SARASOTA, Fla. - Nolan Reimold sat at his locker this afternoon, a cup of coffee in his hand and a few members of the Orioles beat crew gauging his excitement over starting in right field for the split-squad game against the Rays. It barely registered. The low-key personality didn't change, even with his first spring appearance in the outfield. Manager Buck Showalter has chosen to bring Reimold along slowly, using him as the designated hitter Wednesday in Sarasota, when he singled, walked and...

VIERA, Fla. - The bus is about ready to pull away from Space Coast Stadium, bound for Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter and today's spring training game against the Cardinals. It's the second time this week the Nationals have journeyed south to Palm Beach County, which will be their home next spring if there are no delays in construction at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, but their first game against St. Louis. Don't get too married to that name. Hearing there are naming rights in play here,...

VIERA, Fla. - Sammy Solis couldn't get his fastball down, and in the blink of an eye, he'd loaded the bases. A 6-4 eighth-inning Nationals lead looked precarious, but you'd never know it by what happened next on Saturday afternoon at Space Coast Stadium. The late innings of Grapefruit League games are renowned for strange occurrences. Big leads disappear quicker than pizza at a Chuck E. Cheese birthday party. Veteran pitchers are treated rudely by hitters with dubious pedigrees. Games that...

So far in spring training the Orioles have lost a few games, had a few injuries and have seen a few shaky pitching performances. No need for major concern yet, not over a few exhibition games. But not everyone agrees, including the fan that tweeted this to me yesterday: "If there are any pitchers available who can win at a major league level, baltimore needs to get them. This is an embarrassment." On that note, on to the latest edition of 10 questions. Answer as few or as many as you like....

SARASOTA, Fla. - If the doctors are correct in their estimations, Orioles reliever Brian Matusz should be able to resume full activities within one to two weeks following an MRI on his lower back. Matusz has been diagnosed with a strained serratus muscle, an area located on the lower right side of his back. Full activity is defined as "being able to get back on the mound and pitch," Matusz said today. "Obviously, we're going to be cautions, and obviously the goal is to be ready for the...

VIERA, Fla. - It was strictly by the luck of the draw that ex-Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann's first start of the Grapefruit League campaign with his new squad came against his former team in the familiar surroundings of Space Coast Stadium. Zimmerman's outing included both the kind of pitch efficiency familiar to Nats fans - he needed only 26 pitches to maneuver through two innings and came out for the third, something unusual in spring training debuts - and an opportunity for the...

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Nationals 8, Tigers 4 Recap: Stephen Strasburg struck out five over two innings in his first spring training start, but did give up a two-run homer to Bryan Holaday. Reliever A.J. Cole also was victimized by a blast from Holaday, who is making a bid for early Grapefruit League MVP honors (he's hitting .750 with three homers and eight RBIs so far). Ben Revere hit a two-run homer to right field for the Nationals, showing that he can occasionally flash some pop to go...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nolan Reimold makes his outfield debut tonight in a split-squad game against the Rays at Ed Smith Stadium. Reimold is starting in right field and Mark Trumbo is serving as the designated hitter. Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard is playing left field while Hyun Soo Kim starts against the Twins in Fort Myers. Kevin Gausman is on the mound for the Orioles, who also are listing pitchers Zach Britton, Darren O'Day, Mychal Givens, Todd Redmond, Dale Thayer, Jon Keller and Rich...

VIERA, Fla. - Major League Baseball Players Association chief Tony Clark said it was "disheartening" to watch Ian Desmond's unemployment saga play out this winter and into the start of spring training and suggested the sport's qualifying offer system that contributed to it would be a point of emphasis during his coming bargaining negotiations with the league. In town this morning for the union's annual spring meeting with Nationals players, Clark spoke glowingly about Desmond and was...

VIERA, Fla. - The sight of Jordan Zimmermann taking the mound at Space Coast Stadium isn't particularly jarring. The sight of Jordan Zimmermann taking the mound at Space Coast Stadium wearing an old English D on his cap, however, is going to be quite jarring. In a surprising twist of fate, Zimmermann will be making his Tigers debut this afternoon against the organization he departed after nine seasons (the last six in the major leagues). Former Nationals teammates say they'll be happy to see...