For the last two seasons, Darren O'Day has been a rock in the Orioles bullpen. Dependable, reliable and talented. Over those two years, he is a combined 12-4 with an ERA of 2.23. During that time, he has averaged 8.9 strikeouts per every nine innings with just 2.0 walks. But last season - when he went 5-3 with a 2.18 ERA - one area stood out on his stat sheet and that was his numbers against left-handed hitters. In 2012 for the Orioles, lefty batters hit just .207 with an OPS of .664...

For the last two seasons, Darren O'Day has been a rock in the Orioles bullpen. Dependable, reliable and talented. Over those two years, he is a combined 12-4 with an ERA of 2.23. During that time, he has averaged 8.9 strikeouts per every nine innings with just 2.0 walks. But last season - when he went 5-3 with a 2.18 ERA - one area stood out on his stat sheet and that was his numbers against left-handed hitters. In 2012 for the Orioles, lefty batters hit just .207 with an OPS of .664...

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter indicated that third baseman Manny Machado could run on Sunday to test his left knee and calf. Machado had been shut down because of scar tissue breaking up in the knee and a mild strain in his calf muscle. "He was telling me the two days really did the calf well," Showalter said. "I would bet he'd probably test that tomorrow." An assignment to the disabled list can be backdated to today if Machado doesn't play in a Grapefruit...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles third baseman Manny Machado received the news that he expected Thursday in Los Angeles. Dr. Neal ElAttrache lifted the physical restrictions after re-examining Machado's surgically repaired left knee. Now what? "I got taken off restrictive on my knee, so that's good news," Machado said this morning. "We're just going to, at this point, take it day by day, how we've been doing. Obviously, haven't ran in a while, so I'll progressively continue doing that, get...

VIERA, Fla. - Doug Fister's long-awaited second Grapefruit League start this spring comes against the same team that he faced all the way back on March 2 - the Miami Marlins. An MRI after Fister's spring debut showed that the right-hander had inflammation in his right elbow, but 20 days later, he's now discomfort-free and back on the mound at Space Coast Stadium today hoping to make it through three innings against a Marlins split-squad. Anthony Rendon is indeed out of today's lineup, as...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Jemile Weeks is leading off today for the Orioles, who travel to Port Charlotte to play the Rays. Not many projected starters in the lineup. Henry Urrutia is in right field and Nolan Reimold is serving as the designated hitter. Alexi Casilla gets another start at shortstop. Josh Stinson, Alfredo Aceves, Evan Meek and Brad Brach are listed among the relievers. For the Orioles Jemile Weeks 2B Nolan Reimold DH Henry Urrutia RF Delmon Young LF Steve Clevenger C Steve...

VIERA, Fla. - It's Jordan Zimmermann's turn in the Nationals spring rotation today, but we won't see Zimmermann on the mound at Space Coast Stadium this afternoon when the Nats host the Marlins. We'll see Doug Fister instead. Fister will make his first Grapefruit League appearance since March 2, this after being briefly shut down with right elbow inflammation. The right-hander is scheduled to throw three innings and about 45 pitches today as the Nats try and slowly build his arm strength...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are hitting the road today, making their second trip to Port Charlotte to play the Rays. David Lough led off yesterday and doubled in his first at-bat. He manufactured a run by taking third on Adam Jones' fly ball and scoring on Chris Davis' sacrifice fly. Lough reached on an infield hit in the eighth to go 2-for-4 with two runs scored and leave his slash line at .321/.367/.500 in 10 games. Davis leads the Orioles with nine runs scored in 10 games. Lough, who...

Jack Cust's attempt at a comeback with the Orioles ended today when he was released by the club. He signed a minor league deal Feb. 5 and had been working out at the minor league camp at Twin Lakes Park. Cust was one of seven players released today from minor league camp. The list included Matt LaPorta, a first-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007. The club also released right-handed pitchers Zach Staniewicz, Casey Upperman and Julio Rodriguez, left-handed pitcher Harry Marino and...

JUPITER, Fla. - A Nationals lineup composed of bench players and minor leaguers ran into a buzzsaw in Adam Wainwright today, as the Cardinals' right-hander threw eight scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and striking out seven in a 2-0 St. Louis win. You don't typically see a starter go eight innings in spring, but you also don't typically see a starter only threw 81 pitches in eight spring innings. Gio Gonzalez ended up throwing more pitches than Wainwright, but he lasted just 4...