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SARASOTA Tyler Austin Jersey , Fla. (AP) — In the new world of the Baltimore Orioles where youth and inexperience are the rule, there are two veteran pitchers hoping to prove they still have some skills.Last spring training, the Orioles added two free agent pitchers, Andrew Cashner and Alex Cobb, and both had substandard years.Cashner, who signed a two-year $16 million contract, was 4-15 with a 5.29 ERA. Cobb, who late in spring training agreed to a four-year, $57 million deal, had the worst season of his career, going 5-15 with a 4.90 ERA.“I don’t want to touch too much on what we had going on last year,” Cobb said. “I felt like there were a lot of times where we were going into competition without a full arsenal, far behind the competition we were facing http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey , and that’s frustrating.”Baltimore was derided in the past because they lagged far behind what had become industry standard in the information age.“It’s tough to go in there with a lot of confidence because you know how much more information is being given to the other side because I’ve been on the other side,” Cobb said. “I feel like it’s an even playing field now.”Under new general manager Mike Elias and new manager Brandon Hyde, the Orioles are not only more analytically oriented, but they’re a lot looser. Even better for the 32-year-old Cashner, they added pitching coach Doug Brocail to the staff last month.In 2017, Brocail was the Texas Rangers’ pitching coach, and Cashner had one of his best seasons under him with an 11-11 record and 3.40 ERA. Brocail is a hard-nosed coach, but he and Hyde, who was the Chicago Cubs’ bench coach last year, have brought a different tone to camp, adopting some of Joe Maddon’s practices.As the pitchers took the field for their first stretch on Feb. 13, suddenly loud music was blaring, a sharp difference from former manager Buck Showalter’s tenure.“It’s kind of a lot more fun Miguel Andujar Jersey ,” Cashner said. “I think it’s kind of just trying to let everybody be themselves. It’s not so much worrying about certain things as it is showing up and being the best ballplayer you can be. That’s kind of the style (Hyde) had under Joe Maddon.”Last season, Cashner missed time with a back strain, a neck strain and a knee injury that ended his season by mid-September. Good fortune and a new pitching coach could help.“I think my biggest thing is health, first and foremost,” Cashner said. “I feel like I kind of struggled with that last year. Working with Doug is a treat for me, and it’s special just because he played for so long and me and him mesh really well together.”Along with Dylan Bundy, Cashner and Cobb are the most tenured starting pitchers Hyde has.“I think experience is important,” Hyde said. “Especially the right experience, the right type of people, really good veteran guys do make a major impact in how they prepare, just watching them play.”The 31-year-old Cobb had an awful start to his first season with Baltimore. Before the All-Star break, Cobb was 2-12 with a 6.41 ERA. He improved markedly in the second half with a 3-3 record and 2.56 ERA.Cobb is confident that with new management, the Orioles are on the right track.“I feel like we’ve got the guys that have been around the league Tim Tebow Jersey , seen championship caliber organizations,” Cobb said. “When you have those guys come in and have seen that much success and tell you that your stuff is good, it does play; we need to tweak a few things here and there, it’s not a full rebuild, it gives you confidence.” JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Even as Matt Carpenter’s return to Grapefruit League play is delayed, both the team and the third baseman insist the lingering back tightness is no big deal.“If this was the middle of the season and these games counted I would be just working through some of the soreness and tightness that I’m going through, but I don’t feel the need to do that and go back to 70 percent because I’m pushing through a spring training game,” Carpenter said.Originally expected to return on Wednesday, Carpenter now may not return until Sunday.Manager Mike Shildt doesn’t believe the tightness will lead to Carpenter missing opening day next Thursday at Milwaukee.“It’s felt good the last three days,” Shildt said. “Really positive. We just want to make sure we’re progressing, nip it in the bud, being smart. We don’t want it to flare up and miss any time in Milwaukee.”Carpenter hasn’t appeared in a game since Friday. He originally experienced the back tightness on Saturday during fielding drills.He underwent an MRI in recent days which Carpenter said showed his back is in better shape than last year Jay Bruce Jersey , when it bothered him throughout spring leading to a slow start to the season.“Because of it being early in the year and we’re about to break, I’m not pushing through a little tight back,” Carpenter said.Carpenter expects to remain in Jupiter when the Cardinals break camp on Sunday, skipping the team’s Monday exhibition game at Triple-A Memphis. He’ll rejoin St. Louis in Milwaukee the day prior to the March 28 season opener.A three-time All-Star, Carpenter is hitting .179 with three homers in 33 plate appearances this spring.“I feel like my swing and my at-bats are where they need to be,” Carpenter said. “I had enough work before that as far as playing and defense to where a day or two would be good.”Carpenter’s absence over the past week prevented Shildt from fielding his expected opening day lineup at any point this spring. For Shildt, only two batting order spots are set: Carpenter at leadoff and Marcel Ozuna at cleanup.With Carpenter out, Dexter Fowler batted leadoff, followed on Thursday by Paul Goldschmidt and Paul DeJong.Fowler smashed New York starter Domingo German’s first pitch over the right field wall for his first spring homer. Fowler hit a two-run homer in the second inning.Ozuna also hit his first homer of the spring, a solo shot to left in the third.