WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals and Yankees are underway, with the first sellout crowd of the spring packed into FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches to watch this exhibition game. How long this game continues, though, is very much in question. As sporting events around the country are canceled due to the coronavirus, Major League Baseball reportedly is on the verge of suspending spring training. Commissioner Rob Manfred was on a conference call with club owners this afternoon, according...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Alex Cobb is throwing his simulated game today on a back field at the Ed Smith Stadium complex, the alternative to having him start tonight against the Twins in Fort Myers. A blister on his pitching hand led to the change in assignments. DJ Stewart, Richie Martin and Renato Núñez are some of the hitters facing Cobb, who's made only one Grapefruit League start but has been throwing simulated games and bullpen sessions to build up innings. The Orioles have two cameras set...

No. 2 Luis Garcia Baseball America Nats correspondent Lacy Lusk says shortstop Luis Garcia didn't get off to the best start last season, but then was able to hit better as the year progressed. Garcia hit .241 with no homers and 12 RBIs in the first half of 2019. In the second half, he hit .272 with four homers and 18 RBIs. He was able to drop his strikeout total in the second half from 47 to 39. Lusk says Garcia is a top-notch prospect, but said she would not put him in the elite category just...

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...