SARASOTA, Fla. – Jackson Holliday is leading off for the Orioles this afternoon for their game against the split-squad Tigers at Ed Smith Stadium. Holliday gets another start at second base, with Jorge Mateo at shortstop. Coby Mayo is making back-to-back starts at third base. Ryan McKenna is the center fielder today, with Daniel Johnson in left fie

For a player that was limited by injuries to 115 games and 470 plate appearances in the 2023, Ryan Mountcastle still did some nice things with his potentially potent bat. Especially in the second half when his OBP soared to heights when have not seen from him in the big leagues. On the year Mounty hit .270/.328/.452/.779 producing career bests in b

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Inside the home clubhouse at Nationals Park back on March 30, 2023, a devasted CJ Abrams couldn’t believe the nightmare he had just endured. In his first Opening Day as the Nats’ starting shortstop, the then-22-year-old committed three errors while also going 0-for-4, a disastrous game for anyone at any time, let alone the f

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles are playing their fifth exhibition game this afternoon, hosting the Tigers with Grayson Rodriguez making his first start. Among my camp observations prior to the opener were Jackson Holliday prepping to play second base, teammates being excited to have Dillon Tate back, Cedric Mullins resembling the pre-injury version o

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – That Josiah Gray struck out five Mets batters today during his two-inning spring debut was good news for the Nationals That he struck out three of those batters swinging at fastballs was great news for Gray. “Anytime you can get swings and misses, especially on the fastball, is a good feeling,” the right-hander said. “A conf

SARASOTA, Fla. – Cade Povich received a mound visit from his catcher this afternoon after only 14 pitches. Povich issued back-to-back walks to Tampa Bay’s Jonathan Aranda and Curtis Mead with one out in the first inning and fell behind 2-0 to Junior Caminero, prompting Adley Rutschman to call time and offer some counseling. It worked. Povich missed

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals hope to have more clarity in the next 24 hours on Mason Thompson, who is set to be re-examined by team doctors after being shut down the last two weeks with a sore elbow. Thompson reported soreness after one of his final offseason bullpen sessions at home in Texas, and the Nats instructed him not to throw when

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles are playing their first split-squad games this afternoon, at home versus the Rays and in North Port versus the Braves. Adley Rutschman is catching left-hander Cade Povich at Ed Smith Stadium. Ramón Urías is starting at second base and batting cleanup. Coby Mayo is starting at third base and Colton Cowser is in right fie

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – It’s another beautiful day down here in paradise (sorry) as the Nationals return home to face the Mets for the first time this spring. The first two games have been highlighted by events that transpired after most of the starters departed. Perhaps today we’ll get a little more action from the regulars. Davey Martinez has mos

Orioles catching prospect Samuel Basallo can make a nice first impression. Like when he reported to Low-A Delmarva last April for his first shot at full-season minor league ball. He homered in each of his first two games with the Shorebirds. His manager then was Felipe Rojas Alou Jr. and the kid had long since made a nice first impression on Alou.