SARASOTA, Fla. - To say the least, it was a confusing play in the ninth inning of yesterday's game. Dylan Bundy was pitching against Tampa Bay with a man on third and none out of a 3-3 game. He threw a pitch in the dirt. Right after that, the umpire at third base ruled the runner could advance to home. What had happened? A balk? No. Actually the runner was awarded two bases (although he only needed one in this case to score) when O's catcher Luis Exposito touched the ball with his...

JUPITER, Fla. - Joe Namath is in the house today at Roger Dean Stadium. The New York Jets legend, who apparently lives nearby, walked onto the field right as the Nationals started taking batting practice, and stood near the cage with former Orioles star and MASN broadcaster Jim Palmer. Davey Johnson and Steve McCatty both came up to the group at various points to chat it up. Johnson played alongside, and is good friends with, Palmer. Not a bad trio there - an NFL Hall of Famer in Namath, a...

SARASOTA, Fla. - As manager Buck Showalter and pitching coach Rick Adair go about sizing up the large field of candidates to win the Orioles' fifth starter's job, you know Showalter must be evaluating a lot of things. For him, it is certainly more than just about the stats. "There's a lot of things," Showalter said. "Let's face it, the first time they throw a side (session) on the back field in February, you're getting feedback. That's human nature, we're watching. You guys come in...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nate McLouth is leading off and playing center field today, with Brian Roberts batting second. In other games, Roberts has hit first and McLouth has batted second or lower. Roberts has been the Orioles' leadoff hitter when healthy, but manager Buck Showalter claims that he hasn't made a decision for this season. It could be Roberts, McLouth or Nick Markakis. Nolan Reimold moved to the top of the order in April. There's no shortage of candidates. "I'm still looking at...

JUPITER, Fla. - We've got a pretty good pitching matchup here at Roger Dean Stadium today, as Dan Haren and Adam Wainwright will take the mound this afternoon. The Nationals faced Wainwright here back on March 2 and smacked him around to the tune of five runs (four earned) on eight hits over three innings. Haren has looked pretty sharp this spring, and has felt like he's progressed a bit from start to start. We'll see how he fares today against a Cards lineup that has a handful of...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Miguel Gonzalez is scheduled to throw four innings today at the minor league complex at Twin Lakes Park. Manager Buck Showalter prefers to keep his projected starters away from the Orioles' division rivals, though there's plenty of video floating around these days. Zach Britton, T.J. McFarland, Luis Ayala and Mark Hendrickson will pitch today against the Boston Red Sox at Ed Smith Stadium. The Red Sox brought Clayton Mortenson, Alex Wilson, Chris Hernandez and former Orioles...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles' 2012 winner of the Brooks Robinson Award, which goes to their minor league Player of the Year, is using spring training here at major league camp to do more than just "get his work in." LJ Hoes is taking advantage of what he calls a "blessed opportunity" every day here at Ed Smith Stadium. Hoes has a locker between Nolan Reimold and Nick Markakis. He has become close friends with Adam Jones. He is taking time to pick their brains on a lot of things, things...

VIERA, Fla. - Ross Detwiler was on normal rest yesterday, but the Nationals left-hander didn't get the call during Team USA's 3-1 loss to the Dominican Republic in last night's World Baseball Classic. Team USA starter R.A. Dickey went five innings in the loss, so there wasn't much need for another multiple-inning guy. Manager Joe Torre went to five different relievers last night, none of whom worked more than 1 1/3 innings. The Americans will have an elimination game against Puerto Rico...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nate McLouth will lead off and play center field today against the Boston Red Sox. Brian Roberts is batting second. Wilson Betemit, who started at third base yesterday, is the designated hitter. For the Orioles: Nate McLouth CF Brian Roberts 2B Matt Wieters C Chris Davis 1B J.J. Hardy SS Wilson Betemit DH Manny Machado 3B Chris Dickerson RF Lew Ford LF Zach Britton LHP Chris Tillman's bullpen session went well yesterday and he's scheduled to throw two innings Saturday at...

While the Nationals continue holding camp in Viera, Fla., a few players made themselves known on the big stage, participating in the World Baseball Classic. Pitchers Ross Detwiler and Gio Gonzalez pitched four and five scoreless innings, respectively, for Team USA, both of which led to victories. On Wednesday, fellow hurler Stephen Strasburg was officially named the Nats' opening day starter. While Strasburg is a lock, the catcher's position is looking more open, with Wilson Ramos ahead of...