VIERA, Fla. - With four innings in the books and 72 pitches under his belt, Jordan Zimmermann is done for the day. Zimmermann, making his third start of spring, did not allow a run today, scattering six hits and striking out three. Of his 72 pitches, he threw 50 strikes - by my count, at least. Zimmermann didn't have his best stuff today, but he showed off a very sharp slider on a few occasions, and threw first-pitch strikes to 11 of the 17 batters he faced. So far this spring, the righty...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen became the first Orioles pitcher today to work past the fourth inning, though the fifth didn't go as smoothly as the rest. Chen took a three-hit shutout into the top of the fifth before allowing back-to-back singles to Ryan Lavarnway and Pedro Ciriaco, and a three-run homer to former Orioles farmhand Nate Spears. His only walk came with two outs to former Orioles outfielder Darnell McDonald, but Josh Kroeger struck out looking to end the inning. Chen...

VIERA, Fla. - While it's widely assumed that Chien-Ming Wang's hamstring injury might have opened up a spot in the Nationals rotation for John Lannan, we shouldn't necessarily forget about Ross Detwiler. Yes, Lannan led the Nationals in wins last season and is owed $5 million this season. He's a consistent performer, eats innings, and the Nats would not be in bad shape, to say the least, if he opens the season as their fifth starter. But Detwiler has put together a pretty strong spring,...

SARASOTA, Fla. - I don't have much to report from manager Buck Showalter's pregame session with the media, except it's really, really hot on the field. Showalter received a favorable report on Tommy Hunter's four-inning, 60-pitch effort in yesterday's minor league game. He noted that Hunter tired a little in the fourth inning. Showalter confirmed that Hunter will start Wednesday against the Blue Jays in Sarasota. Reliever Darren O'Day is throwing off a half mound today as he recovers...

It is getting closer to the time to start a new baseball season in Baltimore. But that doesn't stop me - lover of stats as you know - from still presenting some numbers from last season. Good start, remember?: The Orioles began last season going 4-0 and 6-1. In those first four games, they gave up just one run in each contest. According to Elias, that tied a major league record of four consecutive wins to start a season while allowing no more than one run in each game, previously set by the...

VIERA, Fla. - Another day, another game without Michael Morse in the Nationals' lineup. The Nats' left fielder, who has spent the last couple weeks battling a lat strain, underwent an MRI to see if there was anything more which was causing him discomfort when he throws. The test confirmed the lat strain and didn't reveal any further issues, but Morse will continue to be held out of the lineup for now. He'll be allowed to get some swings on a side field, but will not play in Grapefruit...

VIERA, Fla. - By the time yesterday's game against the Yankees was three innings old, Steve Lombardozzi had already gone 2-for-2 with a home run off CC Sabathia and made two dazzling defensive plays at third base. He jogged back into the dugout and was greeted by manager Davey Johnson, who had a question for the 23-year-old infielder. "I said, 'What, are you trying to make this club or something?' " Johnson said. How'd Lombardozzi respond? "Just nodded, then he got another hit,"...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Tommy Hunter threw four innings and 60 pitches yesterday against the Boston Red Sox's Single-A team at Twin Lakes Park, just as the Orioles wanted him to do. "I felt good," he said. "They were swinging the bats a lot yesterday. I made good pitches. I was throwing all four of my pitches for strikes." Hunter still hasn't pitched in a Grapefruit League game because of discomfort in his lower back that no longer requires treatment - just some exercises - but his debut...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are playing split-squad games against the Red Sox this afternoon. You'll notice that the majority of regulars are staying back at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. For the Orioles (home): Endy Chavez LF J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis DH Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Mark Reynolds 3B Nick Johnson 1B Jai Miller RF Robert Andino 2B Wei-Yin Chen LHP Kevin Gregg, Matt Lindstrom and Pedro Strop also are scheduled to pitch today. For the Red Sox: McDonald CF Kroeger...

One issue Nationals starting pitcher Edwin Jackson may want to concentrate on is how easy it was for opposing hitters to steal second base on him last season. According to "The Fielding Bible, Volume III," Jackson struggled holding runners at first base in 2011. It is a problem that has plagued Jackson for the past few seasons. "The Fielding Bible" has formulated the term defensive runs saved, or DRS, to show how valuable a player can be by preventing runs from scoring while he is in the...