The Orioles used a club-record 58 players last season and the lineup was built with moving parts. Injuries were only partly to blame. Nine players made starts in left field, eight in center and seven in right. Joey Rickard, Jace Peterson, Keon Broxton and Drew Jackson are gone. DJ Stewart is recovering from offseason ankle surgery and won't be ready for opening day. Stevie Wilkerson won't repeat as the leader in appearances in center unless something unforeseen happens. Really unforeseen,...

The Orioles tossed another name into their bullpen competition today, at the expense of a super-utility player whose popularity soared last season. Stevie Wilkerson has been designated for assignment to make room for Travis Lakins, a 25-year-old right-hander claimed off waivers from the Cubs. The team made the announcement this afternoon. Wilkerson, 28, also was designated for assignment last winter, but had his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk on April 22 and appeared in 117 games. He...

This week's "Orioles Classics" on MASN read like a history lesson. So come to order, class (what, you thought Roch Kubatko had the market cornered on baseball school?). We'll start with a pair of games from the 1970 World Series, move into the Ripken portion of the curriculum, watch Eddie Murray reach a home run milestone, check in on the Orioles swansong for a couple of key contributors from a more recent vintage of the orange and black, and finish with some more from the Iron Man. Oh, and...

February's here! Yeah, it's technically still winter, but for baseball fans, Feburary means the start of spring training. As the Nationals start heading south to the West Palm Beach home they share with their World Series opponents, fans are starting to peek at the schedule for the practice games that will take place all over Florida. Some of them are even making their own travel plans so that they can catch spring training contests in person. But if you can't make your way to the Sunshine...

If it's true that there's strength in numbers, the Orioles will be able to out-flex the other teams in spring training. The bird logo will be replaced by a biceps muscle. The chalk lines will be drawn with creatine powder. The current number of camp invites stands at 23 and doesn't include left-hander Wade LeBlanc, who signed a minor league deal that becomes official after his physical in Sarasota. Reliever Branden Kline could make it 25 if he clears waivers after the Orioles designated him...

By now, many fans have probably heard about what another fan did. That fan is 54-year-old Tony Adams and he is a Houston Astros fan. In an effort to get more information about the sign-stealing scandal, he went through 58 of the Astros' 2017 home games and cataloged the sound of a trash can being hit. Banging on a trash can was one way Houston players tipped teammates at the plate as to which pitch to expect. Someone would watch the catcher's signs on a television monitor, and before the...

Good morning, everybody. We are now a mere 12 days from pitchers and catchers reporting to West Palm Beach and the beginning of the Nationals' defense of their 2019 World Series championship. It's still hard to believe, isn't it? At this point, we have a pretty good idea what the Nats roster is going to look like. Ryan Zimmerman was the last key piece of the puzzle to re-sign, and though there could still be more additions to come, the Nationals could go into the season with what they have...

The first thing to know about Wade LeBlanc is that he's heard all of your "Friends" jokes. I've never asked him about it, but I'm playing a strong hunch. LeBlanc experienced a drop-off last summer after a solid 2018 season with the Mariners. His ERA climbed from 3.72 to 5.71 and his WHIP from 1.179 to 1.451. He averaged 2.1 home runs per nine innings, an increase from 1.3 in each of the two previous seasons. He'll be asked about the change in roles, where he made 27 starts in 2018 and...

If you missed the first Pat Valaika era with the Orioles, and were disappointed when the infielder was designated for assignment on Jan. 16, you'll be happy to hear that he's rejoining the club. Valaika was selected off waivers from the Diamondbacks this afternoon, the Orioles announced, after he was designated for assignment on Monday when Arizona needed a roster spot for the recently acquired Starling Marte. Valaika was claimed off waivers from the Rockies by the Orioles on Oct....

The first time the Nationals take the field as defending World Series champions, they'll be facing the same Astros team they beat in Game 7 four months earlier, with one small exception: Houston's manager will be Dusty Baker. No, we haven't been transported to a parallel universe, folks. We're still living right here on good old Earth 1. Even if it feels like this place has suddenly turned into Bizarro World. The Astros, who spent the ensuing weeks after losing Game 7 getting embroiled in...