Where would the Nationals and Orioles be without the Minnesota Twins? The Orioles and Nationals have five players who were key to the Twins' success since 2010. The Orioles have infielders J.J. Hardy, Danny Valencia and Alexi Casilla. The Nationals have outfielder Denard Span and catcher Wilson Ramos. Hardy, Span and Ramos will play big roles on the East Coast. Valencia and Casilla are trying to re-start their careers. * Hardy, who started with Milwaukee, came to the Twins in a trade for...

CLEARWATER, Fla. - After using up about half a tank of gas on the trek across Florida, I've arrived at Bright House Field for today's Nationals-Phillies Grapefruit League contest that will feature two of the game's best pitchers. Stephen Strasburg and Roy Halladay will toe the mound today, and while Strasburg will face a Phillies lineup filled with major leaguers, Halladay won't get that luxury. The Nationals brought just three position players who are expected to crack the opening day...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles made Cuban defector Henry Urrutia available to the media today, and I'll pass along his quotes later this afternoon. Urrutia actually attended the Orioles' game in Cuba back in 1999. He sat in the stands as a 12-year-old. Urrutia's childhood hero was Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams, and he would like to wear No. 51 with the Orioles. Fred Ferreira also signed Williams, who was managed by Buck Showalter. Urrutia could also play first base, but the Orioles...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Steve Pearce is back in the lineup today, starting at first base against Team Spain. Conor Jackson most likely will come off the bench. Yes, they're being paired up again in this blog entry. Pearce homered twice yesterday, giving him three this spring to go with nine RBIs. He's collected six hits in 11 at-bats. "I feel great at the plate, having good at-bats," he said this morning. "I'm swinging at good pitches and squaring balls up. I feel good right now and just...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nick Markakis isn't in the lineup again today, which comes as no surprise, and he told a couple of reporters this morning that he will "probably rule out tomorrow." Markakis was scratched from Sunday's lineup because of stiffness in his neck. The Orioles are home again on Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays. They have back-to-back road night games Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton and Saturday against the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers. Most of the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - As expected, manager Buck Showalter is sitting most of his regulars for today's game against Team Spain. Nolan Reimold is leading off and serving as the Orioles' designated hitter. Steve Pearce is in the lineup, but Conor Jackson is not. For the Orioles: Nolan Reimold DH Yamaico Navarro SS Steve Pearce 1B Russ Canzler RF Danny Valencia 3B Trayvon Robinson LF LJ Hoes CF Niuman Romero 2B Jose Gil C Jake Arrieta RHP

VIERA, Fla. - Word down here in the south is that you fine folks back up in the D.C./Maryland/Virginia areas are about to be hit by a decent little snow storm. Hope everyone stays safe up there and doesn't have too much hatred toward me for being in 75-degree weather right about now. If it makes you feel any better, I'm just about to take off for a 7:30 a.m. trip to Clearwater, a 170-mile drive across the entire width of Florida. The five-plus hours of driving I'll end up putting in today...

Baseball can sometimes be broken down to an individual sport, especially for the closers. If a batter makes an out, he still has eight other guys that can make a play, his team still has two more outs. A closer has defenders behind him, but it's ultimately one pitcher versus one hitter. One pitch can end the game. One pitch can also turn into a blown save. In a new book, "Closer: Major League Players Reveal The Inside Pitch On Saving The Game" (Running Press - 2013, $15.00), Kevin Neary...

Are these the dog days of spring training already? The excitement of the early games is starting to wear off as we all realize there is a long way to go - almost a month - before the fun of a new season will be here. When you see a baseball team with a record of 7-2-1 like the Orioles, you quickly realize it must be spring training or that you clicked on the NHL standings by mistake. While the game results are not very important right now, it has been fun to track the early mashing at the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - As the Orioles file into the Ed Smith Stadium complex this morning and head to the dining area for breakfast, I fully expect Conor Jackson and Steve Pearce to arm wrestle for the last Pop-Tart. Two out of three falls to determine who gets turkey bacon and who gets the regular stuff. Jackson and Pearce aren't the only players in camp competing for a bench spot, but they've started to separate themselves from the reserve pack. Jackson is 8-for-19 with three homers, six RBIs...