SARASOTA, Fla. - Manny Machado is starting at third base again today, but he will have a root canal later this afternoon. Manager Buck Showalter will remove him from the game after a few at-bats. Getting Machado out of the lineup this spring has been like pulling teeth, so it seems appropriate. Machado won't make the trip to Bradenton on Friday, but he will likely play Saturday night against the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers. Showalter wants Machado to face Red Sox left-hander Felix...

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Jayson Werth chose not to get into the Nationals-Phillies fray this morning. I swung by the Nationals complex at Space Coast Stadium before making the drive here for this afternoon's game against the Astros, and checked in with Werth to see if he had anything to offer after yesterday's incident involving Stephen Strasburg, Chase Utley, Roy Halladay and Tyler Moore. Werth, who spent four years with the Phillies before joining the Nats in 2011, opted to stay out of it all,...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The next time reliever Darren O'Day pitches in a spring training game, he doesn't expect the Orioles to hold a 13-run lead against a largely anonymous opponent in winds that could lift a house off its foundation. O'Day made his spring debut yesterday against Team Spain and allowed two runs and three hits in the seventh inning. "The goal yesterday was to get out there in a game and throw and be healthy and make sure everything works," he said. "It was a tough game to...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles' outfield for today's game against the Toronto Blue Jays will consist of Steve Pearce in left field, Nate McLouth in center and Conor Jackson in right. Nolan Reimold is batting leadoff and again serving as the designated hitter. He may return to the outfield on Sunday. For the Orioles: Nolan Reimold DH Brian Roberts 2B Conor Jackson RF Matt Wieters C Chris Davis 1B J.J. Hardy SS Nate McLouth CF Manny Machado 3B Steve Pearce LF Jason Hammel RHP Mike Wright,...

VIERA, Fla. - At one point late yesterday afternoon, after the Nationals-Phillies game had ended, interviews had been completed and reporters had all made our way back up to the press box to work on our postgame stories, I turned to another local writer and asked him if he had any idea what the final score of the game was. About five minutes later, one of the Phillies beat writers, sitting a row in front of me, turned to his left and asked another writer a similar question. "Who the hell won...

I'll save the final predictions for the end of this blog, but let's just say the MLB Network's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" feature last night on the Orioles was real positive. The network spent some time recently with the Orioles in Sarasota and several interviews were featured on the broadcast last night. Analysts Sean Casey, who was in Sarasota, along with Al Leiter and Bill Ripken back in the studio all took turns with positive comments and observations about the club. Here is a sampling...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles' regulars go back to work today. They've basically been given a three-day reprieve. No game on Monday, a road game on Tuesday, a minor league workout yesterday disguised as a game against Team Spain. The Orioles remain in Sarasota today, and they're playing the Toronto Blue Jays for the third time this spring - and the first away from Dunedin. Most of the regulars will be in the lineup, with the exception of right fielder Nick Markakis, who will take off a few...

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Now that we've gotten all the dramatic stuff out of the way ... Outside of the fastball to Chase Utley that nailed the Phillies second baseman in the left ankle, Stephen Strasburg was pretty pleased with his stuff and his outing overall. Strasburg allowed two runs on five hits over 3 2/3 innings, striking out six and walking one. He threw 67 pitches, 40 for strikes, battling through a stiff wind. The right-handed grooved through his first two innings of work, striking out...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Today's game between the Orioles and Team Spain lasted 3 hours, 40 minutes. Jim Johnson was only responsible for part of it. Johnson, making his first appearance this spring, allowed an unearned run and one hit in the eighth inning. His appearance was brief compared to many others on this blustery day. "I got a couple fastballs up," he said. "Other than that, I'm a lot better than where I was at this point last year." Johnson was slowed in camp last spring because of...

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Stephen Strasburg hit Chase Utley on the left ankle. Roy Halladay threw behind Tyler Moore. Strasburg said he had no reason to hit Utley. Halladay said the pitch to Moore slipped. Then Halladay smiled. What was set up to be another quiet Grapefruit League game between the Phillies regulars and a Nationals lineup made up primarily of minor leaguers turned a bit more interesting in the third and fourth innings this afternoon. Strasburg and Halladay already shared their...