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Orioles add Duchscherer on one-year agreement

BALTIMORE — A person with knowledge of the deal tells the Associated Press the Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Justin Duchscherer have reached agreement on a one-year contract.

The deal is pending the completion of a physical, the person said Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the agreement is not yet final.

The 33-year-old Duchscherer is 33-25 with a 3.13 ERA over eight seasons with Texas and Oakland. He pitched in only five games in April last year before surgery on his left hip.

Duchscherer missed the entire 2009 season because of an elbow injury and clinical depression.

The two-time All-Star is expected to provide a veteran presence in a rotation that includes three players with fewer than 50 career starts: Brian Matusz, Brad Bergesen and Jake Arrieta.

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Baysox name 2011 coaching staff

Kendall takes over as Komminsk moves on to Class AAA Norfolk

The Baltimore Orioles have announced the 2011 coaching staffs for their minor league affiliates, naming Gary Kendall as the new manager of the Class AA Bowie Baysox.

Kendall spent the last three seasons managing Baltimore’s Class A team in Aberdeen. In seven seasons as a minor league manager at the Rookie and Class A levels, Kendall’s teams have gone 332-370. Kendall is a graduate of Sparrows Point High School in Baltimore and played at the Community College of Baltimore and Atlantic Christian College.

Kendall replaces Brad Kommisnk, who managed the Baysox the last four years and has moved on to become the hitting coach with the Orioles’ Class AAA affiliate in Norfolk, Va.

The only holdover from last season’s Baysox coaching staff is pitching coach Kenny Steenstra, who guided Bowie pitchers to a 3.97 team ERA last season, fifth-best in the 12-team Eastern League.

The rest of the 2011 Baysox coaching staff includes field coaches Denny Hocking and Einar Diaz and athletic trainer Aaron Scott.

Hocking is in his second year of coaching after spending last season with Baltimore’s Class A team in Frederick. He played 13 years in the major leagues from 1993-2005 with the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies and Kansas City Royals, hitting .251 for his career.

Diaz is in his fourth year as a coach in the Orioles’ organization. He played 11 seasons in the majors with the Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Montreal Expos and St. Louis Cardinals, hitting .254 for his career.

The Baysox start their season on April 7 at the Harrisburg Senators and play their home opener at Prince George’s Stadium on April 14 against the Erie SeaWolves.

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Baysox Introduce New Manager

January 31, 2011 – Eastern League (EL) Bowie Baysox

BOWIE, Md. – The Bowie Baysox and the Baltimore Orioles announce today the Baysox coaching staff for the 2011 season. Baltimore native Gary Kendall becomes the 13th manager in franchise history and is joined by Field Coaches Denny Hocking and Einar Diaz, Pitching Coach Kennie Steenstra and Athletic Trainer Aaron Scott. Steenstra is the only holdover from the 2010 coaching staff.

Kendall opens his 12th season in the Orioles organization after spending the last three seasons managing the class Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds, where his teams went a combined 100-123. Prior to managing, he was the Field Coach for the Bluefield Orioles (2000-2001) and the IronBirds (2002-2003) before making his managerial debut with Bluefield in 2004. After that season he spent three years as the manager for class Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds (2005-2007). Kendall graduated from Sparrows Point High School in Baltimore and played at the Community College of Baltimore and Atlantic Christian College.

Hocking enters his second year of professional coaching in his second year in the Orioles organization. He spent last season as the Field Coach for the class Single-A Frederick Keys. The Keys finished second in the Carolina League with a .267 batting average and finished third in the league with 475 walks. Originally a 52nd round draft pick by the Minnesota Twins, Hocking played 13 seasons in the big leagues with Minnesota (1993-2003), the Colorado Rockies (2004) and the Kansas City Royals (2005). In 2000, Hocking became the first player in Major League history to play at least 10 games at seven different positions.

Joining Hocking as Field Coach is former Major League catcher Diaz, opening his fourth season in the Orioles organization. Diaz spent the last two years managing the Bluefield Orioles after spending the 2008 season as the Field Coach for the Bluefield Orioles and the Aberdeen Ironbirds. Over two years as a manager in Bluefield, he compiled a record of 56-80. In his playing career, Diaz logged 673 games over 11 Major League seasons with the Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Montreal Expos and St. Louis Cardinals.

