VIERA, Fla. - It wasn't all that long ago that walk-up music was first introduced in baseball games. It used to be when a player came up to the plate to start an at-bat, his name would be announced, the fans would applaud, then the noise would fade and then the player would dig into the batter's box. I'm at the age that I can vaguely remember those days. Walk-up songs have become a huge thing in recent years, though, and many players agonize over their choices or pick three or four...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The media has early clubhouse access this morning, with the doors opening at 7:30 a.m. The Orioles will hold an abbreviated workout because of their annual charity golf outing, the one formerly spearheaded by Jim Johnson. Third baseman Manny Machado garnered most of the attention yesterday with his first workout of the spring, but eyes also were fixed on pitcher Alfredo Aceves' first bullpen session. Aceves finally made it to camp, consented to an interview at his locker...

First-year Orioles pitching coach Dave Wallace comes to Baltimore with an impressive resume. The Orioles will be the fifth team he has served as major league pitching coach. But Wallace has plenty of experience working with minor league pitchers also, and he spent the past four seasons as minor league pitching coordinator for the Atlanta Braves, overseeing the progress and development of that organization's minor league hurlers. As the Orioles current group of young minor league pitchers...

VIERA, Fla. - I've got one quick final note to pass along from today, since I shared quotes from Matt Williams yesterday about how detail-oriented he can tend to be. A couple of hours ago, well after today's workout had ended and players had gone home, Williams and new third base coach Bobby Henley emerged from the Nationals clubhouse and made their way up to the corner of the home dugout nearest home plate. Henley then trotted out to the third base coach's box, and he and Williams...

VIERA, Fla. - Slowly over the last couple of years, one aspect of Stephen Strasburg's game has jumped out at him as an area that has to be improved. The numbers show it, and the results within games have made it plenty evident. Strasburg needs to get better at holding runners. The right-hander has only picked off one runner in his career, and of the 38 runners who have attempted to steal off Strasburg in his 75 big league games, 30 have been successful, a 72 percent success rate. Pitching...

VIERA, Fla. - The deeper we get into spring training, the more that we'll talk about roster construction scenarios with new Nationals manager Matt Williams. You don't want to spring too much on the guy right out of the gate, especially when he's still learning about his players and seeing many of them for the first time with his own eyes. But Williams did get a couple of questions today about the battle for spots in the bullpen, and while he didn't reveal much information, the Nats skipper...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter knew that reporters were waiting for third baseman Manny Machado to enter the interview room today, so he offered to cut short his post-workout session with the media. Machado had to meet with the training staff, shower and put on his street clothes, which gave Showalter a few extra minutes to address a variety of subjects. Let's start with Showalter's refusal to pester Machado every day with questions about the knee. "He knows how much we...

VIERA, Fla. - Danny Espinosa said at NatsFest last month that he had been told by general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Matt Williams that he would have a chance this spring to - as he phrased it - win his starting second base job back. Today, Williams essentially confirmed that, saying that the Nationals will have an "open competition" for the second base job between Espinosa and Anthony Rendon this spring. "That's all you can say about it at this point," Williams said. "They haven't...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles third baseman Manny Machado worked out for the first time in spring training today, though he's been on the field for a couple of weeks and has been hitting for more than a month. It just seemed different in an Orioles uniform. "It was the first time out on the field, the first time putting an Orioles shirt on," he said. "It was some team activities. Overall, I felt great. I'm just getting ready to get this show on the road." Machado still isn't sure whether...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Jimmy Paredes, claimed off waivers from the Marlins yesterday, hasn't reported to camp and we may not see him here. Paredes is a candidate to come off the 40-man roster once the Orioles officially sign pitcher Suk-min Yoon. He could be claimed by another team or outrighted and sent to the minor league camp at Twin Lakes Park. We'll see. If the Orioles wait much longer to confirm the Yoon signing, his press conference may be pushed back to Tuesday. Most of the position...