SARASOTA, Fla. - Everth Cabrera is leading off and playing center field today in the Orioles' game against the Phillies in Clearwater. Chris Davis is making the trip and playing first base. Steve Pearce is in right field. The reserves include Chris Parmelee, Henry Urrutia, Dariel Alvarez, Julio Borbon, Mike Yastrzemski and Jonah Heim. The bullpen includes Brad Brach, Dylan Bundy, Hunter Harvey and Pedro Beato. For the Orioles Everth Cabrera CF Jimmy Paredes 3B Steve Pearce RF Chris Davis 1B...

VIERA, Fla. - The first time Wilson Ramos crouched behind the plate to catch Max Scherzer, he lasted only three pitches before realizing it was the wrong time to break in a new mitt. The Nationals catcher grabbed his old, broken-in glove and settled back in to begin learning the newest member of the Nats' elite rotation. "Everything's moving," Ramos said with a bit of amazement. "That's impressive. Pitchers like him, not too many in this game." Familiarizing himself with Scherzer's...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles first baseman Chris Davis said he was not questioning the direction of the team in recent comments he made. But he does understand that 2015 will be a critical season for the organization, which has 11 pending free agents. This could be the last hurrah for this current group of Orioles, who lead the American League East with 274 wins and two playoff appearances the last three years. On March 9, Davis told The Baltimore Sun, "Some things are going to have to change as...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Miguel Gonzalez makes his third Grapefruit League start today, as the Orioles travel to Clearwater to play the Phillies. Gonzalez has faced the Blue Jays twice this spring and allowed two runs and four hits over five innings. He still hasn't issued a walk. The Phillies are starting left-hander Cole Hamels unless he's traded within the next few hours. You never know. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said his rotation to start the regular season will be arranged based on...

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - With 23 days remaining until opening day, Nationals manager Matt Williams isn't interested in entertaining conversation about who he plans to give the ball to for the start of the 2015 season. "We've got three off days right before the season," Williams said. "So, at this point, we're running them out there on their turn and if we have to make an adjustment then we can make an adjustment. Right now, we're not thinking about it. We're just making sure they're getting...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Mark Hendrickson allowed two runs in the eighth inning and the Pirates handed the Orioles another loss, 4-2, at McKechnie Field. The Orioles sent Chris Parmelee, Ryan Lavarnway and Jayson Nix to the plate in the top of the ninth and they were retired in order. For folks panicking over another defeat, Hendrickson won't be working the eighth inning of a tie game in the regular season and manager Buck Showalter won't be removing his regulars or leaving them behind. Don't read...

ORIOLES QUICK WRAP Score: Pirates 4, Orioles 2Recap: Gorkys Hernandez and Alen Hanson had RBI singles off Mark Hendrickson in the eighth to give the Pirates a 4-2 lead. Wei-Yin Chen lasted 3 1/3 innings and allowed two runs and seven hits, with no walks, two strikeouts and a hit batter. He threw 64 pitches, 43 for strikes, by my count. Chen threw 21 pitches in the first and gave up back-to-back doubles to Josh Harrison and Neil Walker to start the game. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the...

BRADENTON, Fla. - Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen didn't complete four innings today, his pitch count causing his removal from the game with one out in the third following Tony Sanchez's RBI single. Chen threw 64 pitches, 43 for strikes, by my unofficial count. He allowed two runs and seven hits, walked none, struck out two and hit a batter. This was Chen's longest outing of the spring. Josh Harrison and Neil Walker had back-to-back doubles in the first inning. The Pirates left the bases...

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Astros 3, Nationals 2 Recap: Max Scherzer pitched four scoreless innings today, allowing just a hit and a walk with three strikeouts. He threw 60 pitches, 29 for strikes, in his longest outing of the spring. Tyler Moore hit his seventh extra-base hit of the exhibition season when he smoked a double to the right-center gap in the first. He's now 10-for-21 in Grapefruit League play. Need to know: Reliever Heath Bell struggled in the fifth inning, giving up three runs...

SARASOTA, Fla. - It was only a B game and it won't count in the stats, but Matt Wieters, who is 0-for-20 in exhibiton games, did get a hit today in the contest against Pittsburgh. Then he got ribbed for it. Wieters went 1-for-3 with a ground single off pitcher Francisco Liriano's glove in the last of the first. "It was nice to get on base. Looked at Buck (Showalter) and he asked if I wanted the ball," Wieters said with a laugh. Now comes more serious matters for the O's catcher. After...