SARASOTA, Fla. - I have to assume that the initial plan called for Orioles starter Jake Arrieta to go three innings today, but he exited with two outs and nobody on base in the top of the third. Arrieta threw 44 pitches, 29 for strikes, and manager Buck Showalter didn't want to push him any further. Arrieta is charged with four runs and five hits, all of them coming in the second inning. He didn't walk a batter and struck out four. The Pirates strung together three singles and a double to...

VIERA, Fla. - Michael Morse isn't in the Nationals' lineup tonight, but that doesn't mean the left fielder isn't getting work in today. Morse, who is still dealing with a lat strain, will head over to a side field at the Nats' complex and play in a minor league game today. He plans on getting 6-8 at-bats during that game, which he much prefers over the 2-3 that he would get if he was to travel with the Nationals to Orlando for tonight's game against the Braves. "I can actually work on...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Tsuyoshi Wada threw 33 pitches in a two-inning simulated game on the Camden Yards field. Jai Miller, Scott Beerer and Brady Anderson took some swings against him. The next step for Wada is pitching in a real game Sunday or Monday. Most likely, he will be used in Monday's minor league game at Twin Lakes Park, which also will include Zach Britton and Jake Arrieta. "He was real good," said pitching coach Rick Adair, who monitored Wada's outing along with manager Buck...

VIERA, Fla. - While Bryce Harper's chances of making the Nationals' opening day roster have taken a hit as he's missed the last six days because of a left calf injury, general manager Mike Rizzo says that Harper still is in the mix for the team's starting right fielder job. "We haven't made any decision to the contrary," Rizzo said. "He's still in the picture, and we're still early in the decision-making process." Harper, the Nats' top prospect, has gone 5-for-11 (.455) in...

VIERA, Fla. - Teams around the majors have expressed interest in Nationals lefty John Lannan, but the Nats aren't anxious to move the 27-year-old starter, general manager Mike Rizzo said today. "I am not actively shopping him," Rizzo said. "I haven't actively shopped him all year, all winter." Rizzo wouldn't go as far as to say there's been "a lot" of interest in Lannan, but did say that teams in need of rotation help have inquired as to what it would take to land the lefty. "I...

SARASOTA, Fla. - A CT scan on catcher Taylor Teagarden's lower back revealed a slight tear in a ligament that supports a disk. Teagarden received an epidural this morning to reduce the inflammation. He'll mostly be shut down for a week, though he could begin hydrotherapy in three days. The recovery time for Teagarden's injury is roughly three weeks. Asked if Teagarden will be ready for opening day, manager Buck Showalter replied, "It could happen but I'd say it's in jeopardy." Ronny...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Managers always issue the same warning about not falling in love with spring training numbers, but it's pretty easy to crush on Jai Miller. Miller leads the Orioles with seven RBIs, two more than Rule 5 pick Ryan Flaherty. He's batting .333 and is one of only three players on the team with a home run (Chris Davis and Flaherty are the others.) "I definitely feel good," Miller said. "I've been having good ABs, been making good contact. It's just one of those things where...

SARASOTA, Fla. - If you want to see a reliever with a look of relief on his face, check out Willie Eyre today. Eyre was given quite a scare yesterday when informed that his 3-year-old daughter, Lily, had fallen into a hotel pool and was being rushed to a local hospital. Eyre was told during warmups to call his wife, and she gave him the news. "Everything kind of stopped for me. It was surreal," he said this morning. "I got to the hospital and, I won't say she was hysterical, but she was...

VIERA, Fla. - Manager Davey Johnson isn't ready to announce how his starting pitchers will line up for the first couple regular season series just yet, but that decision will come fairly soon. While we've now been through the Nationals' rotation twice, Johnson wants to see each starter go one more time and get up around that 75-pitch limit before he makes any decisions on how things will play out in early April. The two obvious candidates get the honors as the Nats' opening day starter...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nick Markakis will make his spring debut today against the Pittsburgh Pirates, serving as the designated hitter and batting third. For the Orioles: Endy Chavez RF J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis DH Matt Wieters C Adam Jones CF Nick Johnson 1B Mark Reynolds 3B Nolan Reimold LF Robert Andino 2B Jake Arrieta RHP Jim Johnson, Willie Eyre, Luis Ayala and Kevin Gregg also are scheduled to pitch for the Orioles. Tsuyoshi Wada will throw a simulated game at 11:15 a.m.