Steenstra returns for his second season in Bowie and seventh season in the Orioles organization. Under his tutelage last season, Baysox pitchers combined for a 3.97 team ERA. Steenstra was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 12th round of the 1992 First Year Player Draft and made his major league debut in Chicago on May 21, 1998. He pitched 11 years professionally, spending seven years in the Cubs organization before playing for the Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves, Cardinals and Arizona Diamondback organizations. In 2002, he pitched in six games for the Orioles class Triple-A affiliate in Rochester.

Rounding out the Baysox coaching staff is Athletic Trainer Aaron Scott. Scott began his coaching career as Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Delmarva Shorebirds in 2004, spent a year as the Orioles Florida Trainer (2005), before stops as the Athletic Trainer for the Bluefield Orioles (2006), Aberdeen Ironbirds (2007-2008) and Delmarva Shorebirds (2009-2010).

The Baysox 2010 campaign has come to an end. The Baysox open the 2011 season on the road in Harrisburg Thursday, April 7. They play their first game at Prince George’s Stadium Thursday, April 14, at 7:05 p.m. Baysox ticket packages are now available at www.baysox.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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Orioles reach deal with pitcher Duchscherer

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Former All-Star Justin Duchscherer has agreed to a one-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles pending a physical exam of the injury-plagued pitcher, the Major League Baseball website mlb.com said Monday.

The 33-year-old Duchscherer, who has a career record of 33-25 with a 3.13 earned run average but is coming off his second hip surgery, would receive $1.1 million if he makes the team and could earn up to $4.5 million based on productivity.

The low-risk deal continued a busy offseason for the Orioles, who have added Derrek Lee, Mark Reynolds and J.J. Hardy to their infield and Kevin Gregg to their bullpen.

Duchscherer came up as a reliever but prefers to be in the starting rotation. In 32 career starts, the control pitcher has gone 14-11 with a 3.01 ERA.

A former 10-game winner, Duchscherer made just five starts last season before needing his second left hip surgery. The right-hander missed all of 2009 after an elbow injury.

Duchscherer, an All-Star with Oakland in 2005 and 2008, would join Jeremy Guthrie to lend a veteran presence to a crop of promising starters including Brian Matusz, Brad Bergesen, Jake Arrieta and Chris Tillman.

(Writing by Larry Fine, Editing by Steve Ginsburg)

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Report: Orioles bring in Duchscherer

The Baltimore Orioles have reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with oft-injured pitcher Justin Duchscherer, who is trying to recover from hip surgery that limited him to just five starts in 2010.

Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) – The Baltimore Orioles have reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with oft-injured pitcher Justin Duchscherer, who is trying to recover from hip surgery that limited him to just five starts in 2010.

According to the Baltimore Sun, Duchscherer has agreed to a one-year deal, pending a physical, for $700,000 with incentives that could make the package worth $4.5 million.

Duchscherer broke into the majors with Texas in 2001 and pitched for Oakland from 2003-10. After spending most of his first five seasons with the Athletics as a reliever, he joined the rotation in 2008 and was an All-Star in July, but surgery on his right hip ended his campaign in August and he finished 10-8 with a 2.54 earned run average in 22 starts.

The right-hander then missed the entire 2009 season because of elbow surgery and a bout with clinical depression. He was off to a fast start last year with a record of 2-1 and a 2.89 ERA before hitting the disabled list with left hip inflammation in late April.

After being activated on May 16, Duchscherer was scratched from his scheduled start against the Angels that night due to the same injury and surgery eventually took place in June.

In 224 career games, just 32 of which have been starts, Duchscherer has a record of 33-25 with 14 saves and a 3.13 ERA.

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Source: Justin Duchscherer agrees to deal with Baltimore Orioles

Updated: January 30, 2011, 10:51 PM ET

Free agent pitcher Justin Duchscherer has reached agreement on a one-year major league contract with the Baltimore Orioles, a baseball source told ESPN.com.

The deal, which is pending completion of a physical exam, could pay Duchscherer up to $4.5 million in salary and incentives, the source said.

Duchscherer, 33, has a 33-25 record with a 3.13 ERA in eight seasons with Texas and Oakland. He made two All-Star teams with the A’s — one as a starter and one as a reliever — but has pitched only 28 innings over the past two seasons because of injuries and a bout of clinical depression in 2009. Duchscherer underwent season-ending surgery on his left hip last June after making only five starts with Oakland.

The Washington Nationals, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers were among the other clubs to express an interest in Duchscherer, who is expected to pitch as a starter in Baltimore. Duchscherer slots in behind Jeremy Guthrie to give the Orioles another veteran presence in front of Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta and Baltimore’s stable of young starting pitchers.

Jerry Crasnick is a senior baseball writer for ESPN.com.

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