The last thing Erick Fedde wanted to do in his first inning of the spring Sunday was get into a bases-loaded jam before recording an out, then watch as Nolan Arenado strode to the plate and received a standing ovation for his first at-bat with the Cardinals. And when he promptly spiked a sinker in the dirt to bring home a run, Fedde's 2021 debut appeared on the brink of collapse. But then, an adjustment. And a flip of the script, turning a potentially disastrous first inning in Jupiter, Fla.,...

I'm continuing a check-in around Birdland today by talking with the general managers of the four full-season minor league clubs. In this entry, I spoke with Norfolk Tides GM Joe Gregory. Each interview will have a Zoom interview for you to watch, with some material not covered here in the text. Today, I check in with Brian Shallcross, who has a long history with the Double-A Bowie Baysox, having worked with the club since 2000 and serving as Bowie's GM since 2002. It's a first-rate operation...

The first exhibition game won't be remembered for the three errors and the five walks issued by Orioles pitching in the first five innings. The high pitch counts that prompted manager Brandon Hyde to pull his team off the field before the last out. Details, details. Hyde wasn't happy about any of it, but he didn't lose his perspective while the Orioles lost to the Pirates. Openers have a tendency to get ugly, and Trey Mancini's return from colon cancer and his first at-bats in a year - in...

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...