SARASOTA, Fla. - Chris Tillman didn't start today's intrasquad game due to a "core muscle injury" that's bothered him for the past several days. Tillman remained sore this morning and the Orioles held him out of the game as a precaution. He won't undergo an MRI unless there's no improvement later this week. Manager Buck Showalter said the club is still evaluating the injury, which doesn't bother Tillman when he runs or throws. Efren Navarro cleared waivers, refused an outright...

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals held their first intrasquad game of the spring (actually, their first intrasquad game in years) today. And the final score was ... uh, well ... I don't know. I do know the Nationals won, beating the Nationals. Unless they tied. Which is possible. (Loyal reader Mark Strattner, who was in attendance, reports the final score was 4-1, with Joe Ross' team victorious. I'll take his word for it.) Suffice it to say, this wasn't exactly a traditional ballgame. Everybody...

VIERA, Fla. - Ian Desmond finally has a new home. And a new position. Desmond has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Rangers worth $8 million, according to FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal. Surprising as the low dollar figure and late timing of his signing is, even more surprising is the fact Texas plans to play the lifelong shortstop in left field. Such was the state of this offseason for Desmond, whose stock plummeted due to the combination of a subpar year with the Nationals,...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles posted their lineups for today's intrasquad game. Don't read too much into them. Chris Davis is leading off for the home team. Matt Wieters is batting ninth. This isn't a preview of opening day, but it should be fun. At least we're spared the monotony of pitchers fielding practice and bullpen sessions. Mark Trumbo is playing right field for the home team. Jimmy Paredes is playing right field for the visiting team. Paul Janish is batting cleanup for the visitors....

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals haven't traditionally held intrasquad games at spring training, but Dusty Baker has. And what Dusty wants, Dusty gets. So it is that the Nats will split up into two teams this morning and play a pseudo-exhibition game against each other. Just don't count on this resembling anything like an official game. For one thing, the plan is to play at most eight innings. Possibly fewer than that, if all the pitchers get used up. Each pitcher is scheduled to throw one inning,...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Today's intrasquad game on the main stadium field will run seven innings. Six pitchers are listed for each side. Doing the math, two guys would have to throw multiple innings, which I don't anticipate. The alternatives, of course, are to add two more pitchers or slice off an inning. Chris Tillman, Kevin Gausman, Jason Garcia, Brad Brach, Todd Redmond and Cesar Cabral will pitch for one side. Miguel Gonzalez, T.J. McFarland, Dylan Bundy, Vance Worley, Hunter Harvey and Ashur...

VIERA, Fla. - Davey Lopes has been doing this - either as a player, a coach or a manager - for more than four decades now. Baserunning is his livelihood, and few have ever done - or taught - it better. So when the 70-year-old first base coach (reunited with the Nationals a decade after he held that same position on Frank Robinson's staff) stood on Field 2 outside Space Coast Stadium this morning offering a 45-minute clinic on the craft of baserunning, every position player on the roster was...

VIERA, Fla. - Some observations, notes and quotes about today's full-squad workout, the final one before intrasquad games start up Sunday ... * The session opened with a lengthy baserunning clinic run by Davey Lopes. I'll have a full post on this later, but just know the session lasted about 45 minutes and literally covered every base. Lopes started with everyone at the plate, then moved to first base, second base and third base. It was as comprehensive a clinic as I can remember seeing on...

As any fan of the Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays or Tampa Bay Rays could tell you, and perhaps even say with some level of pride, the American League East is no longer a two-team race. Once the domain of the big spending Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, the AL East has produced four different division champions the past four seasons. Over the last six seasons - since 2010 - all five AL East teams have won the division title. If you look at the composite AL East standings since 2012, New York is...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter still is deciding between Mike Wright and Tyler Wilson as Tuesday's starter in the first exhibition game against the Braves in Lake Buena Vista. They're both going to pitch. Yovani Gallardo threw his fastball, breaking ball and changeup in today's bullpen session. "He felt good," Showalter said. "He's going to take two days off and do it again." The Orioles will keep Gallardo on a schedule for now where he takes two days off between...