SARASOTA, Fla. - Brian Roberts said it was by design that he was not trying to steal many bases in the early spring training games. But that changed today in the last of the first inning. After he singled off Boston's Clayton Mortensen, he stole his first base this spring. Not only did he steal second but he went into the bag sliding head first, just like the Orioles have seen him do many times before, but certainly not very much lately. "It was good," Roberts said. "It's something that...

SARASOTA, Fla. - You can't keep the Flaccos out of the news these days. The Orioles announced this afternoon that they traded minor league infielder Michael Flacco to the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations or a player to be named later. His brother, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco recently signed a six-year contract worth $120.6 million that made him the highest-paid player in NFL history. At least the Orioles aren't having salary cap issues. And now, New England can boast that it has a...

JUPITER, Fla. - Dan Haren sure doesn't sugarcoat things. The veteran right-hander allowed five runs on six hits over five frames today in a 5-1 loss to the Cardinals, and as reporters approached to ask about his outing, Haren cracked a smile and tossed out a few obscenities. With his typical brutally honest and incredibly self-aware style, he then started delving into his issues on the mound today. "That was just one of those days, man," Haren said. "I felt like I was throwing a...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Brian Roberts was thrown out trying to steal second base after his RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning. He went into the bag feet-first. Let that be a lesson. Roberts' single tied the game, 1-1, and followed Bryce Brentz's home run off Luis Ayala that briefly gave Boston the lead. Ayala struck out one batter. Roberts is 2-for-3 today and 10-for-27 this spring. Nate McLouth, leading off today, has doubled, walked and stolen a base. T.J. McFarland got three...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Brian Roberts doesn't think about how he's going to approach second base on a steal attempt. It just happens. Roberts dived into the bag in the bottom of the first inning, as he normally does, for his first stolen base of the spring. He had singled with one out, his ninth hit in 25 at-bats. The Orioles need to find out whether Roberts can withstand the pounding of playing second base and running the bases. The concussion symptoms returned in May 2011 after he dived into...

JUPITER, Fla. - Five batters into the bottom of the first inning here at Roger Dean Stadium, it was already 4-0 Cardinals. Dan Haren gave up a solo home run to Jon Jay on a 3-2 pitch to open the game, marking the second straight day a Nationals starter surrendered a leadoff homer. Chris Young did the same yesterday. Haren then gave up back-to-back singles to Daniel Descalso and Matt Carpenter, and after getting Ty Wigginton to pop out to second, Haren served up a three-run shot to Matt...

SARASOTA, Fla. - To say the least, it was a confusing play in the ninth inning of yesterday's game. Dylan Bundy was pitching against Tampa Bay with a man on third and none out of a 3-3 game. He threw a pitch in the dirt. Right after that, the umpire at third base ruled the runner could advance to home. What had happened? A balk? No. Actually the runner was awarded two bases (although he only needed one in this case to score) when O's catcher Luis Exposito touched the ball with his...

JUPITER, Fla. - Joe Namath is in the house today at Roger Dean Stadium. The New York Jets legend, who apparently lives nearby, walked onto the field right as the Nationals started taking batting practice, and stood near the cage with former Orioles star and MASN broadcaster Jim Palmer. Davey Johnson and Steve McCatty both came up to the group at various points to chat it up. Johnson played alongside, and is good friends with, Palmer. Not a bad trio there - an NFL Hall of Famer in Namath, a...

SARASOTA, Fla. - As manager Buck Showalter and pitching coach Rick Adair go about sizing up the large field of candidates to win the Orioles' fifth starter's job, you know Showalter must be evaluating a lot of things. For him, it is certainly more than just about the stats. "There's a lot of things," Showalter said. "Let's face it, the first time they throw a side (session) on the back field in February, you're getting feedback. That's human nature, we're watching. You guys come in...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nate McLouth is leading off and playing center field today, with Brian Roberts batting second. In other games, Roberts has hit first and McLouth has batted second or lower. Roberts has been the Orioles' leadoff hitter when healthy, but manager Buck Showalter claims that he hasn't made a decision for this season. It could be Roberts, McLouth or Nick Markakis. Nolan Reimold moved to the top of the order in April. There's no shortage of candidates. "I'm still looking at...