WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It's a gray morning here in South Florida, and there appears to be rain in the forecast this afternoon. No idea yet if it will impact today's Nationals exhibition game against the Cardinals, but it is something to keep an eye on. Max Scherzer would certainly like to make his start as scheduled, his penultimate start of the spring before he takes the mound for opening day. Scherzer has had a few ragged starts this month and comes in having allowed nine runs and 14 hits...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Alex Cobb, named the Orioles opening day starter, is on the mound for today's 1:07 p.m. game against the Blue Jays in Dunedin. Cobb has made two starts this spring, allowing four runs in two-thirds of an inning and one run in three innings. Mark Trumbo is the designated hitter, his third appearance in the lineup. He's 0-for-4. Renato Núñez is back in the lineup at third base after fouling a ball of his left shin during Thursday's game. Stevie Wilkerson is starting at...

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - During these dog days of spring training, when the bus rides feel longer than usual and opening day is still just too far away to get excited about, some extra motivation is sometimes needed. So Davey Martinez made a promise to the young players who made the long trip to Fort Myers on Thursday: score 10 or more runs, and everybody would get to eat Popeyes on the ride home. They proceeded to defeat the Twins 10-4, so the bus smelled like chicken and biscuits for the next 2...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Struggling in spring training is a new development for Orioles right-handed reliever Mychal Givens. This spring, over four outings, he's allowed nine hits, nine runs and three homers in just 2 2/3 innings. In four spring trainings combined between 2015 and 2018, he gave up four earned runs over 26 innings. Now he's allowed nine earned runs. When Givens pitched in a simulated game yesterday in Sarasota - and not against Minnesota as the schedule originally listed - it was not...

Baseball in 2020 will be finally getting rid of the most confusing rule in the game: the waiver rule that allows teams to make trades - even after the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. What good is a July 31 trade deadline if teams can use a convoluted rule to make trades anyway? In 2019, the old system will stay in place. Teams can make any trades they see fit before the July 31 trade deadline. This season will be the final August that a team can trade a player after he clears waivers. It's...

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - This morning's MRI of Michael A. Taylor's left leg revealed both a sprained knee and hip, and the Nationals outfielder is going to miss a "significant" amount of time while recovering, according to manager Davey Martinez. "It stinks," Martinez said following the Nats' 11-3 exhibition victory over the Mets. "It's a little bit more than we were hoping for. But he's going to rehab, and as soon as we get him back, we get him back." Taylor injured himself making a...

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Orioles right-hander David Hess began his outing today with a spring ERA of 3.48, a batting average against of .237 and with a WHIP of 1.06 through four spring games. But he leaves with an ERA of 9.00 as Minnesota beat the Orioles 12-9 at Hammond Stadium. The Orioles have lost five of six, two in the last two days to the Twins, and are 10-10-2. Minnesota improved to 12-9-2. Hess elevated some pitches and paid for it, allowing four homers among nine hits and nine runs over 2...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Shortstop Luis Garcia has done a nice job in 15 games with the Nationals this spring training, slashing .316/.381/.316 with six hits, seven runs scored and two RBIs. Garcia, 18, is currently listed as the No. 3 rated prospect in the Nats system, according to MLB Pipeline. Director of player development Mark Scialabba said his hitting skills have been apparent since the Nats signed the youngster in July 2016. He said it's only a matter of time before Garcia adds power to...

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Tony Sipp arrived at Nationals camp Thursday and immediately threw his first bullpen session with the club that signed him to a $1 million contract the previous day. He hasn't faced any live hitters yet, obviously hasn't appeared in any spring training games and certainly hasn't appeared in back-to-back games, all hurdles he'll need to cross before joining the Nats' active roster. So the pertinent question this morning when Sipp met with reporters in West Palm Beach...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Richie Martin didn't figure to keep his average above .400 for an entire spring training. He was bound to cool off, baseball's odds catching up to the kid. Martin is handling his mini-slump or whatever it should be termed with the same poise and maturity that's gotten him this far. No hits in his last four games brings fewer worries, if that's possible. Don't overthink it. Martin isn't. "That's just how baseball goes," he said yesterday morning while relaxing at his...