LAKELAND, Fla. - Today marks the Nationals' lone visit to Tigertown this spring, a far cry from when they made multiple trips here for Grapefruit League play each spring when they were headquartered in Viera. Right-hander A.J. Cole was scheduled to start today's game for the Nationals, but he was scratched, a victim of the stomach bug that's been working its way around the clubhouse. In his place, righty Edwin Jackson will get the call. There aren't many of the Nationals regulars on this...

Baseball is a family game, and today's young fans are tomorrow's parents coming to the ballpark with their children in tow. Recognizing the importance of family activities and the need to introduce youngsters to the national pastime, the Orioles today announced a new "Kids Cheer Free" initiative, which invites parents to bring children 9 and under free of charge to Oriole Park. Under this new program, every adult who purchases a regularly priced individual game ticket in the upper deck will...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Andrew Cashner became the first Orioles starter this spring to go more than three innings, and he did it in his first appearance on a stadium mound. Making his debut against the Phillies at Ed Smith Stadium, Cashner tossed four shutout innings and allowed only one hit, with three walks and two strikeouts. The hit came on a bunt by former Orioles farmhand Pedro Florimón. Cashner threw 60 pitches, 36 for strikes. Kevin Gausman, Mike Wright Jr., Nestor Cortes Jr., Miguel Castro...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Exit interviews are often a formality, but right-hander Austin L. Adams used an end-of-season chat with former Nationals pitching coach Mike Maddux as a springboard from an up-and-down debut season in the major leagues to an offseason chocked full of the kind of work necessary to show he's a good pitcher. "My last talk with Mike Maddux, he kind of sat me down and he really wanted me to understand that I have tremendous stuff," Adams said. "There's life on your...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It didn't take Tanner Roark long to figure out that he didn't have his best stuff in Sunday's start against the Cardinals. Three batters into the game, the Cards had a 2-0 lead after José Martínez ripped a two-run homer to left field, ending Roark's string of Grapefruit League innings without allowing an earned run at 8 1/3 over four starts. "Sometimes you have those days where you don't know how it's going to go," Roark said after the Nationals lost 4-3 to...

FORT MYERS, Fla. - After facing the Rays and Twins earlier this spring, today right-hander Hunter Harvey got his toughest test of camp. He faced the two-time defending American League East champion Red Sox and most of their regulars were in the lineup. "It was fun. Been watching this team for a couple of years and it was cool to face them," Harvey said outside the Orioles clubhouse. He threw 49 pitches, 29 for strikes with a fastball that often touched 93 and 94 mph on the JetBlue Park radar...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles first baseman Chris Davis must be shut down for 72 hours after receiving a cortisone injection yesterday in his right elbow to reduce the inflammation and hasten his recovery and eventual return to the lineup. However, he reported this afternoon that his condition is improving and expressed a desire to start playing again. The cautious approach will remain in order before Davis can get back into it. "Basically, it was kind of a plateau in the rehab," he said,...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Tanner Roark's spring string of innings without allowing an earned run ended at 8 1/3, and the right-hander struggled in the first and fourth innings against the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. Roark surrendered a one-out single to Tommy Pham in the first, and José Martínez followed with a no-doubter of a home run to left field, the first earned runs Roark has allowed in four Grapefruit League starts. After two scoreless innings featuring three groundball outs and...

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Orioles pitching prospect Hunter Harvey is making the start here this afternoon against the Boston Red Sox. It is a split-squad game for the Orioles with the other half of their roster taking on the Phillies at home tonight. It will definitely not be his last this spring in the Grapefruit League. Harvey is expected to pitch in a simulated game, likely next Friday and then get his fourth Grapefruit League start on March 21 in Tampa versus the Yankees. "He's staying. He's...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Austin Hays is the designated hitter and Trey Mancini is batting second and playing first base for the Orioles' split-squad game against the Phillies at Ed Smith Stadium. Tim Beckham is leading off. Anthony Santander is in left field. For the Orioles Tim Beckham 3B Trey Mancini 1B Manny Machado SS Adam Jones CF Jonathan Schoop 2B Craig Gentry RF Anthony Santander LF Austin Hays DH Caleb Joseph C Andrew Cashner RHP Rule 5 pick Pedro Araujo, Mychal Givens and Darren O'Day are...