gets hot. he just hasn't been hot latelybecause they're not giving him a lost good pitches to hit. >> i guarantee he'll get hot again. >> he will. >> no doubt about that. >> time to look at the florida marlins lineup. hanley ramirez is hitting .330. in this series, 3-8 with a home run, six rbi's against the orioles. jorge cantu and dan uggla have also done some damage. cody ross, the center fielder for the marlins is hitting .280 with 12 home runs including

three grand slams. how impressed are you with cody ross? >> i don't get a chance to sthee guy enough. i like what i see. he has an outstanding swing. he's a very powerful swing. pretty good center fielder. aside of that, this guy has three grand slams on the season. he's somebody now who is really looking for pitches in certain situations. i can tell by watching those replays, he is thinking pull all the time. you know, you just got to be real care informal fastball situation when you have a guy like that who wants to get extended. he's got the bat speed and the leg power and everything to drive the ball out of the ballpark. you don't give into his wishes. you have to pitch him a little backwards at time. make him hit the off-speed stuff for a while. he'll be so anxious to swing at it he'll pop-up and strikeout a little more. >> last nice, cody ross hadthree base hits including an rbi double and rbi single. when we come back, we'll take a look at some of the problems orioles had on the field last night in south florida. that story next when we continue "o's xtra" brought to

you by at&t here on masn.

care first blue cross blue shield cares about the with kids in our community. that's why they make a donation to the school of maryland for every strikeout hit by an orioles hitter. thank you care first blue cross blue shield for your commitment to the k's for kids program. visit trane.com for independent dealer near you. it's hard to stop a trane. let's take a look at the weather in south florida. it's 88 degrees. winds out of the southwest, 15 miles per hour. humidity 53%. chance of rain 5%. looks kind of clear right now down in south florida as the orioles conclude a three-game series in miami. we thank trane for responsoring the weather forecast. welcome back to "o's xtra" here on masn. tom davis with rick dempsey in our studio. orioles had problems on the field last night in their 5-2 loss to the marlins. dave trembley summed up a lost night in miami. >> a lot of the success we've

had recently is because we've played very good baseball and we played all 27 outs, but we gave some outs tonight. that was a difference of the game. that's about as direct as i can say it. [ indiscernible ] >> i forget what -- who is running, you know, so -- >> bonifacio? >> yeah, it's bonifacio. i try to throw home plate. know make a decision. i try to throw to home plate or second base. but when -- you know, that, mistake, that's my fault. i have to throw for the second base. that's my fault. >> obviously, felix pie had a tough game last night. it seemed like pie had trouble in more ways than one. >> you saw what felix pie said in that interview did he forget who is running. you cannot do that at the major league level. when you take a guy like this

and look at him overall, you say what kind of player do we have. he's a player. he has all the talent you want to see in a major league player. he has the power, the speed, ability to hit for average. he has everything you want. he has a good arm. all of those tools put together, but he can't play right now at the major league level. this is where if he's going to be here right now, you take a kid like that off to the side and start to nail him on every little thing that he says and does just like he admitted right now thr i didn't no who was running. can't forget that. all the little things that he does, not throwing to the right base, lackadaisical at times. here is a guy who could be animpact player on your ball club. i love his talent and his speed and power. he's got to start disciplining himself like a major league player if he wants to stay at the major league level. if we can get him him to do that just by being more disciplined with our own approach to him, it's then we'll have a great player.

>> interesting comment. jason berken gave up two runs. berken admitted after the game first inning was problems and they were very costly. >> oivelg, you want to go out and have a quick first inning and set a tone for the game. unfortunately, we kind of minimized the damage in the first. it was kind of a struggle the whole night and i had my best -- i didn't necessarily have my best stanley cup stuff and command wasn't as good as it usually is. so, numberswise it wasn't that bad. overall, it was disappointing not being able to throw the ball better. it's a learning experience so i'm going to continue to work hard and get ready for the next start. >> berken pitched five last night allowing four hits and three runs. he is now 1-4 for the season. rick, evaluate what you saw from berken. >> i liked him last night. i think he's really coming along. i think he'll be one of our better pitchers because of that sinker. the sinker is starting to get a lot of movement on it. i see him making a lot of good pitches with his breanl breaking ball. i'm very hare happy with what i see right there. one thing is sometimes you

start to pick a little too much and you walk guys at bad parts of the ballgame. last night, three walks in the game. two of his ended up scoring and that was the difference of the ballgame for him right there. other than those walks right there being in situation where is he gave up hits right after that, the orioles, of course, made one error not in his favor, but after that big hit after the walks, nothing good ever happens ar a -- after a walk. then, you've got yourself in a lot of trouble. he will learn. i think he's a smart, bright kid. i like him in that rotation. i think we have to give him a little bit of time and he'll pay off. >> two of the walks scored. >> i just said that. >> i know. it's a-- it's amazing how right you are all the time. unbelievable. >> not all the time. >> tye delmarva shore birds have two up arched coming prospects for the orioles. we'll take a look at disaimp avery and a. j. hoss. that's next when we continue on masn. ttery life and power... announcer: for under $1500. we told him you find it, you keep it.

