SARASOTA, Fla. - Reliever Jason Berken tweaked his left hamstring today during conditioning drills. Berken had left the facility before reporters returned to the clubhouse and wasn't immediately available for comment. Manager Buck Showalter used the word "tweaked," but added that he wasn't certain of the severity. He was collecting more information from the training staff. "We'll see where that is tomorrow," Showalter said. "I'm not sure if 'tweaked' is the right description yet....

VIERA, Fla. - All present and accounted for. The last two straggers - one with an excused absence, one who probably didn't realize he'd be the last arrival to camp even though he was reporting early - showed up at Space Cost Stadium today, meaning all the Nationals have reported to spring training. Right-hander Henry Rodriguez, whose absence was excused, was by his locker stall bright and early. He had been granted a waiver from the Feb. 19 reporting date to work through a personal issue in...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Position players must report to camp today. Third baseman Josh Bell and outfielder Jai Miller arrived this morning. Outfielder Endy Chavez might be the last player to check into the Ed Smith Stadium complex. I haven't seen Steve Tolleson, but one of the reporters here says that he's pretty sure that he spotted the infielder earlier this week. I'm taking his word for it. Brian Matusz threw his second bullpen session yesterday, and his first outdoors in a more structured...

VIERA, Fla. - Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Thursday that he continues to be engaged in talks with Ryan Zimmerman and his representatives in hopes of hammering out a contract extension before the third baseman's Saturday deadline for a deal. "We continue to talk and have discussions," Rizzo said. "His agent (Brodie Van Wagenen) is in town, so that makes it easier." Zimmerman has said that he wants a deal in place by the time full-squad workouts begin Saturday or discussions...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Once the Orioles cut ties with former first-round pick Brandon Snyder over the winter, a path was cleared for Joe Mahoney at Triple-A Norfolk. Nobody is standing in his way. All he has to do is stay on the field. That's no small feat for the 6-foot-6 Mahoney, considering that he dealt with a variety of injuries in 2011 and seemed to be his own worst enemy. Mahoney fouled a ball off his knee during an intrasquad game. He pulled a hamstring. He strained an oblique while taking...

While my neighbor Terry's yard looks like a plush fairway at Augusta National and, compared to his, mine is like the U.S Open rough, that is not what I'm talking about here. The negative fans among us may be enjoying this time like no other. I get that the Orioles deserve to be bashed for 14 losing seasons, I just don't see the need to focus on it 24-7. Call me crazy, that's just me. * This is from Yahoo! Sports' Orioles 2012 season preview: Reputations in baseball die hard, and few...

VIERA, Fla. - Brad Lidge isn't ready to open his arms to the role of bullpen sage just because he's got 10 major league seasons and 223 career saves under his belt. But he was lucky enough to have established closers like Trevor Hoffman and Billy Wagner reach out to him when he was younger, and the 35-year-old Lidge is more than willing to do the same for the Nationals' young relievers, paying it forward so they can better adapt to and succeed in their roles. "If I see something going on...

VIERA, Fla. - For a few minutes Wednesday afternoon, a Nationals player was swarmed by Taiwanese media, who crowded around him outside the first base dugout at Space Coast Stadium, still cameras clicking, video cameras running and note pads in hand. Surprise, it wasn't Chien-Ming Wang, who has apparently been replaced as the media darling among his countrymen by teammate Michael Morse. Morse toured Taiwan with a group of Major League Baseball all-stars back in November, immediately...

VIERA, Fla. - More from Nationals manager Davey Johnson after the Nationals' second workout of the spring Wednesday. With utility man Mark DeRosa reporting, the only two players who haven't shown up in camp are non-roster outfielder

VIERA, Fla. - One of the main goals the Nationals have for veteran Edwin Jackson this spring is to correct a flaw in his delivery that may lead to the right-hander tipping his pitches, particularly from a full windup. Jackson went through his first side session today, throwing to catcher Wilson Ramos, and manager Davey Johnson says the problem, first discovered by pitching coach Steve McCatty while watching video of Jackson before camp, is still evident. "He's tipping his pitches. I did...