I know that Brian Matusz pitched terribly last year and that is the memory many still have as they wonder if he can regain his pre-2011 form for the Orioles. But I keep thinking back to the Matusz I saw in the 2009 and 2010 seasons. He was a pitcher with an excellent four-pitch assortment and could command them all. He pitched with a plan and with confidence. We've seen him do that at the major league level as well and I am confident he will do it again. It may take some time and maybe he...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Before retiring for the night, I wanted to pass along a note regarding a tour that Brian Matusz will be giving Thursday at the Ed Smith Stadium complex, thanks to the Casey Cares Foundation. The foundation is sending Carly Shulman - a 15-year-old Hodgkins Lymphoma patient from Hampstead - her parents, brother, and care-taker to the Orioles' spring training camp tomorrow morning. The group will attend the Orioles' 1:05 p.m. game against the Twins, but that's not all....

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Nationals appear to be taking tentative steps toward moving their spring training home from Space Coast Stadium to Fort Myers, Fla. According to this tweet from Peter Gammons of the MLB Network and MLB.com, the Nationals have given Lee County their plans for a reconstruction of City of Palms Park, the former spring base of the Red Sox. Boston moved into JetBlue Park this spring, leaving their old facility empty and with an unsure future. The key will be whether...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Two balls left Champion Stadium off Washington Nationals' bats this afternoon. The first came in the second inning when Jayson Werth smacked the first pitch he saw over the right field wall, perhaps benefiting slightly from a heavy wind going out to right. Regardless of whether the long ball was wind-aided, it was a shot, no doubt about that. Manager Davey Johnson will certainly take the power from Werth, but Johnson couldn't help but laugh when talking about the...

FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Orioles rallied from a four-run deficit to tie today's game, but the Red Sox reclaimed the lead in the seventh inning against Oliver Drake and held on for a 5-4 victory at JetBlue Park. Most of the postgame chatter centered on Dylan Bundy, who settled down after a four-pitch walk to blank the Red Sox in the fifth inning in his first exhibition appearance. "I thought T (Taylor Teagarden) did a good job with him," manager Buck Showalter said. "That's why I wanted him...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - On Gio Gonzalez's first official pitch of spring training, the radar gun on the scoreboard at Champion Stadium read 94 mph. On his final pitch of his first inning of work, the gun flashed 95 mph. Gonzalez doesn't buy those figures. "I think these guns were juiced a little bit," Gonzalez laughed. "I don't know if it was really 95." Not everyone agreed. Asked if he felt the radar readings might have been accurate, catcher Wilson Ramos nodded his head. "Oh,...

FORT MYERS, Fla. - The four Baltimore-based reporters who made the trip to JetBlue Park today also made the rounds inside the cramped visitors clubhouse in the middle of the game. (Hard to believe this place is new. It's got some nice features and it holds almost 10,000 fans, but Ed Smith Stadium kicks its butt.) Here's Dylan Bundy, who walked one batter in a scoreless fifth inning and settled down after catcher Taylor Teagarden visited the mound following a four-pitch walk to Dustin...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - It appears Michael Morse's injury isn't anything to worry about. Morse was pulled from the Nationals' lineup less than an hour prior to this afternoon's game against the Braves because of a lat strain, an injury which can sometimes sideline players for multiple weeks. But the Nationals' left fielder, who led the team in home runs, RBIs and batting average last year, says he's not concerned about missing more than a couple days because of the injury. "I'm not...

FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Orioles waited until the fifth inning to collect their first hit of the day. Two more followed, including a two-run single to center field by Double-A outfielder Xavier Avery that cut Boston's lead to 4-2. Avery was picked off first base by Red Sox reliever Alex Wilson. Rule 5 pick Ryan Flaherty grounded a single into right field with one out in the fifth after Taylor Teagarden walked, and Josh Bell followed with a looping single into right to load the bases. Avery...

MASN, the television home of the Baltimore Orioles, today announced its Major League Baseball schedule for the 2012 season. Once again, all Orioles games broadcast by MASN will be available in crystal-clear high definition, including the home and season opener against the Minnesota Twins on April 6 and interleague games against the Washington Nationals (May 18-20, June 22-24), Philadelphia Phillies (June 8-10), Pittsburgh Pirates (June 12-14), Atlanta Braves (June 15-17) and New York Mets (June...