The latest outing for pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada was Saturday and it went well. The 32-year-old left-hander from Japan pitched six innings in extended spring training, allowing just three hits and one run on 76 pitches. Matt Merullo wasn't there to see that outing, but he has been in the dugout for Wada's other starts during extended spring training as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery last May 11. Merullo is among the staff members heading up the Orioles' extended spring program...

PITTSBURGH - The Nationals now have a 1.000 winning percentage after Davey Johnson-called team meetings this season. And his players are going to give him a little crap about it. Jordan Zimmermann approached Johnson following today's 5-4 win over the Pirates and shot a one-liner at his skipper. "Same time tomorrow?" Zimmermann quipped. Following his session with reporters, Johnson walked by Ian Desmond's locker. "Meeting of the year," Desmond said, his comment oozing with sarcasm....

It was an eventful day for the Orioles in Anaheim. Their starting pitcher took a no-hitter into the seventh. They took a 4-0 lead. They lost that 4-0 lead. They almost lost their win streak when leading after seven innings. But when it was over, they extended it by beating the Angels 5-4 in 10 innings. With Nolan Reimold on second base and two outs in the 10th, Steve Pearce singled to right and his third hit of the day broke a 4-4 tie. The Orioles were 0-for-10 on the game with runners in...

PITTSBURGH - Stephen Strasburg gave the Nationals seven solid if not spectacular innings, and we're still tied 4-4 heading to the ninth here in Pittsburgh. The Nats have gone 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and have left 10 on base. Seven of those 10 have been in innings 6-8. At least they're getting guys on and giving themselves chances to drive runners in, however. That's something that was lacking in a handful of the Nats' recent losses. They've also walked six times and...

No matter what happens the rest of the day, Freddy Garcia has earned another start with the Orioles. As long as he doesn't develop a blister, which tends to happen with the Orioles' pitchers. Garcia has allowed one baserunner through five innings, and it came on a walk. He's also struck out one batter. Garcia has thrown 55 pitches, 36 for strikes. He's working extremely well with new catcher Chris Snyder. He's also quite comfortable facing the Angels, especially in Anaheim. As you...

PITTSBURGH - Through three innings, Stephen Strasburg has looked strong and healthy. He's been attacking hitters, throwing his fastball 94-96 mph and not showing any signs of the irritation in his forearm that led him to shake his throwing arm consistently during his last outing. Strasburg and the Nationals also trail 2-1 after three innings. After setting down six straight hitters, with two swinging strikeouts in that span, Strasburg allowed a Clint Barmes bloop single leading off the...

The Orioles will wait until Monday to have one of their physicians read the MRI taken this morning on Chris Davis' right knee, but it appears that the first baseman will avoid the disabled list. An Angels physician reviewed the MRI today, but executive vice president Dan Duquette said the Orioles aren't able to "effectively read the MRI until Monday." "But the information we have is that Chris is feeling much better today and he's day-to-day," Duquette added. "It sounds like he's not...

Manny Machado's 11-game hitting streak ended last night, which largely went unnoticed because of Chris Davis' knee, Miguel Gonzalez's blister and a shutout loss to the Angels. Well, Machado has started a new one. His home run with one out in the top of the first inning today gave the Orioles a quick 1-0 lead. Machado has seven doubles, a triple and two home runs in his last 13 games. The Orioles are 9-3 in games following a loss this season. They lost last night. Just saying... Tsuyoshi...

PITTSBURGH - Davey Johnson held a closed-door team meeting this afternoon in the visitors' clubhouse at PNC Park. Before he did so, however, the 70-year-old Johnson went into the batting cage in the tunnel - sans batting gloves, as always - and took about 40 swings, more than he had in decades and so many that he left the cage with a blister on his left hand. "I wanted to see if it was that hard to still hit a baseball," Johnson deadpanned. The Nationals, picked by many as a World Series...

Today, Freddy Garcia starts for the Orioles and when he does, he will become the eight different pitcher to start for the team this year. At this point last season, the Orioles had made no rotation changes and were still working with the five-man rotation that began 2012 with the team. Then the order, beginning with opening day, was Jake Arrieta, Tommy Hunter, Jason Hammel, Brian Matusz and Wei-Yin Chen. Through this date last season, that group had made all the starts for the club. Today,...