BRADENTON, Fla. - Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis won't be in Sunday's lineup against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium because of continuing stiffness in his neck. Markakis' neck tightened up again yesterday while he played with his kids, according to manager Buck Showalter. He's better today - basically back to where he was two days ago - but the Orioles aren't taking any chances. "He's still close, but I wouldn't say Sunday. I'll probably wait a little bit on that...

VIERA, Fla. - It was just eight pitches, but for Henry Rodriguez and the Nationals, it was a big step in the right direction. Rodriguez worked one inning in this afternoon's 16-10 loss, setting the Cardinals down in order in the sixth. The hard-throwing righty threw eight pitches, seven of which were strikes, in retiring J.R. Towles, Ryan Jackson and Greg Garcia. This was Rodriguez's first game appearance since last July 31, after which he underwent surgery to clean up a bone spur in his...

VIERA, Fla. - Jordan Zimmermann didn't really look like himself this afternoon in the Nationals' 16-10 loss to the Cardinals. Neither did Nathan Karns. There might be a reason for that. Zimmermann gave up eight runs on nine hits over three innings, while Karns surrendered seven runs (one earned) in just 2/3 of an inning. According to manager Davey Johnson, both guys were battling medical issues. For Zimmermann, it's merely a case of dead arm, according to Johnson, who said that the...

The Orioles today announced that they have agreed to terms with 17 players on one-year contracts, completing agreements with all players on the 40-man roster. Today's agreements included right-handers Jake Arrieta, Zach Clark, Miguel Gonzalez, Steve Johnson, Pedro Strop and Chris Tillman; left-handers Mike Belfiore, Zach Britton and T.J. McFarland; catcher Luis Exposito; infielders Ryan Flaherty, Manny Machado, Yamaico Navarro, Jonathan Schoop and Danny Valencia; and outfielders Xavier Avery...

VIERA, Fla. - While Jordan Zimmermann and Nathan Karns took a beating today for the Nationals, Rafael Soriano and Henry Rodriguez delivered scoreless innings in relief. Rodriguez, making his spring debut after working back from elbow surgery and some biceps tightness, pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning this afternoon, and needed just eight pitches to do so. Manager Davey Johnson had originally planned to give the flame-throwing righty just one batter this afternoon, but he ended up being...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Tsuyoshi Wada threw on one of the back fields today. Manny Machado is getting dressed for the workout, no evidence of swelling in his face after yesterday's root canal. Taylor Teagarden is preparing to take batting practice and catch bullpen sessions, the discomfort in his lower back fading. Never hurts to check. "I was pretty much a full participant in yesterday's workout and I'm going to do it again today," Teagarden said. "Make sure that the back feels good. It's...

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...