WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - They are playing today at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. As of this moment. As we've seen, these things can change very quickly. For now, the Nationals are set to face the Yankees, with a sellout crowd expected. Friendly reminder: They may be wearing New York Yankees uniforms, but most of these guys are likely to open the season as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Nevertheless, Patrick Corbin is making the start, looking to build himself up to five innings if...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Seventy-two hours ago, the notion of closing clubhouses to reporters and non-essential team personnel was laughable. Then it happened. Forty-eight hours ago, the suggestion that Major League Baseball games in Seattle, San Francisco and Oakland would have to be relocated or played in empty ballparks sounded ludicrous. Then it happened. Twenty-four hours ago, the possibility of the MLB season not starting on time due to the coronavirus pandemic seemed implausible. It...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are going to be making some tough roster cuts relating to their bullpen. They didn't get any easier yesterday despite the runs allowed in Dunedin. Mychal Givens tried to work through a second inning against the Blue Jays and surrendered a two-run homer to Randal Grichuk after hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch. He's on the team. Hunter Harvey was scored upon for the first time when he hit a batter and Santiago Espina launched a 96 mph fastball onto the new...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Some of the minor league pitchers he played with last year have long since been sent back over to the Orioles' minor league camp. But Ellicott City native Bruce Zimmermann is still in the O's big league camp and seems to be building some momentum with each outing. The lefty's ERA is 4.70 over three spring games, but he threw three scoreless innings while allowing just one hit in Port Charlotte, Fla., against the Rays last Saturday. He fanned three and retired the last seven...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It might sound counterintuitive to someone who can throw a baseball as hard and as precise as he does, but Stephen Strasburg knows he's better when he throws with 90 percent effort, not 100 percent. That's especially true in spring training, when Strasburg's mind tempts him to give everything he's got. "You want to see it for yourself first," the right-hander said. "Because no matter how long the layoff, you want to make sure you've still got it. Then obviously...

DUNEDIN, Fla. - The auditions for jobs in Orioles camp moved this afternoon to the Blue Jays' newly renovated spring training complex. Thomas Eshelman made another start while trying to convince the Orioles to keep him as a fifth starter or long reliever. Mason Williams led off and played center field, hopeful that he'll head north in a bench role or perhaps as Trey Mancini's replacement in right if needed. Utility candidates Pat Valaika, Stevie Wilkerson and Dilson Herrera landed in the...

DUNEDIN, Fla. - Alex Cobb hasn't been slowed in camp by the hip and knee surgeries he underwent in June, but a blister on his pitching hand caused manager Brandon Hyde to remove him from Thursday's starting assignment against the Twins in Fort Myers. Hyde said it's a "small, little" blister and Cobb would pitch with it in the regular season. Cobb will be used in a simulated game on the back fields in Sarasota, under a controlled environment, while Bruce Zimmermann makes the start against...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Will Harris hasn't pitched in a Grapefruit League game yet, but the veteran reliever is confident he has enough time left to build his body up after suffering an abdominal strain to be part of the Nationals bullpen on opening day. "As of right now, I'll be there," he said. "I'll have cleats on. I'll be ready." Harris, the club's key bullpen acquisition over the winter, threw another bullpen session this morning and said he's progressing as he wants from the...

DUNEDIN, Fla. - Hector Velázquez isn't quite set to make his Orioles debut. Maybe it comes over the weekend. The reliever anticipates a second bullpen session before he's cleared to pitch in a game for the Orioles, who claimed him off waivers from the Red Sox earlier this week. He's waiting for manager Brandon Hyde to give him more information. "I think that I'm going to need to throw one more bullpen," he said through interpreter Ramón Alarcón. "After that, the manager is going...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - As opening day inches closer, lineups start to look more and more legit. Well, for some teams, anyway. The Nationals have a whole bunch of regulars playing this afternoon, including Adam Eaton, who will be the DH eight days after he had to leave a game with tightness in his hamstring. That's obviously a good sign. Eaton is batting in his customary No. 2 spot, behind Trea Turner and ahead of Eric Thames, who is the No. 3 hitter du jour. Juan Soto, Howie Kendrick,...