SARASOTA, Fla. - Nolan Reimold is batting leadoff in tonight's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which he accepts with a shrug of his shoulders. Reimold might be the least animated guy in the Orioles' clubhouse. He isn't going to get all worked up over any assignment. "I just took a peek over there and saw my name on the top of the lineup, so I'll be ready to go first at-bat," he said. In his perfect world, would he be the everyday leadoff hitter? "In my perfect world, I'm in the...

VIERA, Fla. - Both right-hander Chien-Ming Wang and manager Davey Johnson were pleased with the two-inning effort turned in by the Nationals starter during a minor league intrasquad game this afternoon. "I liked what I saw," Johnson said. "He's obviously stronger than last year, even in his warm-ups. He looks like the old Chien-Ming." Wang, who had been dealing with some stiffness in his throwing shoulder, allowed one unearned run in his two innings of work. He gave up three hits - a...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Alfredo Simon threw two scoreless innings today against the Rays in Port Charlotte. He allowed a double to Ben Zobrist and struck out two. Brad Bergesen will replace Simon for the third inning. Nolan Reimold is batting leadoff tonight against the Pirates. Should we read anything into it? For the Orioles: Nolan Reimold LF J.J. Hardy SS Adam Jones CF Mark Reynolds 3B Matt Wieters C Ryan Adams DH Chris Davis 1B Jai Miller RF Robert Andino 2B Brian Matusz LHP For the...

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals have a night game in Port St. Lucie tonight, but there's still action around Space Coast Stadium early this afternoon. Right-hander Chien-Ming Wang will take the mound in the Nationals' intrasquad game at 1 p.m., which will be the veteran's first time throwing to hitters since last Monday's live batting practice. Wang is working through some stiffness in his pitching shoulder, but assuming all goes well today, he's scheduled to make his first Grapefruit League...

SARASOTA, Fla, - For the Orioles: Endy Chavez RF Matt Antonelli 2B Nick Johnson DH Wilson Betemit 1B Joe Mahoney LF Taylor Teagarden C Ryan Flaherty SS Josh Bell 3B Xavier Avery CF Alfredo Simon RHP You'll notice that Mahoney is playing left field. Go get it, Big Irish. Also, Flaherty has a chance to show that he's adept at playing shortstop. The Orioles are supposed to take three "regulars" on every trip, but teams always dance around that unwritten rule. I'm not sure who qualifies in...

SARASOTA, Fla. - We've moved past the intrasquad games, at least for now, but we're still a month away from opening day in Baltimore. The next step in our baseball progression is the start of the Grapefruit League schedule. The Orioles are taking the Ernie Banks approach by playing two. Manager Buck Showalter isn't thrilled with the idea of a spring doubleheader, but there's no way to avoid it. Alfredo Simon gets the start in Port Charlotte today against the Tampa Bay Rays. I can't make...

If Brian Matusz pitches well tonight at Ed Smith Stadium in his spring training debut maybe he will finally be at a point where the questions he has to answer deal more with the present and future than the past. Few pitchers have ever had such a swing in their performance as this 25-year-old left-hander. He finished the 2010 season going 6-0 with an ERA of 1.57 over his last eight starts and then went 1-9 with an ERA of 10.69 last year. American League batters hit .372 off Matusz last year...

VIERA, Fla. - In Davey Johnson's eyes, Stephen Strasburg had a bit too much adrenaline running through him while out on the mound today, leading to a little bit of wildness. "Stras was too hyped up, amped up," Johnson said. "You could tell from the first pitch he threw he was loaded for bear. But other than that, everybody came through all right." Johnson said he could understand Strasburg's emotions being high for the Nationals' Grapefruit League home opener; after all, as Strasburg...

VIERA, Fla. - It's probably a good thing when a pitcher leaves the mound after his first spring training start feeling like he has a good bit more in the tank. That's how Stephen Strasburg felt after throwing 44 pitches in 2 2/3 innings today against the Astros. "I felt good," Strasburg said. "Arm felt strong. The big thing was going out there trying to pound the zone. Obviously, it's been a while since throwing offspeed to hitters and stuff, and I think the biggest thing I noticed was...

VIERA, Fla. - It's only spring training. It's only spring training. Just repeat after me. And do the "