Garrett Atkins

The importance of good base running is a major point of emphasis for the Tampa Bay Rays in spring training and Manny Ramirez is paying attention. The slugger had two hits, drove in a run and played left field for the first time with his new team during a 6-5 loss to a Pittsburgh Pirates split squad on Monday. Ramirez, signed this month to a $2 million, one-year contract, also made a good impression by scoring from third base on a second-inning wild pitch, sliding into the plate to the delight of the crowd at Charlotte Sports Park.

BATTING LINE OF THE DAY Laynce Nix, Rangers CF AB R H RBI HR 4 1 2 6 1 PITCHING LINE OF THE DAY Carlos Silva, Twins IP H R BB SO 9 5 1 0 3 WHO'S UP Garrett Atkins of the Rockies is 12-for-26 with four homers and eight RBIs in his past eight games. WHO'S DOWN Victor Martinez of the Indians went 0-for-3, extending his slump to 0-for-18.

Moves Baseball REDS: Optioned P Seth Etherton and P Jeff Austin to Triple-A Louisville. Purchased contracts of P Jimmy Anderson, P Felix Heredia, P Kent Mercker and P Josias Manzanillo from Louisville. ROCKIES: Optioned IF Garrett Atkins, IF Kevin Eberwein, OF Luke Allen and P Elio Serrano to minor-league camp. Assigned P Vic Darensbourg and IF Kit Pellow to minor-league camp. TIGERS: Released P Julio Santana and P Oscar Henriquez. College HARVARD: F Jennifer Botterill won her second Patty Kazmaier award as the best player in women's college hockey.

- Ty Wigginton and Garrett Atkins homered Saturday, but the New York Yankees roughed up Jeremy Guthrie in the early innings and scored a 5-3 victory at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Wigginton hit a two-run shot off Yankees starter Javier Vazquez for his second homer of the spring and Atkins hit his first off Alfredo Aceves, but that was not enough to keep the Orioles from losing for the eighth time in 10 games. The Yankees batted around in the first inning to score three runs on five hits off Guthrie, who settled down enough to work through 3 1/3 innings.

David Hernandez and four relievers shut down the Boston Red Sox in the Orioles' 6-1 victory today before an announced sellout crowd of 8,037 at sun-splashed Ed Smith Stadium. Bidding to win the Orioles' fifth starter job over Chris Tillman, Hernandez tossed five scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out six. The Red Sox loaded the bases with no outs against Hernandez in the fourth, but the Orioles' right-hander, mostly relying on a buckling curveball, struck out the side, fanning Mitch Dening, Marco Scutaro and Josh Reddick.

My colleague Dan Connolly on Monday shook awake Orioles fans who were dreaming of the team signing Prince Fielder and C.J. Wilson when he blogged that the team probably won't sign either player this winter. His logic (and it is sound, informed logic) is that the Orioles will be wary of offering a hefty contract to a husky slugger like Fielder and that they are unlikely to offer the four- or five-year deal it would take to ink Wilson. Connolly also reported that there is no Easter Bunny and speculated that rainbows cause diabetes.

How it happened: The Orioles struck first, scoring in the top of the third inning when A.J. Burnett made an errant throw to first base after fielding Cesar Izturis' bunt, allowing Garrett Atkins to cross home. It was what happened in that inning after the run scored that tells the true story of the game, however. With men on second and third and no outs, the top of the Orioles' order came to the plate -- Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Matt Wieters. All three struck out swinging against Burnett, none of them seeing more than six pitches.

After riding the pine pony Wednesday, struggling third baseman Mark Reynolds returned to the Orioles' starting lineup Thursday and went 0-for-2 with a walk. Reynolds is hitless in his past five games and his batting average is well below the Mendoza line -- and shy of the Izturis line, too. Reynolds is hitting .174 this season with three home runs and 15 RBI. His slugging percentage is way down. But he is tied for the team lead with 17 walks and his 37 strikeouts -- also the highest total on the team -- through 35 games is nowhere near his record-setting career average.