Nationals closer Sean Doolittle made it official Monday that he was changing his jersey No. from 62 to No. 63 for family reasons. He did not want to get specifics as to why, citing privacy. "(Fans) spend their hard-earned money on a shirt or jersey with my name and number on it. I think that's really cool," Doolittle said. "I definitely had to factor that into my decision. But at the end of the day it was just something I felt was really important to me and was something I could do for my...

One area where the Orioles need to improve this year is on defense. Once a solid defensive team that played fundamentally sound baseball, the Orioles have gotten away from that in recent years. They need to get back to it this year. When he met with reporters before yesterday's spring training finale, executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said: "One of our big goals among many goals was to, in the immediate term, upgrade the athleticism and defense and flexibility of the...

Nationals right-hander Aníbal Sánchez wrapped up spring training with a strong 5 1/3 innings, allowing only two runs on two hits in a 5-3 win over the Yankees at Nats Park. Sánchez allowed a solo homer to Troy Tulowitzki in the third. The Yankees mounted another rally in the sixth that resulted in another run, courtesy of a Greg Bird RBI double off of Aaron Barrett. He walked four and struck out four, including Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. He threw 86 pitches, 47 for...

Spring training is over and the Orioles have moved into the next phase of their 2019 season. The games are starting to count, even for teams that are focusing on the bigger rebuild picture. The Orioles will visit the Naval Academy today - touring the grounds and facilities as guests of the baseball team and having lunch with 4,400 Midshipmen in King Hall - before holding their workout at Camden Yards and heading to New York. Major League Baseball requires teams to take an entire day off, which...

Right fielder Adam Eaton has watched Victor Robles get his reps in center field this spring and believes the 21-year-old is ready to take the next step as the season commences Thursday. The one thing Eaton has appreciated the most about Robles is that the youngster is not afraid to learn from his miscues in the outfield. Eaton likes the upside ability Robles has. And that ability will shine through once Robles gets dozens of big league games under his belt, the veteran believes. Robles has made...

The offseason for the National League East was a steady stream of reinforcements, making it the most competitive division of Major League Baseball's six. Four teams have a chance to win the crown. The biggest offseason splash was the Phillies' trade for catcher J.T. Realmuto. But that was only until halfway through spring training, when they signed free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper. So, how will the Nationals be without Harper, 26, the 2015 NL MVP? And, do the Phillies have enough in their...

The Nats got on the board in the bottom of the first in their spring training finale at Nats Park. Trea Turner's one-out infield single started the rally against Yankees southpaw Stephen Tarpley With two away, Anthony Rendon blasted a 2-1 offering over the left field wall. Giancarlo Stanton barely moved. Rendon's fifth of the spring made it 2-0 Nats. Aníbal Sánchez allowed a double to Brett Gardner to lead off the game but recorded two strikeouts in the first to get out unscathed. After...

After going 11-3 in the postseason en route to winning the 2018 World Series, the Red Sox are taking aim at becoming the first repeat World Series winner since the Yankees won their third consecutive in 2000. History says the Red Sox have an uphill climb. Since 2000, only the 2001 Yankees and 2009 Phillies returned to the World Series after winning it the previous season. Nine of the World Series champions didn't make the postseason. The Yankees and Red Sox are the favorites in the American...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Dwight Smith Jr. singled today in the fifth inning, came out of the game for a pinch-runner and received a nice ovation. He left on a low note by his standards. Smith hit two more home runs today to give him five in 12 games. Both balls cleared the fence in center field, an impressive display of power from a player who's hit two homers in 104 plate appearances in the majors and had six last summer in Triple-A. "I've just been working on it," said Smith, who hugged his...

With today's crowd of 7,357 for this season's Spring Training finale at Ed Smith Stadium, the Orioles have drawn a total of 103,167 fans for 16 home games in Sarasota. It is the ninth time in 10 seasons that the Orioles have welcomed more than 100,000 fans at Ed Smith Stadium. Since moving Major League operations to Sarasota, 1,091,516 fans have enjoyed Orioles Spring Training baseball at Ed Smith Stadium. The Orioles welcomed their One Millionth Fan into Ed Smith Stadium on February 26....