VIERA, Fla. - Dealing with injuries is nothing new for Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo. He was left scrambling throughout last season as the middle of his club's lineup formed a line to the disabled list. Bryce Harper, Wilson Ramos and Ryan Zimmerman all missed more than 50 games in 2014. Now, barely a week into the Grapefruit League season, Rizzo faces the predicament of replacing Denard Span, the team's offensive catalyst and best defensive outfielder. "He's a huge part of our...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles will try to locate their offense this afternoon when the Yankees visit Ed Smith Stadium. One run in the last two games won't bring many wins. How's that for morning analysis? Don't slip into a panic. The pitchers usually are ahead of the hitters at this stage, and the Orioles aren't sending out their A lineup in every game. Matt Wieters went 0-for-3 with a walk yesterday and is hitless in 13 at-bats. The good news? He's already got 13 at-bats under his belt and...

New year, same rotation. For the Orioles, the same five starters that begin 2015 with the club will very likely be the same five that ended 2014 there - unless Ubaldo Jimenez works his way into the top five. Either way, the rotation returns basically intact. No new additions. No trades were needed to try to improve the starting five. That is a good thing. Of all aspects of play the Orioles would like to duplicate from last year, the rotation's performance would rank high on the list. The...

VIERA, Fla. - It was a brief but successful first exhibition outing for Gio Gonzalez. The left-hander threw just 19 pitches, 15 for strikes, in two scoreless frames against the Braves. Gonzalez gave up just one hit, a double, and also recorded a strikeout. "It felt great," Gonzalez said. "My arm felt fantastic, strong. Shoulder felt great. I wasn't thinking about pitch count or anything like that. It was just go out there and try to attack the strike zone." Gonzalez is coming off a...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have scored one run in their last two games, losing 1-0 to the Phillies today at Ed Smith Stadium. Manager Buck Showalter was impressed again with his pitching. Brian Matusz allowed the only run on Andres Blanco's homer in the fifth. Matusz threw two scoreless innings before coming back out. Chris Tillman and Tyler Wilson each registered two scoreless innings. Darren O'Day retired the Phillies in order in the ninth. "Tyler was really good again," Showalter...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Reliever Ryan Webb had an MRI on his left knee today that didn't reveal any structural damage. He's got some swelling and is day-to-day. Webb was told that he had an allergic reaction to the ice, which caused swelling in the knee. Lesson learned. The discomfort surfaced yesterday while Webb was throwing on flat ground. "I was just playing catch and it kind of came up feeling a little funny for a second," he said. "I was shaking it out and finished playing catch, finished...

ORIOLES QUICK WRAP Score: Phillies 1, Orioles 0 Recap: Chris Tillman threw 32 pitches in two scoreless innings and headed to the bullpen to increase his count. He allowed one hit, walked one and struck out one. Brian Matusz followed with two scoreless innings before coming back out in the fifth and serving up a home run to Andres Blanco. Matusz struck out four batters in 2 1/3 innings. Zach Britton allowed his first two baserunners of the spring in the sixth on a hit batter and a single, but he...

The early camp previews continue with one of our favorite offseason subjects - Nationals pitching prospect Reynaldo Lopez. RHP Reynaldo Lopez Height: 6-footWeight: 185 lbs. Bats: Right Throws: Right Age: 21 Born: San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic2014 clubs: Auburn, Hagerstown The 6-foot, 21-year-old starter from the Dominican Republic made a key mechanical adjustment at short-season Single-A Auburn that changed the momentum of his whole campaign when he returned to low Single-A...

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Braves 2, Nationals 0 Recap: Gio Gonzalez looked good in his first outing of the exhibition season. He gave up one hit, a double to Braves catcher Christian Bethancourt, but was otherwise stellar in two innings of scoreless work that also included a strikeout. Overall, Gonzalez threw just 19 pitches with 11 for strikes. Tony Gwynn Jr. was 2-for-2 on the day with a double while starting in center field. The Nats had seven hits on the day and scored their only run on a...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles made their first round of spring training cuts today, optioning pitcher Oliver Drake to Triple-A Norfolk and reassigning catcher Brian Ward, infielder Michael Almanzar and pitchers Chris Jones and Dane De La Rosa to minor league camp. Non-roster players are reassigned. Players on the 40-man roster are optioned. Drake allowed four earned runs over 1 1/3 innings in two appearances. Ward was 2-for-4, Almanzar was 2-for-5 and Jones allowed one run over 2 2/3 innings in...