Auction proceeds to benefit the Orioles Charitable Foundation The Orioles today announced that an online charity auction for the orange spring training jerseys worn this spring will take place on orioles.com/spring and orioles.com/auctions beginning today at noon ET. The auction will run until Friday, April 1, at 10:00 p.m. The orange spring training jerseys feature the new 2016 design, which includes a Florida patch on the right sleeve and sublimated lettering and numbers on the back of the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Unable to determine whether he's headed to the disabled list, the best that Orioles reliever Brian Matusz can do today is pick up a ball, play catch and wait for a resolution. Matusz will throw for the first time since receiving a cortisone injection in his lower back following Sunday's outing, when he retired all three batters he faced but didn't appear comfortable on the mound. Asked for an update this morning on his condition, Matusz said, "I feel great." But is it too...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Pedro Alvarez is batting second today behind Manny Machado and playing first base for the Orioles' 1:05 p.m. game against the Yankees at Ed Smith Stadium, which will be live on MASN. Chris Davis is serving as the designated hitter. Mark Trumbo is in right field and Hyun Soo Kim is in left. For the Orioles Manny Machado 3B Pedro Alvarez 1B Adam Jones CF Chris Davis DH Mark Trumbo RF J.J. Hardy SS Hyun Soo Kim LF Jonathan Schoop 2B Caleb Joseph C Chris Tillman RHP For the...

Left-hander Taylor Hearn has freakish athleticism that you might usually see in a tall and lanky basketball prospect. I have already told you about his long arms, hands and fingers: the tale of when you shake his hand, his fingers almost touch your elbow. So you can imagine how he can manipulate a baseball to move around the strike zone to befuddle a hitter. Low Single-A Hagerstown Suns manager Patrick Anderson said Hearn reminded him of right-hander Ira Brown, a 6-foot-4, 215-lbs., pitcher...

VIERA, Fla. - It has become probably the biggest story of Nationals camp, slowly building each day just as Michael A. Taylor's batting average slowly rises to eye-catching numbers. At one point Thursday afternoon, as he rounded the bases following his fourth home run of the spring, Taylor sported a .500 batting average in Grapefruit League play, his slugging percentage an ungodly .944. And those numbers weren't a byproduct of crazy-good luck. Taylor consistently has hit the ball hard all...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are sending Chris Tillman to the mound this afternoon for their game against the Yankees. The right-hander is making his third Grapefruit League start. Will he be the starter again on opening day? In setting up his rotation, manager Buck Showalter is checking how the candidates have fared against the Twins. He's also checking their numbers against future opponents in April and in the other ballparks. The only certainty at this point is that Tillman, Yovani Gallardo...

Here is a good question about the Orioles' starting rotation: How many jobs are available to be won right now? Are there two, one or none? For a while, and it still may hold true, Miguel Gonzalez's spot was shaky with his spring struggles. That meant pitchers like Tyler Wilson, Mike Wright, Odrisamer Despaigne and Vance Worley could be chasing one potential rotation opening. Then right-hander Kevin Gausman received a cortisone injection for shoulder tendinitis. So does that mean two spots are...

VIERA, Fla. - Some thoughts, observations and quotes from today's game, an 8-2 victory by the Nationals over the Cardinals: * Max Scherzer's final line (5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K) looked awfully good, but the right-hander wasn't totally satisfied with his performance. That's because he felt like he wasted too many pitches, getting behind in the count and ultimately raising his pitch count too high (he threw 95 in only five innings). "I wasn't as efficient," he said. "When you're...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard won today's game against the Pirates with a walk-off single against left-hander Eric O'Flaherty that scored Xavier Avery, who led off the Orioles ninth inning with a single. Garabez Rosa doubled to move Avery to third base, and Rickard - in his only at-bat of the day - collected his 19th hit of the spring. Rickard was pinch-hitting for catcher Audry Perez, who had a caught stealing in the top of the inning. He's batting .388 with a 1.015 OPS. Zach...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Left-hander Edgar Olmos is back in the Orioles organization. Olmos was reacquired from the Cubs today for a player to be named. No word yet on whether he'll report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex, which is the assumption. Update: Olmos will report to Twin Lakes Park. Olmos spent 13 days with the Orioles after they claimed him off waivers from the Cubs on Dec. 10 and designated outfielder Junior Lake for assignment. It happened on the final day of the Winter Meetings. The Cubs...