NEW YORK - Nationals manager Matt Williams decided to make a big splash to begin the 2014 campaign with a surprise in his lineup. Catcher Wilson Ramos will hit in the cleanup spot on opening day today against the Mets. It is a rare start at the cleanup spot for Ramos, only the seventh of his career in the majors, which spans 238 games. But he has had a lot of experience in the fourth spot while playing in his native Venezuela. "I feel excited right now," Ramos said. "Not the first time....

The Harrisburg Senators have released their 2014 opening day roster for manager Brian Daubach. Catcher Sandy Leon starts the season at Double-A, giving Jhonatan Solano a lot more at-bats at Triple-A. This also means Steven Souza Jr. will start season at Syracuse, as well. PITCHERS Alfaro, Gabriel Bates, Colin Cole, A.J. Gilliam, Rob Grace, Matt Herron, Tyler Holland, Neil Jackson, Zach Mirowski, Richie Perry, Ryan Purke, Matthew Rivero, Felipe Schwartz, Blake CATCHERS Canham, Mitch Leon,...

Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis just told reporters he's not sure if he can play today. He'll find out before too long though, after he takes a few swings on the field. "I don't know, we'll find out after BP (batting practice) here. I feel a lot better," he said. "I've been here long enough to know which injuries I can baby and which injuries I need to take care of. This is one that is kind of in between. "But, you know, it gets better day by day. Today it feels great and I'll go...

NEW YORK - Hello from Citi Field, everyone. There was snow falling from the sky when I left my hotel early this morning - how's that for opening day weather? - and the tarp is on the field, but the forecast looks OK for later on today. Manager Matt Williams has posted his first regular season lineup as a big league manager, and it's got a couple of interesting twists. Ryan Zimmerman will bat second today against Mets right-hander Dillon Gee, Wilson Ramos will hit cleanup and Bryce Harper...

NEW YORK - The big day is finally here. Months of waiting, speculating about roster moves, sifting through minor league signings and watching players practice bunt plays - that's all behind us. Now we have actual, meaningful baseball. Hallelujah. This kind of feels like the first day of school, except not, because this is a little more fun. The Nationals open their 2014 season this afternoon (weather permitting) against the Mets, with Nats ace Stephen Strasburg squaring off against...

Happy opening day. And shame on Hallmark if it doesn't make a card for this occasion. The Orioles have won 11 of their last 13 openers and are 3-0 under manager Buck Showalter. The last time they played in March, they lost 6-2 to the Rays in 2008. Jeremy Guthrie, Matt Albers and Brian Burres pitched for the Orioles. Luis Hernandez, the team's last rookie to get the nod in an opener, started at shortstop and was replaced by Brandon Fahey after Jay Payton pinch-hit for him. Such...

Manager: Terry Collins, fourth year Record (2013): 74-88 Last 10 games: N/A Who to watch (2013 stats): 3B David Wright (.307/.390/.514, 18 HR, 58 RBIs); RF Curtis Granderson (.229/.317/.407, 7 HR, 15 RBIs); RHP Dillon Gee (12-11, 3.62 ERA); RHP Bartolo Colon (18-6, 2.65 ERA) Season series vs. Nats (2013): 7-12, 76 runs scored, 88 runs allowed Pitching probables March 31: Dillon Gee vs. Stephen Strasburg, 1 p.m., MASN2 HD April 2: Bartolo Colon vs. Gio Gonzalez, 7 p.m., MASN2 HD April 3: Zack...

Manager: John Farrell, second year Record (2013): 97-65 Last 10 games: N/A Who to watch (2013 stats): DH David Ortiz (.309/.395/.564, 30 HR, 103 RBIs); 2B Dustin Pedroia (.301/.372/.415, 42 doubles, 84 RBIs); 1B Mike Napoli (.259/.360/.482, 23 HR, 92 RBIs); LHP Jon Lester (15-8, 3.75 ERA) Season series vs. O's (2013): 8-11, 84 runs scored, 71 runs allowed Pitching probables March 31: Jon Lester vs. Chris Tillman, 3 p.m., MASN HD April 2: John Lackey vs. Ubaldo Jimenez, 7 p.m., MASN HD April...

Well, here it is. Opening day, a day just about every fan can't wait for over the long winter. Today, the Orioles begin their quest to get back to the playoffs and to produce a third straight winning season for the first time since 1992-94. Expectations are high for this club and fans are excited to see what the 2014 Orioles can do. They play in baseball's toughest division and will open the season playing 19 of their first 22 games against American League East opponents. The other series is...

Oh, the burdens of Washington sports fans' high expectations. Where else can a team be considered a failure when it completes its second straight winning season after seven straight years of finishing .500 or below? But that's how we roll in the nation's capital, where 86-76 isn't good enough, especially after the retiring manager proclaims "World Series or bust." After the national media jumped on the bandwagon, those expectations seemed to drag down down the Washington Nationals'...