When Davey Martinez saw Stephen Strasburg's plant leg buckle as he threw a 3-1 curveball to Jose Altuve, he knew something was up. And by the time the Nationals manager reached the mound to confer with his right-hander, he'd already made the decision that Strasburg's second spring training start was over. "It was really not much of a discussion," Martinez said via Zoom after the Nationals' 5-0 loss to the Astros on Sunday afternoon. "Just wanted to pinpoint exactly what he was feeling....

After giving up three runs in his first spring start, Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer has now put together back-to-back solid outings. He went three innings this afternoon against the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland. After his outing he talked about his day and how his friendship with another young pitcher is helping both of them. Kremer came into this game off a scoreless outing his last time out. On March 9 he gave up just one hit over three innings against Minnesota. Today he faced five batters...

Richie Martin is advancing to an important stage in his recovery from hamate bone surgery. He's expected in Monday's lineup against the Pirates. Manager Brandon Hyde said today that Martin is getting at-bats in Sarasota and should play the following day. Martin underwent surgery in January to remove the bone, cutting into his bid to make the club in a utility-type role. He missed the truncated 2020 season due to a broken bone in his right wrist. "If he's good to go, he'll be in there...

Davey Martinez's morning Zoom session with reporters was delayed about 35 minutes so the Nationals manager could watch left-hander Jon Lester throw live batting practice, an important step after returning to camp following surgery to remove one of his parathyroid glands. "He threw 37 pitches, two innings. He looked good," Martinez said of Lester, who returned to spring training in West Palm Beach earlier this week after surgery on March 5 in New York. "He was about 75, 80 percent. The ball...

Adley Rutschman is rewarded for yesterday's double, the Orioles' only hit in Dunedin, with a start today as the designated hitter against the Tigers in Lakeland. Rutschman is batting seventh, one spot ahead of Ryan McKenna, who gets the start in center field. Austin Wynns is behind the plate. Yolmer Sánchez is leading off. Ryan Mountcastle is in left field. Dean Kremer is making his third start after allowing three runs and walking three batters in 4 2/3 innings. He tossed three scoreless...

The Nationals have one open spot on their bench they need to fill, and the sense entering camp was that it was likely to go either to a utility infielder like Hernán Pérez or Jordy Mercer or an experienced backup outfielder like Gerardo Parra or Yadiel Hernández. There is another possible candidate for the job, though, especially if general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez decide to prioritize offensive potential over defensive ability and versatility. His name is Yasmany...

If the conventional wisdom entering the spring was that the No. 5 spot in the Nationals rotation was Joe Ross' to lose, the right-hander has done nothing to date to suggest he's in serious danger of coughing up the job to someone else. Ross hasn't necessarily dominated in his two starts, but he's been good enough. He's been healthy. And he's feeling quite comfortable sliding back into the five-day routine of a big league starter after sitting out the 2020 season. "It's just good to be...

Stephen Strasburg makes his second spring start this afternoon, and the right-hander will be facing the same team and starting pitcher - the Astros and righty Lance McCullers - that he saw in his first outing on Tuesday. Since it's his second outing, expect Strasburg to push toward three innings and about 50-60 pitches. That would be in line with a usual second start for a starting pitcher, and since Strasburg is a creature of habit, he won't want to deviate from the established...

Whether he has a legitimate chance to break north with the Orioles or not only the O's brass knows for sure, but infielder Rylan Bannon is at camp again this year, this time on the 40-man roster, looking to show his talents. Acquired by the club on July 18, 2018 in the Manny Machado trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bannon spent some time at the Bowie alternate site in 2020. When last seen in minor league games, during the 2019 season, he had put together a pretty good year. The right-handed...

In 12 exhibition games in 2019 after his trade to the Orioles, outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. collected 12 hits in 28 at-bats, hit five home runs and posted a 1.448 OPS. He slashed .241/.297/.412 in 392 plate appearances during the regular season. Catcher Chance Sisco went 13-for-34 (.382) with four home runs and 11 RBIs in the Grapefruit League, his 1.298 OPS ranking third on the club, but he batted .210 with a .729 OPS and played in only 58 games after the Orioles broke camp. Joey Rickard...