SARASOTA, Fla.- It feels like I just left the Ed Smith Stadium complex about 45 minutes ago, and I'm already back here. I'll be heading to Clearwater for today's game against the Phillies. I may take a few Sun reporters with me, just for laughs. The Orioles haven't posted their lineup. Cesar Izturis won't make the trip, which must be causing the delay. He apparently rolled his ankle last night, but it's nothing serious. Justin Duchscherer and Brian Matusz are pitching today. Here's...

Derek Norris received high praise this week from manager Jim Riggleman, who has been impressed with the way camp has started for the Nationals' top catching prospect. Norris feels completely healthy after battling through injuries last season. His 2010 campaign was slowed by a broken bone in his hand before the season began. In May, he was hit by a pitch in his head and suffered a concussion. Norris now has a clean bill of health and that has helped him at the plate. In four games this...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles and Yankees played to a 0-0 tie in front of 8,471, the largest baseball crowd in Ed Smith Stadium history. The Orioles pulled their goalie, but still couldn't score. Manager Buck Showalter approved of Zach Britton's outing, but noted that the left-hander needs to throw more first-pitch strikes. "That'll come," Showalter said. "Stayed off the sweet part of the bat and got a lot of ground balls. Good start for him." Showalter won't shield the minor...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Cameron Diaz took her seat beside the Yankees' dugout at exactly 8:25 p.m., but who's counting? If she looks over at me one more time, I'm going to start getting uncomfortable. Kevin Gregg tossed a perfect fourth inning, striking out one. He hasn't allowed a run in three innings this spring. Jeremy Accardo survived a one-out double by Melky Mesa in the fifth and a walk to Mark Teixeira in the sixth. The Orioles have four hits, courtesy of Brian Roberts, Mark Reynolds,...

SARASOTA, Fla.- Young left-hander Zach Britton looks calm and composed on the mound tonight. It doesn't matter that he's facing the Yankees before a standing-room-only crowd in a game that's airing on MASN. Britton admitted to a case of the jitters after his first appearance against the Phillies, but he mowed down the Yankees on 13 pitches in the first inning. He retired Derek Jeter on a grounder to short, Robinson Cano on a bouncer to second and Mark Teixeira on a tapper to the mound. The...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles lost to the Boston Red Sox, 6-5, in Fort Myers. Yamaico Navarro singled off Mark Worrell to score Oscar Tejada with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. Steven Bumbry, the son of former Orioles center fielder Al Bumbry, nearly broke a 5-5 tie in the top of the ninth with a one-out single into left field, but Daniel Nava threw out Matt Angle at the plate. Angle had reached on a bunt single to start the rally. Angle, Nolan Reimold and Cesar Izturis each had...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Justin Duchscherer is still scheduled to start tomorrow's game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater. And left-hander Brian Matusz will follow. Duchscherer had his debut delayed last week by a sore left hip, but he's ready to take the ball tomorrow. "I threw BP the other day and it felt good," he said. "I'm excited. It's been a while. It's been almost a year since I pitched in the bigs. It's exciting for me. I just hope I can go out there and feel good...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Chris Tillman got roughed up in the first inning today in Fort Myers, allowing three runs and four hits to fall behind 3-0 to the Boston Red Sox. Kevin Youkilis had an RBI single off Tillman, and J.D. Drew singled to drive in two more runs. Matt Angle led off the top of the first with a single and stole second. He reached third on Randy Winn's sacrifice bunt, but was stranded. Tillman hit Jason Varitek to open the second inning, but he retired the next three batters. He's...

As we get set for our second MASNsports.com chat with fans tonight at 6 p.m at Hightopps Backstage Grille in Timonium, I am reminded of part of the conversation there the last time. We had a question or comment from someone about Adam Jones. It probably sounded a little to the fans there like I was coming to Jones' defense, but I said that night, "Hey, Jones hit .284 last year with 19 homers. You don't just fall out of bed and do that." I was really reminded of those words reading Buck...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles will play under the lights tonight at the new Ed Smith Stadium. They'll also play under a blue sky this afternoon in Fort Myers. It's a split-squad kind of day, and you can be sure that the A-Team will stay back in Sarasota for the game versus the Yankees that will air on MASN. I thought about attending both games, but the logistics just don't work in my favor. The clubhouse here opens to the media at 2 p.m. and I need to be inside of it. The game against the...