WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - We are getting down to the wire now, with only two days of spring training to go. Which means it's decision time. Davey Martinez, Mike Rizzo and others have been behind closed doors much of this morning making some tough calls. So far, the only player I know for sure has been cut is Ryan Raburn, who already went around the clubhouse saying his goodbyes. Raburn, 36, said earlier this spring if he didn't make the team he'd be calling it a career. So this can't be an...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - If there's one position at which the Nationals can boast significant depth, it's in the outfield. Adam Eaton, Michael A. Taylor and Bryce Harper are all locked into starting positions. Brian Goodwin is a versatile fourth outfielder. Howie Kendrick can play either corner position. Victor Robles is waiting in the wings at Triple-A in case one of the starters goes down. Andrew Stevenson and Rafael Bautista gained big league experience last season. So why did the Nationals...

MLB Network hosts and analysts spent some time this week at the Orioles' spring training home in Sarasota. And last night, the network aired a "30 Clubs in 30 Days" show on the Orioles. They threw the team some props for the upgraded rotation, spent a lot of time talking about Manny Machado's move to shortstop and interviewed several players. No one is ready to say the Orioles can beat the Yankees or Red Sox, but the additions of Andrew Cashner and Alex Cobb in the last few weeks improved...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Nothing that happened tonight - barring injury - was going to change the Nationals' plan to open the season. A.J. Cole will be the No. 5 starter. Jeremy Hellickson will need more time to get himself up to speed after signing a minor league contract one week ago. Manager Davey Martinez made all that official earlier this afternoon. "We're going to open up with A.J. Cole being the fifth starter," Martinez said. "He's had a good camp. I like the way he threw all...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Tim Beckham's groin injury, if that's how you classify a tweak, struck as he continued to impress at third base. Setting aside a recent throwing error, Beckham has been smooth at the hot corner. He looks comfortable at his new position. His actions aren't robotic. He's taking good paths to ground balls and making clean pickups. Beckham is athletic and the saying goes that if you can play shortstop, you can play anywhere in the infield, but I don't necessarily buy it. The...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - As the clock ticks down on spring training and opening day looms in the near future, the Nationals have a pretty good idea what their 25-man roster will look like. "We're close," manager Davey Martinez said today. "I won't say we're quite there yet, but we're close. We've still got a few games left. I just want to leave spring training, get to Washington, play Minnesota (in Tuesday's exhibition game) and get through those days healthy and ready to go for...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Rule 5 reliever Pedro Araujo will head north with the Orioles and be part of their bullpen on opening day, news that came to him earlier today via bullpen mates Darren O'Day, Mychal Givens and Brad Brach. The smile on his face looks like it might have a shelf life of six months. Araujo allowed two runs and four hits in 8 2/3 innings, with only the Blue Jays scoring off him in a March 9 game. He walked two batters, struck out eight and kept gaining the organization's trust...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It's not exactly ideal to have to play split-squad games this late in the spring. But with an odd number of teams training in both Florida and Arizona, somebody has to split up (or be off) every day of the exhibition season. So the Nationals drew the short straw tonight and will be playing a pair of games: home against the Astros (6:05 p.m. on MASN) and road against the Marlins (7:05 p.m.). Davey Martinez will be staying here in West Palm Beach to watch A.J. Cole start...

SARASOTA, Fla. - If the Orioles stick with their camp roster, Chance Sisco will serve as the backup catcher on opening day. The Orioles announced today that they've optioned catcher Andrew Susac and infielder Engelb Vielma to Triple-A Norfolk. They already sent out Austin Wynns, leaving Sisco as the last catching reserve standing. Sisco had a two-run double and two-run homer yesterday in a 10-7 win over the Red Sox and is batting .419/.471/.839 (13-for-31) with five doubles, one triple, two...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Andrew Cashner and Kevin Gausman will follow opening day starter Dylan Bundy for the Twins series at Camden Yards that begins on March 29. Chris Tillman starts the Astros' home opener on April 2. Orioles manager Buck Showalter hasn't committed to a fifth starter and the club continues to check the waiver wire. Bundy was informed yesterday that he'd get the opening day assignment while Showalter met with the starters. "We had some candidates, a lot of guys," Showalter said....