SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis woke up this morning with spasms in his neck, causing manager Buck Showalter to adjust his lineup for today's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Markakis apparently "slept wrong," according to Showalter, and had difficulty turning his head. The Orioles examined Markakis this morning to make sure there was nothing structurally wrong. "We checked him out and it's just a spasm type of thing," Showalter said, adding that Markakis...

VIERA, Fla. - A few minutes before I went over to Wilson Ramos' locker to have a brief chat with the Nationals catcher this morning, he met with manager Davey Johnson. In that meeting, Johnson told Ramos that the team's medical staff had cleared the 25-year-old to begin playing in Grapefruit League games. That in itself was great news. But Johnson then told Ramos that he would get one at-bat as the DH in this afternoon's game against the Cardinals, marking his first appearance in a game...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Outfielder Nolan Reimiold, who left Friday's game in the second inning with a sore right shoulder after hitting a home run, is scheduled to serve as the Orioles' designated hitter Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin. Reimold said the soreness only surfaces when he attempts to throw - mostly on his follow-through - and he hasn't been doing any upper-body exercises. He's taking a cautious approach, which is encouraged by the club. Catcher Taylor Teagarden has...

VIERA, Fla. - It's a brisk 48 degrees with a stiff breeze here at Space Coast Stadium this morning, weather that led Nationals players to snatch up beanies and ear sleeves in the clubhouse and toss on their windbreakers before taking the field for delayed warm-ups. A few of the Nats' veteran position players sent 11-year-old Drake LaRoche into manager Davey Johnson's office to ask if they could hit in the cages instead of taking a full batting practice on the field, both because of the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nate McLouth is leading off and playing center field in Adam Jones' absence, and Brian Roberts is batting second for today's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Conor Jackson is serving as the designated hitter. He's getting extended playing time and manager Buck Showalter has been impressed by him. Nolan Reimold remains out of the lineup while dealing with a sore right shoulder. For the Orioles: Nate McLouth CF Brian Roberts 2B Chris Davis 1B Matt Wieters C Conor...

It was about this time last season everything changed for Zach Duke. Last season, he struggled in Houston Astros camp and was eventually released. Two days later, he was picked up by the Nationals. After battling to regain his consistency and break on his best pitches, he worked his way back to the majors. Oh, he did work all right. Duke went 15-5 with a 3.51 ERA at Triple-A Syracuse. The left-hander made 26 starts, and had two complete games and a shutout over 164 1/3 innings. He had 91...

VIERA, Fla. - Yesterday, it was the Cardinals loading up their lineup with regulars, giving Gio Gonzalez a tough test on the road while the Nationals' batting order was filled mostly with backups and minor leaguers. The script will be flipped this afternoon at Space Coast Stadium, as the Nationals should have nearly all their starters in their lineup against the Cardinals and left-hander Jaime Garcia. Ryan Zimmerman will make his spring debut as the Nationals' DH today, and Bryce Harper,...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Michael Weiner, the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, is making the rounds again this spring, and he's scheduled to stop by the Ed Smith Stadium complex this morning. This is an annual visit, which closes the clubhouse to the media. Players won't be available until after today's 1:05 p.m. game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Chris Tillman will make his second start. He allowed one hit, walked two batters and struck out one in 1 2/3...

JUPITER, Fla. - Gio Gonzalez didn't seem to think a strikeout-less outing was anything abnormal for him, given the circumstances today. Neither did his manager, Davey Johnson. Johnson attributed some of Gonzalez's issues with a lack of command of his secondary pitches to the conditions. It was a cool (by Florida standards) and breezy day in Jupiter today, leaving Gonzalez's hands dry and the ball a little slick. "He really didn't have a good feel for the ball because it was a little...

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - The Orioles lost their second exhibition game of 2013, falling to the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 at Charlotte Sports Park. The Orioles brought only one projected starter, third baseman Manny Machado. Don't judge them too harshly. Tommy Hunter recovered from the Sean Rodriguez home run and Ben Zobrist single to retire the last six batters he faced. Left-hander Troy Patton retired the side in order in the seventh, striking out two batters. He had allowed three runs and six...