DUNEDIN, Fla. - The Orioles didn't get their first baserunner tonight until Chris Davis drew a walk against Aaron Sanchez leading off the top of the fifth inning. They didn't have a hit until Jesús Sucre singled up the middle with one out - their only hit through seven innings. They still haven't scored. Mike Wright turned in a decent outing tonight, but he was playing second fiddle to Sanchez, who retired the first 12 batters and shut out the Orioles on the one hit over six...

DUNEDIN, Fla. - Orioles manager Brandon Hyde isn't ready to confirm that Jesús Sucre has made the team as a non-roster invite. Not before he actually meets with the veteran catcher. Sucre is in tonight's lineup against the Blue Jays in Dunedin. He could have opted out of his minor league deal this morning. Shortly before boarding the bus this morning, Sucre said he still hadn't heard from the club or his agent regarding his status and joked with reporters that he'd flash a signal if...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Tony Sipp is confident he'll be ready to face big league hitters in big situations on opening day. Even if he doesn't face a big league hitter in spring training. Sipp, who didn't sign with the Nationals until March 13, faced live hitters for the first time Thursday, throwing 15 pitches and emerging feeling good about the state of his arm and repertoire. He said he plans to face hitters again on a back field Saturday, after which he should be game-ready. But because...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have released veteran outfielder Eric Young Jr. in the latest spring training cut, a move made despite his impressive showing at the plate and defensively. Young was 10-for-31 (.323) with a double, home run, seven walks, nine strikeouts and two stolen bases after joining the Orioles at the beginning of camp. "Eric has looked and played great this spring," executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said in a statement. "Once we determined he was...

JUPITER, Fla. - As the days tick down on spring training, the days of lineups featuring backups and minor leaguers dwindle as well. Case in point: For the second straight night, the Nationals are using all of their regulars. There are only a couple minor tweaks from last night's lineup: Matt Adams is playing first base and batting sixth, with Ryan Zimmerman serving as DH tonight. And Yan Gomes, who was DH last night, is catching while Kurt Suzuki gets a rest. Otherwise, things are the same,...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles get to again experience the sheer joy of making a trip to Dunedin to play the Blue Jays, and it's in an extremely rare night game. Under the lights. Hasn't happened, I'm told, in a very long time. Perhaps the traffic going back to Sarasota will be a little more tolerable. Mike Wright makes his final spring start before learning his fate, which is more likely whether he's in the rotation or bullpen. He opposes Aaron Sanchez tonight. Wright had followed 10...

SARASOTA, Fla. - After his outing versus Boston on Wednesday night, the spring stats don't look as solid for right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis. He allowed four runs (three earned) in a messy top of the eighth. But several factors worked against him in the inning - a double play not turned that would have ended a scoreless inning, two passed balls, a throwing error and a strikeout that went for a wild pitch with a runner reaching. Yep, messy. Before that, Yacabonis had allowed two runs over 7 2/3...

All right, we're down to the wire now, folks. The Nationals have three more game days here in Florida, then fly home Sunday night, then face the Yankees in D.C. on Monday, then get two days to rest up before the season opener against the Mets. There's another night game to be played this evening against the Marlins in Jupiter, so that frees us up this morning to take your questions on the team, on the spring, on the upcoming season and more. Submit your questions in the comments section...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It had been five days since Sean Doolittle last took the mound in a game, and the Nationals closer had spent much of those five days trying to figure out what went wrong during a five-run meltdown and how to correct it. But as soon as he fired his first pitch tonight, a 91-mph strike, Doolittle knew things were going to be just fine. "It's not quite where I want it to be, but that was definite improvement over last time," he said after tossing a scoreless ninth to cap...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The latest roster cuts yesterday, condensed and earlier than usual, left the Orioles with 35 players in camp. Manager Brandon Hyde has to remove 10 more before opening day while knowing that the waiver wire is a potential complication. In a good way, of course. Mark Trumbo is a wild card because he could go on the injured list. Hyde will be asked about it again in a day or two and repeat that the decision is on hold. It's going down to the wire. The Orioles need Trumbo healthy...