JUPITER, Fla. - If the Nationals are playing at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, right-hander Tanner Roark must be starting. Roark takes the hill for his third start of the spring today, and all have come in the cozy confines of Roger Dean, where the wind whips across the outfield, turning routine fly balls into adventures, skewing pitching lines and inflating ERAs. This time, the Cardinals will present the opposition; in Roark's first two Grapefruit League starts here, he faced the Marlins....

When the 2018 season begins, the Orioles will be afforded no time to ease into the action. The early season schedule is tough and littered with 2017 playoff teams. Of the 15 American League teams, just five finished over .500 last year and they were all playoff teams. Cleveland won 102 games, Houston won 101 on its way to the World Series title, Boston won 93, New York won 91 and Minnesota 85. Of their first seven series of the 2018 season, the Orioles play each of those five teams once. They...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have cut their camp roster to 60 players by reassigning pitchers Jason Gurka and Eddie Gamboa and catcher Audry Perez to the minor league complex. None of them were projected to head north with the team. Gabriel Ynoa struck out the first two Red Sox batters today before his start went downhill. He threw 26 pitches in the first inning, gave up back-to-back home runs in the second and was charged with six runs in the Orioles' 10-8 win - their fourth victory in a...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Juan Soto's exuberance, possibly over-exuberance, was understandable. Here was a 19-year-old prospect standing in the batter's box in a major league Grapefruit League game for the first time, pinch-hitting for Howie Kendrick in the bottom of the sixth of Sunday's game against the Tigers. So when Soto nearly swung out of his shoes a couple of times while striking out against 22-year-old right-hander Gerson Moreno, those in the park with big league experience weren't...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - As happy as he was to see Matt Adams launch a ball off the right field wall in the bottom of the second today, Davey Martinez also couldn't help but cringe a little once he realized Adams was going to have to try to stretch the hit into a triple. "I'm going: 'Oh lord, stop,'" the manager said. "He said he felt fine. My biggest thing about spring training is the fear of injuries. Every day we get through a game and nobody gets hurt, it's a good day." Chalk up...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It had been a quiet spring so far for Bryce Harper. Too quiet, to be honest. There was his introductory press conference, during which he made it clear he won't answer questions about his looming free agency. There were some nondescript at-bats in his first couple of Grapefruit League games. And then there were three days off after having an ingrown toenail removed. Sooner or later, Harper was going to do something eye-catching, right? Yep. It happened in the bottom of...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles made three roster cuts yesterday and infielder Ryan Mountcastle remained in camp, his locker set up across the hall in the auxiliary clubhouse and his swing still producing loud noises. One of the top position prospects in the organization is 5-for-16 with three doubles and a home run this spring. The ball makes a certain sound when it leaves the bat, the kind that turns heads and the wind. "I think it's kind of affirmation of what everybody has told me and...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - One of the few legitimate roster decisions the Nationals need to make this spring is behind the plate, where Matt Wieters returns as the No. 1 catcher but the backup position is up for grabs. As much conjecture as there was over the winter about the Nationals pursuing an upgrade - J.T. Realmuto? Alex Avila? Jonathan Lucroy? - general manger Mike Rizzo continues to stand behind Wieters, who he believes is primed for a bounceback season. The backup job? That's up for...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles reassigned infielders Erick Salcedo and Garabez Rosa to minor league camp following yesterday's game in Clearwater. Salcedo was competing for a spot as the utility infielder. He impressed at second base and shortstop and also went 4-for-8 with a double. Rosa, who was 3-for-16 with a double and home run, played first base and is expected to remain at the position in the minors. "Salcedo can catch the ball," said manager Buck Showalter. "Very intelligent, a smart...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It's a split-squad day for the Nationals, with one group staying back here in West Palm Beach to face the Tigers and another group heading north to Port St. Lucie to face the Mets. Between the two games, nearly everybody of consequence on the roster is playing somewhere today, and there even will be some prospects from minor league camp coming off the bench (including outfielder Juan Soto here at the home game). Gio Gonzalez starts against a Tigers lineup that includes...