SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are boarding a bus today for Port Charlotte and if it seems like they were just there, you've been paying attention to the schedule and game coverage. Two days ago. Same ride down I-75. Under an hour if the traffic and law enforcement cooperate. Left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. makes his second start of the spring after allowing one run in two innings against the Twins. Trey Mancini probably won't wear the gray pants today after going 2-for-3 yesterday with a single...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - If you have been paying attention to the Grapefruit League scoreboard - and, truth be told, you probably shouldn't be paying that much attention to it - you've no doubt noticed the Nationals exhibition season isn't off to a rousing start. The Nats have played six games to date, going 1-4-1 overall. (Ties are allowed in the spring, cause who really wants to watch extra innings in February and March?) They've also scored only 17 runs, and nine of those came in...

When Baseball America ranked outfielder Austin Hays at No. 21 on its latest top 100 prospects list, that was a nice, lofty ranking for the youngster who went from Single-A Frederick to the major leagues last year. He was the Orioles' 2017 minor league Player of the Year, winning the Brooks Robinson Award. In fact, Hays is just the fourth Orioles outfielder since Baseball America's first top 100 ranking in 1990 to be ranked that high or higher. There have been 29 polls since the first...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles first baseman Chris Davis switched to designated hitter today to accommodate a sore right forearm and launched a three-run homer to left-center field. The bat is fine. "I just had a little tightness in my forearm," Davis said after the Orioles' 10-9 loss to the Cardinals at Ed Smith Stadium. "I noticed it a few days ago. I think it's a combination of sleeping with my arm tucked up underneath me and not really being able to get it stretched out the next day. Just...

It's widely considered that the rivalry between our nation's military and naval academies is the greatest in all of American sports. And while that rivarly is mostly associated with the annual Army-Navy football game, don't think that it doesn't carry over into other sports (or just about anything, for that matter). How cool is it that we have the Naval Academy right in our backyard in historic Annapolis and get to witness this rivalry firsthand year-round? Now that rivalry is being brought...

JUPITER, Fla. - On a day when hits were scarce and runs were even scarcer, the most attention-grabbing moment of the Nationals' 3-1 loss to the Marlins came via Michael A. Taylor's legs and outstretched left arm. Retreating to the center field wall on Derek Dietrich's third-inning drive, Taylor perfectly timed his leap and robbed the Marlins cleanup hitter of a likely home run. The sleepy Roger Dean Stadium crowd of 1,987 oohed and aahed and then applauded as Taylor trotted back to the...

Oriole Park to host Army/Navy baseball doubleheader on March 25 and host more than 1,000 Midshipmen for "Navy Day" in August Orioles to play MLB exhibition game in Annapolis in 2019 The Orioles today announced a new, multi-year partnership with the United States Naval Academy, which will include a variety of programs and events designed to recognize and honor the U.S. Naval Academy. This multi-dimensional partnership includes four primary elements: * The Orioles and Oriole Park at Camden...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Manny Machado chose today to hit his first home run of the spring and he decided to clear the bases with it. Go big or go home. Machado's grand slam to left field off Cardinals right-hander Jack Flaherty with no outs in the bottom of the third inning gave the Orioles a 4-0 lead and sent a jolt through the crowd at Ed Smith Stadium. Caleb Joseph reached on an infield hit, Colby Rasmus walked, Jonathan Schoop singled and Machado sent a screaming liner into the seats. Flaherty...

JUPITER, Fla. - Originally scheduled to play back-to-back days for the first time this spring, Bryce Harper wound up not being able to play today's game at all. Harper was scratched from the lineup with an ingrown toenail, a seemingly insignificant ailment but one that has been a problem for the star outfielder before. Harper had to miss two games in May 2013 after suffering from an ingrown toenail that was so bad it had to be surgically removed. No word yet how much time the 25-year-old...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Mike Wright Jr. retired six of the seven batters he faced today, a harmless single the only smudge on his line. Tommy Pham bounced a single up the middle with one out in the first inning, but Wright retired Paul DeJong on a fly ball to right field and Jose Martinez on a bouncer to second baseman Jonathan Schoop, who ranged past the bag and threw across his body. Mark Trumbo, switched from designated hitter to first base, played the hop to record the final out. Carson Kelly...