VIERA, Fla. - Watch Ryan Zimmerman warm up his arm in between innings of spring games with throws across the diamond, and it's clear that his adjusted throwing motion is still a bit of a work in progress. Some throws skip into the dirt, short-hopping first baseman Adam LaRoche. Some throws are wide, pulling LaRoche off the bag. Two straight warm-up tosses before the bottom of the first inning yesterday yanked LaRoche to the home plate side of first. This has been noticed by some scouts, who...

The Orioles today announced that they have reassigned outfielder Lew Ford to minor league camp. With the assignment, the Orioles now have 37 players at major league spring training, including nine non-roster invitees.

It probably barely registered at all with Orioles fans when the club signed a right-handed pitcher named Miguel Gonzalez to a minor league contract after spring training had already started last year on Feb. 28. Little did we know how big a role he would play for the 2012 Orioles. How he would become one of their key starters late in the year and how he would go on to give up just one run in seven innings in Game 3 of the American League Division Series in Yankee Stadium. How over nine starts...

SARASOTA, Fla. - And down the stretch we come, with no more road trips left before the Orioles break camp and only three Grapefruit League games remaining on the schedule. The Orioles will play back-to-back night games against the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. Two division rivals. Quick, hide the starters! Jair Jurrens takes the ball tonight after moving up to replace Steve Johnson. The Orioles should be thrilled with the progress he's made physically and with his command since the...

Not on the diamond. Not on the mound. Not during bullpens. You will not see this component of a pitcher's preparation for a game or a season. But it is absolutely crucial to every step and every pitch they make in their career. It is strength training. So with fans not getting a chance to see what a pitcher's work is like in the weight room, several fans have asked what the weight training regimen is like for each pitcher before and during the season? How much should pitchers lift?...

Tyler Townsend, a once-promising first base prospect, has told the Orioles he is retiring from baseball. The club's third-round pick in the 2009 draft out of Florida International often dealt with hamstring issues in his career and had not played in any games during spring training this year due to wrist and hip injuries. After a 2010 season when he hit a combined .325 between Single-A Delmarva and Single-A Frederick, Townsend had a very strong season when he was healthy for the Keys in 2011....

JUPITER, Fla. - It's been somewhat of an ongoing theme this spring: Dan Haren pitches pretty well, but has one bad inning or makes a few bad pitches and his stat line suffers, making it look as if he's getting bashed all around the park. Today, Haren worked six innings, allowing seven hits and five earned runs. He allowed four home runs - two off the bat of Giancarlo Stanton - and will finish the Grapefruit League season with a 6.39 ERA, having allowed 14 earned runs in his last 16 1/3...

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...