VIERA, Fla. - After two weeks of watching pitchers throw bullpens and live batting practice sessions with an L-screen in front of them and more than a week of trying to pull some type of information from watching position players field groundballs and take BP, we're just one day away from something of substance. Yeah, at this point, a meaningless Grapefruit League game against the Mets counts as substance. This morning's workout will be brief and fairly casual, manager Matt Williams said...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter is going easy on his team today, shortening the intrasquad game to four or five innings with an 11 a.m. start that will enable his players to leave the complex by early afternoon. The media isn't trying to talk him out of it. Wei-Yin Chen and Bud Norris are the listed starters today for the O's and Orioles - or visitors and hosts, if you prefer. They will work the first inning before Showalter goes to his bullpen. Norris is drawing trade...

A lot of fans were excited when the Orioles signed pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez and outfielder/DH Nelson Cruz to free agent contracts. But the club had to give up its 17th and 55th picks in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft to get that duo. The Orioles had already parted with the 35th overall pick in the Bud Norris trade last July, so the O's could have had three of the first 55 picks this June. Now they will not draft until the third round with the 91st overall pick. They are not punting the...

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals announced late this afternoon that they've agreed to terms with all 17 of their pre-arbitration players, settling the contract terms for all players on the 40-man roster for 2014. The 17 players are: Danny Espinosa, Ryan Mattheus, Tyler Moore, Xavier Cedeno, Tanner Roark, Taylor Jordan, Jhonatan Solano, Erik Davis, Eury Perez, Christian Garcia, Jeff Kobernus, Sandy Leon, Zach Walters, Aaron Barrett, Sammy Solis, Steven Souza Jr. and Michael A. Taylor. This is a...

VIERA, Fla. - Wonder what went into Matt Williams' thinking on his lineup for Friday's Grapefruit League opener against the Mets? Wonder no more. "Just planning the whole thing out for spring," Williams said today. "Understanding that, one, we want to get a look at guys (and), two, We want to stack our main guys to ramp at the end of spring, certainly get more playing time. As everybody knows, just ramp it up. And of course, the road trip as opposed to a home game, making sure that we...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Henry Urrutia singled twice and walked today in the visiting team's 4-3 victory over the home team in the Orioles' first intrasquad game. Urrutia's second hit came off Tim Alderson with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. The game ended after Michael Almanzar flied out. Julio Borbon had an RBI single off Fabio Castillo in the bottom of the sixth. Alex Gonzalez and Cord Phelps also singled in the inning. Steve Johnson walked three batters and served up a two-run...

Outfielder Steven Souza is continuing his upper trend after a solid campaign last season with Double-A Harrisburg and an even better showing in the Arizona Fall League. Alongside Matt Skole, Souza is considered one of the top power hitting prospects in the Nationals' system. I caught up with Souza this week and he talked about the start spring training in Viera, Fla., with the Nationals. "It is going great," Souza said. "It is just nice to get back on a diamond and get my feet underneath...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are expected to option infielder Jonathan Schoop to Triple-A Norfolk rather than place him on the opening day roster, but he's not conceding anything. Schoop hit a long two-run homer off Steve Johnson in the top of the second inning of today's intrasquad game, giving the visiting team a 2-0 lead. Johnson struggled to find the plate, walking three batters and reaching his pitch limit of 20 with two outs. Manager Buck Showalter halted the inning after Henry...

VIERA, Fla. - Matt Williams' first lineup as Nationals manager has been posted. Here's the batting order the skipper will run out for the Nats' Grapefruit League opener on Friday at Port St. Lucie against the Mets: RF Nate McLouth 2B Danny Espinosa 3B Ryan Zimmerman 1B Adam LaRoche SS Ian Desmond C Wilson Ramos DH Tyler Moore LF Scott Hairston CF Eury Perez RHP Taylor Jordan That's four 2013 starting position players making the 75-minute trip for an early spring game. Not...

VIERA, Fla. - I love watching major league teams take infield, and luckily for me, the Nationals have done plenty of quick-moving infield drills so far this camp. Manager Matt Williams grabbed his fungo bat and hit grounders to his top two groups of infielders this morning, putting them through the drill at a crisp pace. Ian Desmond and Ryan Zimmerman both put on a show with some nice barehanded grabs, and Danny Espinosa continued to look smooth at short playing behind Desmond. Have I...