VIERA, Fla. - A two-run loss to the Dominican Republic two nights ago and a one-run loss to Puerto Rico last night, and that's it for Team USA. The World Baseball Classic is over for the American squad. Team USA will not be a part of the semifinal round, with the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Japan and the Netherlands making up the four teams left fighting for the WBC title. Gio Gonzalez and Ross Detwiler will report back to the Nationals, while Roger Bernadina (Netherlands) and Eury...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nolan Reimold will serve as the designated hitter again today, as the Orioles travel to Dunedin for a third time this spring to play the Toronto Blue Jays. Catcher Luis Martinez, who had been sidelined by a strained left oblique, is making the trip. Manager Buck Showalter wants to give him some innings and evaluate him. Taylor Teagarden is starting behind the plate. For the Orioles: Alexi Casilla SS Lew Ford CF Nolan Reimold DH Conor Jackson 1B Steve Pearce RF Taylor...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The competition for the last spot in the Orioles rotation heats up again today with Jake Arrieta taking the mound against the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin. Everyone here would appreciate a little heat. We're enduring another chilly morning, which brings little sympathy from my friends up north. Arrieta was fantastic in his last start, blanking the Pittsburgh Pirates on two hits, walking none and striking out five in four innings. The only criticism was his ball/strike...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Ryan Flaherty hit another homer for the Orioles yesterday. It you want him to say much about that, you may be disappointed. He made just a few comments in a brief postgame interview Friday, but his bat is starting to speak loudly. Flaherty hit a two-run homer with two outs in the last of the 10th as the Orioles played to a 3-3 tie with Boston. It was his third homer in his last seven games and third of the spring as he tied Conor Jackson and Steve Pearce for the team lead. So...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Brian Roberts said it was by design that he was not trying to steal many bases in the early spring training games. But that changed today in the last of the first inning. After he singled off Boston's Clayton Mortensen, he stole his first base this spring. Not only did he steal second but he went into the bag sliding head first, just like the Orioles have seen him do many times before, but certainly not very much lately. "It was good," Roberts said. "It's something that...

SARASOTA, Fla. - You can't keep the Flaccos out of the news these days. The Orioles announced this afternoon that they traded minor league infielder Michael Flacco to the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations or a player to be named later. His brother, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco recently signed a six-year contract worth $120.6 million that made him the highest-paid player in NFL history. At least the Orioles aren't having salary cap issues. And now, New England can boast that it has a...

JUPITER, Fla. - Dan Haren sure doesn't sugarcoat things. The veteran right-hander allowed five runs on six hits over five frames today in a 5-1 loss to the Cardinals, and as reporters approached to ask about his outing, Haren cracked a smile and tossed out a few obscenities. With his typical brutally honest and incredibly self-aware style, he then started delving into his issues on the mound today. "That was just one of those days, man," Haren said. "I felt like I was throwing a...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Brian Roberts was thrown out trying to steal second base after his RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning. He went into the bag feet-first. Let that be a lesson. Roberts' single tied the game, 1-1, and followed Bryce Brentz's home run off Luis Ayala that briefly gave Boston the lead. Ayala struck out one batter. Roberts is 2-for-3 today and 10-for-27 this spring. Nate McLouth, leading off today, has doubled, walked and stolen a base. T.J. McFarland got three...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Brian Roberts doesn't think about how he's going to approach second base on a steal attempt. It just happens. Roberts dived into the bag in the bottom of the first inning, as he normally does, for his first stolen base of the spring. He had singled with one out, his ninth hit in 25 at-bats. The Orioles need to find out whether Roberts can withstand the pounding of playing second base and running the bases. The concussion symptoms returned in May 2011 after he dived into...

JUPITER, Fla. - Five batters into the bottom of the first inning here at Roger Dean Stadium, it was already 4-0 Cardinals. Dan Haren gave up a solo home run to Jon Jay on a 3-2 pitch to open the game, marking the second straight day a Nationals starter surrendered a leadoff homer. Chris Young did the same yesterday. Haren then gave up back-to-back singles to Daniel Descalso and Matt Carpenter, and after getting Ty Wigginton to pop out to second, Haren served up a three-run shot to Matt...