Alex Cobb's progression toward his Orioles debut continued today without a hitch at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota. Facing a batch of Orioles minor leaguers and Mark Trumbo, who's rehabbing his strained right quadriceps muscle, Cobb worked five innings and allowed one run and three hits with two walks and four strikeouts. A club official also passed along that Cobb threw 74 pitches. The progress is significant on multiple fronts. Cobb increased his innings total from four to five...

HOUSTON - Outfielder Colby Rasmus has not gotten off to a hot hitting start for the Orioles. He has a lot of company in that regard. He is 1-for-13 and has struck out eight times. This after he hit .281/.318/.579 in 37 games with Tampa Bay in 2017 with nine homers and 23 RBIs. He figures to see a lot of time in right field this season, but is not starting today versus the Houston lefty Dallas Keuchel. But it's clear that Houston fans like Rasmus. He played here in 2015 and 2016 and got a real...

We return now to noir. That genre of writing also referred to as "hardboiled," "tabloid murder" and "lose/lose fiction." James Cain is considered by many to be the writer who most influenced these noir works in the U.S. along with Raymond Chandler ("The Big Sleep") and Dashiell Hammett ("The Maltese Falcon"). His seminal works include "Double Indemnity" and "The Postman Always Rings Twice." These are considered classic writings not only in the noir field, but in fiction...

Manager: Aaron Boone (1st season) Record: 4-2 Last 10 games: 4-2 Who to watch (2017 stats): OF/DH Giancarlo Stanton (59 HR, 132 RBIs with 1.007 OPS), RF Aaron Judge (52 HR, 114 RBIs with 1.049 OPS), C Gary Sánchez (33 HR, 90 RBIs), LHP CC Sabathia (14-5, 3.69 ERA), LHP Aroldis Chapman (3.22 ERA, 22 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: First meeting (12-7 in 2017) Pitching probables: April 5: RHP Andrew Cashner vs. RHP Masahiro Tanaka, 6:35 p.m., MASN April 6: RHP Kevin Gausman vs. LHP CC...

HOUSTON - Orioles first baseman Chris Davis is not in the starting lineup today against Houston left-hander Dallas Keuchel. Davis is 1-for-8 in this series and 1-for-20 (.050) with no homers or RBIs on the season. He was 0-for-5 last night with four strikeouts after having struck out just once in the season's first four games. Manager Buck Showalter said Davis is fine physically after he dealt with a right forearm/elbow issue during spring training. So just a day off for Davis? "For the most...

Competitive youth travel baseball is big business, and Sarasota County is earning its share as the Orioles continue to recruit weekend and four-day tournaments that showcase young ballplayers for scouts and colleges. More than 50 event days are already booked by out-of-town clients for 2018, with more in the pipeline. "Some of the nation's most respected tournament organizations are lining up to bring events to the Orioles' fields at the Buck O'Neil Baseball Complex at Twin Lakes Park and...

ATLANTA - Game 3 of the series has been filled with a couple surprises in the first inning. Nothing surprising, but the Nationals got something going in the first. Surprisingly, they couldn't finish off the frame with runs scored. Facing Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz, Anthony Rendon singled and Bryce Harper walked with one away. Matt Adams struck out. After a wild pitch, Trea Turner was called out on strikes to end the threat. Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer allowed a double by Freddie...

ATLANTA - Nationals left fielder Adam Eaton literally hit the ground running to begin the 2018 season, his first regular season play since April 28 of last year. That's the night Eaton suffered a serious knee injury that required surgery. He has rehabbed the past 10 months to get back to nearly 100 percent and has displayed the leadoff talent general manager Mike Rizzo envisioned when he made the deal for the sparkplug prior to the 2017 campaign. Eaton was rewarded for an outstanding first...

The Orioles will close out their series today in Houston while trying to avoid a sweep and a five-game losing streak. Chris Davis, who's 1-for-20, is out of the lineup. Tim Beckham is leading off and Danny Valencia is playing first base against Astros left-hander Dallas Keuchel. Adam Jones is the designated hitter and Craig Gentry is in center field. Jones' 250 home runs rank fifth in club history. Brooks Robinson is fourth with 268. For the Orioles Tim Beckham 3B Manny Machado SS Jonathan...