DUNEDIN, Fla. - The Orioles have reduced their camp roster to 49 players this morning by reassigning right-handers Tim Melville and Asher Wojciechowski to the minor league complex. Melville allowed two runs and four hits yesterday in 1 1/3 innings after two scoreless appearances covering four frames. Wojciechowski also pitched yesterday against the Blue Jays and surrendered two runs and four hits in two innings. He allowed four runs and 12 hits over 6 2/3 innings in his three outings. Neither...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Right-hander Gabriel Ynoa is unable to make his scheduled start on Saturday against the Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium. An MRI on Ynoa's shins revealed a "stress reaction," which we're told shouldn't be confused with a fracture. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said yesterday that Ynoa has been bothered by shin splints, which led the team to arrange an MRI in the late afternoon. Ynoa is out of minor league options and competing for a spot in the rotation or bullpen. Ynoa has...

Following four seasons as the manager of the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, Billy Gardner Jr. takes on a new challenge within the Nationals organization as the minor league roving coordinator. Gardner said it was a new position that assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel Doug Harris brought to Gardner in the offseason. Randy Knorr would then move to Triple-A manager. Gardner is excited about this new opportunity. "Well, Doug called me at the end of the year and said there...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Miguel Castro makes his first start today in the Grapefruit League and the Orioles make their only trip to Dunedin to play the Blue Jays. Tim Beckham, Trey Mancini, Danny Valencia, Pedro Álvarez and Caleb Joseph also are on the trip. Valencia is starting at first base. The bench includes Joey Rickard, Ryan Mountcastle, DJ Stewart, Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander, Austin Wynns, Andrew Susac, Engelb Vielma, Erick Salcedo and Corban Joseph. Relievers available today include...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Don't look now, but the Nationals are running a lot this spring. OK, last year's team with speedster Trea Turner atop the lineup swiped 108 bases, third-most in the National League. But Turner had 46 of those, and only two other players - Michael A. Taylor (17) and Wilmer Difo (10) - were in double figures. This spring, however, the Nats have already recorded 12 thefts, tied for 14th in the majors (they were knotted for eighth before yesterday's off-day). Why is this...

SARASOTA, Fla. - I've learned over the years that spring training exists to get players ready for the upcoming season, to determine how to plug holes in the roster and to give sportswriters a chance to post grainy photos and pretend to sympathize when it snows back home. It also sharpens our skills at fitting a bar tab into our per diem. Managers use the annual camps to do a little experimenting. Where else are you going to turn Trey Mancini into a left fielder and try to turn Pedro Álvarez...

The Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds will very likely have more starting pitchers than rotation spots when the season begins next month. The Orioles have to be excited about a group of seven young and talented pitchers that project to pitch in either a five- or six-man Shorebirds rotation. The Orioles could use one or more pitchers in piggyback situations, when they pitch as part of the rotation yet follow another starter into the game somewhere in the middle innings. The group of seven currently...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Stephen Strasburg wants to embrace the notion of using spring training to get his arm in shape and try some new things in games that really don't matter a lick. He really does. He comes to camp in that mode, but when you're a veteran who relies heavily on a comfort zone provided by pattern and routine, even the smallest deviations can seem like huge changes. "I would say I don't give myself too long a leash," Strasburg said this afternoon after working 3 1/3 innings...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles will make two or three roster cuts Friday morning before their game against the Blue Jays in Dunedin. There's no update on Gabriel Ynoa's MRI because it isn't scheduled until 5 p.m. He's bothered by shin splints. Kevin Gausman will throw a simulated game Friday morning on Field 4, just as Andrew Cashner, Dylan Bundy and Chris Tillman have done the past three days. The home-and-home series began today with the Orioles losing 9-3 at Ed Smith Stadium. Catcher...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Lacking a fastball that pops a catcher's mitt and pokes holes in bats, Nestor Cortes Jr. has to be extremely fine with his pitches. He has to hit his target, change speeds and arm angles, and rely on deception and a pitching IQ that's enabled him to win at various levels of the minors. Cortes didn't miss many bats this afternoon and his quest to win the fifth starter's job took a hit. The Orioles aren't done auditioning the first of their three Rule 5 picks, but Cortes...