SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are keeping their regulars at the Ed Smith Stadium complex while they travel to Bradenton to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. Alexi Casilla is leading off again and playing shortstop, with Yamaico Navarro getting the start at second base. Conor Jackson will play first base instead of the outfield. Steve Pearce is the designated hitter. Taylor Teagarden originally was supposed to start today, but he appeared in yesterday's game against the Pirates and will make the...

It was the top of the second inning of the United States-Canada game Sunday in the World Baseball Classic. Adam Jones came up with runners on first and second and none out, with the USA and Canada in a 0-0 tie. He dropped a sac bunt advancing both runners. Jones did not have one sac bunt last season and has just six in his 786-game major league career. This bunt was the one heard round the Twitter world. Within seconds, reaction was swift and many could not believe Jones dropped a bunt. Jon...

With left-hander Ross Detwiler throwing not one, but four scoreless innings this week for Team USA, you have to admire how far the 26-year-old has come in a year and a half, and how crucial his pitching is to the Nationals' rotation. Detwiler allowed just one hit in those four innings. Manager Joe Torre had enough confidence in the southpaw to go out and let him finish the ninth frame for the save. Detwiler has shown with international experience in the Taiwan series last year and now the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - I've gotten out of bed the last two mornings, it's been dark and chilly, and I've felt as though I should be walking to the bus stop. I need that hour back. The Orioles should want their lives back. They're making a third trip to Bradenton, where they'll pretend that they haven't memorized the Pittsburgh Pirates' entire camp roster. They'll get another look at reliever Erik Cordier, the poor soul who couldn't throw a strike against them Friday night, though he did...

With Team USA two innings and a few outs away from losing today, and getting eliminated from the World Baseball Classic, Orioles center fielder Adam Jones delivered what could turn out to be a tourney-saving hit. Jones' two-run double to left-center off Canada pitcher Jimmy Henderson in the top of the eighth turned a 3-2 USA deficit into a 4-3 lead and was one of the biggest hits of the tournament. Shane Victorino followed with an RBI single as Team USA moved in front 5-3 heading to the last...

LAKELAND, Fla. - Even pitchers entering their 11th major league season come into spring training looking to add to their repertoire. Dan Haren is by far the most accomplished pitcher in the Nationals' rotation, with 119 career wins and three All-Star Games on his resume. He holds the fifth-best strikeout-to-walk ratio in major league history. But that doesn't mean that he isn't trying to add a new wrinkle or give hitters a different look. That's why he's made working the inside part of...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter took the windy conditions into account today while critiquing starter Miguel Gonzalez. "We counted five outs he got that the conditions changed," Showalter said following a 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. "Five outs - you know, a couple foul balls that would have been caught that were blown out." Gonzalez was victimized by Nate McLouth's error in the second on a fly ball that shifted a few times before falling inside the left field...

LAKELAND, Fla. - It was a fairly uneventful afternoon from an offensive perspective here at Joker Marchant Stadium. The Nationals and Tigers combined for three runs on 11 hits in a 2-1 Detroit win, and all four of the hits in the Nats' column were singles. From a pitching perspective, however, Davey Johnson saw a bunch of positives. Dan Haren went four strong innings, allowing two runs on five hits with two strikeouts. The veteran right-hander threw 61 pitches (43 for strikes), and if not...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Backup catcher Taylor Teagarden is off the injury list and back on the field. Teagarden replaced Matt Wieters behind the plate in the top of the seventh inning, his first appearance since being shut down with tightness in his lower back. Manager Buck Showalter told reporters a few days ago that Teagarden most likely would return to the lineup on Monday. Teagarden is appearing in only his third game this spring. He's 2-for-6 with two RBIs after striking out today leading...

LAKELAND, Fla. - If not for a couple defensive miscues in the second inning, Dan Haren might have had a pretty darn impressive outing. Instead, it was just pretty impressive. We'll leave out the "darn." Haren allowed two runs on five hits with two strikeouts over four innings, and he gives way to Drew Storen to start the fifth. Making his third start of spring, Haren threw 61 pitches, 43 for strikes. Haren pitched a clean, 1-2-3 first inning, but he got a couple bad breaks in the second....