VIERA, Fla. - As promised, the Nationals were at about 9:30 a.m., out on the field at Space Coast Stadium going through situational defense drills. These drills had already been scheduled for this morning before yesterday's five-error, sloppy performance against the Braves. But after Matt Williams saw his team kick the ball around a good bit yesterday, he was happy to put them through some defensive work today. "Like I said, I think yesterday was an aberration," Williams said this morning...

VIERA, Fla. - Jayson Werth will take the field this afternoon for his first game this spring, as the Nationals host the Marlins in a game that you can catch live on MASN at 1:05 p.m. Werth sat out the Nats' first two games as he eases into spring, but he's in the lineup today as the Nats face Marlins lefty Brad Hand. Doug Fister gets the ball for the Nats, and like Taylor Jordan and Jordan Zimmermann before him, he's likely to go two innings today. As I mentioned earlier this morning,...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles outfielder Henry Urrutia remains shut down through Monday because of soreness in his right shoulder. Urrutia is taking anti-inflammatory drugs and resting. He was scratched from today's trip to Fort Myers. Urrutia said the shoulder began to bother him during Friday's exhibition opener in Port Charlotte after he made a throw to third base. "I feel better," he said through his interpreter, first baseman Chris Marrero, who is sidelined with a strained oblique. "I...

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...