FORT MYERS, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter plans on starting Nick Markakis in right field Wednesday night against the New York Yankees at Ed Smith Stadium. "We'll see how he feels," Showalter said. Markakis served as the designated hitter today and went 1-for-5, singling on the first pitch thrown to him since March 1. "It was good. He didn't want to walk the last time. You could tell," Showalter said. "I didn't run him 3-2 counts a couple times to get him through the day. His...

JUPITER, Fla. - You sure wouldn't know it by looking at his recent numbers, but Bryce Harper is still dealing with a sore left thumb, and it might force him out of the Nationals lineup for a few days. Harper initially injured his thumb Friday against the Tigers when he got jammed by a Drew Smyly pitch. After getting a day off Saturday, Harper has played in three straight games, going 8-for-8 with a walk in that span. Today, however, Harper got jammed again in his second at-bat (an RBI single...

FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Minnesota Twins have scored twice off Orioles minor league pitcher Tyler Wilson to build a 9-4 lead in the ninth inning. Kevin Gausman never imagined that he would stay in major league camp for more than a week or two, but he made today's start with less than a week remaining before the 25-man roster must be set. "Right after (Dylan) Bundy left, I thought, 'All right, a couple more days.' But I'm definitely happy with it. Don't get me wrong, it's been a blast. I...

The Orioles today announced that MASN will broadcast The BUCKle Up Birds: An Underdog Story, the Orioles 2012 season highlight video. The program will debut on MASN tomorrow evening at 10:00 p.m. and will reair on Saturday, March 30 at 6:00 p.m. and again on Friday, April 5 at 12:30 p.m. before the Orioles home opener vs. the Minnesota Twins at 3:05 p.m. The movie, which was produced in house by the award-winning Orioles Productions department, is available for purchase at...

Buckle up, Baltimore. Baseball's nearly back and, boy, do we have a way for you to get back into the mood for all things Orioles. The Orioles announced today that "The BUCKle Up Birds: An Underdog Story" will air on MASN on Wednesday, March 27 at 10 p.m. The 2012 season highlight video, which was one of the big hits of FanFest back in January, will be rebroadcast on Saturday, March 30 at 6 p.m. and on Friday, April 5 at 12:30 p.m. before the O's home opener against the Minnesota...

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Kevin Gausman left today's game after 3 2/3 innings with his pitch count at 69, including 50 for strikes. Gausman allowed three runs and six hits, with no walks and three strikeouts. Pedro Florimon reached on an infield single with two outs, bringing manager Buck Showalter from the dugout. First baseman Chris Davis bobbled the ball and threw late to Gausman covering the bag. The play was scored a hit. A 27-pitch third inning reduced the chances of Gausman getting past...

JUPITER, Fla. - Bryce Harper's day is done after 4 1/2 innings of work, and while it's just spring, Marlins pitchers probably couldn't be happier that the Nationals left fielder is out of the game. Harper is on an absolute tear right now, as evidenced by the fact that he's reached base in 10 straight plate appearances. Nine of those 10 trips to the plate have resulted in hits, seven of which came after Harper injured his left thumb on a jam-shot single. For the spring, Harper is now...

If there is one thing that Orioles fans seem to get fired up about, it is predictions about their team from national writers and analysts. Especially when those predictions are positive. The last two days, ESPN's writers and broadcasters have been heaping some praise on this team. In a podcast yesterday, Buster Olney picked the Orioles to win the American League East and Jayson Stark predicted a second-place finish. Today, on a media conference call, ESPN's three "Sunday Night Baseball"...

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Kevin Gausman tossed two scoreless innings today against the Minnesota Twins before allowing two runs in the third. His fastball has topped out at 97 mph and reached 96 mph multiple times. Wilkin Ramirez doubled leading off the third inning for the Twins' first hit. Gausman responded by striking out former Orioles farmhand Pedro Florimon on a 96 mph fastball, but Aaron Hicks pulled a ball down the first base line, past Chris Davis and into the right field corner for an RBI...

FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Orioles have reassigned outfielder Lew Ford to minor league camp. Ford was 15-for-37 (.405) with three doubles, two homers and six RBIs in 17 games. "Lew has a chance to help us," said manager Buck Showalter. The Orioles have 37 players in camp, including nine non-roster invitees. The Orioles could make one or two more cuts Wednesday. Showalter told reporters that left-hander Mark Hendrickson, who hasn't allowed a hit or run in his last four outings, is still...