It appears that we have a standoff between the Orioles and pitcher Dontrelle Willis. Executive vice president Dan Duquette has no plans to release Willis. Willis has no plans to report to Triple-A Norfolk, the team he left on Friday before learning that the Orioles placed him on the restricted list. The Orioles claim that Willis didn't have permission to leave. Willis and his agent, Matt Sosnick, say that's not the case, and that the left-hander believed he had been granted his release so...

So much for a quiet day off. The Orioles didn't play a game today, but they've been in the news with the signing of infielder Bill Hall to a minor league deal and confirmation that pitcher Dontrelle Willis left Triple-A Norfolk and has been placed on the restricted list. Hall will replace Josh Bell at Norfolk. In a text message, executive vice president Dan Duquette said Hall's strengths are "his defense at third base and power hitting vs. left-handed pitching." Hall, 32, is a career...

In his first game action since suffering a left hamstring injury March 15, Chien-Ming Wang threw three innings today at extended spring training. Facing the Tigers' extended spring training club, Wang allowed one run and five hits with no walks and three strikeouts over his three frames of work. He threw 51 pitches, 37 for strikes. This is the latest step in Wang's recovery from the hamstring injury which set him back in his quest to make the Nationals' starting rotation. The 32-year-old...

The Nationals have played 16 games and have won 12 of them, resting in first place in the National League East in late April. The Nationals have had big extra-inning wins, like Saturday's thrilling 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins, or the timely hit to stay in games. They haven't blown out teams, going 6-2 in one-run games. They have played error-free baseball, tallying an 8-2 mark when they don't commit a miscue. But manager Davey Johnson said pitching, with starters Stephen Strasburg,...

So far, during this 2012 season, it seems that leg cramps and neck spasms can slow Nolan Reimold's bat better than American League pitchers can. Flashing some of the potential that Orioles fans have seen before, Reimold is off to a fast start - when he can get on the field. In 11 games and 46 at-bats, he is batting .370 with four doubles, five homers, nine runs scored and a stolen base. He has a slugging percentage of .783 and an OPS of 1.166. If he had enough at-bats to quality for the...

Here's a quick update on Orioles' left-hander Zach Britton, who's been rehabbing his left shoulder at the minor league complex in Sarasota. Britton has spent the last few days long-tossing from 120-plus feet. He threw a few pitches off a mound today with a catcher in front of home plate. "Just an exercise to get my arm used to that angle again," he said. "My arm feels strong and healthy." Britton doesn't know when he'll be ready to pitch in a game. "I'm sure Chris (Correnti) and...

Things are going pretty well at the major league level for the Nationals, and within the organization, there's a lot of positive stuff going on at the minor league ranks, as well. Bryce Harper hit his first home run at Triple-A Syracuse yesterday, crushing a 3-1 pitch from Buffalo's Jeurys Familia out to right. It took 16 games and 61 at-bats for Harper to finally go yard with Syracuse, but the Nats' top prospect finds himself in the home run category.

Thoughts on the early going: * The Orioles are getting good pitching from Jake Arrieta and Wei-Yin Chen, but the most impressive aspect of the Orioles' start is their character. After getting swept in three games at home by the Yankees, the Orioles responded well on a road trip that took them to three time zones. They won series at Toronto and Chicago, and then managed to take one of three over the Angels after two late rallies in Sunday's 3-2 10-inning win. Given how the Yankees have...

When it comes to the Orioles, I usually have a great idea of what to say about the team, and generally, it's some kind of justified gripe. However, with the team off to a solid 9-7 start, I find myself slightly conflicted. I'd love to be one to take the optimistic route and say that the start is a sign. No, not even a sign for a pennant win or playoff security, but rather a sign to finish above .500 in what I believe is the toughest division in Major League Baseball. But I can't. Because...

The just-concluded road trip had the potential to be something special after the Orioles took two of three games in Toronto and three of four in Chicago. They lost two of three in Anaheim, removing some of the luster, but they finished above .500 on a three-city jaunt that could have sent them tumbling down the American League East standings. I think we can all agree that going 6-4 on the trip was a nice achievement, especially after the Yankees swept the Orioles at Camden Yards. And being 9-7...