The Orioles announced today that they will once again invite all baseball fans to celebrate their birthday at Camden Yards and attend a game for free in 2013. The "Come Free for your Birthday" promotion, presented by Carvel, debuted in 2009 and has continued every season since. The program has been wildly successful, with nearly 100,000 fans participating since its inception. The birthday promotion is part of the team's effort to continue to offer Orioles baseball as the most affordable...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles right-hander Jason Hammel allowed three runs and three hits over five innings today in a game against Tampa Bay's high Single-A team on the Camden Yards field at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. Hammel walked three batters and struck out six before heading to the clubhouse. He threw 76 pitches, 47 for strikes. The assumption is that Hammel was making his final start before the Orioles announce him as their opening day starter. They begin the 2013 season against the...

VIERA, Fla. - Instead of making the trip all the way to Jupiter to throw just a few meaningless innings the day before the Nationals leave Florida, Stephen Strasburg got in his final spring frames over on the minor league side today. Facing a lineup made up of members of the Nats' Triple-A team, Strasburg's outing was largely uneventful. He allowed back-to-back softly hit singles in one inning, one off the bat of Will Rhymes, drawing a frustrated swipe of the glove from Strasburg. Strasburg...

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals lineup today doesn't have Bryce Harper's name in it, and tomorrow's might not, as well. Harper is dealing with some inflammation in his left thumb after getting jammed by a pitch yesterday. While Harper says the thumb feels better today than it did after he left yesterday's game against the Marlins, he will get a day off today and the plan was for him to not take batting practice in an effort to avoid further soreness. "Feels fine," Harper said. "I thought...

We've created quite the interesting discussion space here at MASNsports.com, a place where you come for news but also to share your thoughts and opinions with other Orioles fans. Baltimore is also home to some of the most dedicated bloggers in all of baseball. So it's only natural that these two camps would eventually intersect. In 2011, MASNsports.com introduced guest bloggers to its site, reasoning that the distinct voices of the Orioles-centric blogosphere would be a good addition to our...

The transition of Mychal Givens, the Orioles' second-round draft pick in 2009, from infielder to pitcher has been going well at spring training camp at Twin Lakes Park and Givens is expected to be with a full-season affiliate come opening day. "He's made a very smooth transition back to pitching and he was a pitching prospect in high school. He's thrown very well this spring and I would anticipate him making a club out of spring training," Orioles director of player development Brian...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Unless there's a late change in plans, the Orioles intend to summon Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia from minor league camp and give him some at-bats in Friday afternoon's game against State College of Florida at Ed Smith Stadium. Urrutia has one more paper to sign, according to a team official, before he's allowed to play in the game. Hopefully, it's not in Haiti. Urrutia, who finally received his work visa and flew into Miami in late February, has appeared in four minor...

VIERA, Fla. - Watch Ryan Zimmerman warm up his arm in between innings of spring games with throws across the diamond, and it's clear that his adjusted throwing motion is still a bit of a work in progress. Some throws skip into the dirt, short-hopping first baseman Adam LaRoche. Some throws are wide, pulling LaRoche off the bag. Two straight warm-up tosses before the bottom of the first inning yesterday yanked LaRoche to the home plate side of first. This has been noticed by some scouts, who...

The Orioles today announced that they have reassigned outfielder Lew Ford to minor league camp. With the assignment, the Orioles now have 37 players at major league spring training, including nine non-roster invitees.

It probably barely registered at all with Orioles fans when the club signed a right-handed pitcher named Miguel Gonzalez to a minor league contract after spring training had already started last year on Feb. 28. Little did we know how big a role he would play for the 2012 Orioles. How he would become one of their key starters late in the year and how he would go on to give up just one run in seven innings in Game 3 of the American League Division Series in Yankee Stadium. How over nine starts...