SARASOTA, Fla. - Ryan Mountcastle is starting at first base today and Drew Jackson is at second for the Orioles' split-squad game against the Rays in Port Charlotte. Austin Hays is in center field and Jonthan Villar is playing shortstop. Dylan Bundy is making his third start. He's allowed four runs and nine hits with no walks and five strikeouts in five innings. Andrew Susac is catching Bundy today. For the Orioles Austin Hays CF Eric Young Jr. LF Jonathan Villar SS Rio Ruiz DH Joey Rickard...

SARASOTA, Fla. - It happened on Tuesday afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. Two pitchers from the same high school pitched in the same spring training game. They graduated six years apart from Clayton High School in North Carolina, which is about 30 minutes from Raleigh. But they've developed a close friendship and bond, and the star pitcher from Clayton has been trying to help the rookie find his way in the majors. The vet is 30-year-old right-hander Chris Archer of the Pittsburgh...

SARASOTA, Fla. - As Austin Hays broke toward a fly ball in right-center field Thursday afternoon, he fought the elements but already had conquered his fears. The potential damage to a surgically repaired left ankle never crossed Hays' mind as he made a sprawling catch against the Pirates. A sprint and landing on the rock-hard warning track produced a highlight play and a broadest of smiles across his face. No pain or repercussions. "Off the bat it was pretty high, so I was running thinking...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles turned more international signing bonus slots into a trade acquisition, landing outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. from the Blue Jays. The announcement came this afternoon. Smith has slashed .293/.365/.467 in 47 games with the Blue Jays over the past two seasons. He was selected in the first round (53rd overall) of the 2011 draft out of McIntosh (Ga.) High School. "Dwight Smith is a young outfielder with a strong track record of performance and a plus-hit tool from the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Gabriel Ynoa became the first Orioles pitcher this spring to work four innings. Did anyone pick him in the pool? How many people remembered that he was still in camp? Ynoa was the fourth pitcher used by manager Brandon Hyde in today's 4-2 win and he blanked the Red Sox on one hit. He walked none and struck out three. "I was not really expecting to go four innings today," Ynoa said through interpreter Ramón Alarcón, "but they gave me the opportunity and I went ahead...

JUPITER, Fla. - Take away the first five Cardinals batters faced by Nationals pitching - all reaching base via hit, erasing a 2-0 deficit - and Davey Martinez would have spent his postgame press briefing talking about a day filled with dominant mound efforts. As it was, the Nationals were still pretty good - even starter Patrick Corbin, whose brief struggle with locating his fastball in the first inning allowed the Cardinals to take the lead for good in a game that breezed by in 2 hours, 19...

SARASOTA, Fla. - For Orioles right-hander Andrew Cashner, the makings of a strong outing today quickly went south within a span of three Boston batters in the top of the second inning. In his first spring game on Sunday versus Detroit at Ed Smith Stadium, Cashner allowed six hits and four runs over three innings. But today versus the Red Sox he retired the side in order in the first on just 11 pitches. He then got Steve Pearce and Christian Vázquez quickly to start the second. But a 10-pitch...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles first baseman Chris Davis underwent an MRI on his left hip this morning, marked absent at the complex as teammates arrived and readied for pregame stretch and drills. Davis hasn't played since Sunday because of a strained hip flexor, which occurred after he reached for a throw up the line. He's been labeled as day-to-day with slight improvements. "He is feeling better today, but we're doing a precautionary MRI this morning," said manager Brandon Hyde. "We just...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Matt Adams isn't sure how many offers his agent fielded this offseason. When all was said and done, there was really only one place Adams wanted to go. "I wanted to come back here," said Adams, who re-signed with the Nationals on Dec. 18. "How quickly they reached out to my agent and presented the offer, there was mutual interest on both sides." Most players who signed with a team the previous offseason only to be caught in a trade-deadline roster purge would cross...

JUPITER, Fla. - The Nationals made their first cuts of camp this morning, and there were no real surprises among the seven players trimmed from the spring roster. Catcher Raudy Read was optioned to Triple-A Fresno, while right-hander James Bourque was optioned to Double-A Harrisburg. Five other players were reassigned to minor league camp: right-handers Ronald Peña and Wil Crowe, first baseman-outfielder José Marmolejos, catcher Tres Barrera and outfielder Chuck Taylor. "Just go down and...