PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Wei-Yin Chen worked two scoreless innings today in his Grapefruit League debut, allowing two singles on ground balls up the middle. Chen threw 23 pitches, 17 for strikes. Left-hander Brian Matusz began to warm in the Orioles' bullpen as Chen took the mound for the second inning. Tampa Bay's Ben Zobrist singled to center field leading off the bottom of the first, and Yunel Escobar did the same with two outs. In between, Kelly Johnson and Evan Longoria flew out to deep...

JUPITER, Fla. - After getting examined by medical director Dr. Wiemi Douoguih this morning, catcher Wilson Ramos has been cleared to take part in some sliding drills back at the Nationals' complex at Space Coast Stadium, according to manager Davey Johnson. This will mark the first time sliding for Ramos since undergoing surgery to repair a torn right ACL and meniscus last summer. Ramos typically tucks his right leg when he slides, which has him a little worried about how the knee will...

JUPITER, Fla. - Spoiler alert: I'm about to provide updates of the Netherlands/Korea World Baseball Classic game, which is apparently airing on a time delay on MLB Network. I got scolded on Twitter by one fan who said that I ruined the game by posting an update on Roger Bernadina, so be warned, everyone. If you're really into the game on TV and don't want me to spoil your entire morning, stop reading now. Batting third in the Netherlands' lineup, Bernadina went 1-for-5 with a double and...

VIERA, Fla. - We've been here before, with Jordan Zimmermann feeling like he's turned a corner with his changeup, so to speak. Zimmermann has been working on his changeup for three straight years, hoping to get it to the point that he has enough confidence in the pitch to use it in games. Last year, Zimmermann thought he was at that point. He worked on the changeup for much of the early part of spring, felt it was improving, and then barely touched it during the regular season. That led...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Manny Machado is making another road trip today, batting third against Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Alex Cobb. Jason Pridie is playing right field and batting cleanup. Xavier Avery is starting in left field and batting ninth. Yes, most of the regulars are staying in Sarasota. For the Orioles: Alexi Casilla 2B Ryan Flaherty SS Manny Machado 3B Jason Pridie RF Chris Dickerson CF Trayvon Robinson DH Travis Ishikawa 1B Luis Exposito C Xavier Avery LF Wei-Yin Chen LHP For the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Who's up for another road trip? The Orioles are heading to Port Charlotte this morning to play the Tampa Bay Rays. It's a nice facility with a press box that seats about three reporters from the visiting media - with two obstructed views. But everything else about the place is fairly impressive. Wei-Yin Chen makes his 2013 Grapefruit League debut today, followed by Brian Matusz, Tommy Hunter, Troy Patton and Daniel McCutchen. Hunter was supposed to go two or three innings...

Today I present the third edition of 10 questions for O's fans. I'll once again throw out some questions and topics and hope you answer and respond to any or all of them. If you number your answers it will be easier to follow the responses. Now on with the latest edition: 1. Is Brian Matusz better suited to be a starter or reliever? 2. Who do you rate as the Orioles' best defensive outfielder? 3. What will Wei-Yin Chen's stats look like in his second season as an Oriole? 4. Which is...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - It looked for a second like the Braves were going to tie tonight's game with two outs in the bottom of the ninth when Jordan Parraz singled up the middle just behind the second base bag. Joey Terdoslavich (boy, what a name that is) made a turn around third and was ready to head for home, but Nationals second baseman Will Rhymes made a diving stop of the ball, hopped to his feet and kept Terdoslavich at third. One pitch later, reliever Jeremy Accardo got Elmer Reyes...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Jordan Zimmermann has been working on his changeup for three years now. He's struggled to get a good feel of the pitch in the past, had issues finding the right arm action and searched for the proper velocity to maximize the changeup's effectiveness. Zimmermann didn't trust his changeup last year, and therefore threw it just 2.2 percent of the time. And now? "It feels really, really good right now," Zimmermann said following tonight's start against the Braves....

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Tyler Clippard took a while before getting into a spring game, but once he did, he looked just like his old self. Clippard pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning tonight, striking out Christian Bethancourt swinging for the second out of the frame. The right-hander threw nine pitches, seven for strikes. He threw three changeups, by my count. That pitch is still nasty, even on March 1. We got a bit of a surprise in the sixth when Anthony Rendon trotted out to shortstop to take...