Phillies

Braun powers Brewers Juan C. Rodriguez Sun Sentinel Going from left to right, Justin Upton will carry the Diamondbacks to the NL West title. Even if Ian Kennedy regresses, the Diamondbacks' rotation will be solid. The Central is wide open. You can make a case for the Cardinals, Brewers and Reds. I'll take the Brewers. Ryan Braun doesn't need Prince Fielder to put up big numbers and Yovani Gallardo is my Cy Young pick. The Cardinals will edge the Reds for one of the wild cards.

Editor's note: Each week, InsideMdSports.com provides this blog with a Maryland recruiting feature that previously appeared as premium content on its site. InsideMDSports first reported several months ago that Philly guard Rysheed Jordan had emerged as a top target for 2013, and that doesn't seem to have changed. Maryland assistant Dalonte Hill recently hit the road to watch Jordan's Vaux Roberts team fall to Pine Grove in the Pennsylvania state playoffs.

There's little debate to the notion that Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz has pitched well this spring training -- especially considering he's coming off an awful 2011 season -- but whether he's dazzled the team brass enough to earn a starting rotation spot remains to be seen. Orioles manager Buck Showalter has made it clear that this year, rotation spots will be earned, not given away. He has said all spring that Matusz will be evaluated on his entire body of work, with his dazzling moments as equal as his stumbles.

While dealing with a left hamstring injury this spring, Orioles right-hander Jason Berken maintained a throwing program to keep his arm in shape. That was evident Sunday afternoon, when Berken made his spring debut against the Philadelphia Phillies with a scoreless inning. He threw his slider and sinker effectively, consistently hitting 92 to 94 mph with his fastball. “The biggest thing for me is I was able to keep throwing while I was rehabbing my hamstring so my arm really never fell behind in terms of throwing,” said Berken, who was 1-2 with a 5.36 ERA in 40 relief appearances last year.

Brian Matusz made easy work of the Phillies early Sunday afternoon at Bright House Field, but the end result left questions about whether the Orioles left-hander will make the team's starting rotation. Matusz retired six of the first seven batters he faced, but yielded three runs in the third inning, the big hit a two-run double to center field by Jim Thome in the Orioles' 3-3 tie with the Phillies. It was the Orioles' fifth tie of the spring, tying a spring training record.

It was by no means Brian Matusz's most impressive start of the spring, but as far as results go, the Orioles lefthander did his job. Matusz allowed seven hits over five innings Tuesday afternoon against the Phillies at Ed Smith Stadium, but yielded just one run to a Philadelphia lineup that included just three starters in the Phillies' 4-1 win over the Orioles. Matusz, who allowed leadoff hits in three innings, was aided by three double-play balls, and some home-field wind gusts.

Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz will make his fourth spring start today against the Phillies at Ed Smith Stadium, going against Phillies ace Roy Halladay. It's also a big day here at Ed Smith because Nick Markakis, who has spent the entire spring recovering from offseason abdominal surgery, will make his first start in right field today. He's made three starts at DH, going 2-for-8. Kevin Gregg, Jim Johnson, Willie Eyre, Zach Phillips and Pedro Strop are also slated to pitch today for the Orioles.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Left-hander Brian Matusz's second start of the spring went better than his first - a good sign for Orioles fans this spring. Matusz threw a four scoreless innings against the Phillies, allowing just three hits and striking out four with no walks. Different radar guns behind home plate clocked Matusz's fastball consistently at 90-91 mph, but he reportedly reached 94 in the final two innings. "It felt good to be able to go out there and go four innings and keep the pitch count down,” Matusz said.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Orioles' splendid spring pitching continued Saturday afternoon, and the offense provided just enough firepower for a win. Left-hander Brian Matusz threw four scoreless innings in a 1-0 Grapefruit League win over the Phillies at Bright House Field, allowing just three hits and striking out four with no walks. “He threw the ball well,” Showalter said. “His tempo was up. He was throwing the ball downhill. That's good. “There was a lot of room for improvement from his last outing,” he added.

Phillies will fight back Dan Connolly Baltimore Sun I know there are plenty of reasons to jump off the Phillies' bandwagon. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins, relievers Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge and starter Roy Oswalt all may sign elsewhere, and Ryan Howard will miss a chunk of next season. And, of course, the Phillies have lost in the postseason for three consecutive years since winning it all in 2008. I don't care. There are three reasons the Phillies, who had the best record in baseball, should still be the favorite for 2012: Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels.