SARASOTA, Fla. - Antonio Bastardo is arriving in Sarasota later today with the Philadelphia Phillies, so you know it's going to be a good day. Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen gets to pitch in a Grapefruit League game, which hasn't happened since March 8. He's only done it twice this spring. Jim Johnson and Darren O'Day also are scheduled to pitch today. For the Phillies: Ben Revere CF Jimmy Rollins SS Chase Utley 2B Ryan Howard 1B Michael Young 3B Domonic Brown RF John Mayberry LF Steve...

Nice return to the Orioles. Rejoining the Orioles Wednesday after playing in the World Baseball Classic, the club's No. 3 prospect according to Baseball America had a big game Friday. Jonathan Schoop got the start at shortstop against Tampa Bay and went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer off Jeff Niemann. Schoop has some power potential and delivered a huge three-run homer against Cuba in the WBC. But fans wonder and ask often about his defense. He can play at second, short and third and was...

VIERA, Fla - Before I head over to Orlando International Airport for the flight back to Baltimore, I wanted to pass along the Nationals lineup for today's 1:10 p.m. game against the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie. Consider it my going away gift to you. MASNsports.com's Dan Kolko will be at Tradition Field this afternoon and will handle coverage duties for the remainder of spring training, through the Nationals' March 29 exhibition game against the New York Yankees at Nationals Park. A...

VIERA, Fla. - Want to get a good indication of just how well Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa is hitting in spring training? Check out his batting practice session and see how many sharp ground balls are rocketing off his bat. A 1-for-3 day in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Tigers upped his Grapefruit League batting average to .316, and continued to dispel any worries about Espinosa's decision to strengthen his torn left rotator cuff instead of opting for offseason surgery. He's been...

VIERA, Fla. - As soon as the ball came off Prince Fielder's bat in the fourth inning, Stephen Strasburg immediately knew two things: The screamer was coming right at him, and he had a shot to catch it. The ball hit him, and he didn't snag it. And as it caromed into short center field for a single, all eyes turned to the mound as Nationals personnel descended upon the ace to make sure he was OK. It was the kind of reaction play that can either be a pitcher's best friend or worst enemy....

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Jair Jurrjens tossed five scoreless innings today in relief of Steve Johnson, allowing two hits, walking none and striking out three in the Orioles' 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. "That's as good as I've seen him," said manager Buck Showalter. "Regardless of which hitter he was against, all that other stuff, he was in command. That's pretty solid right there. Down with everything with a couple exceptions. Pretty impressive. "We've got to make some decisions...

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Steve Johnson lost home plate today. Now, he must hope that he didn't lose his chance to break camp with the Orioles. Johnson walked three straight batters and gave up a three-run double to Evan Longoria in the bottom of the third inning. He had retired eight in a row and was cruising along until his start unraveled. "I'm not real sure what happened," he said. "I felt like I battled that first walk. I was a little up, but it happens. I tried to go out of the...

The Orioles have issued a statement regarding the Sept. 5 night game against the Chicago White Sox, which is blocking the Ravens from playing the NFL season opener at home that night. The team and league were unable to find a way to move the game to allow for the Thursday night contest usually awarded to the Super Bowl champions. Here's the full statement: "The Orioles have great respect for the Super Bowl Champion Ravens and thank Major League Baseball, the MLB Players Association, and...

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - The Orioles have lost pitcher Todd Redmond on waivers to the Toronto Blue Jays, an industry source confirmed this afternoon. The Blue Jays later announced the claim. They optioned Redmond to Triple-A Buffalo. Redmond, claimed off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds in February, had been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after allowing five runs and eight hits in eight innings this spring. The Orioles had removed outfielder Trayvon Robinson from the 40-man roster to make room...

VIERA, Fla. - It seems odd to see the 0-2 record next to Stephen Strasburg's name on the stats sheet. The 4.66 ERA he toted into today's game against the Tigers looks a little strange, too. But then again, this is spring training and the stats here don't count. What's that old baseball adage about not making player personnel judgments based on statistics from March or September? Through three innings in his sixth spring start, Strasburg has looked pretty much in command, save for the...