SARASOTA, Fla. - I wanted to pass along a few items before heading back to the Orioles' clubhouse. I'll pass along quotes later. Catcher Taylor Teagarden is seeing a back specialist in St. Petersburg today to determine whether his MRI reveals any structural damage. So far, surgery is not being discussed. The Orioles are simply trying to determine the source of his discomfort. Brian Roberts took batting practice on the Ed Smith Stadium field in a group that included Matt Wieters and Endy...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Left-hander Troy Patton is scheduled to pitch today for the first time since Thursday, when he recorded the last three outs to pick up the save against the Braves. I suggested that the Orioles were holding him back for the next time they needed another lead protected in the ninth, but he wasn't buying it. Actually, Patton was supposed to take one day off and throw again, but he requested an extra day because he was "a little bit sore still." "Ideally, I would have...

VIERA, Fla. - We can't count on the 80 degree weather here to cool down Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who is absolutely scorching right now. Zimmerman is on a tear to start his spring, hitting .583 with five of his seven base hits going for extra bases. The new $100 million man has two homers and three doubles in 12 at-bats. That hot stretch continued yesterday, as Zimmerman went 2-for-3 with a homer and a double in the Nats' 8-4 win over the Cardinals. You love to see the strong...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Tampa Bay Rays are bringing plenty of regulars to today's game against the Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium. Luke Scott is back in Sarasota as their designated hitter. Nolan Reimold is batting leadoff today for the Orioles, and Ronny Paulino is serving as the designated hitter. For the Orioles: Nolan Reimold LF Robert Andino 2B Adam Jones CF Chris Davis 1B Matt Wieters C J.J. Hardy SS Mark Reynolds 3B Ronny Paulino DH Jai Miller RF Jason Hammel RHP For the Rays: Fuld...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The swelling in Nolan Reimold's left cheek is almost gone. Though he's not ready to devour a steak - too much chewing - he's progressed from shakes to soft foods. And he's taking hard swings in the batting cage. Reimold will return to the Orioles' lineup tomorrow afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays, only four days after being drilled in the face by an Alex Cobb fastball in Port Charlotte. "It's healing pretty fast," he said this morning after taking batting...

Here is a question I'd love to get some opinions on today: How important are strikeouts for a pitcher? We tend to think that pitchers with the most strikeouts are the pitchers with some of the best velocity. While that is likely true, there are always exceptions to the rule. But I think it is fair to say that a big strikeout pitcher is generally one with some quality pitches and stuff, as they say. On the downside, a strikeout pitcher can run up his pitch count faster than a control pitcher...

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals trimmed nine players from their stable of players at big league camp today, including two of their top three picks in the 2011 draft. First-round pick Anthony Rendon, who has seen time at multiple infield positions this spring, and third-round left-handed pitcher Matt Purke were both optioned to Single-A Potomac. Infielder Carlos Rivero was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, while six others - right-handed pitchers Austin Bibens-Dirkx and Rafael Martin, catcher Sandy...

The Washington Nationals today optioned left-handed pitcher Matt Purke and infielder Anthony Rendon to Potomac of the Single-A Carolina League and optioned infielder Carlos Rivero to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Additionally, the Nationals re-assigned right-handed pitchers Austin Bibens-Dirkx and Rafael Martin, catcher Sandy Leon, infielder Jarrett Hoffpauir and outfielders Corey Brown and Xavier Paul to minor-league camp. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball...

The outfield depth of the Nationals' system has certainly been fortified over the last few seasons through draft and free agent acquisition, especially with the inclusion of former catcher and No. 1 prospect Bryce Harper moving to a corner outfield position in his first season. But also garnering major attention has been former University of North Carolina and the 34th overall selection in 2011, outfielder Brian Goodwin, who the franchise hope will eventually be that prototypical center...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Over in Dunedin, left-hander Wei-Yin Chen allowed one run in three innings to the Toronto Blue Jays and has been replaced by Armando Galarraga. Chen gave up two hits, walked a batter and struck out two. He threw 52 pitches, 29 for strikes. The run scored on a Colby Rasmus double. In two spring starts, Chen has allowed one run and three hits in five innings, with with one walk and five strikeouts. I'm not including his intrasquad outing, when he failed to retire a third...