SARASOTA, Fla. - Adam Russell stranded two runners in the top of the ninth inning to record the save in the Orioles' 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Russell issued a walk and gave up a single with one out before getting a strikeout and a line drive to short. Dylan Bundy wasn't especially pleased with his outing, when the Twins loaded the bases in the fifth inning on two singles and a walk. Bundy struck out two. "First batter was good," Bundy said. "Other than that, I was a little...

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - If Stephen Strasburg wasn't going to harp on the negatives from his spring opener, manager Davey Johnson sure wasn't. The Nationals skipper knew that Strasburg would be throwing mostly fastballs, and he knew that Mets hitters would be looking to tee off. This early in spring, Johnson was mainly happy that Strasburg made it through his two innings and was able to get his full work in. "I thought he threw the ball all right," Johnson said. "He kind of jumped a little...

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - If you've watched Stephen Strasburg pitch enough, you're aware of the fact that he can be one of his toughest opponents. The Nationals right-hander is so competitive and gets so amped up for big starts that he can end up fighting himself on the mound, resulting in stretches where he overthrows and loses his effectiveness. You can understand, then, why Strasburg was, as he put it, "really geeked up" for this afternoon's spring training opener. Not only was it his...

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Not much has changed from last year. Davey Johnson's still getting plenty of use out of Craig Stammen's right arm. Stammen worked two innings this afternoon, throwing 39 pitches, and apparently will get a workload similar to that of the Nationals' starters early in spring. Stammen allowed three hits and one run, knotting the game at 3-3 for a brief time. It's now 5-3 Mets here in the top of the eighth inning. With both teams emptying their benches and using minor...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Dylan Bundy gets mixed reviews for his 2013 Grapefruit League debut. Bundy, the fourth overall pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, needed 27 pitches to make it through the fifth inning. Seventeen were strikes. The Twins loaded the bases on two singles and a walk before Chris Colabello struck out looking to end the rally. Now for the good parts: One of the hits off Bundy was a broken-bat single. He appeared to strike out Brian Dinkleman with the count full and two...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles observed a moment of silence for Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver after a video tribute. Zach Britton threw 19 pitches, 13 for strikes, in a scoreless first inning. Eduardo Escobar reached on an infield hit with one out and Josh Willingham singled to left. Brian Roberts bobbled a potential double-play ball, settling for the force at second, and Chris Parmelee lined to short. Jake Arrieta threw seven of his 11 pitches for strikes in the second. He walked Drew...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Once Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz completes his start on Monday, he will be followed to the mound by Mark Hendrickson, Daniel McCutchen and Pedro Strop. Those are the only confirmed pitchers for the Orioles. Others will be used, of course. Starters are expected to work one inning in their first turns before logging two innings in their next outings. The Yankees are sending pitchers Vidal Nuno, Bryan Mitchell, Corey Black and Shane Greene to Sarasota on Monday. I've...

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - I told you the wind could be a factor today. Stephen Strasburg's first inning of spring saw him surrender a two-run homer to a guy - Ruben Tejada - who had just one home run in 114 games last season. Tejada took a 93 mph Strasburg fastball over the left-center field fence, giving the Mets a 2-0 lead over the Nationals just two batters into Strasburg's Grapefruit League debut. The ball was struck well, but it definitely was wind-aided. We might be in for a few more of...

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Asked today about

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Greetings from Tradition Field, where the sun is out and the breeze is, as well. A nice wind is blowing out to center this afternoon, and the Nationals were taking full advantage during batting practice. One BP group, made up of Bryce Harper, Tyler Moore, Chris Marrero and Micah Owings, sent dozens of souvenirs out to the fans beyond the fence, and Moore and Marrero even tattooed a couple balls off the scoreboard in left-center. We could have quite a show out here...