CLEARWATER, Fla. – Spring stats don’t appear to carry much weight with Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. He’s only checked the number of plate appearances. Otherwise, he has no interest. It’s more about the quality of the at-bats and a pitcher’s control in the strike zone, he says. “Put very little stock in what their numbers are like.” Some of the com

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Shalom … er, hello from The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, where tonight the Nationals take a break from official Grapefruit League play to face Team Israel in a tune-up for the upcoming World Baseball Classic! It won’t just be the opponent that looks different tonight. The rules will be different as well. As in, the old rule

CLEARWATER, Fla. – DL Hall can only express confidence that he’s going to be available to the Orioles if they want him on the Opening Day roster. He won’t be a starter. Time is too short to stretch him out. But he’ll be healthy and able to pitch. The rest is up to the team. Hall threw his first bullpen session yesterday in Sarasota, his spring trai

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Gunnar Henderson is leading off today against the Phillies in Clearwater. Adley Rutschman is catching Tyler Wells, who’s making his second spring start. Josh Lester is starting at third base after collecting three hits in Fort Myers. Kyle Stowers is in left field, Ryan O’Hearn is playing first base and batting cleanup, and Jordan

When it comes to getting an opinion on the young Orioles infield prospects that are showing so well at this spring training, we could do a lot worse than Orioles Hall of Famer Mike Bordick. A 14-year big league veteran who played home games in Baltimore for parts of 1997 through 2002, Bordick was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2011. A 20

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – It’s all anyone wants to talk about this spring training, whether you’re in Florida or Arizona: Major League Baseball’s new rules for the upcoming season. The one rule that has garnered the most attention is the pitch clock, which has affected nearly every part of the game. The most noticeable effect it has had is on the len

SARASOTA, Fla. – The number surprised Coby Mayo, and he’s grown accustomed to his power being translated beyond the loud sounds. Mayo lined a double off the left-center field fence Tuesday in Fort Myers with an exit velocity of 111.5 mph, per Statcast data. Hit the padding on the fly. Or more accurately, on a line. There are frozen ropes in basebal

LAKELAND, Fla. – Typically, major league regulars wouldn’t make the six-hour round trip from West Palm Beach to Lakeland. But teams have to bring at least a handful of major leaguers to keep the competition level up. The Nationals only brought three players projected to be in the Opening Day starting lineup: Lane Thomas, Victor Robles and Keibert R

SARASOTA, Fla. – Kyle Gibson didn’t overwork his outfielders today during his three innings on the mound. Two balls made it through the infield for singles. Colton Cowser, playing center, fielded one of them and fired to second base to prevent a double. Greed might be good, but it also can cost you. Gibson is costing the Orioles $10 million after s

LAKELAND, Fla. – Three-hour bus rides are less common in spring training now. But every once in a while, they pop up on the schedule to a collective groan from the clubhouse. The Nationals have grown accustomed to playing a majority of their Grapefruit League games within a 45-minute drive of their West Palm Beach home over the past seven springs.