It's more than four months before the Nationals and Orioles will meet in four days of interleague action. But when those games occur - at Nationals Park on July 7-8, and 35 miles up the Baltimore-Washington Parkway at Camden Yards on July 9-10 - viewers on MASN will notice a major change. MASN is eliminating the combined broadcast booth featuring talent from both the Nationals and Orioles on-air teams. Instead, each team will get its own broadcast with its own broadcasters. For Nationals...

This week's biggest debate is whether or not a new one-year experimental rule will eliminate collisions at the plate and make the game safer for catchers. But there's probably not going to be much of a change. The prediction here is that any change is not going to be drastic. The biggest change will be for the runners. The new rule penalizes any runner that barrels around third base with the macho attitude that they have to knock the opposing catcher into the next ZIP code to score a...

It's more than four months before the Nationals and Orioles will meet in four days of interleague action. But when those games occur - at Nationals Park on July 7-8, and 35 miles up the Baltimore-Washington Parkway at Camden Yards on July 9-10 - viewers on MASN will notice a major change. MASN is eliminating the combined broadcast booth featuring talent from both the Nationals and Orioles on-air teams. Instead, each team will get its own broadcast with its own broadcasters. For Nationals...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter expects every pitcher used in today's intrasquad game, scheduled for eight innings, to work one inning. The Thursday intrasquad game is scheduled for four or five innings because Showalter wants to treat his players to a shorter day. Showalter said there's a 55 percent chance that it will be played on the Camden Yards replica field, which would make it open to the public. Do you like those odds? Showalter met with Nelson Cruz today to...

Entering the 2014 season, the Nationals have one of the best rotations in baseball. Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmermann are returning for their third season together at the top of the Nats rotation. Mike Rizzo acquired Doug Fister in the offseason to add even more strength behind the strong 1-2-3 punch. And finally, behind all of that talent, the competition to be the fifth starter has been heating up in spring training. It's difficult to emerge as the ace in such a...

VIERA, Fla. - Matt Williams has posted the pitching probables for the Nationals' first two Grapefruit League games, starting with Friday's game at Port St. Lucie against the Mets. As I mentioned yesterday, right-hander Taylor Jordan will get the start on Friday, and Jordan said today that he's been told he'll throw two innings. Here's are the pitchers scheduled to follow Jordan to the mound on Friday (the order of the pitchers can sometimes change, and not everyone is guaranteed to...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles infielder Alexi Casilla says his right hamstring is still sore and he will spend the day icing it. Casilla remains day-to-day after leaving yesterday's workout. Chris Davis can't remember the last time he batted first prior to today's intrasquad game. Guys who can launch a ball 500 feet aren't your prototypical leadoff hitters. Davis has never batted first in the majors. He's 0-for-2 in the second slot. Manager Buck Showalter went the alphabetical route in...

Last season, the O's led the majors with 212 home runs. Only 36 of those blasts came off the bats of players no longer in the Orioles organization, leaving them with plenty of power returning to the lineup for 2014. In fact, with the addition of Nelson Cruz, the Orioles arguably have a more power-packed lineup than last season. Cruz is coming off of a 27-homer season (in 109 games played) for the Rangers. This week, I'm throwin' it back to an Orioles' four-homer game against the Red...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles just posted their lineups for today's intrasquad game at Ed Smith Stadium. Chris Davis is leading off for the home team. I'm guessing that he campaigned hard for that job. Nelson Cruz's name isn't listed on the cards. Manager Buck Showalter indicated yesterday that Cruz wouldn't play. Visitor Michael Almanzar 3B Steve Clevenger C Ivan DeJesus Jr. SS Xavier Paul LF Steve Pearce 1B Francisco Peguero CF Nolan Reimold DH Jonathan Schoop 2B Henry Urrutia...

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals have a handful of pitchers who could quickly move through their minor league ranks and make an impact at the big league level in the next year or two. Since the promotions of Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon, however, the Nats have lacked a big-name position player prospect who can excite fans and leave them looking forward to future seasons. There is one guy that talent evaluators within the organization will be watching closely this season, however, a guy who...