FORT MYERS, Fla. - For the fifth time this spring training the Orioles have taken the interstate south to Fort Myers. They've faced Boston and Minnesota twice each in the area and are back today to face Minnesota with David Hess on the mound. The Orioles are playing the Twins for the fifth time among seven matchups this spring. They are 2-2 versus the Twins after Thursday's 7-6 loss in Sarasota. The Orioles have lost four of five and are now 10-9-2 with 12 games remaining in Florida before...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Michael A. Taylor is getting an MRI on both his left knee and left hip today, leaving the Nationals to potentially cope with a thin outfield following Thursday's injury on a diving catch in Fort Myers. Taylor hurt himself diving to snag a Byron Buxton drive to right-center during the Nationals' 10-4 exhibition victory over the Twins, revealing today the turf was "a little soft and my knee stuck in the ground." Taylor was still limping in the clubhouse this morning as...

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - It was pouring in West Palm Beach this morning, but the forecast is dry only 51 miles north at Mets camp, where the Nationals face their division rivals this afternoon. It's mostly regulars in the Nats lineup, but there's one interesting twist: Matt Adams in starting in left field for the first time this spring. Davey Martinez just revealed Michael A. Taylor is heading out to get an MRI on both his left knee and hip following yesterday's painful diving catch in Fort...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nate Karns and Mychal Givens are staying back at the Ed Smith Stadium complex this morning to pitch in a simulated game. They're no longer listed on the travel roster for today's Grapefruit League game against the Twins in Fort Myers. Karns didn't know exactly how many pitches he'd throw. He intended to incorporate his "slider/cutter" in order to judge whether it's game ready. "I've been leaving that one in the 'pen," he said. A slider/cutter? "Sometimes it's a...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Cedric Mullins returns to center field this afternoon and Chris Davis goes back-to-back with another start at first base as the Orioles travel to Fort Myers again to face the Twins. Davis, recovered from a hip injury, also played yesterday and was 1-for-2 with an RBI single, walk and strikeout. Trey Mancini is in left field and Dwight Smith Jr. gets the start in right. Jesús Sucre is catching and Rio Ruiz is playing third base. David Hess has allowed four runs and nine hits...

Third baseman Jake Noll has done a very nice job of demonstrating how good a baseball player he is in the Nationals system with some quality numbers in spring training. Noll, 25, has hit .367 in 17 games with four doubles, two homers and nine RBIs, turning heads in his Florida foray. He has struck out only seven times, scored 10 runs and walked four times in 30 at-bats, grabbing the attention of the Nats development staff. "He's off to a really good start," said Nationals player development...

SARASOTA, Fla. - We've seen the Orioles send a few young outfielders like Yusniel Diaz, DJ Stewart and Ryan McKenna to minor league camp, but a few youngsters are still around and the Orioles outfield situation is becoming a bit more clear with opening day approaching. Will the starters be Trey Mancini in left, Cedric Mullins in center and Austin Hays in right? That's what I see happening with 12 games remaining before the opener in the Bronx. Hays, barring a real surprise, is healthy,...

FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Nationals don't make many long spring training road trips anymore, not since relocating headquarters from remote Viera to more accessible West Palm Beach. So the few 2 1/2-hour bus rides they still have on the schedule each spring tend to elicit more substantial groans from everyone involved. Not everyone, though, was upset to ride the bus all the way across the state to Fort Myers for Thursday's game with the Twins. Erick Fedde viewed it as a golden opportunity. "I...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Spring training games attract baseball scouts in the same way that free food brings sportswriters out of the woodwork. And the media workrooms. Talent evaluators throughout the industry flock to these games, in some cases making trade or waiver claim recommendations to their employers. And they can offer more accurate assessments of players in a particular organization because they don't have any attachments to them. One team's hyped prospect can be taken down a few notches...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles third baseman Renato Núñez is day-to-day with a bruised left shin after being struck by a foul ball while batting in the fourth inning. Núñez stayed in the game and singled into left field. Christopher Bostick pinch-ran after Núñez reached third base. "A little contusion, a bad spot underneath the knee," said manager Brandon Hyde after a 7-6 loss to the Twins at Ed Smith Stadium. "It just sounds like he's really sore." Hyde downplayed how...