SARASOTA, Fla. - I haven't started my drive to Bradenton, but I've already got a lineup for you. For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Adam Jones CF Mark Reynolds 3B Vladimir Guerrero DH Jake Fox LF Nolan Reimold RF Brandon Snyder 1B Craig Tatum C Ryan Adams 2B Brad Bergesen RHP Josh Rupe and Jeremy Accardo also are slated to pitch tonight. Fox gets a chance to further show off his versatility with a start in left field. Update: Former Oriole Garrett Atkins will start at third base and bat...

VIERA, Fla. - In the wake of the news that Atlanta Braves minor league manager Luis Salazar was struck by a foul ball and hospitalized on Wednesday, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman reflected Thursday on the many hazards of baseball. Several baseball-related accidents in recent years have created a greater awareness about the safety hazards - for both team personnel and fans sitting close to the action. "You're not going to a game thinking about a foul ball," Riggleman said. "It almost...

Coming off some dominating performances late last year and after a winter of workouts near his Orange County, Calif., home, O's minor league pitcher Dan Klein is now ready for his first full professional season. Klein, the O's second pick in last June's draft, which came in round three, reported to minor league camp at Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota, Fla., on Sunday Some O's fans had to be excited about Klein's potential when he pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings in five appearances for Short...

SARASOTA, Fla. - I just opened the curtains and saw my first heavy rain of the spring. It's coming down in buckets, accompanied by claps of thunder, but the forecast calls for clearing in the afternoon. Time spent pairing up the animals has probably been wasted. The Orioles will be playing under the lights in Bradenton tonight, their second road game against the Pirates in less than two weeks. It's the shortest drive of the spring, replacing Jupiter, so no complaints on this end. The...

Nationals minor league Pitcher of the Year Tom Milone started against the Houston Astros on Tuesday and pitched well, allowing just one hit over two innings of shutout ball with no walks and no strikeouts. The left-hander, in Nationals accelerated camp and facing Houston minor leaguers, threw between 20 to 25 pitches, inducing a pair of flyouts and three groundouts. "It felt good coming out of the hand," the former USC hurler reported. "I have no complaints. My arm felt great. I was...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Ryan Drese is trying to force his way into the Orioles' rotation. He kept pushing tonight in Fort Myers. I checked the game tracker, and Drese allowed one run, on a J.D. Drew homer, and three hits over three innings. He walked one and struck out one. Drese retired the side in order in the first inning, but Drew led off the second with a homer. The inning also included Jason Varitek's double and a walk to Daniel Nava. Marco Scutaro singled with one out in the third. In...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The MRI taken earlier today on Derrek Lee's right wrist didn't reveal any structural damage, matching the results of yesterday's X-rays. Lee is dealing with some soreness that he believes is due to the atrophy that developed while his hand was in a cast following surgery in November to repair a torn ligament in his thumb. "The MRI came back normal. Nothing really unexpected," said president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail. Lee will wait a few days to reduce the...

Many Nationals fans managed to save some hard earned-cash by skipping the box office premiere of "How Do You Know" last fall. The the motion picture flop featured Owen Wilson as a Nationals pitcher along Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd and Jack Nicholson. For those of you who missed it in theatres, the romantic comedy is set to be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on March 22. If you're still not inclined to spend money on this one, at least rent it from Netflix or Blockbuster. Despite the poor...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Well, that was fun. The Orioles totaled 12 runs in their last five games before today. They scored 11 today. The finishing touches on an 11-2 win were applied by Ryan Adams, who homered, and left-hander Alberto Castillo, who easily retired the three batters he faced in the ninth. I failed to mention earlier that Adam Jones' long home run came against former Orioles reliever Jim Hoey. Jones was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Adams had two hits after...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Vladimir Guerrero wasn't trying to hit the Twins' bus. It only looked that way. Guerrero launched his second spring home run, easily clearing the fence in left-center field against Twins reliever Alex Burnett to increase the Orioles' lead to 7-1 in the fifth. Luke Scott scalded a ball to first, but it turned into an out. Nolan Reimold beat out a chopper to the left side. That Achilles issue is a thing of the past. He was motoring to first. Kevin Gregg, David Riske and...