Award-winning Nashville songwriters and musicians joined with Orioles athletes March 1-3 in Sarasota, Fla., to support arts education and girls empowerment during the fourth annual "Athletes & Artists Play for Kids" weekend. Held at Ed Smith Stadium, the Orioles' Florida training complex, the weekend featured a "Nashville's Music Row Comes to the Ballpark" charity benefit, two Orioles Spring Training games, an artist workshop for local youth, and an on-field performance from Country...

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - The need to slow-play Nate Karns through the first half of camp has jeopardized his chances of entering the rotation and potentially opens a second spot for a field of candidates. Karns lasted 1 2/3 innings in his spring debut on Feb. 25 and didn't pitch again until yesterday, retiring the side in order in the fourth. He was shut down briefly with some arm soreness. Manager Brandon Hyde noted yesterday that Karns didn't have his best fastball and indicated this morning...

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Trey Mancini still has wrapping on his left pinky finger, a reminder of an injury that amuses more than frustrates. The rare stolen base on Feb. 24, the head-first slide and an unfortunate collision between hand and Blue Jays shortstop Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Removed early from Saturday's game against the Red Sox in Fort Myers, Mancini has returned to the lineup today as the designated hitter. He's batting second against Rays starter Charlie Morton in chilly Port...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It's 8:20 a.m. on a sweltering March morning, not a hint of breeze to cool the baking sun and the temperatures on their way into the upper 80s. Carter Kieboom grabs a bat out of his locker stall, checks the morning hitting assignments and pops out of the back clubhouse door at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. While some of his Nationals teammates are still getting dressed or chowing down in the cafeteria, Kieboom immerses himself in a round of batting practice. A...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Chris Davis remains out of the Orioles lineup this afternoon with a left hip flexor strain. Rio Ruiz is starting at first base. Cedric Mullins is leading off and playing center field against the Rays in Port Charlotte. Trey Mancini is the designated hitter, getting back in the lineup after jamming his left pinky finger over the weekend. Anthony Santander is in left field and Yusniel Diaz is in right. Hanser Alberto is the second baseman and Rule 5 pick Richie Martin is the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - After starting and throwing two scoreless innings versus the Yankees in Tampa Friday night, left-hander John Means gets another start on the mound today as the Orioles play the Rays in Port Charlotte. Means, an 11th-round pick out of West Virginia University in 2014, might currently be on the fringes of the fifth-starter competition, but another solid outing could enhance his shot to make this roster. He made his big league debut late last season, got into one game at Boston...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - As spring training competitions go, the center field battle between veteran Michael A. Taylor and top prospect Victor Robles in Nationals camp is a doozy. And with a little more than two weeks left in camp, there's no clear-cut leader. If all things were equal, the Nationals would seem to prefer that Robles, 21, seize the opportunity. If not for a gruesome elbow injury sustained making a diving play for Triple-A Syracuse in April, he might have been the one who got the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - With so much attention given to Ryan Mountcastle's repetitions and game experience at first base, his slow start at the plate barely drew notice. One hit in 13 at-bats from an upper-tier prospect who usually can roll out of bed and square up a fastball. But what about the glove? How does he look at first? Is he really changing positions again? Talent wins out again. Mountcastle entered yesterday's game with four hits in his last six at-bats. Driving the ball into the gap and...

The new Triple-A Nationals affiliate, the Fresno Grizzlies, have announced their radio and television broadcast agreements for the 2019 season. All 140 games, and any playoff contests, will be broadcast live on the radio on KRDU 1130 AM from Dinuba, Calif. Nats fans can access the radio broadcasts free of charge on FresnoGrizzlies.com and on the MiLB app. Radio simulcast of every Grizzlies game, home or road, is available on MiLB.tv and FresnoGrizzlies.com to subscribers, with most in high...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Spring training inevitably contains missteps and injuries. The Nationals had been lucky enough to avoid both - until today. Their 8-4 loss Tuesday afternoon didn't hurt as much watching Howie Kendrick pull up lame and limp back to the dugout with a left hamstring strain in the third inning or seeing Max Scherzer labor against a Red Sox lineup populated mostly with bench players and minor leaguers making the three-hour drive from Fort Myers. Luckily, neither issue seems...