While the Orioles have been playing games and their minor league affiliates have been doing the same, games have also been played by O's young players under the hot Florida sun. We don't see any standings or stats from these games - they are not kept or reported, at least publicly. But important learning and development has been going on at the Orioles extended spring training program. The players face teams from other organizations in games and also play simulated games to get needed reps...

The May 27 Nationals-Marlins game at Nationals Park has been rescheduled as part of a split doubleheader on Friday, September 26, with the make-up game beginning at 1:05 p.m. All gates for the second regularly scheduled 7:05 p.m. game on September 26 will open 1.5 hours after the last out of the 1:05 p.m. game or 6:00 p.m., whichever is later.* The two games against the Marlins on September 26 will require separate admission. Fans with game tickets to the May 27 postponed contest may use their...

HOUSTON - While Orioles manager Buck Showalter writes out tonight's lineup for the series opener against the Astros, he must consider whether to insert Steve Pearce as the designated hitter or use Nelson Cruz in that role and play David Lough in left field. As I wrote this morning, right-handers are batting .201 against Houston starter Brad Peacock in his major league career, compared to a .270 average for left-handers. However, Pearce is 17-for-50 against right-handers this season, posting a...

Let's quickly bounce through a few topics on the morning of the Nationals' much-needed off-day. First, if you didn't happen to see my report on last night's "Nats Xtra" pregame show about left-handed prospect Matt Purke needing Tommy John and the rash of elbow injuries that we've seen in the game recently, check it out. The number of Tommy John surgeries that have already been needed this season is staggering, and unfortunately for teams (and for the game as a whole, really), it...

Manager: Bo Porter, second year Record: 22-32 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: RF George Springer (.269/.361/.510, 9 HR, 27 RBIs); 2B Jose Altuve (.317/.361/.430, 20 XBH, 17 RBIs, 17 SB); LHP Dallas Keuchel (6-2, 2.55 ERA, 0.98 WHIP); RHP Scott Feldman (3-2, 3.02 ERA) Season series vs. O's: 1-2, 12 runs scored, 11 runs allowed Pitching probables May 29: Brad Peacock vs. Ubaldo Jimenez, 8 p.m., MASN HD May 30: Brett Oberholtzer vs. Miguel Gonzalez, 8 p.m., MASN2 HD May 31: Dallas Keuchel vs....

The trade deadline is a little over two months away, and as with anything in baseball when there is a deadline, nothing will happen until it is upon us. With the Nationals two games under .500 and falling further out of the playoff race every day, the question of if the Nats are going to be sellers at the trade deadline should be asked, and if they are a seller, who could go? The most obvious candidates to be traded are the veterans in the last year of guaranteed club control: Adam LaRoche,...

For years, I wanted to see the Orioles stockpile their farm system and build a winner through their homegrown talent. I understood that they would never outbid the teams in major media markets for big-name free agents and truthfully, there was something more satisfying about the thought of beating those teams with guys that have come through the system. In 2012, the O's snapped their 14-year losing streak and made the postseason for the first time since 1997. You remember, it was a magical...

These numbers on the Orioles pitching staff recently are unsightly and troubling: * The O's gave up 21 runs in the Milwaukee series with an ERA of 6.83. O's starters gave up 15 runs over 16 2/3 innings in the series for an ERA of 8.10. * O's pitching has allowed 63 runs over the last 10 games with a team ERA of 5.92 in that stretch. The ERA for the season has gone from 3.88 to 4.29. * Over that 10-game stretch, O's starters have just two quality starts and an ERA of 7.71, raising their...

Left fielder Nate McLouth tied a career-high with four hits in the Nationals' 8-5 loss to the Marlins in 10 innings. "It was nice, because I have been grinding," McLouth said. "It is really nice to come through for your team at the plate a little bit and certainly is a chance to exhale a little bit. "Staying confident and positive. I don't think you remain confident all the time, but at least staying positive when you are in the box and just knowing that sooner or later it will turn...

The positive is that the Nationals battled back from a four-run deficit and squared tonight's game with the Marlins, giving themselves a chance to earn a big comeback win. The negative is that once the game was tied, the Nats squandered a couple of golden opportunities, left 15 men on base in all, and leave Nationals Park with a tough 8-4 loss in 10 innings. Here's manager Matt Williams after the loss: On how frustrating it was to not score in the eighth after loading the bases with nobody...