SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles first baseman Chris Davis built up his spring at-bats yesterday at Twin Lakes Park, where the spectators included executive vice president Dan Duquette, and he should remain in the lineup for tonight's game against the Rays in Sarasota. MASN is carrying it live, so pull up a sofa and enjoy baseball under the lights. The forecast is calling for rain, of course, because the Orioles are playing at home and we're nearing the start of the regular season. Left-hander Nestor...

LAKELAND, Fla. - When the first two hitters in what could be the Detroit Tigers' opening day lineup singled today, Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman was in immediate trouble. But soon he would finish a scoreless first going through the heart of the Detroit batting order. It was the start of a good day for Tillman, one that produced better radar gun readings on the scoreboard and much better results in the box score. Tillman went five innings and allowed six hits and one run in the Orioles'...

JUPITER, Fla. - Max Scherzer could look at today's ragged outing against the Marlins, one in which he gave up six runs (five of them scoring via three home runs) in five innings, with a glass-half-empty mindset and insist he needs to be better next time. Or he could try the glass-half-full approach and find the positives in what for all practical purposes was an ugly afternoon on the mound. He chose the latter. "I actually liked that I got hit around," the Nationals ace said. "That was...

The Cubs have a revamped rotation to go with a lineup that features Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, two hitters that are potential National League MVP candidates. Their biggest competition in the NL Central could be the Brewers, who had 86 victories last season and have a legitimate shot to make the postseason for the first time since 2011. But the Cardinals, who had 100, 86 and 83 wins in each of the last three seasons, are trying to avoid being left out of the postseason for the third...

After losing the 2016 World Series in seven games and the 2017 Division Series to the Yankees in five games, the Cleveland Indians hope to take a run at a third consecutive American League Central championship. But their biggest competition comes from the Twins, a wild card team in 2017 that has added six players, including five pitchers, two of them starters. The White Sox and Tigers are in rebuild, although the White Sox are, unlike the Tigers, beyond the first step. The Royals lost two key...

After losing four Division Series in the last six seasons, the Nationals go into the season a clear favorite to win the National League East. Last season, they won the division by 20 games over the second-place Marlins. No team has ever won consecutive division titles by at least 20 games. Maybe the Nationals will be the first. Miami, though, is the odds-on favorite to finish last. That leaves the Phillies, Mets and Braves to battle for second place. If the Mets get a healthy rotation, they'll...

JUPITER, Fla. - The ingrown toenail bug has returned to wreak havoc on the Nationals clubhouse for the second time this spring. OK, so that may be overdramatizing the situation a bit, but for the second time this month a key member of the Nats lineup had to undergo a procedure to remove an ingrown toenail. Earlier this spring it was Bryce Harper. Now it's Trea Turner, who was scratched from today's lineup against the Marlins and may need another day or two to heal before he can return to...

LAKELAND, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Danny Valencia was scratched from today's lineup against Detroit due to a sore calf. He's being held out as a precaution. "Danny felt some soreness in his calf. Been playing a lot. Trainers felt like it would be a good idea to give him a day and not take any chances. I think he'll be fine," the skipper said. Valencia hit a two-run homer yesterday and is 6-for-29 (.207) with three doubles, two home runs and six RBIs in 11 games after...

Who says rebuilding lasts forever? It only seems to be the case. The Astros, who had 100-loss seasons each year from 2011 to 2013, won their first World Series last season. This season, they are the favorite to win the American League West. And they could be the first team since the 1999-2000 New York Yankees to win consecutive World Series. In the rest of the AL West, the stories are the same. The Mariners, Angels, Athletics and Rangers have potent lineups, but rotation questions. The...

JUPITER, Fla. - Max Scherzer will start opening day for the Nationals. That news, though made official by manager Davey Martinez this morning, was never in doubt. Asked when he made the decision, Martinez replied: "The day I got the job." Perhaps more interesting than the fact Scherzer will be on the mound March 29 in Cincinnati against veteran right-hander Homer Bailey is how the rest of the Nationals rotation will be configured behind him. Martinez revealed that this morning, as well....