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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals have made their first cuts of spring training, optioning right-hander Austin Voth to Triple-A Syracuse and reassigning seven players to their minor league camp.
Voth, who went 4-12 with a 5.94 ERA at three minor league stops last season, appeared in three Grapefruit League games, and posted a 6.00 ERA in three innings of relief work. He allowed two runs on five hits with five strikeouts.
Right-handers Jimmy Cordero, Brady Dragmire, David Goforth, Román...
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Sammy SolÃs understands why people discount him when configuring their versions of the bullpen the Nationals will take north for their March 29 season opener in Cincinnati.
After the way the left-hander pitched last season - taking steps back in games pitched, innings, ERA and WHIP as he battled injury and inconsistency from the get-go - SolÃs knows he has to both prove himself and earn the trust of new manager Davey Martinez.
"Last season was ups and downs, a lot...
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have reassigned reliever Perci Garner to minor league camp before today's game against the Blue Jays.
The camp roster is down to 51 players.
Garner tossed three scoreless and hitless innings in his three appearances, with two walks and two strikeouts. He made the trip to Port Charlotte yesterday and escaped a jam after a pair of two-out walks.
The Orioles signed Garner as a minor league free agent on Dec. 1 and he underwent arthroscopic surgery later in the month...
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - There were plenty of visitors to Nationals camp today.
Former Expos first baseman Andres Galarraga dropped by at the invitation of manager Davey Martinez. Galarraga, who had a 19-year career in the big leagues and twice beat Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, lives in the city the Nats now call their spring home.
Martinez hopes he can get Galarraga back for another visit later in camp, maybe even in uniform as an instructor. The two were teammates on the Expos from 1988-91.
This...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Chris Tillman threw 61 pitches over three innings in this morning's simulated game. The crowd included Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Darren O'Day and Zach Britton.
Mark Trumbo is unavailable due to a sore right quadriceps muscle. Manager Buck Showalter estimated, after talking to head athletic trainer Brian Ebel, that Trumbo could be out for three to seven days.
"We're probably going to give him time to get that completely healed," Showalter said. "He's got a quad going on...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Trey Mancini gets another start at first base today with Chris Davis unavailable, and Pedro Ãlvarez is serving as the designated hitter for a 1:05 p.m. game against the Blue Jays in Sarasota.
Colby Rasmus is leading off and playing right field. Chance Sisco is catching.
Mark Trumbo isn't in the lineup today and he isn't listed among the reserves.
Rule 5 left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. makes his third start while bidding for the fifth spot in the rotation. He's allowed two...
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Stephen Strasburg makes his second start of spring training this afternoon when the Nationals host the Mets. He'll face right-hander Noah Syndergaard.
In his first start on March 3, Strasburg worked two innings against the Astros, allowing a run on three hits with two strikeouts.
Manager Davey Martinez has been extending his starters in recent games and hopes to get Strasburg up up to 60-65 pitches today.
There are few hitters this spring hotter than Moisés Sierra,...
SARASOTA, Fla. - The competition for backup catcher with the Orioles appears to be a two-man race between Chance Sisco and Austin Wynns, though Andrew Susac remains in camp and is trying to make a push after a staph infection led to a brief hospital stay.
Wynns was in the lineup yesterday against the Rays and had a single and walk before striking out with the bases loaded to end the fifth. Susac replaced him and singled in his only at-bat.
Susac is 2-for-2 and has walked twice in limited...
Well, it is not a four-man rotation in the traditional sense that the club will use only four starters, but the Tampa Bay Rays will use four starters and then a bullpen game every fifth day this season.
This is the plan, according to their manager Kevin Cash. In this story in the Tampa Bay Times, Cash said his four main starters will be Chris Archer, Blake Snell, Nathan Eovaldi and Jake Faria. On the fifth day, the Rays will fill in with several multi-inning relievers, and they will not name...
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - As far as Wilmer Difo is concerned, the more work, the better.
If microfracture surgery delays the start to Daniel Murphy's season, Difo is happy to play second base for the Nationals as long as he's needed. If shortstop Trea Turner or third baseman Anthony Rendon need a day off, Difo's ready to fill in. He'll grab a bat and pinch-hit or use his legs to make a difference as a pinch-runner.
"I'm a player that likes to work hard, and the more work I get, the better I...