The Orioles have announced plans for the first home game of their 2015 Spring Training season and their sixth season in Sarasota. The team will face the Detroit Tigers at Ed Smith Stadium this Wednesday, March 4, at 1:05 p.m. All fans in attendance will receive a 2015 Spring Training schedule magnet, courtesy of Visit Sarasota County, as well as a rally towel provided by the Orioles. The first 1,000 female fans in attendance will also receive a bird of paradise flower, courtesy of Beneva...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles pitcher Bud Norris is celebrating his 30th birthday today. He's used to being in spring training for the occasion and much prefers spending it in Sarasota after training with the Astros in Kissimmee. "My girlfriend's here and her birthday was yesterday," Norris said. Norris isn't certain when he's scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut, but he's ready. "You work a lot of the offseason to get your body in shape, but really for the pitchers and catchers our...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Ubaldo Jimenez is scheduled to work two innings in Tuesday's exhibition opener against the Tigers in Lakeland, Fla. The travel squad will include infielder Drew Dosch, outfielder Julio Borbon and pitcher Mychal Givens from minor league camp. Manager Buck Showalter said Pat Connaughton, the Orioles' fourth-round pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft who plays for the Notre Dame men's basketball team, has been throwing to stay sharp and get his arm ready for minor league...

As Grapefruit and Cactus league games get started, the Nationals hope that Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth can stay healthy. Also, the area's other local nine, the Orioles, needs health in Manny Machado's knees and Matt Wieters' elbow. Here's a look at other teams with similar concerns: * Wil Myers, San Diego: The all-pitch, no-hit Padres from a year ago have revamped their outfield with Justin Upton, Matt Kemp and the 24-year-old Myers, who was named American League Rookie of...

VIERA, Fla. - ESPN's Buster Olney and John Kruk stopped by Nationals camp on Sunday. After taking in practice and talking with many of the players, the two discussed which Nationals players were the ones to watch in a 2015 season filled with so many expectations. With a star-studded rotation dominating the headlines, along with a lineup including Anthony Rendon and Bryce Harper, Olney's response may surprise you. "When you look at this team, it's clear the biggest weakness on paper is their...

Start spreading the news ... Grapefruit League action begins this week! The first Nationals spring training game will be played Thursday, March 5 at 1:30 p.m. MASN HD will air its first spring training game of the season on Saturday, March 7 at 1 p.m. While we await live Grapefruit League baseball, catch five "Nationals Classics" this week on MASN HD. Here's what's on deck: Monday, March 2, 10 p.m.: Games played between the Orioles and Nationals usually have a flair for the dramatic. May...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Infielder Paul Janish, who underwent surgery 2 1/2 weeks ago to remove bone chips from his right elbow, will take ground balls for the first time Tuesday and make throws this weekend. Janish's goal is to play in his first game March 20 or 21. "Relatively speaking, it feels about as well as it can up to this point. Probably a little bit ahead of schedule, which is a difficult thing to kind of expedite on the training room side of it," said Janish, who signed a minor league...

I've got good news, Birdland. Grapefruit League games begin for the Orioles on Tuesday, March 3 and MASN HD will air its first spring training game of the year on Thursday, March 5 at 7 p.m. While we rejoice in the return of live Grapefruit League baseball, be sure to catch five "Orioles Classics" this week. Here's what's on deck: Monday, March 2, 1 p.m.: Oriole Park at Camden Yards has been the home of the Orioles since 1992, but many fans still have memories from Memorial Stadium. On...

VIERA, Fla. - ESPN's tour bus rolled into Viera on Sunday to preview the Nationals during a special midday presentation of "SportsCenter." Buster Olney and John Kruk of "Baseball Tonight" and anchor Bram Weinstein interviewed several Nats players, including Bryce Harper and Max Scherzer, throughout the morning. Afterward, I had a chance to sit down with Kruk on the bus for a conversation about the Nats and the upcoming season. Kruk, of course, played in the majors for 10 seasons as a first...

When it comes to the Orioles offense, one much-discussed stat category is on-base percentage. We know the O's are somewhat lacking there. Their .311 team OBP last year ranked 11th in the American League. But the Orioles were at least within sniffing distance of the league average mark of .316 in that category. But in another stat category, the Orioles ranked last in the AL, last in the majors and were not even close to league average. That category is stolen bases. The Orioles had just 44 as a...