The first month of the season is coming to a close, and here are things we can take away from April: * There's no need to panic when a team goes bad for a week. Last week, the Nats were struggling and on the verge of falling into a big hole in the NL East. But they won three weekend games against the Reds, and with the Braves getting swept in Detroit, things are calmer in the division. If the Nats had continued to play inattentive baseball and had the Braves not cooled down, the Nats could...

Pete Kozma, the Cardinals' shortstop who delivered a knockout blow to the Nationals in Game 5 of their Division Series in October, returned to a chorus of booing Monday night at Nationals Park. Afterward, he said getting booed was a first. Given what he did against the Nationals last season, including a key two-run single in the Cardinals' 9-7 comeback win in Game 5 of the NLDS, Kozma is becoming to D.C. baseball fans what another shortstop, Bucky Dent, is to the Red Sox. The light-hitting...

Teams are scrambling as a slew of big-name players wind up on the disabled list. The Blue Jays lost shortstop Jose Reyes with an injury to his left ankle, and the Dodgers will be without pitcher Zack Greinke because of a broken collarbone suffered in a fight with the Padres' Carlos Quentin. The Angels are without pitcher Jered Weaver because of a broken left elbow. The Nationals lost catcher Wilson Ramos. Oakland is without outfielder Yeonis Cespedes, and the Reds, after not having an injury...

Lessons learned from the season's first week: * The Red Sox are going to be better than most thought. Lefty Jon Lester is back on track. The always-shifting defense, which some times has third baseman Will Middlebrooks playing in short right field, has been an improvement. Shortstop Juan Iglesias, outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. and catcher David Ross are important ingredients in the Red Sox's run prevention, and Red Sox fans aren't going to like when Stephen Drew comes back this week and...

The first two days of the season are complete. Here are some first impressions: * Yu Darvish's perfect game was broken up with two outs in the ninth in the Rangers' 7-0 win in Houston on Tuesday night. It brought back memories of April 4, 2001, when the Red Sox's Hideo Nomo, who, like Darvish is from Japan, threw a no-hitter versus the Orioles at Camden Yards. The Orioles' Delino DeShields made the final out. Red Sox second baseman Mike Lansing's tumbling catch of a Mike Bordick's pop...

The San Francisco Giants are taking aim at winning their third World Series in four seasons. But first, they have to conquer the National League. Here's what the NL looks like: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Storyline: After making the 2011 playoffs, the Diamondbacks took a step back last season. They have a deep rotation, more speed and better lineup balance. Bounce-back seasons from RHPs Ian Kennedy and Trevor Cahill will help. Players to watch: CF Adam Eaton, who will miss April because of a...

What will happen in the American League this year? Here's a team-by-team look at the AL, the top storylines, key players to watch and one man's predictions. BALTIMORE ORIOLES Storyline: General manager Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter have brought stability and a winning attitude to the Orioles, who expect to contend with the rotation in developing stages. The Orioles, the No. 2 wild card team last season, have a deep bullpen to go with a tight defense and strong offense, but...

Where would the Nationals and Orioles be without the Minnesota Twins? The Orioles and Nationals have five players who were key to the Twins' success since 2010. The Orioles have infielders J.J. Hardy, Danny Valencia and Alexi Casilla. The Nationals have outfielder Denard Span and catcher Wilson Ramos. Hardy, Span and Ramos will play big roles on the East Coast. Valencia and Casilla are trying to re-start their careers. * Hardy, who started with Milwaukee, came to the Twins in a trade for...

As the World Baseball Classic gets under way around the world, here are the burning questions back home in Arizona and Florida: * Are the Angels being cheap by signing second-year outfielder Mike Trout, the AL Rookie of the Year, to a $510,000 contract for this season? His agent Craig Landis told reporters that he, not Trout, was disappointed in the Angels' contract. Given that Trout is going into his second season, the Angels have the hammer, which is how the labor agreement works. The...

When it comes to baseball's best rotations, the Nationals, Phillies, Giants and Braves are usually the four teams mentioned first. But the team with the deepest rotation is usually overlooked. We're talking about the Reds. With Aroldis Chapman, a lefty reliever who can throw 100 mph, moving from closer to the rotation, the Reds have six quality starters. Like the Nationals' John Lannan a year ago, one talented Reds pitcher with nothing to prove will start the season at Triple-A. The Reds...

