Denard Span made play after play in center field last season, finishing 2013 without committing an error to give him a chance to win his first Gold Glove. I'm sure we'll see Span featured on Throwback Thursday again this offseason, but for now, watch the center fielder make a diving grab look routine. Your browser does not support iframes.

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts is celebrating his 36th birthday today, which probably includes changing diapers and grabbing naps while his baby boy sleeps. Veteran move. Roberts is a pending free agent, his four-year, $40 million contract running out in 2013. The Orioles will give serious consideration to re-signing him. Both sides are open to it. Roberts is really hoping for it. Roberts has been in the organization since the 1999 First-Year Player draft, when the Orioles chose him...

One of the main rules in the Arizona Fall League is the 11-inning rule. To avoid games that could go on and on all day or all night, the rule was set up to end games after 11 innings if they are tied. The statistics count, but the game is suspended. The first game of the season for the Mesa Solar Sox, who are partially stocked by the Nationals, ended in an 8-8 deadlock with Glendale Desert Dogs. Glendale scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. The most dramatic inning,...

Over the final couple of months of the season, we heard manager Davey Johnson say over and over (and over and over) again that one of the main reasons for the Nationals' struggles for much of the year was that the guys on the bench didn't perform to their ability level. Chad Tracy hit .202 with a .568 OPS and Roger Bernadina hit .178 with a .517 OPS this season, a pretty steep decline from their numbers in 2012. But they weren't alone. Tyler Moore also saw his production level take a pretty...

The Red Sox continue to win games by exhibiting tremendous patience at the plate and running the bases better than anyone in baseball. They steal bases. They take the extra base. They beat out ground balls. Jacoby Ellsbury went from first to third on a wild pitch in the seventh inning last night and scored the go-ahead run on Shane Victorino's infield hit. I understand that it's hard for Orioles fans to view the Red Sox in a positive light, but plenty of teams could learn from them. Just...

During the O's final homestand of 2013, we held our last MASNSports.com live video chats of this season with Adam Jones and Darren O'Day. Both players were generous with their time and answered questions from me and the fans on a large variety of topics. At one point, I got into a lengthy discussion with Jones about the fact that several Orioles players were among the league leaders in games played this year. Did that lead to the team and the offense wearing down in September? "Do you pay...

Outfielder/first baseman Michael Morse, acquired by the Orioles in an Aug. 30 trade with the Mariners, is expected to undergo surgery on his left wrist after receiving a second opinion at the Mayo Clinic. Morse didn't play after Sept. 22 because of the injury, which he didn't reveal to the Orioles under the final week of the season. He went 3-for-29 with no extra-base hits after the trade. Morse is a pending free agent and the Orioles aren't saying much about the examination, which...

Yesterday an entertaining enough day of baseball for everyone? In four postseason games, we saw a ninth-inning, benches-clearing incident in Detroit; a near no-hitter by 22-year-old Michael Wacha (who came within an out of a no-hitter against the Nationals in his last start prior to yesterday); a walk-off homer that staved off elimination for the Rays; and a series-clinching homer in the bottom of the eighth that sent the Dodgers to the National League Championship Series and sent the Braves...

The Mesa Solar Sox begin play in the Arizona Fall League today at the Glendale Desert Dogs. The season runs through Nov. 6. The Nationals have eight players on this team, with four position players and four pitchers. Today's starters feature Mesa left-hander Michael Roth opposing former Nationals top prospect and Glendale starter Alex Meyer. Two of the pitchers are left-handed starters, Sammy Solis and Matt Purke. The other two are relievers, in Robert Benincasa and Richie Mirowski. Matt...

The Arizona Fall League starts up today, and the Surprise Saguaros roster includes 10 members of the Orioles organization: pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Kline, Tim Berry and Jason Gurka; outfielders Henry Urrutia and Dariel Alvarez; second baseman Jonathan Schoop; catcher Michael Ohlman; Double-A Bowie manager Gary Kendall and short-season Single-A Aberdeen pitching coach Alan Mills. Urrutia needs to get more comfortable in left field. He also needs to get around on the fastball. He was...