VIERA, Fla. - As Dan Haren noted the other day, when pitchers look good in spring training outings, they'll talk about how great they felt. When they get smacked around in spring training outings, they'll talk about how they were just working on stuff. Jordan Zimmermann was just working on stuff today. Zimmermann got smacked around in his three innings of work this afternoon, allowing eight runs on nine hits. He also walked two batters and struck out one. The third inning was especially...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Xavier Avery gets the start in center field tonight, as the Orioles travel to Bradenton to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. Wilson Betemit will start at third base, with Manny Machado skipping the trip. For the Orioles: Alexi Casilla SS Ryan Flaherty 2B Wilson Betemit 3B Jason Pridie DH Travis Ishikawa 1B Trayvon Robinson LF Chris Dickerson RF Jose Gil C Xavier Avery CF Wei-Yin Chen LHP Brian Matusz, Tommy Hunter, Troy Patton and Daniel Schlereth also are scheduled to...

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals have a bit of a policy when it comes to pitchers working back from injuries: They need to rehab one day for every day that they were shut down. Christian Garcia first felt discomfort in his right wrist/forearm during a bullpen session Feb. 17 and last threw on Feb. 21. He's been shut down ever since, after doctors determined that Garcia had a strained tendon in his forearm. Manager Davey Johnson said that Garcia will be examined again in a couple of days by team...

VIERA, Fla. - Six spots in the Nationals' bullpen are already set, barring injury, leaving an opening for just one more arm. Henry Rodriguez, Fernando Abad, Cole Kimball and Christian Garcia have been mentioned as candidates for that final bullpen spot this spring. But in manager Davey Johnson's mind, the job is Rodriguez's to lose. Asked today what he needs to see from Rodriguez this spring to convince him that the flame-throwing right-hander deserves a spot on the 25-man roster, Johnson...

Right-hander Nathan Karns is getting himself acclimated quickly at spring training. In his first two games, Karns did not allow a run in three innings, scattering two hits, walking two and striking out three. One of those hits was a seeing-eye single given up to Mets All-Star David Wright after quite a battle. "I feel like I started off on the right foot and keep going in that direction for the rest of spring training," the 25-year-old Karns said. "I want to build off of this and have a...

VIERA, Fla. - Roger Bernadina went 0-for-3 with a walk, but the Netherlands beat Cuba 6-3 last night in the opening second-round game of the World Baseball Classic. Orioles infield prospect Jonathan Schoop blasted a three-run homer and Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons had two hits as the Netherlands continued its hot play to start the WBC. Team USA opens play at 9 p.m. tonight as R.A. Dickey will take the mound facing Mexico. Ross Detwiler is scheduled to piggyback Ryan Vogelsong in...

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals and Cardinals square off again today, marking the third time in six days these two teams have seen each other. This is what happens these days when your spring training facilities are on the east coast of Florida. It'll be Jordan Zimmermann getting the start for the Nationals, with an interesting group of pitchers following him to the mound: Rafael Soriano, Nathan Karns, Ryan Perry, Henry Rodriguez and Tyler Clippard. Today will be Soriano's second Grapefruit...

While the Nationals won three of their last five games, one of the most interesting parts of last week came in a loss. The loss came to the Phillies by a final score of 6-3 on Wednesday. After Stephen Strasburg plunked Chase Utley's ankle, Roy Halladay threw behind Tyler Moore. As Wednesday's game was the sole spring training meeting between the two teams, only the regular season will tell if there will be any carryover between the NL East teams. On both Tuesday and Thursday, the Nats...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are heading back to Bradenton tonight, where their first attempt to play the Pirates was washed away by rain. I drove there, set up in the press box, met with manager Buck Showalter in his office, watched him examine the outfield with the umpires, and drove back to my hotel. I still tingle over the memory. We have a night game, which means the media isn't allowed inside the Orioles' clubhouse in Sarasota before 1:30 p.m. It's almost like a day off. More...

With players battling it out for a spot on the roster, the Orioles have posted huge offensive numbers this week. Since last Friday, the Birds have won four games and lost just one, with one game versus the Blue Jays ending in a tie. Over those six games, the Orioles have posted 55 runs. Is that a lot? On the flipside, opponents posted 35. On Friday, Brian Roberts got the offense going versus the Pirates, going 3-for-3 with a home run. Yesterday's win seemed like a win ripped out of the...