SARASOTA, Fla. - Nick Markakis is expected back in camp on Friday after flying to Baltimore today for a funeral. As I mentioned earlier, Markakis underwent the same acid reflux test administered to Manny Machado and Zach Braddock. That's why he didn't play today. "He had it this morning, 7 o'clock," said manager Buck Showalter. "He had to have a little anesthesia to do it. That's why he didn't participate today. "What happens is they have this acid reflux and they mention it in the...

VIERA, Fla. - Tyler Moore, Roger Bernadina, Chris Snyder and Chad Tracy all took their hacks against Stephen Strasburg this morning in the right-hander's first live batting practice session of spring. As Bernadina warmed up just before stepping into the cage, he turned around and started chatting with a couple of reporters. I asked whether Bernadina would be going yard off Strasburg, and Bernadina quickly turned his head toward the mound as Strasburg fired in a few warm-up pitches that had to...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Chris Davis hit an opposite-field home run off Tommy Hunter in today's Orioles intrasquad game on the Camden Yards field. Davis lined a fastball that was low and away over the left-field fence. "Actually, it wasn't a bad pitch," Davis said. In his next at-bat, Davis squared to bunt twice against Adam Russell, taking the first pitch and fouling off the second. He struck out swinging, with catcher Taylor Teagarden squeezing the foul tip. "I wanted to see how it felt,"...

VIERA, Fla. - Stephen Strasburg will throw live batting practice this morning. Bryce Harper will hit off live batting practice this morning. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the two former No. 1 overall picks will be facing off against each other out on the minor league fields today during the Nationals' workout. Strasburg is scheduled to be the first pitcher to throw live BP out on Field 1. He'll be followed by Ross Detwiler, Drew Storen, Ryan Mattheus, Bill Bray and Nathan...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter told reporters yesterday that Nick Markakis would leave camp after the intrasquad games to attend a funeral in Baltimore, but the right fielder isn't in today's lineups and there's no sign of him in the clubhouse. I'll check with Showalter later, but Markakis may have already left Sarasota. He's expected back in a few days. It's also interesting that Nolan Reimold isn't playing today. He's in the clubhouse and continues to be full-go in...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter has posted his four lineups for today's 10 a.m. intrasquad games at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. Field 3: Xavier Avery CF Luis Exposito C LJ Hoes LF Travis Ishakawa 1B Yamaico Navarro 3B Buck Britton RF Adrian Marin SS Ty Kelly 2B Todd Redmond RHP Jonathan Schoop 2B Russ Canzler 1B Chris Dickerson CF Chris Robinson C Niuman Romero SS Danny Valencia 3B Johnny Ruetteger LF Brenden Webb RF Steve Johnson RHP Field 4: Adam Jones...

VIERA, Fla. - Some might wonder whether yesterday's ESPN report claiming Gio Gonzalez did not receive performance-enhancers from Biogenesis, a Miami-area anti-aging clinic, will have any effect on Gonzalez as the Nationals lefty prepares for the season. Will it lift a weight off Gonzalez's shoulders? Will the report get rid of a distraction that has lingered around the Nationals' clubhouse for the last week and a half, since large clusters of players started filing into camp? Those two...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The long lineup layoff ends today. The Orioles are playing intrasquad games this morning on fields 3 and 4. At the same time. It won't be easy to track every pitch with these games being played simultaneously, but I'll provide as much information as possible. Manager Buck Showalter will post four lineups this morning, which I will pass along to you. Just like old times. In case you missed it yesterday, Steve Johnson, Zach Clark and Mike Wright will oppose Todd Redmond,...

Another top 100 prospects list was published yesterday and, for the third time in three lists, Orioles top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy was ranked among the best prospects in the sport. Baseball America ranked Bundy No. 2 on its list behind only Texas infielder Jurickson Profar. Bundy was also ranked No. 2 by MLB.com and No. 3 by ESPN's Keith Law. Bundy went 9-3 with a 2.08 ERA in 23 starts this past season at three minor league levels and then pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings in two major...

VIERA, Fla. - Ever since being linked to Biogenesis, a Miami-area anti-aging clinic that allegedly was supplying performance-enhancing drugs to major league players, and its founder, Tony Bosch, Gio Gonzalez has denied any wrongdoing or PED usage. "At the end of the day," Gonzalez said a week ago, "I've never taken performance-enhancing drugs, and I never will." A report from ESPN's "Outside the Lines" backs up Gonzalez's claim. The report cites two sources familiar with Bosch's...