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light. official sponsors of the time- out, relax responsibly. battle of the beltways resumes friday eej evening in baltimore as the orioles come into -- nationals come into camden yards for three. after friday night's game, you can see fireworks. on saturday night after the game, you can see the move "field of dreams" courtesy of the maryland lottery. here is a look if heup coming games next tuesday on masn. orioles are back home and washington nationals are friday through sunday afternoon. turn to masn an hour before the game. of course, there's an hour-long post-game show on 105.7 the fan. the orioles pitching prospects, chris tilghman and meats will -- matusz will pitch in the game. struck out 10-6 innings in his bowie debut.

ozzie submit will coach the game. nolan ryan was on it in -- nolan reimold was on it in 2006. many of the players in their second professional season are playing for the shore birds right now. l. j. hose who is from bowie and xavier aavery have -- avery have pleasant memories being drafted by the orioles last year. >> i was happy, you know. i didn't know who gfs to take me till draft day. nobody knows until the draft. i was really excited and stuff. >> it's been great. i mean, especially coming from bowie being drafted by the hometown team, drafted by the orioles has been a great experience. >> xavier aavery -- avery and l. j. who hes drafted. avery was taken in the second round. who hes was taken in the third round. they both excelled on the gulf coast league and are currently classmates on delmarva. their batting coach thinks highly of both l. j. and avery.

he'll be a good, tremendous talent. he'll be one of the guys that's going to be -- you know, he has a major league tulle tour right now with his speed and his ability to make contact with the baseball right now. l.j. is doing a very good job so far for a kid in high school last year at this time. he come out and play at this level against this competition, he's done very well and held his own. >> ryan minor is not the only beleaguer to have an influence. luke scott played two games in delmarva this year on a rehab assignment and made a big impression on both guys. >> yeah, it was fun playing with him. you know, he's a very smart guy. cool dude. he tried to teach a lot of players a lot of stuff in here. just the day he was here. >> i learned a lot from luke. just from watching him how he approaches the game and how he swings in the box and how he let's the game come to him. there are times as a young guy we want to force the issue and

want to push it. he told me that after relaxing, let the game come to me. i learned a lot from him. >> both team mates made a big impression on the orioles higher ups. the president of baseball operations andy macphail was quoted as saying "we've really punished avery and who hes to the south atlantic -- hoes to the south atlantic leede league out of high school. they can handle the south atlantic league a year out of the draft. " when told of these comments, xavier avery was delighted that andy took notice of his and l.j.'s progress. >> it made me feel a lot better, you know. it makes you feel good. it makes me feel like somebody is thinking about me and it means that i'm doing something positive. >> it's great. to show that the hard work that me and xavier put in. it's starting to pay off a little bit. you can't get too head over heels right now.

you still got to keep working and keep grinding. baseball is a grind. day in and day out, you have to bring the same thing. can't get too high. can't get too low. it's great he mentioned t our goal is still to get to the major leagues one day. >> l.j. hoes hitting .238 and aavery .280. both have speed. hoes with eight stolen bases and avery with 20. matt hobgood is in baltimore. he arrived just recently now. he's been taking a physical all day today. orioles should announce on saturday the official signing of their number one draft choice matt hobgood who yef yesterday was named the player of the year by the "usa today". hobgood is expected to report to bluefield after this signing. just a reminder orioles are sending rich hill to the mound tonight. sean west pitches for the marlins. when we come back, rick dempsey has his scouting report on tonight's starters when we continue "o's xtra" brought to you by at&t here on masn. commute.

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you know, i just remember being batboy and going to the games watching my brothers play. that's probably the first baseball memory and also my first red sox game. i remember going. i got one of the little wooden bats. i was on my dad's shoulders when we were going back to the train to take it home. i was banging it on the telephone poles all the way. when i got home, it had all these dents all over it. >> you'll hear from rich's brother, lloyd, from tonight's game. that's covering the bases by home depot. visit homedepot.com/spring. more saving, more doing. that's the power of the home depot. time now for rick dempsey's scouting report on tonight's pitchersment when we look at rich hill, what do you see? >> he's pitching best on the road for the orioles so far this season. five starts, a #-1 record with a 3.16 e.r.a. he feels much, much more comfortable pitching in other people's ballparks.

they only have -- only have an opposition batting afternoon of .20 # # off him. at home, he has a 12.20 e.r.a. pitching at home at camden yards. that's not very good. o's are on top of hill. i don't mean they're on top of the hill with him. in the seven starts so far this season, the ball club is 6-1. pretty good chance they're going to win every single ballgame or at least close to every game he's on the mound if he keeps up those kind of percentages. >> bring hem him out there every day. how about the marlins starter sean west ewent down fighting to the yanks in his last outing. only pitched four innings and gave up 10 hits and five earned runs. he did strikeout seven giems. -- guys. pretty tough to pitch in that new yankee stadium. he kind of pitches backwards. he's a funny left-hander. 6'8", but the opposition batting average against left- handers when he throws against left-handers, they're hitting .316 off him. that's unbelievable. thean then, the right-handers are the ones having trouble with himment they're only hitting .198.

you figure that one out. one of them tells me he throws the changeup to right-handers and has no off-speed pitches to the left-handed hitters. that's why they probably hit him so good. >> how about the key to the game, rick? >> the key to the game, we've got to bear down on defense. the o's are 10-12 when they commit one error in a ballgame. then, with more than one error, they're 3-7. so, the key to this ballgame really is play a good defensive game. let our offense, which is really cooking early, middle, late. especially that good, late scoring. give them a chance to come home with a winner tonight and have a good flight home. >> orioles need a win in miami. they're 1-10 in miami ininterleague play and 5-15 against the marlins overall. that's unbelievable. that's going to wrap up "o's xtra" brawd brought to you by at&t, your world delivered. it's the orioles-florida marlins coming up next. game three of afully-game series. rich hill against sean west. orioles need a win to avoid being swept. jurnts and buck martinez have the play-by-play. we'll be back with the half hour post game show after the orioles conclude their game in

south florida. for rick dempsey, this is tom davis. thank you for watching us on masn. coming up, orioles-marlins.

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