Fans encouraged to purchase online at Orioles.com Individual tickets for all 16 of the Orioles' Spring Training games at Ed Smith Stadium will go on sale this Saturday, January 13 at 10:00 a.m. ET. It is recommended that fans purchase tickets online. Fans interested in season tickets, five-game flex-plans, or group tickets, or those wishing to receive additional Spring Training ticket information, may call the Orioles Spring Training office at 941-893-6312. Spring Training tickets for Orioles...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Dariel Álvarez no longer is resistant to making the switch from outfielder to pitcher. He's embracing the idea with a surgically repaired elbow and a new attitude. Álvarez is playing catch at minicamp, which wraps up later today, and said via translator Ramon Martinez that he's scheduled to throw off a flat mound by the end of the month. "I've been doing the rehabilitation and I feel pretty good so far," said Álvarez, who had the procedure in April, was released...

Fifteen games and 28 plate appearances is hardly enough sample size to make legitimate evaluations of a young ballplayer. And yet even in his brief, end-of-season stint with the Nationals, Victor Robles turned a whole lot of heads. It was impossible not to notice the 20-year-old outfielder, who dazzled in his performance, in his athleticism and in his composure following his September promotion from Double-A Harrisburg. Heck, the Nationals were so impressed themselves that they included him on...

SARASOTA, Fla. - We've come upon the third and final day of the Orioles minicamp at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota. It feels like we just arrived and got reacquainted with the facility. Like we just checked the nameplates above the lockers to make certain that no one signed during the flight. Pitching coach Roger McDowell will meet briefly with the three beat writers before everyone heads home. This is, after all, a gathering of pitchers with no position players. It will be good to...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter added further confirmation Tuesday to what looked to be a pretty safe bet when last season ended. That is that right-hander Miguel Castro will get a look for a rotation spot in spring training. And why not? He's a young guy with a good arm and the Orioles surely need starting pitchers right now. The Orioles' trade last April 7 for Castro from Colorado was an under-the-radar move that could pay off for years to come. That is if Castro continues to show the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - As Zach Britton sits at home with a boot covering his foot following Achilles surgery, the backend of the Orioles bullpen now fractured, manager Buck Showalter won't anoint one reliever as his closer moving forward. Britton could miss the first half of the season depending on his recovery, with no firm timeline in place. He's hoping to be back in May or June. "We have some people that are capable of doing it," Showalter said. "Obviously, nobody of the track record of the...

You love them. You recognize them around town. You have your favorite (George for this particular blogger). And you cheer for them during every fourth inning of a Nationals home game. And now, you can be one of them. That's right, the Nationals are hosting auditions for the 2018 Racing Presidents, meaning you can be the next George, Tom, Abe or Teddy! Those who wish to fill the running shoes of the Racing Presidents during this upcoming season will have a chance to "run for office" during...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter won't put an innings limit on Hunter Harvey, the former first-round pick who's recovered from ligament-reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. No decision has been made on where he'll be assigned. Keeping Harvey healthy is job No. 1. The rest should take care of itself. Watching Harvey throw his bullpen session today "brings a smile to my face," Showalter said. "Think about how far he's come and the similarities with Dylan (Bundy). I...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The second day of Orioles minicamp concluded this morning with Hunter Harvey, Joely Rodríguez, Luis Gonzalez, Lucas Long and Yefri Ramírez throwing bullpen sessions. Harvey's sessions always will attract interest, but manager Buck Showalter also has varying levels of praise for the other four pitchers in the group. He's relieved that Gonzalez, a left-hander who went 6-2 with a 2.47 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 36 relief appearances at Single-A Frederick and didn't give up an...

The Nationals bullpen will enter the 2018 season in far better shape than it did a year ago. Lest anyone forget the open competition to be the closer between Blake Treinen, Shawn Kelley and Koda Glover. That won't be an issue this time, not with Sean Doolittle, Ryan Madson and Brandon Kintzler all back in the late-inning roles they inherited (and thrived in) following their July acquisitions. But the Nats bullpen doesn't exactly look pristine beyond that trio. The loss of Matt Albers - who...