VIERA, Fla. - Want to get a good indication of just how well Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa is hitting in spring training? Check out his batting practice session and see how many sharp ground balls are rocketing off his bat. A 1-for-3 day in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Tigers upped his Grapefruit League batting average to .316, and continued to dispel any worries about Espinosa's decision to strengthen his torn left rotator cuff instead of opting for offseason surgery. He's been...

VIERA, Fla. - As soon as the ball came off Prince Fielder's bat in the fourth inning, Stephen Strasburg immediately knew two things: The screamer was coming right at him, and he had a shot to catch it. The ball hit him, and he didn't snag it. And as it caromed into short center field for a single, all eyes turned to the mound as Nationals personnel descended upon the ace to make sure he was OK. It was the kind of reaction play that can either be a pitcher's best friend or worst enemy....

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Jair Jurrjens tossed five scoreless innings today in relief of Steve Johnson, allowing two hits, walking none and striking out three in the Orioles' 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. "That's as good as I've seen him," said manager Buck Showalter. "Regardless of which hitter he was against, all that other stuff, he was in command. That's pretty solid right there. Down with everything with a couple exceptions. Pretty impressive. "We've got to make some decisions...

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Steve Johnson lost home plate today. Now, he must hope that he didn't lose his chance to break camp with the Orioles. Johnson walked three straight batters and gave up a three-run double to Evan Longoria in the bottom of the third inning. He had retired eight in a row and was cruising along until his start unraveled. "I'm not real sure what happened," he said. "I felt like I battled that first walk. I was a little up, but it happens. I tried to go out of the...

The Orioles have issued a statement regarding the Sept. 5 night game against the Chicago White Sox, which is blocking the Ravens from playing the NFL season opener at home that night. The team and league were unable to find a way to move the game to allow for the Thursday night contest usually awarded to the Super Bowl champions. Here's the full statement: "The Orioles have great respect for the Super Bowl Champion Ravens and thank Major League Baseball, the MLB Players Association, and...

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - The Orioles have lost pitcher Todd Redmond on waivers to the Toronto Blue Jays, an industry source confirmed this afternoon. The Blue Jays later announced the claim. They optioned Redmond to Triple-A Buffalo. Redmond, claimed off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds in February, had been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after allowing five runs and eight hits in eight innings this spring. The Orioles had removed outfielder Trayvon Robinson from the 40-man roster to make room...

VIERA, Fla. - It seems odd to see the 0-2 record next to Stephen Strasburg's name on the stats sheet. The 4.66 ERA he toted into today's game against the Tigers looks a little strange, too. But then again, this is spring training and the stats here don't count. What's that old baseball adage about not making player personnel judgments based on statistics from March or September? Through three innings in his sixth spring start, Strasburg has looked pretty much in command, save for the...

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Nick Markakis hit off a tee, threw and ran this morning at the Ed Smith Stadium complex, and it went extremely well, according to manager Buck Showalter. Markakis will hit soft toss on Saturday and also run and throw again as he nears a return to the Orioles' lineup. "He's got that grin on his face on his face where you know he's going, 'Why don't we just start playing games?'" Showalter said. Tsuyoshi Wada and T.J. McFarland threw today back in Sarasota. Mark...

VIERA, Fla. - First pitch in the Tigers-Nationals game is 20 minutes way, but the Nats have made two more cuts. Right-hander Cole Kimball has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, while right-hander Jeremy Accardo has been reassigned to minor league camp. Kimball, in his first camp since right shoulder surgery performed in July 2011, pitched to a 2.84 ERA in seven relief appearances this spring. He hasn't pitched since March 13 because of tightness in his back and was scheduled to throw a...

The Washington Nationals today optioned right-handed pitcher Cole Kimball to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League and re-assigned right-handed pitcher Jeremy Accardo to minor league camp. Earlier today, the Nationals agreed to terms with left-handed pitcher J.C. Romero on a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. The Nationals currently...