NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Nationals 5, Astros 3 Recap: Gio Gonzalez returned to the mound four days after the birth of his son and admittedly struggled at times to find the strike zone. The left-hander needed 87 pitches to get through 4 1/3 innings, though he only allowed one run. Batterymate Wilson Ramos supplied offensive support, homering to left-center to continue his recent surge since having LASIK surgery. Ryan Zimmerman later added a two-out, two-run double to expand the Nationals'...

VIERA, Fla. - Max Scherzer will start on opening day for the Nationals. That's been known, if not officially stated, all along. The order of the Nationals rotation after Scherzer, however, may come as a surprise to some: Gio Gonzalez will start the season's second game, with Stephen Strasburg following him. Manager Dusty Baker confirmed that plan this morning, revealing that Gonzalez will pitch April 6 in Atlanta, with Strasburg starting the home opener at Nationals Park against the Marlins...

VIERA, Fla. - Joe Ross says his heel is "barely sore at all" after he was struck by a comebacker during Sunday's outing against the Tigers, and that he expects to remain on schedule and make his next start as planned. Ross said once the initial shock of taking Nick Castellanos' line drive off his right heel wore off, he realized the injury wasn't serious. "The ball hit me, and I went to put my foot down and it was pretty painful at first," he said. "I think it was more the shock, a...

VIERA, Fla. - I really not to complain about the weather while in Florida, because I know it falls on deaf ears up north. But facts are facts, and the fact is, it's really cold here today. The Space Coast Stadium thermometer read 48 degrees when the Nationals emerged from the clubhouse to begin stretching around 10 a.m. It's going to warm up a bit by gametime, but there's also a 20 mph steady wind blowing from the northwest. Not exactly pristine conditions for spring training. OK, that's...

VIERA, Fla. - While much of the focus yesterday in Lakeland was on Bryce Harper's two homers and Joe Ross' early exit after taking a comebacker off his right heel, there were some other interesting developments during the Nationals' 7-6 loss to the Tigers. Let's run through the highlights and lowlights of the afternoon ... * Blake Treinen was outstanding during an unexpected, four-inning relief appearance. Treinen wasn't supposed to enter until the sixth, and he wasn't supposed to throw...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have their first and only scheduled off-day, with most players allowed to sleep late, play golf or vacation with their families. I'm guessing that Disney is a popular destination. Meanwhile, Yovani Gallardo must report to Twin Lakes Park for a start in a minor league game. Jeff Beliveau will pitch in relief his first spring inning. This is a good day to reheat some leftovers. * A scout from another organization checked the Orioles transactions page and noted how...

The Orioles today announced that they have reassigned outfielder Alfredo Marte and left-hander Jeff Beliveau to minor league camp. With these moves, the Orioles now have 43 players at Major League Spring Training, including eight non-roster invitees.

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles reassigned left-hander Jeff Beliveau and outfielder Alfredo Marte to minor league camp today, leaving 43 players in major league camp, including eight non-roster invitees. Beliveau will pitch in his first game on Monday at the minor league complex. Marte was 7-for-25 with a home run and four RBIs. "Good swing," manager Buck Showalter said of Marte. "You can see he's a professional hitter. A little better defensively than I was led to believe. That's why you...

LAKELAND, Fla. - Al Kaline, who only has been watching spring training games at Tiger Town since 1953, called it the longest home run he's ever seen hit here. Willie Horton, another Detroit legend, made sure to track down the young man who hit it and compliment him. Mike Maddux, having spent the last three decades in the game as a big league pitcher, coach and brother of a Hall of Famer, turned to Nationals manager Dusty Baker and gushed: "We get to watch this every day?" Lofty praise, all...

SARASOTA, Fla. - No doubt the Orioles have a power-packed lineup. They've hit 200 or more homers four straight years and that streak should grow to five this season. But the homers won't always be there and some nights the team will have to manufacture runs. One player who agrees with this assessment is one of the club's power hitters, new Oriole Mark Trumbo. He has averaged 26.2 homers over the past five seasons. But Trumbo believes there are going to be nights the O's can't simply rely...