WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Velocity has been Tanner Rainey's calling card. Pitchers capable of throwing 100 mph tend to get noticed, and it was the right-hander's radar gun readings that made him attractive to the Nationals, who swapped righty Tanner Roark to the Reds at the Winter Meetings to acquire him. So why is Rainey spending spring training trying to slow things down? Like most hard throwers, Rainey has trouble repeating his mechanics. And when that happens, he tends to get a little out...

BRADENTON, Fla. - Jesús Sucre will make his Orioles debut by catching the first three innings of Friday afternoon's game against the Red Sox in Sarasota. Sucre, a late arrival due in camp to issues obtaining his work visa, also will catch Sunday against the Phillies in Sarasota. "I'll progress him as we go along, for sure," said manager Brandon Hyde. "He'll be in there." Austin Wynns was encouraged this morning by his MRI results after experiencing discomfort in his left oblique while...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - An MRI on Howie Kendrick's left hamstring confirmed the original diagnosis of a strain, and Nationals manager Davey Martinez is hopeful the versatile veteran can rehabilitate the injury and be ready for opening day. "MRI came back and it's what they expected, a mild strain," Martinez said. "He's going to be day to day. It'll probably take him a little bit to get going again." Kendrick sustained the injury running out an RBI infield single in the first inning of...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - For a spring training game, we've got a pretty nice pitching matchup in today's Grapefruit League battle between the Nationals and Mets at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Right-hander Stephen Strasburg makes his second spring start for the Nats and will be opposed by Mets righty Jacob deGrom. Manager Davey Martinez hopes to get Strasburg up and down three times, which should leave him at a pitch count around 50 for today's assignment. In his first spring start...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Left-hander Richard Bleier is scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut on Saturday when the Orioles play split-squad games against the Rays in Port Charlotte and the Yankees in Sarasota. Bleier threw a simulated game yesterday on one of the back fields at the Ed Smith Stadium complex - he said it counted as more than live batting practice because an umpire was used - and worked two "innings" against Mark Trumbo and Joey Rickard. "It went fine. It was good," he...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Chris Davis and Austin Wynns remain out of the Orioles' lineup for today's game against the Pirates in Bradenton. Davis is nursing a sore left hip and Wynns underwent tests on his sore oblique. Stevie Wilkerson is playing first base today and Carlos Pérez is catching. Jesús Sucre's debut is put off for at least one more day. Jonathan Villar is leading off and playing second base. Austin Hays is in center field. Mike Wright hasn't allowed a run in seven innings and...

SARASOTA, Fla. - After his latest important and attention-grabbing hit - a three-run double for the lead yesterday versus the Tampa Bay Rays - the question may be asked again: Can 22-year-old outfielder Yusniel Diaz make the Orioles' opening day roster, and should he be a strong candidate to start in right field? The young outfielder who is the club's No. 1 ranked prospect initially struggled after he was traded to Baltimore last year. He came to the club in the Manny Machado deal from the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The lessons that are distributed in Orioles camp don't skip past the manager's office. Brandon Hyde is finding out a lot about his team, the layers of mystery peeled away as the days pass. "I'll tell you what, I just like our guys," Hyde said yesterday while standing in the visiting dugout at Charlotte Sports Park. "I like the way our guys work. I didn't know what kind of work ethic our guys had. I didn't know how guys prepared. I didn't know the makeup of our players...

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - What else must Richie Martin do in order to make the Orioles roster on opening day besides stay healthy? Plenty of games remain on the docket before they break camp, but Martin seems to be doing everything right. The slick fielding. The speed and hustle on the basepaths. The hits that keep coming following his breakout offensive year at the Double-A level that didn't motivate the Athletics to protect him in the Rule 5 draft. Given another start at shortstop today, Martin...

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - John Means will take the box score today with his final line and admire it for the three scoreless innings and five strikeouts. The surface beauty of it. But he won't be fooled by it. Means was a harsh critic while standing outside the visiting clubhouse, though the results did nothing to hurt his chances of making the club. He allowed only one hit, a bloop single for Kean Wong in the third that eluded retreating shortstop Richie Martin, and walked two batters. The...