Left-hander Sammy Solis threw four innings Monday in Florida and the club's offseason facility and everything looked good, according to a team source. Solis' velocity is there. He is playing extended spring training games against teams from the Braves, Astros and Tigers. Solis had a minor back strain right before end of spring training which set him back. Update: A Nats source confirms that Solis will likely headed north, presumably to Double-A Harrisburg in the next week. Harrisburg...

Major League Baseball this week announced the 31 winners of the 2014 Honorary Bat Girl Contest, which recognizes baseball fans who have been affected by breast cancer and demonstrate a commitment to eradicating the disease. Annie Arensdorf of Ashburn, Va., has been named the winner for the Washington Nationals, and she will be recognized on the field before the team plays the New York Mets on Friday, May 16. In addition to participating in the lineup delivery as part of the pregame ceremony,...

On a team that has sputtered defensively to start the 2014 season, Nationals center fielder Denard Span is a playmaking oasis in a desert of bad hops, errant throws and generally poor defensive showings. Currently leading the team in the defensive statistics ultimate zone rating and defensive runs saved, Span has few peers in the outfield or across baseball in general when it comes to his skills with the glove. With the bat, however, the reviews aren't as glowing for Span, especially this...

A departure from the press box after 2 a.m. sure doesn't lend itself well to early morning blog posts. But I figured I had plenty to discuss after last night's wackiness. Blake Treinen will make his first major league start tonight. Who will the 25-year-old oppose? Only the best pitcher on the planet in Clayton Kershaw. What type of lineup will Treinen face? One that features Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford, Dee Gordon (don't scoff, he's hitting .342 and has stolen...

It was a game that officially took two hours and 59 minutes to play. But, in reality, it had another three hours and 17 minutes of a rain delay sandwiched inside the regular game. The Nationals ended up winning the opener against the Dodgers, 4-0. The pair of two-run shots by Anthony Rendon and Danny Espinosa were critical. Also crucial to the victory was the bullpen's ability to stay focused and hold the Dodgers scoreless for the final five innings of the game. Nationals reliever Aaron...

We have finally learned who will start Tuesday night (or, shall I say, later on today) for the Nationals. It'll be right-hander Blake Treinen, who will be called up from Triple-A Syracuse. Right-handed reliever Ryan Mattheus will be optioned to Syracuse to make room for Treinen on the roster, manager Matt Williams announced after tonight's 4-0 Nats win, which featured a 3-hour, 17-minute rain delay. This will be Treinen's first major league start. He made a brief stint with the Nats...

Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos caught nine innings of a rehab game for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators on Monday night in their 8-2 loss to Richmond. Ramos went 0-for-4 and grounded into a pair of double plays, but called 149 pitches from four Senator pitchers. On Sunday, he was the designated hitter for the Hagerstown Suns and hit a three-run homer. Ramos has been out since opening day with a left hamate fracture. He has had a few extended spring training games and now a pair of rehab games...

Does anyone sleep well the night before an early-morning flight? Show of hands. The Orioles begin a three-game series tonight against the Rays at Tropicana Field, and they're prepared to make another roster move. As I wrote yesterday, left-hander T.J. McFarland was scratched from his scheduled start with Triple-A Norfolk and likely will be recalled to aid a bullpen that's in danger of burning out from excessive use. He'd be the only true long man of the bunch. The rotation has produced only...

To say the least, Nelson Cruz is off to a very strong start at the plate. Where would the Orioles be without him? Fortunately, they don't have to answer that question. Cruz has hit three homers over his last six games and seven in his past 13 contests. Over his last 15 games, Cruz is batting .328 (20-for-61) with seven homers, 22 RBIs and eight multi-RBI games. Impressive, indeed. Cruz's start rivals what Chris Davis did at a similar stage last year. Here are the stats of both after 28...

In two starts against the Nationals last season, Dodgers starter Zack Greinke won both times and allowed a grand total of two earned runs. The Nationals managed to score two earned runs in their first inning against Greinke in 2014. After a double by Denard Span to lead off the bottom of the first, Anthony Rendon got a hold of a 1-2 offering from Greinke and deposited it into the red porch seats over the wall in left-center. It was Rendon's first ever hit against Greinke in three recorded...