TAMPA - Nelson Cruz is fine. Quick enough? Cruz will attend Sunday's workout at Camden Yards and remains available for opening day. He's expected to start in left field against Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester. He probably will serve as the designated hitter in the second game against right-hander John Lackey, with David Lough playing left field. Cruz was hit on the batting helmet last night by an Alex Cobb curveball and exited the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. He underwent a...

The Orioles released two more players today from their minor league camp. The club cut right-hander Clay Schrader and left-hander Trent Howard. Both pitchers were drafted among the top 10 rounds and both have had some good numbers during their time with the Orioles. The 23-year-old Schrader was selected in the 10th round in 2010 out of San Jacinto (Texas) Junior College. Last season with Double-A Bowie, he went 5-4 with a 4.34 ERA in 35 bullpen appearances. Over 56 innings, Schrader allowed...

Well would you look at that. No Florida dateline. I guess that's how you really know the regular season is almost here. I'm back in the DMV after a flight out of Orlando late last night. I might not have missed the weather up here, but I sure did miss my own bed and my friends and family, so it's good to be back, even for a brief period. Today is a day off for the Nationals ahead of tomorrow's exhibition game at Nats Park against the Tigers. Weather permitting, we'll get that one in, and...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are off today. The complex is closed and players are told to stay away from it. Half of the remaining beat writers are flying home, with the other half vacating on Saturday. Spring training is drawing to a close. If you blinked, you missed ... nothing. It didn't go by that quickly. I should probably start packing my bags while wondering why I bought all those bags of frozen vegetables. It's a spring tradition. I stock up the freezer and never empty it before my...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles went 13-9-4 in the Grapefruit League following tonight's 4-3 loss to the Rays before the seventh sellout crowd this spring at Ed Smith Stadium. Outfielder Nelson Cruz's CT scan came back negative and he's not expected to miss opening day. The Orioles will naturally check him again Friday morning and in subsequent days. "Hopefully, everything's all right," said manager Buck Showalter. "He feels pretty good." Alex Cobb's curveball hit the corner of the...

ORIOLES QUICK WRAP Score: Rays 4, Orioles 3 Recap: Former Oriole Wilson Betemit lifted a sacrifice fly off Troy Patton in the ninth to break a 3-3 tie. Ubaldo Jimenez allowed three runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. Evan Longoria tied the game 1-1 with a home run in the fourth and the Rays took the lead in the fifth on Yunel Escobar's sacrifice fly. The Orioles scored in the first on Nick Markakis' single, David Lough's double and Adam Jones' RBI grounder. Markakis scored the tying run...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Reliever Alfredo Aceves was informed tonight that he won't make the Orioles' 25-man roster coming out of spring training. As a result, Aceves will opt out of his contract, according to an industry source. Aceves, 31, allowed five earned runs and 11 hits in 10 innings, with two walks and six strikeouts. The Orioles signed Aceves to a minor league deal on Jan. 15 after he spent the last three seasons with the Red Sox, saving 25 games in 2012. Evan Meek appears to have...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles designated hitter Nelson Cruz came out of tonight's game in the bottom of the fourth inning after being hit on the left side of the batting helmet by a pitch from Rays starter Alex Cobb. Cruz dropped to his knees but quickly stood up as head athletic trainer Richie Bancells and manager Buck Showalter ran out of the dugout. Cruz walked to the clubhouse with Bancells as fans gave him an ovation. Bancells kept a hand on Cruz to steady him, but he appeared to be...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Ubaldo Jimenez has thrown three scoreless innings tonight against the Rays, escaping jams in the first and third. Jimenez, closing the Grapefruit League portion of the Orioles' schedule, gave up a leadoff double to Matt Joyce in the first inning before retiring the next three batters, striking out Evan Longoria to end the frame. He got three groundball outs in the second on only eight pitches, but threw 28 in the third. Joyce reached on a two-out, two-strike bunt single...

SARASOTA, Fla. - While the Orioles performed pickoff and outfield drills and took batting practice on the replica Camden Yards field this afternoon, Johan Santana quietly threw a bullpen session between two other practice fields, away from the view of his teammates and manager Buck Showalter. Santana advanced to a full mound and drew praise from assistant athletic trainer Chris Correnti and pitching rehab coordinator Scott McGregor. "I felt pretty good, and the thing is I'm able to recover...