While the Baltimore Orioles say they plan to keep Brian Roberts around, the Los Angeles Angels aren't sure if Kelvim Escobar will be back at all this season.
Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said Wednesday he's not close to completing a deal that would send Roberts to the Chicago Cubs, and the two-time All-Star will likely begin the season as Baltimore's second baseman.
"I've mentioned to Brian that I think it's unlikely that something happens," MacPhail said in Florida.
Roberts has been the subject of trade speculation for three months, and the Cubs would like to add him to their revamped lineup as a leadoff hitter. MacPhail has already dealt away shortstop Miguel Tejada to Houston and left-handed ace Erik Bedard to Seattle as part of his overhaul of an Orioles franchise that hasn't had a winning season in a decade.
Thus far, MacPhail has not been presented with a suitable package of players in exchange for Roberts.
The Cubs and Orioles have been talking about Roberts since before spring training, and scouts from each team have been watching the other's players in major and minor league games for weeks.
The 29-year-old Roberts has met several times with MacPhail this spring, most recently last weekend, to be updated on the progress of trade discussions.
"I think with each passing hour, at this point, it's less and less likely," MacPhail said. "The further we get this close into (the regular season), the greater likelihood that we're going to start with what we have."
Escobar, an 18-game winner for the Angels last season, told reporters he has a tear in his pitching shoulder and might need surgery. The team hadn't confirmed that diagnosis by the end of Wednesday's 7-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs.
The 31-year-old right-hander said he would continue to try and strengthen his arm, but admitted surgery could be a possibility. Escobar, 18-7 with a 3.40 ERA last season, hasn't pitched this spring.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia said he's holding out hope that Escobar will pitch this season. But it seems certain he won't do so for quite some time.
"There's no certainty where Kelvim's going to be a month from now," Scioscia said in Tempe, Ariz. "But we're still optimistic that we're going to see him at some point. We still feel our pitching is a strength. If we start losing a couple of more guys, some of our answers might have to come from outside the organization, but we're not to that point yet."
The Angels also will be without John Lackey to start the season. The 29-year-old right-hander has a strained right triceps. He won 19 games and led the AL with a 3.01 ERA last year.
At Surprise, Ariz., Gerald Laird beat out Jarrod Saltalamacchia for the job as Texas' starting catcher. Saltalamacchia was optioned to minor league camp.
At Peoria, Ariz., reliever Chris Reitsma left Mariners camp after learning he would not make Seattle's roster for the start of the season.
At a morning meeting, Reitsma, from Calgary, was told the Mariners wanted him to continue his throwing program into early April with a possibility of being added to the roster later.
"He is going to go home and think about it," manager John McLaren said. "He's not sure what he wants to do right now. We're hopeful that he does think about continuing his throwing program."
In other news, all-star right fielder Alex Rios and Toronto are closing in on a six-year contract extension through 2014 that would guarantee him about US$65 million. The deal might include a 2015 option that could make it worth about $80 million.
And in Tokyo, the Red Sox and Athletics concluded their season-opening series with a two-game split.
Victoria's Rich Harden struck out nine over six innings and Emil Brown hit a three-run homer, leading Oakland to a 5-1 victory over Boston.
In spring training games:
Blue Jays 6 Reds 3
At Dunedin, Fla., Jesse Litsch pitched seven strong innings and Frank Thomas hit his first homer of the spring. Aaron Harang went six innings for Cincinnati, allowing three runs.
Marlins 7 Mets 5
At Port St. Lucie, Fla., Pedro Martinez threw 80 pitches over six innings against minor leaguers and pronounced himself healthy heading into the season.
Phillies 4 Yankees 0
At Clearwater, Fla., Brett Myers looked great in his final tuneup for opening day, allowing two hits in five innings for Philadelphia. Chien-Ming Wang, New York's opening-day starter, was tagged for four runs and six hits in five innings.
Pirates 7 Tigers 4
At Bradenton, Fla., Dontrelle Willis had another bad outing for Detroit, allowing seven runs — six earned — and eight hits while walking four in three innings. Pittsburgh's Zach Duke struck out five while permitting one run and five hits over five innings. He also drove in three runs with a pair of singles.
Indians 7 Astros 6
At Kissimmee, Fla., a day after manager Cecil Cooper criticized his team for bad throws, Houston made three errors and a costly baserunning mistake. AL Cy Young Award winner C.C. Sabathia allowed three runs in seven innings, striking out six.
Twins 4 Rays 2
At Fort Myers, Fla., Minnesota's Livan Hernandez warmed up for opening day with a strong start. He struck out five and pitched six innings of one-run ball.
Braves 10 Nationals 2
At Kissimmee, Fla., Jeff Bennett pitched four sharp innings for Atlanta, extending his scoreless streak to 11 this spring. Mark Teixeira hit a two-run homer and a double.
Cardinals 8 Orioles 2
At Jupiter, Fla., St. Louis opening-day starter Adam Wainwright allowed one run in six innings. Baltimore's Jeremy Guthrie worked four shutout innings before struggling in the fifth.
Brewers 12 White Sox 10
At Tucson, Ariz., Jim Thome hit two of Chicago's four home runs off an ineffective Ben Sheets. Alexei Ramirez helped his bid to play centre field for the White Sox on opening day by hitting a grand slam.
Diamondbacks 11 Rockies 8
At Tucson, opening-day starter Jeff Francis of North Delta, B.C., pitched five solid innings for Colorado, which got homers from Matt Holliday and Troy Tulowitzki. Arizona's Randy Johnson was roughed up by White Sox minor leaguers.
Cubs 7 Angels 5
At Tempe, Jered Weaver held Chicago to one run in six innings and lowered his spring ERA to 1.67. Los Angeles closer Francisco Rodriguez allowed five runs in the seventh. New Cubs closer Kerry Wood pitched 1 2-3 hitless innings. Chicago ace Carlos Zambrano gave up four runs in four innings.
Rangers 12 Padres 7
At Peoria, Ariz., Jake Peavy allowed four runs in three innings but hit a solo homer. San Diego teammate Brian Giles also connected. Josh Hamilton, who is hitting .455 this spring, homered and doubled for Texas.
Mariners 8 Royals 5
At Surprise, Ariz., Erik Bedard of Navan, Ont., beat Gil Meche in a matchup of opening-day starters who weren't at their best.
Grizzlies 4 Giants 3
At Fresno, Calif., Barry Zito allowed four runs — three earned — and eight hits in 6 2-3 innings against San Francisco's Triple-A farm team, the Fresno Grizzlies. His next start is Monday in the season opener at Dodger Stadium. Ray Durham returned to the Giants' lineup after missing six games with a strained hamstring.
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