SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles will try to stay unbeaten in the Grapefruit League with today's 1:05 p.m. game against the Red Sox in Fort Myers. Brian Matusz will start today and fly to Philadelphia Monday morning to have a wart removed from the middle finger on his left hand. He will return to camp later that night. Update: Matusz said he's delaying his trip because of the pending storm up north. Now he must wait on the weather and the doctor's availability. He's already stated that it...

VIERA, Fla. - How often does a team go 11-for-23 with runners in scoring position, put up 25 hits, score 15 runs, benefit from five errors by the opposing team and lose a ballgame? Yeah, yesterday's game was a funky one regardless of whether the outcome actually meant anything or not. The Nationals were outhit 25-12 yesterday and allowed nine runs in a single inning, but still came away with their second victory of spring. The merry-go-round on the bases left a handful of pitchers with some...

SARASOTA, Fla. - This spring's camp has provided a few more reminders that the baseball world is a small one, but I wouldn't want to paint it. (Hat tip to Steven Wright). We learned that Ubaldo Jimenez and Alexi Casilla played in the same Little League as kids in the Dominican Republic. Probably half of the players in the clubhouse have been teammates of Nelson Cruz. Here's another one: Brian Matusz and Tim Alderson threw dueling one-hitters in a high school game in Arizona. Matusz,...

With major league spring training now well under way, the Orioles' minor league camp has also begun at the club's Twins Lakes facility in Sarasota, Fla. Below is a list of 162 players that already have or will very soon report to the minor league camp. About 30 of the players listed reported Feb. 21 for an early camp. The rest of the minor league pitchers and catchers reported on Friday, and the bulk of the position players are to report on March 4. The first minor league exhibition games...

VIERA, Fla. - As reporters were waiting to meet with manager Matt Williams in his office following today's 16-15 Nationals win over the Braves, a game in which the Nats made five errors and allowed 25 hits, defensive coordination and advance coach Mark Weidemaier walked by. "Coached the hell out of 'em today, huh?" Weidemaier joked. The Nats' spring training home opener was not the prettiest of ballgames. Not by a longshot. Atlanta scored nine runs in the fifth inning today, an inning...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are shutting down outfielder Henry Urrutia for the next two days due to inflammation in his right shoulder. Urrutia has been scratched from Sunday's trip to Fort Myers for a 1:05 p.m. game against the Red Sox. Manager Buck Showalter said he will bring minor league outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski. That's an instant note. Delmon Young will serve as the designated hitter on Sunday. Outfielder Quintin Berry, no longer...

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP SCORE: Nationals 16, Braves 15 Recap: Jordan Zimmermann threw two scoreless innings in the blink of an eye, and then everything fell apart for both teams. The Nats and Braves combined to record 37 hits. They had 14 total walks. They made six errors between them. At least this game is finally over. Need to know: Thank goodness for Luis Ayala. If not for him working out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the eighth without allowing the tying run, these teams might still be...

ORIOLES QUICK WRAP Score: Orioles 9, Blue Jays 7 Recap: Reliever Edgmer Escalona gave up five runs in the sixth inning to wipe out the Orioles' 2-1 lead, but Francisco Peguero's two-out, bases-loaded triple in the eighth capped a seven-run rally. Steve Johnson retired all six batters he faced, striking out two, in relief of Miguel Gonzalez, who was charged with one run in the second. Need to know: A day after Jemile Weeks doubled, walked and scored twice, Jonathan Schoop came off the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Many of the Orioles are wearing gray wristbands with Monica Barlow's initials written in black marker. A member of the club's PR staff said manager Buck Showalter, hitting coach Jim Presley, first base coach Wayne Kirby, bench coach John Russell, first baseman Chris Davis, center fielder Adam Jones, right fielder Nick Markakis, shortstop J.J. Hardy, catcher Matt Wieters, second baseman Ryan Flaherty and third baseman Manny Machado are wearing the bands. Davis gave the...

VIERA, Fla. - Jordan Zimmermann's work day is over 25 minutes after he threw his first pitch. But as manager Matt Williams likes to say, "That's a good thing." Zimmermann quickly got in his two innings of work this afternoon, allowing just an infield single to Jordan Schafer leading off the game. The Nationals right-hander got five ground balls and struck out Dan Uggla to end the second inning. He threw 20 pitches, 15 for strikes. Zimmermann worked quickly, he attacked the zone and now...