SARASOTA, Fla. - Second baseman Brian Roberts returned to the clubhouse after visiting a back specialist today. He described his back as feeling "much better, definitely. Quite a bit better." And he remains hopeful of starting the April 1 opener after assuring reporters following yesterday's MRI that the discomfort wasn't related to his herniated disk. "Saw the doc today and got good, encouraging news, so I'll start to try to progress starting today," Roberts said. "He just said that...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter provided a quick health update during batting practice. It never gets old. Showalter said the MRI on Brian Roberts' back didn't show anything new. He still believes that Roberts, who's visiting a back specialist this morning, could be ready for the April 1 opener. "I'm going to speak to Robby at lunch time," Showalter said. "I know talking to Richie (Bancells) that the MRI was nothing new there to speak of, so that's good news. Hopefully, we're...

The start of a new baseball season brings some changes at Orioles Buzz. Beginning the first full week of the 2011 campaign, there will be some new names, viewpoints and voices associated with MASNsports.com's blog dedicated to all things Birdland. Beginning April 4, Orioles Buzz will feature guest bloggers every weekday. MASNsports.com recognizes that the blogosphere contains all sorts of opinions on the O's, and bloggers following the orange and black are a particularly hearty breed of fan....

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...