NORFOLK, Va. - Well, the weather has taken a turn for the worse in Norfolk. It is raining hard right now and the tarp has been put back on the field. An on-time start seems impossible and it could be that this game never gets played. Stay tuned. Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis will not play here today, we know that for sure, due to neck stiffness that developed on the plane today as the team flew here from Florida. But asked if he could play with this on opening day, Markakis said,...

Today's Nationals-Tigers exhibition game scheduled to begin at 2:05 p.m. at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., has been canceled due to inclement weather. Fans with game tickets to today's canceled contest may exchange their tickets for any remaining regular or value home game during the 2014 regular season. Tickets cannot be exchanged for the April 4 home opener against the Braves. Exchanged tickets will be issued from available inventory in the closest pricing category of equal or lesser...

NORFOLK, Va. - There are a few notes to pass along today from Habor Park before the Orioles play the Tides in the O's exhibition finale. Buck Showalter did not announce any roster moves during his pregame press conference today. At this moment, the O's roster stands at 35. We still could get some cuts later today. Showalter said Nick Markakis was scratched from today's lineup due to a stiff neck. He felt it happened on the plane ride here from Florida. Showalter said he had a heat pack on...

Manager Matt Williams confirmed right-hander Doug Fister will be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right lat strain. "Doug is going to go on the DL, of course," Williams said. "He is going to be shut down from throwing for about five days and see where he is at and start the process of getting him back. "That is the perfect plan, we will see how it goes over the next few and get him back on his program and get him built back up a little bit, so we will see how it goes." Williams...

The Nationals and Tigers are preparing for the final exhibition game today here at Nats Park. Detroit arrives with a 15-12-2 record in spring games. The Nationals are 15-13-2. Also, the teams will work under American League batting rules, so designated hitters will be employed and the pitchers will not bat. Here are the starting lineups: For the Nationals Denard Span CF Ryan Zimmerman 3B Jayson Werth RF Wilson Ramos C Bryce Harper LF Ian Desmond SS Adam LaRoche 1B Danny Espinosa DH Anthony...

NORFOLK, Va. - The Orioles are scheduled to play the Norfolk Tides, their Triple-A affiliate, here today at Norfolk's Harbor Park. First pitch is set for 3:05 p.m. At this hour a light rain is falling and the tarp is on the field, but the Orioles are on their way here and they will try to get this game in. The forecast looks a little better as the day goes on in the Norfolk area. The Tides have sold around 9,000 tickets for the game. It would have been even more and a possible sellout had...

The Nationals might have left Florida, but they apparently can't shake the early-spring drizzle that we got a handful of times down south during spring training. Today's 2 p.m. exhibition game against the Tigers, scheduled to be the Nats' final tune-up before opening day, is in jeopardy due to the weather conditions. At last check of the forecast for today, they're calling for anywhere from a 60-90 percent chance of rain throughout the afternoon, which sure doesn't bode well for...

Look at me. Writing a blog entry without a dateline. It feels ... weird. The Orioles are scheduled to play an exhibition game against Triple-A Norfolk this afternoon, but the weather needs to cooperate. A rainout would be a major irritant to the Orioles, who lost four Grapefruit League games for weather-related reasons and don't want to go consecutive days without working out. They had an off day on Friday. They're not looking for another one today. They're going to gather at Camden...

Now it's that time. The time for your predictions for the 2014 season. Here are mine for the American League East this year: Tampa Bay 94-68 Orioles 91-71 Boston 88-74 New York 82-80 Toronto 78-84 Last season the AL East had four teams winning 85 games or more as the Orioles and Yankees tied for third at 85-77. No other division could claim that and the other two AL divisions have five combined teams that won 85 or more. The Orioles' offense looks solid and the defense will be very good...

Here are the break-camp rosters for the Orioles' four full-season minor league clubs: Triple-A Norfolk, Double-A Bowie, Single-A Frederick and Single-A Delmarva. These rosters are not final. There will be some changes between now and opening day next Thursday in the minors. The final rosters for the openers will not be set until next Thursday. There are, of course, still several players that will be cut from the Orioles heading to the minors and that will cause some changes. There are still...