SARASOTA, Fla. - Tim Beckham, Trey Mancini and Manny Machado are wearing the gray pants today as the Orioles travel to Fort Myers to play the Twins. Beckham is leading off. Austin Hays is back in the outfield, starting in right field. Danny Valencia is starting at first base. Relievers listed behind Chris Tillman, making his first Grapefruit League start, include Donnie Hart, Josh Edgin, Jimmy Yacabonis, José Mesa Jr., Branden Kline and James Teague. The reserves include Alex Presley, Chance...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - There's no question Victor Robles is a special player. If anyone misunderstood this indisputable fact, spring training has driven home the point. The top Nationals prospect is just 20, has already made his major league debut and appeared in a playoff series. What's next on his to-do list? Many think he should be on the Nationals' 25-man opening day roster, even though there seems to be no clear opening for him to play. And every time Robles steps onto the field in a...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles' spring training strikeout leader heading into yesterday's game was left-hander Donnie Hart, a reliever with five innings under his belt. He was scored upon in just his first outing. Surface stuff that presents an argument for his inclusion in the opening day bullpen. However, Hart still can be optioned to the minors and the Orioles continue to sort through their choices for left-handed relief beyond Richard Bleier. Rule 5 Nestor Cortes Jr. could be a bullpen...

The question looms in the National League East: Who has the best chance to challenge the favored Nationals, who won the title in 2017 by 20 games over the second-place Miami Marlins? The Marlins have no chance. The Mets are banking on the health of pitchers Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard to help Jacob de Grom in the rotation. The Braves' and the Phillies' hope is development of young pitching. But, the Phillies, who finished last with 66 wins last season, strengthened their case to at least...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Right-hander Kevin Gausman knows the Orioles are counting on him. They are counting on him today, tomorrow and hopefully for many years to come as a key member of their pitching rotation. He is a homegrown Oriole - drafted No. 4 overall in 2012 out of LSU - and he's made 106 career starts in the orange and black. But when you ask Gausman about the rotation's poor performance last year, he directs the criticism at himself, throwing himself under the bus after a season where he...

LAKELAND, Fla. - Last year at this time, Edwin Jackson was home in Arizona, an unemployed pitcher throwing bullpen sessions and trying to stay ready in case someone in need of a veteran right-hander called with a job offer. After 15 major league seasons, little fazes Jackson, who's on his third tour of duty with the Nationals and hopeful of a role with what he calls a "special team." Today that role was emergency starter, a move necessitated when righty A.J. Cole came down with the stomach...

BRADENTON, Fla. - The spring stats meant nothing to manager Buck Showalter. The runs and hits allowed by Dylan Bundy didn't reflect his readiness to break camp. Improvement today? For Showalter, Bundy has always been on his game. The numbers just didn't support it. Bundy today became the first Orioles starter to go five innings this spring. He allowed one run and seven hits, walked none and struck out five. He was done after 84 pitches. Bundy had surrendered 10 runs and 11 hits over 4 1/3...

BRADENTON, Fla. - Considering he had yielded 10 runs and 11 hits in 4 1/3 in his first two Grapefruit League starts, Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy produced much better results this afternoon at LECOM Park against Pittsburgh. Bundy became the first O's pitcher to throw five innings this spring and he allowed seven hits and one run with no walks and five strikeouts. He did not have a strikeout in those first two games. But this afternoon, he had a nice pitch mix working, throwing 84 pitches,...

LAKELAND, Fla. - Edwin Jackson made it through three innings against the Tigers this afternoon, a laborious third running up his pitch count and hastening his exit from the game. The right-hander did a good job of minimizing the damage in the third, and was helped out by a nice play to nab Edwin Espinal at home on an ill-advised send. Espinal walked and tried to score when JaCoby Jones lashed a double to left on which Andrew Stevenson almost made a diving grab at the wall. Center fielder Brian...

BRADENTON, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter confirmed today that Mark Trumbo will return to the lineup Wednesday as the designated hitter against the Yankees at Ed Smith Stadium. Trumbo has been out since Tuesday with a sore right quadriceps muscle. Showalter indicated that final decisions on Rule 5 pitchers Nestor Cortes Jr., Pedro Araujo and José Mesa Jr. could be withheld until the end of camp. Araujo might have moved to the head of the pack, though Showalter isn't tipping his...