As full-squad workouts hit full throttle, it is interesting to note that the San Francisco Giants will be fielding the same team that beat the Detroit Tigers in last October's World Series. Usually, teams change personnel even when they win a title. The Giants kept their outfield together, with Gregor Blanco, Angel Pagan and Hunter Pence. They re-signed second baseman Marco Scutaro, 37, to a long-term deal. Are the Giants putting their roster together with their heart? Maybe, but general...

As pitchers and catchers report to camps in Florida and Arizona, here are two predictions for each of the local nines: Zach Britton will be the Orioles' fifth starter and the Nationals will not trade Drew Storen, the closer who has been unseated by Rafael Soriano. The first four in the Orioles' rotation will probably be Jason Hammel, Wei-Yin Chen, Chris Tillman and Miguel Gonzalez, with the No. 5 spot up for grabs. Britton, who was injured last season, will win the job because all he needs...

As spring training nears, the question has to be asked: Would it be spring training without a performance-enhancing drugs controversy? Major League Baseball and the federal government are investigating a clinic in South Florida that links several players, including the Nationals' Gio Gonzalez and the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, to possible use of PEDs, but depending on the evidence, baseball could be in a difficult position. It would be difficult to suspend players without a positive drug test....

The Baseball Writers' Association of America didn't elect any players to Cooperstown on Wednesday, but despite the shutout and the controversy surrounding the vote, Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson said he sees no need to change the voting process. "We remain confident and comfortable with the voting electorate as well as the procedures we give the electorate," Idelson said in a conference call after the announcement that no player received the 75 percent needed to be inducted. "It's...

Ballots for the Hall of Fame had to be postmarked by New Year's Eve, so, here's a look at one voter's ballot: I voted for Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Jack Morris, Tim Raines, Mike Piazza, Edgar Martinez, Alan Trammell and Lee Smith. * With 3,060 hits, Biggio was an easy selection. And wouldn't it be great if he and Bagwell, his Astros teammate, could go into together? In his first two seasons on the ballots, Bagwell's vote totals were likely hurt by unfair suspicions to steroids, but he...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Winter Meetings are over. The Orioles continue to look for a bat and pitching. The Nationals need a lefty reliever and a decision from first baseman Adam LaRoche. Here's what the other American League East and National League East teams are doing: * Yankees: Strange how quiet they were at the meetings, considering they need a catcher, third baseman, DH and right fielder. "Patience is a good thing,'' Yankees GM Brian Cashman said. "We have plenty of time.'' * Red...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - We don't know where Josh Hamilton and Zack Greinke are going to wind up next season. We don't know if there is going to be a blockbuster three-team trade or not. So on another slow news day at the Winter Meetings, here are answers to the questions that linger in the hotel corridors: * Is the pace of transactions slower than the normal winter meetings? Without a doubt, that's true. Most of the transactions have been predictable and there have been no blockbusters, such as...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The second day of the Winter Meetings is best described as quiet. Here's a summary: * Are the Red Sox a better team now that they've added Jonny Gomes, Mike Napoli and Shane Victorino? The Red Sox signed 32-year-old Victorino to play right field, alongside Jacoby Ellsbury and Jonny Gomes, who could end up DHing. Fenway Park's right field is spacious, so the Red Sox think Victorino, a centerfielder with the Phillies when they won the 2008 World Series, will do fine. Red...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Thoughts of the biggest stories on the first day of the Winter Meetings at the Gaylord Opryland Convention Center and Hotel. * The Yankees announced that third baseman Alex Rodriguez will have surgery on his left hip and miss the start of the 2013. It's the same story as last season, when he had surgery on his right hip and didn't return until May 8. A-Rod will be out longer this time. The Yankees aren't sure how they will replace A-Rod, but it appears that it will not...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Welcome to 2012 version of baseball's Winter Meetings: The Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center is an overwhelming maze of corridors, two million Christmas lights, restaurants and shops. Visitors can ride a showboat down the Cumberland River, visit the Holly Jolly Town Square, take a carriage ride or check out the two million pounds of ice sculptures with the theme of "Shrek the Halls." And, of course, a visitor can walk anywhere and get into a baseball...