LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The only thing drearier than the forecast was the prospect of the five-hour round trip from West Palm Beach for an exhibition game that might not even be played if the rain didn't let up. "Yeah, everybody was worrying about that," Aníbal Sánchez said. "Especially hearing the team was driving many hours to be here. It's really uncomfortable for both sides." It may have been uncomfortable, but the Nationals and Braves did manage to play a nine-inning game this...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Jack Reinheimer can remember making one start for the Orioles this spring, though he might not be able to nail down the date. Reinheimer keeps coming off the bench, mainly to play shortstop or second base and to get his daily at-bat. And what often follows is a line drive that finds grass in the outfield. Is there a quieter .407/.429/.593 slash line in the Grapefruit League? Reinheimer has appeared in 20 games, one fewer than team leader Drew Jackson, and accumulated 27...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - As the clock ticks down on spring training, Howie Kendrick and Tony Sipp are running out of time to make it onto the opening day roster. But they're not entirely out of time yet, and there remains optimism at least one of the two veterans will be ready for next Thursday's season opener against the Mets. Kendrick appears to face a tougher challenge, still needing to get at-bats and game action after two weeks of rehab from a strained left hamstring. The 35-year-old...

Howard Jay Smith is an acquaintance of mine, not through literature, but our shared love of wine. Sampling vino with a group of regular imbibers at a luncheon, we got to talking about this book. He sent me a copy, and thank goodness for that. Smith is an award-winning writer and "Beethoven in Love; Opus 139" is his third book, published in 2015. He has taught at UCLA, published numerous short stories and articles, and been an executive with national television outlets working on films, radio...

Welcome back to the 2019 edition of "Hitting the Books"! With the support of producer Olivia Witherite, editor Pete Kerzel and you as readers, let's try another trip into the stacks. As from the beginning, the idea is a look at books I've enjoyed and would like to pass along. We will be joined at times by guests-managers, players, coaches, and broadcasters-who'll tell us their favorite reads. Your comments are always welcome. Onward. Preservation of art in a time of war. That was the work...

SARASOTA, Fla. - A steady rain and unfavorable forecast have caused the cancellation of today's game between the Orioles and Twins and delayed Drew Jackson's debut in left field. Jackson made his first professional appearance in right field yesterday in Lakeland and was set to play left today, but the Twins never left Fort Myers, didn't post a lineup and waited for the inevitable. The Orioles want to know whether Jackson can be a fourth outfielder along with his other utility duties. A sunny...

Today's Orioles-Twins game at Ed Smith Stadium has been cancelled due to inclement weather. There will be no makeup date. Fans holding paid tickets for today's game purchased directly from the Ed Smith Stadium Box Office may exchange their tickets for any of the four remaining Spring Training games at Ed Smith Stadium. Fans that purchased through Orioles.com or via phone at (800)-745-3000 can exchange through Ticketmaster by calling (800) 653-8000, subject to availability. Season Plan Members...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Hello from Walt Disney World. This is the last time the Nationals are ever scheduled to come here, with the Braves relocating to North Port (on the Gulf Coast) next spring, and they may not even get a chance to make that five-hour round trip worth it because it's been raining all day. No word yet on the status of the game, so everyone's preparing as though they'll play, but it's certainly a question mark. The matchup, if it happens, is Aníbal Sánchez against...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles right-hander Mychal Givens began yesterday's ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland with an ERA of 30.38. He had allowed nine hits and nine runs, including three homers, over 2 2/3 innings. But last Friday, during a simulated game in Sarasota, he felt he found something, and it carried over into the game yesterday when he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, ending the game with a swinging strikeout on a 97 mph fastball. He worked hard with pitching coach Doug Brocail...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Communication and the exchange of new ideas and strategies are part of the relationship building going on in spring training between Nationals pitchers and two new veteran catchers, Yan Gomes and Kurt Suzuki. Nats ace Max Scherzer focused after his Friday start on how the exchange of new ideas and relationship building with Gomes is a process that is beginning to gain momentum as spring training comes to a close. Scherzer likes the idea of having Gomes and Suzuki on the...