SARASOTA, Fla. - In their never-ending search for more starting pitching, the Orioles apparently are on the verge of signing left-hander Dontrelle Willis to a minor league contract. The Phillies released Willis last week after he allowed five runs and five hits, and walked four batters, in 2 2/3 innings. Executive vice president Dan Duquette confirmed that the Orioles are working on a minor league deal, but he didn't offer any specifics. Asked if the deal would include a late spring...

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Just prior to first pitch here tonight, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo met with reporters to discuss the decision to option outfielder Bryce Harper to Triple-A Syracuse. Rizzo said that he and the rest of the Nationals brass were impressed with what they saw from Harper in spring, but wanted to give him a chance to refine his skills in the minors before getting a chance to play every day in the bigs. "We felt that he could use the at-bats down at Triple-A,"...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter addressed two of the most important postgame topics today: Pitcher Brian Matusz and right fielder Nick Markakis. Showalter noted that Matusz wasn't "as crisp as he was in the two previous outings." "Obviously, the wind helped him a little bit on the one ball, so there's two sides of that," Showalter said. Showalter was impressed with the way Matusz handled adversity today, including the seven hits he allowed in five innings and a ball that hit...

Sarasota, Florida - The Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCVB) has seen a significant increase in requests for destination information and visitation from the Mid-Atlantic region, largely due to the continued relationship between Sarasota County and the Baltimore Orioles. Over the last three years, inquiries from the Mid-Atlantic region grew 2.2 percent in 2009, 6.4 percent in 2010, and 7.3 percent for 2011 during the January through March time period. The visitor intercept statistics...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Phillies scored one run each off relievers Jim Johnson, Willie Eyre and Zach Phillips over the last three innings to defeat the Orioles, 4-1, before a sellout crowd of 7,811 at Ed Smith Stadium. Adam Jones had two of the Orioles' four hits. Backup catcher Taylor Teagarden, still shut down by discomfort in his lower back, was hit on the back of the left hand by a Ty Wigginton line drive while standing at the dugout railing. X-rays were negative. Teagarden might want to...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Phillies scored once off Willie Eyre in the eighth, and Erik Kratz homered off Zach Phillips in the ninth to increase their lead to 4-1. So how did Brian Matusz rate today's performance, when he allowed one run and seven hits, with one walk and three strikeouts, over five innings? "Good," he said. "Being able to go as deep as I could, getting a lot of ground balls, double plays. Defense played great today. J.J. (Hardy) and (Robert) Andino up the middle are phenomenal,...

Lee County, Fla., commissioners voted this morning to enter into negotiations with the Nationals that could lead to the club moving from its current spring training facility following the 2013 Grapefruit League season and relocating from Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Fla., to City of Palms Park across the state in Fort Myers. According to the Naples Daily News, the county's Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to pursue the Nationals, who would join the American League's Minnesota Twins...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Left-hander Brian Matusz wasn't especially sharp today, allowing seven hits and walking his first spring batter over five innings, but the damage was minimal. The Phillies managed only one run, on former Oriole Ty Wigginton's single in the first inning that scored former Oriole Lou Montanez. Matusz was aided by three double plays over the first three innings. Matusz struck out three batters, raising his spring total to 16 over 15 innings. In his last three starts, Matusz...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Zach Britton is convinced that he knows what isn't wrong with his left shoulder. The trick is finding out what's causing the inflammation. Britton hopes to get a definitive answer on Wednesday when he's examined by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla. "I just want to get someone else to look at it," he said. "We've done treatment since August on it and some of the same issues keep popping back up, so I want to see what he has to say. Obviously, he's seen thousands of...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles pitcher Zach Britton has scheduled an appointment with renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday in Pensacola, Fla. Britton hasn't pitched since Thursday in a minor league game because of inflammation in his left shoulder. He was scratched from Monday's start at Twin Lakes Park. Orioles orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens has been in contact with Andrews, who will examine Britton's MRI taken on Feb. 8. Britton says there's no tear in his shoulder, and...