To begin 2015, there are some subtle changes to the makeup of the Nationals and the way things look in the clubhouse. First baseman Adam LaRoche has moved on to the Chicago White Sox. Sporting a new haircut and thicker goatee, veteran shortstop Ian Desmond has moved his clubhouse locker location over to the stall previously occupied by LaRoche. He is now right next to Tyler Moore and closer to Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman. Bryce Harper's locker is now to his right. Desmond remembers when he...

The Grapefruit League of the Nationals' schedule is done, and Space Coast Stadium is in their rear view mirror. Today at 1 p.m. on MASN, the Nationals host the Yankees in the final exhibition game of the spring. The grounds crew is putting the finishing touches on the beautiful, new turf at Nats Park as I type, and a group of red-clad pitchers are stretching in the outfield. Sure signs that baseball's back. If you're coming to the game today - and particularly if you're sitting in the upper...

The countdown has been going on for several weeks, but we now sit on the doorstep of opening day. Nationals manager Matt Williams has one last bit of business to take care of before his ballclub takes the field against the Mets on Monday. Williams is currently staring at 27 healthy players (14 position players, 13 pitchers). That number needs to be paired down to 25 by Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m.. Williams indicated on Friday that he wanted to get one last look at those competing for the final...

SARASOTA, Fla. - We've reached the final game of the exhibition schedule. Nothing left after today except a workout that proceeds the opening day festivities at Tropicana Field. Raise the roof. The Orioles are breaking camp but they're not heading north, unless you count the drive from Sarasota to St. Petersburg. And if you really want to get technical, they're heading south from Lake Buena Vista following today's game against the Braves. Minor leauger Zach Davies gets the start and he's...

TAMPA - Right-hander Stephen Strasburg turned in his best spring start in today's 8-2 win over the Yankees in the Nationals' final Grapefruit League game. Strasburg limited the Yankees to just one run on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. "It's just progress," said Strasburg. "I think I felt good a couple starts ago and then I twisted my ankle and pushed everything backwards. Now I think I'm going in the right direction." Strasburg's breaking balls were...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles reassigned infielders Paul Janish and Jayson Nix to minor league camp following tonight's 3-2 win over the Braves in the final home exhibition game of 2015. Both players will be assigned to Triple-A Norfolk. Janish is projected as the starting shortstop and Nix as a utility infielder. The camp roster is down to 33 players. The deadline for setting the 25-man roster is 3 p.m. Sunday. Janish, slowed early in spring training after undergoing surgery to remove bone...

The Orioles tonight announced that they have reassigned infielders Jayson Nix and Paul Janish to minor league camp. With these moves, the Orioles now have 33 players at Major League Spring Training, including two non-roster invitees.

With tonight's crowd of 7,329 for the final home game of Orioles Spring Training at Ed Smith Stadium, the Orioles have drawn a total of 112,258 fans for 15 home games in Sarasota this season. Since 2010, when the club's Major League operations moved to Sarasota, 544,316 fans have enjoyed Spring Training baseball at Ed Smith Stadium. This year, the club set a franchise record with an average per game attendance of 7,484, topping the previous record average of 7,454 set during the 2014 Spring...

ORIOLES QUICK WRAP Score: Orioles 3, Braves 2 Recap: Ubaldo Jimenez allowed one run and three hits in four innings, with one walk and five strikeouts. He threw 61 pitches, 43 for strikes. Eric Young Jr. singled in the first and scored on Jace Peterson's double, but Jimenez retired the last eight batters he faced and 11 of 12. Brad Brach retired the Braves in order with a strikeout in the fifth. Brian Matusz had a walk and strikeout in two-thirds of an inning, and Darren O'Day struck out the...

I don't know if he has a future career as a reporter or talk show host, but Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman is developing a reputation as someone that asks a lot of questions. He gets praised for that because it shows he wants to learn and is not afraid to speak up. When I interviewed O's pitching coach Dave Wallace over the winter, he talked about this. "What I like about Kevin is he's probably the most inquisitive of all the young guys," Wallace said. "Almost every day when he is not...