SARASOTA, Fla. – A week of exhibition games seems like an appropriate time to share some observations before the Orioles play the Pirates this afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium. Cade Povich opposes Paul Skenes in a rematch from Spring Breakout, except this one airs on MASN. Povich went three innings and allowed two runs, but hardly anyone noticed becau

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – When Shinnosuke Ogasawara took the mound on Sunday back in West Palm Beach, he faced a Mets lineup that wasn’t filled with everyday major leaguers for his first start on American soil. It was a relatively manageable order for him to navigate in his first taste of Grapefruit League action. In his second start this afternoon, t

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – It’s only the first five contests of Grapefruit League play, but no team wants a star player to have to sit out game action this early in spring training. Any time one does, panic ensues and is not quelled until said player returns to the field. James Wood’s absence during the Nationals’ first week of spring training games st

SARASOTA, Fla. – Zach Eflin makes his exhibition debut this afternoon, with the Orioles traveling to Fort Myers to play the Twins. Gary Sánchez is behind the plate for Eflin. Coby Mayo gets the start at first base. Jackson Holliday is leading off and playing second base. Colton Cowser is in center field, Heston Kjerstad in left and Dylan Carlson in

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – The Nationals make their first “long” trip of the spring up to Port St. Lucie this afternoon. The hour-long drive feels especially long when they have yet to travel more than the 15 minutes it takes to get to Jupiter. Any Nats fans that follow the team from West Palm Beach will be rewarded by seeing James Wood’s 2025 Grapefru

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Josh Bell didn’t need an introductory course to navigate the Nationals’ facilities at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. He knows how to get to the clubhouse, the training room and the cafeteria. He’s been here before. In fact, this is the third name the complex has had while he’s been a member of the Nationals. It was FITTEAM

SARASOTA, Fla. – Jud Fabian could have used a spoiler alert. The young outfielder wasn’t surprised when the Orioles announced their roster of spring training invites earlier this month and slapped his name on the list. “I kind of got told in November that it might be a possibility,” he said, “but other than that, I was just excited when I got that

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Jake Irvin planned to throw two innings tonight. That would be the standard ramp-up after throwing only one inning in his spring debut five days ago. Just one problem: Irvin was too good during those two innings. He faced six batters, he retired all six and he needed only 23 pitches to do it. So the Nationals sent the right-

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Kyle Finnegan was disappointed, but not resentful of the Nationals when they chose to non-tender him three months ago. He understood it was a business decision, and he always left the door open for a return. So when the All-Star closer walked back through that familiar clubhouse door today after officially re-signing with th

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals play their first night game of the spring, with the Braves making a rare visit from all the way across the state. Atlanta isn’t sending a whole lot of big names, aside from Marcell Ozuna, but they do have Bryce Elder on the mound, which should make for a nice challenge for the Nats lineup. Davey Martinez does h