SARASOTA, Fla. - Chris Davis is starting in right field today for the Orioles in their game against the Phillies. Steve Pearce is starting at first base. Catcher Caleb Joseph is listed among the reserves. Steve Clevenger gets the start behind the plate. Update: Joseph has just arrived in the clubhouse. Alejandro De Aza is batting first and Everth Cabrera is ninth. The bullpen includes Zach Britton, Brian Matusz, Darren O'Day, Steve Johnson and Tyler Wilson. For the Orioles Alejandro De Aza...

VIERA, Fla. - Gio Gonzalez gets his first chance of the Grapefruit League season when he starts today against the Atlanta Braves at Space Coast Stadium in a 1 p.m. game that will be aired live on MASN HD. He's the last of the big five in the star-studded Nationals rotation, but maybe the least celebrated heading into this season. Yet, of the other four Nats starters, Max Scherzer is the only one other than Gonzalez to reach 20 wins in a season. Scherzer finished with 21 wins in 2013 en route...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are playing the first of three straight home games today, baseball's way of easing them into that killer Jupiter-Dunedin trip later in the week. Who comes up with this schedule? Chris Tillman makes his first start, earning a little extra rest at the beginning due to the Orioles' deep run in the playoffs. The Phillies are starting Aaron Harang. I'm asked daily whether the game is airing on MASN. The next one is Tuesday against the Yankees. Here's the rest of the...

Former Orioles general manager Andy MacPhail said often that pitching is expensive and fragile. Thus, it was better to "grow the arms," producing as many young, homegrown pitchers as the organization could. No doubt that every year, the health of pitchers seems to factor into the pennant race. The loss of a key starter hurts one team, while another staff that is fortunate to stay healthy can thrive. The latest example came Sunday when we learned that Tampa Bay Rays starter Drew Smyly has left...

TAMPA, Fla. - The Nationals are now 3-1 in the Grapefruit League after falling 3-2 to the Yankees on Sunday afternoon. It was the first tune-up start for Doug Fister, who needed just 19 pitches to complete two scoreless frames that included one hit and one walk. "I felt like it was my first outing of the spring," Fister said. "There's definitely some things I need to work on and I've got to get better at already. Not a bad outing to look at overall. Still fighting myself trying to stay...

FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Orioles lost today for the fifth time in seven exhibition games, falling 2-1 to the Twins at Hammond Stadium. The pitching wasn't an issue, though Ubaldo Jimenez walked three batters and threw 57 pitches in two-plus innings. The Orioles were held to one run on Jimmy Paredes' RBI single in the fifth that scored Ryan Lavarnway. The Orioles outhit the Twins 7-4 - all singles - but they stranded seven runners. Paredes had two hits and Lavarnway, Ryan Flaherty, Travis...

ORIOLES QUICK WRAP Score: Twins 2, Orioles 1 Recap: Ubaldo Jimenez faced two batters in the third inning, didn't record and out and was removed for T.J. McFarland, who induced a double play grounder and popup. Jimenez allowed one run and two hits, walked three and struck out five. He threw 28 pitches in the first, only 12 for strikes, and had four three-ball counts. He struck out the side in the second and issued a walk and allowed a single in the third, leaving with his pitch count at 57...

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez got through the second inning today and came back out for the third. That's progress compared to his debut last Tuesday against the Tigers. Take the small victories where you can find them. Jimenez didn't retire either batter he faced in the third, but left-hander T.J. McFarland doused the Twins' rally with a double play grounder and a popup. Jimenez was charged with one run and two hits in two-plus innings, with three walks and five...

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Yankees 3, Nationals 2 Recap: Michael A. Taylor led off today's game with his first home run of the exhibition season. The highly regarded outfield prospect also singled and is now 3-for-5 in two exhibition games. Tyler Moore added two more doubles in today's game. Through three games, Moore is 6-for-8 with four doubles, a home run, a triple and six RBIs. Doug Fister put in two solid scoreless innings, allowing a hit and a walk. Need to know: Ian Desmond was the...

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Caleb and Brooke Joseph are the proud parents of a baby boy, born at 6:40 p.m. last night. Walker Everett Joseph weighs 7 pounds, 15 ounces and is 21 1/4 inches long. No word on whether he bats from the right or left side. Manager Buck Showalter said Joseph could rejoin the team on Monday. The Orioles' first round of cuts are coming on Monday, with more expected the next two days. Pitcher Dane De La Rosa is a candidate to be sent out while he recovers from knee surgery. He...