SARASOTA, Fla. - The Chris Tillman situation just took an interesting turn. The Orioles placed Tillman on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 22 with a left abdominal strain. Tillman remains eligible to return on April 6 and pitch the fifth game of the season against the Minnesota Twins at Camden Yards. It's possible that he still could pitch Friday against the State College of Florida in a rehab start. Update: Tillman is still scheduled to pitch on Friday. The DL move doesn't...

SARASOTA, Fla. - In an effort to promote Sarasota County as a global sports destination and bolster the local economy, Visit Sarasota County (VSC) and the Baltimore Orioles are continuing to cultivate a successful marketing partnership that is boosting visitor impact from the Mid-Atlantic region. Together, the visitor information organization and the Major League Baseball team have spread the "Go Beyond the Beaches" message to scores of potential visitors worldwide. The estimated value of...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter has decided that Chris Tillman will pitch the fifth game of the season on April 6 against the Minnesota Twins at Camden Yards. Doesn't matter whether Tillman goes on the disabled list or makes the 25-man roster out of spring training. Tillman is starting Friday afternoon against the State College of Florida. He had been shut down with abdominal soreness, but appears to be healthy. It's just a matter of building up his innings. The fourth spot...

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals' Grapefruit League season is over. The bags in the home clubhouse at Space Coast Stadium are all packed and the players are dressed and ready for their flight up to D.C. Thirty-three spring training games are in the books. Only tomorrow's exhibition against the Yankees at Nats Park and two days off stand between the Nationals and the 2013 regular season. "We're ready to get out of here," manager Davey Johnson said after this afternoon's 5-1 win over the Mets....

SARASOTA, Fla. - Jair Jurrjens sat at his locker as reporters approached him this afternoon, which was no small feat. Jurrjens is still sore after being nailed in the right ribcage last night by a line drive from the Yankees' Thomas Neal. X-rays were negative, but Jurrjens is positive that he's in pain. "I feel really sore and a little bit stiff," he said. "I'm going to see how it feels after some treatment and see what game plan they have for me. "It's the same as last night. It's...

VIERA, Fla. - It's 5-1 Nationals here in the eighth inning at Space Coast Stadium in what's turned into a minor league game. Neil Holland, who spent nearly all of last season at high Single-A Potomac, has worked the last two innings for the Nats. Remarkably, despite having been with the Nationals for two full springs now, Gio Gonzalez hadn't made a start at Space Coast Stadium until today. All five of his Grapefruit League outings last spring came on the road, and his first four big league...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Wei-Yin Chen made his final start today before taking the ball for the second game of the regular season at Tropicana Field. He faced the Tampa Bay Rays, but the Triple-A version. Chen threw 82 pitches in five innings and allowed a run on Brandon Guyer's homer to center field. He issued one walk. "This was a really good accomplishment," Chen said through his interpreter, Tim Lin. "I feel like I accomplished something today. The first two innings, I couldn't feel...

VIERA, Fla. - There weren't too many called strikes taken by Nationals hitters in their final Grapefruit League at-bats this afternoon. Everyone is eager to get the heck out of here and make their way up to D.C. The Nationals attacked Mets starter Domingo Tapia today, pouncing on early pitches in the zone and doing some damage with them. Adam LaRoche crushed a solo homer way out to right leading off the second, and two batters later, Danny Espinosa followed with a longball of his...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Pitcher Jair Jurrjens had X-rays taken on his right ribcage this morning and he's waiting for a team physician to review them and pass along the results. Jurrjens said he's still bothered by soreness and stiffness on his right side. He had difficulty sitting down at his locker. Update: Jurrjens' X-rays were negative. He will take today off and could pitch later in the week if the soreness subsides. Also, outfielder Trayvon Robinson is still day-to-day with soreness in his...

This spring has been a confusing one. The only cherry blossoms we have seen were the white puffs of snow clinging to the branches several days ago. Nationals spring training hasn't blossomed the way we thought either. The expectations are so different after winning 98 games in 2012. We want to win them all, even the ones in March. Like the osprey soaring on March winds above Viera, the Nationals have ridden Bryce Harper's bat on one day only to be grounded the next as the pitching staff is...