Normalcy - or, at least, some semblance of normalcy - returned to Florida today. On an 82-degree Sunday afternoon in Jupiter that included abundant sunshine at times and popup showers at others, the Nationals and Cardinals played a baseball game. At 1:05 p.m., Victor Robles dug in at the plate and took a 94-mph fastball from Jack Flaherty for strike one. Trea Turner singled and advanced Andrew Stevenson to third on a hit-and-run. Josh Bell took a 3-2 slider at the knees for a walk, and home...

The firsts are out of the way. The first Orioles exhibition game. The first standing ovation for Trey Mancini in his first at-bat since March 2, 2020. His first hit immediately after the emotional scene. The first defensive lapses. The first reminder in 2021 that Yusniel Diaz, who hit a two run homer off former Oriole Carson Fulmer in the sixth, is poised to make his debut later in the summer. The first loss and overreactions from fans. Mancini lined a single into center field and struck out...

It was not just any single in any spring training. This one meant a lot more. In his first at-bat since a spring game last March 2, Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini singled on a liner to center in the last of the first today. It sent Cedric Mullins, who had singled and moved to second on a wild pitch, to third base. It was preceded by a long standing ovation for Mancini and produced a very special moment during the first spring training game as the Orioles played the Pirates. A limited number...

The red ink used this morning to write Cedric Mullins' name on the lineup card, the designation for left-handed hitters, wasn't a mistake. Mullins has decided to abandon switch-hitting, a move he's contemplated in the past, and concentrate on batting from the left side. The splits drove him to it. Mullins slashed .171/.216/.286 from the right side and .305/.348/.448 from the left last year and is a career .251/.305/.394 hitter from the left and .147/.250/.189 from the right. "He's...

The last thing anyone should do is read much into spring training lineups, certainly the lineup on Feb. 28. And yet it's impossible to look at the Nationals lineup for today's Grapefruit League opener and not begin to infer some things. Specifically, the guys who are leading off and batting third. That would be Victor Robles and Trea Turner. Just as he suggested last week, manager Davey Martinez is going to take a look at Robles atop his lineup, a move that would allow Turner to move down...

And away we go ... Yes, there's a ballgame today in Florida. The Nationals are playing the Cardinals in Jupiter, the first of 24 games on the Grapefruit League schedule. And there are a whole lot of starters playing for both clubs. Davey Martinez's lineup includes Victor Robles leading off and Trea Turner batting third (yep, they really are going to test this out this spring). It doesn't include Juan Soto, but it does feature a 4-5-6 of Josh Bell, Kyle Schwarber and Starlin Castro. If you...

The Orioles begin their Grapefruit League schedule today with Chris Davis serving as the designated hitter and Yusniel Diaz playing left field. Cedric Mullins is leading off and playing center field. Anthony Santander is batting third and playing right. Trey Mancini is slotted one spot ahead of him in the order. Rylan Bannon gets the start at third base. Manager Brandon Hyde is starting his new double play combination of shortstop Freddy Galvis and second baseman Yolmer Sánchez. For the...

It's been 154 days since the Nationals last played a baseball game. Exactly 22 weeks since they wrapped up the bizarre 2020 season with a 15-5 thumping of the Mets. As was the case for the entire 60-game campaign, there were zero fans in attendance. So imagine the feeling everyone in uniform has as they wake up this morning, look at the calendar and realize they're not only going to play a ballgame today, but they're going to play it in front of fans. Yep, the 2021 Grapefruit League opens...

When a player uses the word "disaster" as part of the description of his season, it didn't go very well, Captain Obvious might say. For lefty Wade LeBlanc, it didn't go very well in the six starts he made for the 2020 Orioles before an injury sidelined him for the season. LeBlanc, 36, recorded an ERA of 8.06 last summer with a 1.567 WHIP over 22 1/3 innings. Then his season ended on Aug. 23, when he left a start after facing four batters in the first inning at Boston. He had a stress...

The first lineup of 2021 spring training will be posted later this morning, with Trey Mancini the only confirmed player in it. Manager Brandon Hyde said that Mancini will be the first baseman. The rest can be speculated. The Orioles are home, which usually puts more starters on the field. They had Hanser Alberto leading off and playing second base last year in the first game at Ed Smith Stadium. Mancini was in right field, Chris Davis at first base, Pedro Severino behind the plate, Dwight Smith...