Bobby Blanco and Paul Mancano discuss the battle for the Nats' fifth starter spot.

Paul Mancano and Bobby Blanco discuss the Orioles' evolving rotation battle, and Paul sits with O's director of baseball development Eve Rosenbaum.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles left-hander Tommy Milone played catch on flat ground yesterday and is waiting to be cleared to throw a simulated game. Milone was supposed to start Tuesday against the Nationals in West Palm, but the Orioles kept him back in Sarasota. He would have worked the equivalent of three innings at the complex. Discomfort in the trapezius/neck area is preventing Milone from pitching. His only start came on Feb. 27 against the Pirates and resulted in two scoreless innings. "We...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Brandon Bailey no longer is starting today's game against the Twins in Sarasota, with a scheduling change putting left-hander Keegan Akin on the mound. We're told that Bailey is fine physically. The Orioles just made a switch. Hanser Alberto is starting at shortstop today. José Iglesias was scratched yesterday with cramping in his quadriceps muscle, but said he's fine and could have played this afternoon. Dilson Herrera is the second baseman. Ryan Mountcastle is in left...

SARASOTA, Fla. - In the 2018 season on the farm, lefty John Means pitched to a 3.72 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A, with a 1.26 WHIP and .268 opponent average against. In 2019 - in the major leagues - he pitched better. He posted a 3.60 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP and a .234 average against. That ERA was the lowest by a Baltimore starter since Wei-Yin Chen posted a 3.34 mark in 2015. That ERA would have ranked seventh in the American League if Means had thrown seven more innings to qualify for league...

JUPITER, Fla. - On a day when the Orioles got just three hits, they beat the Miami Marlins 5-3 to split two games on their swing through the east coast of Florida. They head back to Sarasota with a record of 7-5-1 after a loss to Washington and win over Miami. Today they scored two runs on Pat Valaika's third spring homer and two more on a throwing error. Four bullpen pitchers put up zeros from the sixth on to lock down the win. Non-roster invitee lefty Wade LeBlanc continued his bid for a...

JUPITER, Fla. - The Orioles changed their original lineup today ahead of this game with the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Catcher Austin Wynns and shortstop José Iglesias were scratched. Wynns took a foul ball in the groin area the other day, so the Orioles left him back in Sarasota. "He (Iglesias) has a little cramp in his upper quad, we just pulled him out precautionary and hopefully he'll be in there tomorrow," manager Brandon Hyde said in the visitors dugout. "Wynns...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Richie Martin is starting at second base today as the Orioles continue their East Coast trip with a 1:05 p.m. game against the Marlins in Jupiter. Austin Hays is leading off and playing center field - another hint, perhaps, of where he'll be slotted on opening day. José Iglesias, who had three hits yesterday against the Nationals, is batting second. Anthony Santander remains the designated hitter. Pat Valaika is playing first base while vying for a utility job. Stevie...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Watching the Orioles play the back nine in spring training allows the observers - tanned unevenly from hours spent on the field and in outdoor media scrums - to draw their own conclusions on a few important subjects and others that might not warrant a mention. Including those that should have been obvious before the first workout. Here are a few: The Orioles are serious about evaluating Renato Núñez again at third base. They don't want to surrender to a lineup that...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias joined our live streaming coverage of the game on Orioles.com and MLB At-Bat on Tuesday. He discussed several topics including the hot-hitting start of first baseman Chris Davis. "Well, we don't get caught up in spring training results, but that said, he looks better this spring than he did last spring," Elias said. "Just the freeness of his at-bats. He's not getting locked up like we saw last spring....