SARASOTA, Fla. - Pitcher Justin Duchscherer is waiting for the results of yesterday's MRA, but he struck an ominous tone this morning when he compared the stiffness in his left hip to the way it felt before his most recent surgery. "The best I can describe it is it felt like it did last year before I had to have it operated on, so I thought the smart thing to do was not go out there and try to throw three innings when it was already hurting in warmup," he said. "Get some images on it and...

After producing seven hits in 17 at-bats for a .412 batting average in his first major league spring training camp, Orioles' first base prospect Joe Mahoney seems to have made the most of his initial chance to play for the Birds. "It was a great experience. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot," Mahoney said last night. "I was fortunate enough to play well and hopefully make a good first impression with both the coaching staff and management." "I think he's primed to have that year...

The Washington Nationals today announced the new Power Pack all-inclusive season ticket deal, a new option that gives fans the opportunity to purchase one game ticket, one combo meal and one parking pass all season-long for one low price. Worth more than $50 in total value per game, full season plans start as low as $25 per seat, which saves up to 50 percent off the face value of the entire package. Fans can choose between three affordable packages in the following seating locations: ...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Both teams pounded out 14 hits today, but the Orioles made more of them count. Manager Buck Showalter met with reporters on the field after an 8-2 victory over the Pirates that improved their spring record to 8-7-2. Showalter didn't have any updates on Justin Duchscherer or Brian Roberts. Koji Uehara threw a bullpen session today, will take tomorrow off and will throw on the side again Wednesday. He could pitch in a game by the end of the week. Asked about Jake Arrieta's...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles increased their lead to 7-2 in the seventh inning on Jake Fox's leadoff home run, his fourth this spring, and Matt Angle's RBI single that followed a Nolan Reimold bloop double into left field. Ryan Adams reached on an infield hit in his first at-bat today. Former Oriole Garrett Atkins, batting for the pitcher, flied to center. Update: Nick Green, batting .087 with no homers or RBIs, cleared the left field fence in the eighth. Josh Bell tripled. The Orioles...

After a week of visiting with familiar faces in NatsTown South, I remembered how close-knit this community of baseball lovers can be at times. It certainly feels like a family - or to reach back to a favorite sitcom theme song, "a place where everybody knows your name." As you probably know, fans in this market are lucky to have so many quality fan-generated blogs covering this team and providing unique perspectives in sophisticated ways. You may already be reading the dozens of popular,...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Pirates put runners on second and third with no outs in the fifth inning against reliever Jeremy Accardo. They didn't score. They didn't erase a 3-2 deficit. Finally, a little excitement in this game. Pedro Alvarez sent a screaming liner to third baseman Mark Reynolds, who made the catch and lunged at the bag to double off John Bowker. Two outs. Matt Diaz followed with a single into right field. Nick Markakis charged the ball and made a perfect one-hop throw to...

Because host John Riggins is on vacation this week, "The John Riggins Show" will not air on MASN. Regular airings will resume March 21.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nick Markakis lined a two-out double down the right field line in the bottom of the first inning. He didn't stop there. Well, he sort of did, and then he kept going. Markakis slowed up after rounding second base and was thrown out at third to end the inning. That split second of indecision cost him. Ryan Adams did the same thing in Kissimmee after rounding first base on a single, but he made it to second for the double. Jake Arrieta allowed a leadoff single to Pedro...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter was clearly impressed with first baseman Joe Mahoney, the organization's minor league Player of the Year in 2010 who was cut earlier today. Mahoney was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after going 7-for-17. "One thing you have to realize is this guy went from 250, 260 to 20-something pounds less than he was," Showalter said. "He's done a lot to put himself on the map. Keep in mind he was our minor league Player of the Year. This guy really popped last...