Orioles minor leaguer Jonathan Schoop took a swing and produced one of the most dramatic hits so far in the World Baseball Classic. Schoop's three-run homer in the top of the sixth turned a one-run lead for the Netherlands into a four-run edge in a 6-2 upset win over Cuba in a second-round opening game. Schoop also had a single and RBI double in this game. He went 3-for-6 with four RBIs against a Cuba team that went 3-0, allowing just five total runs in the first round. He came to bat with...

The Orioles today announced that they have reassigned right-hander Mike Wright, left-handers Zach Braddock and Eduardo Rodriguez, and catchers Allan de San Miguel and Luis Martinez to minor league camp. With these reassignments, the Orioles now have 56 players at major league spring training, including 16 non-roster invitees.

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have reassigned pitchers Mike Wright, Eduardo Rodriguez and Zach Braddock, and catcher Luis Martinez to minor league camp. One more player will be cut today, but manager Buck Showalter hadn't informed him. Wright allowed one run and three hits today. Braddock still hasn't pitched after undergoing surgery last summer to repair a torn labrum, but he's finally been cleared to throw off a mound. Martinez didn't get any at-bats because of a strained oblique, but...

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Prior to today, I can't recall ever seeing a left fielder make a throw all the way to first base because a runner had made a wide turn around the bag. Perhaps not surprisingly, it was Bryce Harper who gave that throw a shot this afternoon, firing a strike about 250 feet from medium-depth left field to Tyler Moore at first, in an attempt to nab Astros first baseman Brandon Laird, who had ventured about 25 feet off the base. Harper's toss was strong and right on the money,...

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Drew Storen pitched a scoreless inning for the Nationals, allowing an infield single and a base knock to left but striking out two in the seventh. The Nationals then knotted the score at 2-2 in the eighth on Michael Taylor's two-run single to center, but Ryan Mattheus surrendered two runs in the bottom half of the inning, putting the Astros back up 4-2. We're going to the ninth here in Kissimmee. Gio Gonzalez barely utilized his off-speed pitches his last time out, with...

SARASOTA, Fla. - There's a strong wind blowing out to left field, which makes it a typical day here at Ed Smith Stadium. And pretty much every ballpark in the state of Florida. I'm not sure exactly how that works, but I've witnessed the same thing in Dunedin, Bradenton, Port Charlotte, Fort Myers ... you name it. Mike Wright surrendered a run in the fifth inning and Toronto catcher Henry Blanco homered on the first pitch thrown by Daniel McCutchen in the sixth - a routine fly ball carrying...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Jason Hammel didn't complete the third inning today, leaving after 2 1/3 with the score tied 1-1. He allowed five hits, walked one and struck out four. Mark Hendrickson replaced Hammel with two runners on base, issued a two-out walk and escaped the jam. The Orioles scored five runs in the bottom of the third to take a 6-1 lead. Toronto committed two errors that accounted for four of those runs. Steve Pearce contributed a run-scoring double that raised his spring RBI total to...

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Ideally, Gio Gonzalez would have worked four or five innings against the Astros this afternoon, allowing him to build up arm strength while getting a chance to face as many live hitters as possible before leaving to pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. Instead, Gonzalez worked just three innings against Houston, throwing 42 pitches (27 strikes) before giving way to Ross Ohlendorf. Gonzalez was being kept to under 50 pitches today because the Nationals and Team...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have been scouting Los Angels Dodgers pitchers Aaron Harang, Ted Lilly and Chris Capuano, figuring that at least one of them will become available in a trade. The Dodgers' rotation is overflowing and the Orioles haven't closed the door on acquiring another veteran starter, though there's no shortage of arms in their camp. Harang, 34, went 10-10 with a 3.61 ERA in 31 starts last season. He's due to make $7 million this season, and his contract includes a $7...

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - The World Baseball Classic has established fairly strict pitch-limit rules in order to avoid pitchers getting overused during the tournament. Some of these rules are incredibly tough to understand. The language is very dense, and even after reading over the pitch-limit restrictions a few times, I still don't completely have a grasp of how they should be interpreted. It sounds like Team USA's coaching staff and the Nationals might be in the same boat that I am. Nationals...