SARASOTA, Fla. - The scoop on Jonathan Schoop is this: At the very least the kid is making a very favorable and strong impression at camp. And it just might lead to him making the Orioles' opening day roster. Schoop entered camp considered a long-shot to win the job as the O's starting second baseman. But now, after coming to Sarasota a clearly bigger, stronger and better player than last year, he's made a strong case to head north with the Orioles for the opener. Schoop's cause may be...

JUPITER, Fla. - Nationals manager Matt Williams' postgame comments after a 2-1 victory over the Marlins were short and sweet. But that's what you get when two staff aces face off and the game takes only 2:45, which is pretty quick by spring training standards. Did Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg look like he was in midseason form? "He was good. It was a good matchup today. ... Those two guys going at it. We were able to scratch one and give him a little bit of room. Pitched well -...

JUPITER, Fla. - Stephen Strasburg feels great, and says his mechanics are just about "locked in." Ryan Zimmerman is feeling better, but the Nationals third baseman isn't so sure about manager Matt Williams' proclamation that he'll be ready to play the field Sunday. Those contrasting diagnoses were the takeaways from the Nats' 2-1 win over the Marlins this afternoon. Strasburg threw four scoreless innings - matching Jordan Zimmermann for the longest outing by a Nationals pitcher this...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Caleb Joseph got another start today behind the plate and got to handle a well-pitched game as five Orioles pitchers combined on a six-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a 2-1 win over the Yankees in front of a sellout crowd of 8,602 at Ed Smith Stadium. Joseph was behind the plate for the much-anticipated debut of Korean right-hander Suk-min Yoon, who pitched a scoreless seventh after allowing a leadoff single to Ramon Flores. He then got two fly outs and groundout to end an...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Alexi Casilla will start at shortstop for the Orioles in Sunday's game against the Blue Jays in Dunedin. Center fielder Adam Jones is a surprise addition to the travel roster after getting back to Sarasota today. Left fielder David Lough is day-to-day. He was sent home after lunch today to "take it easy," said manager Buck Showalter. "Get away from some of the wear and tear. Get him out of the weight room, too," Showalter said. Showalter will attempt to stretch out...

ORIOLES QUICK WRAP Score: Orioles 2, Yankees 1 Recap: Chris Tillman allowed one run in five-plus innings, a leadoff home run by Francisco Arcia in the sixth. Darren O'Day put runners on second and third with no outs in the eighth and struck out the next three batters. Evan Meek got the save, hitting a batter with two outs before inducing a ground ball. Chris Davis homered to left-center field, and Jonathan Schoop's sacrifice fly in the seventh broke a 1-1 tie. Need to know: Suk-min Yoon...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Chris Tillman became the first Orioles starter to pitch five innings this spring. He came out for, but didn't make it through the sixth. After shutting out the Yankees through five, Tillman allowed a leadoff homer to No. 9 hitter Francisco Arcia leading off the sixth and then was pulled for Zach Britton. It was, statistically, easily Tillman's best outing this spring as he went five-plus innings, allowing three hits and one run. He walked two and fanned five, throwing 73...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Chris Tillman became the first Oriole this spring to pitch into the fifth inning today, and he wasn't done. Tillman came back out for the start of the sixth and gave up a leadoff home run to Yankees first baseman and No. 9 hitter Francisco Arcia. That was the only run allowed by Tillman, who surrendered three hits, walked two and struck out five in 5 1/3 innings. Zach Britton replaced Tillman in the sixth. He allowed a single to Brian Roberts and struck out Kelly Johnson....

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Nationals 2, Marlins 1 Recap: Stephen Strasburg worked four shutout innings, matching Jordan Zimmermann for the longest outing by a Nationals pitcher this spring. Strasburg allowed two hits, walked one and fanned four. Need to know: Nationals manager Matt Williams will use the off-day Tuesday to set his rotation, but it's no guarantee that Strasburg will start the March 31 season opener in New York against the Mets. That honor could go to Zimmermann. On deck:...

VIERA, Fla. - With each day Ryan Mattheus and Ross Ohlendorf remain sidelined, Tanner Roark chances of breaking camp with the Nationals - once thought to be a long shot - improve a little more. Mattheus, a right-handed reliever, and Ohlendorf, the righty who employs the old-school windup and was mentioned as a possibility for either the bullpen or the competition for the fifth starter's spot, have spent most of spring training watching other pitchers make an impression. Manager Matt Williams...