WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – We are 10 days away from Opening Day. And we perhaps are looking at the Nationals’ Opening Day lineup today. Maybe the order will be a little different, with Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Bell maybe switching places, but these are almost certainly the nine guys who will take the field March 27 against the Phillies. It’s not a perf

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Alex Clemmey is only 19. He has one year of professional experience. He has yet to reach high Single-A. He’s spent his first spring training in the Nationals organization pitching on the back fields in front of a smattering of onlookers. So while the environment inside CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches Sunday evening was hardly

SARASOTA, Fla. – The internet doesn’t have space limitations except for mailbags. There’s got to be a cutoff. Land the plane at some point. Spirit Airlines is taking volunteers. Live to write another day. This is the day to share the leftovers, with the same minimal editing and mailbag flexes. You come at the king, you best not miss. Do you feel li

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The frustration was palpable in Michael Soroka’s body language and in his words. This may have been one spring training start from a veteran with a guaranteed spot in the Nationals’ Opening Day rotation, but it wasn’t at all what Soroka had in mind when he took the mound this afternoon. “I just couldn’t make an adjustment,”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – There’s another game to play this afternoon. After the Nationals' and Rays’ big leaguers met in an official Grapefruit League contest, the Nats' and Mets’ top prospects now meet in this year’s Spring Breakout game. (OK, the Nationals already played a breakout game Friday against the Astros, but I was with the major league cl

SARASOTA, Fla. – Jorge Mateo felt great physically. He was better emotionally. Mateo finally made it back into the lineup this afternoon after undergoing reconstructive-elbow surgery on Aug. 29. A meaningless exhibition game was ultra-important to him. He needed it. “It was amazing,” he said. “I was so excited. Just to be there on the field with my

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Shinnosuke Ogasawara will get one last shot to face major league hitters in a spring training before the Nationals make a final decision on the identity of their No. 5 starter to begin the season. Ogasawara, who has struggled to date in his first camp since signing with the Nats from Japan, was moved to a back field to start

SARASOTA, Fla. – The long wait is over for Jorge Mateo. He gets to appear in his first game today since injuring his left elbow on July 23 and undergoing reconstructive surgery a month later. The Orioles haven’t sounded as optimistic as Mateo about his availability for Opening Day. Today’s start at shortstop could be an indication that he remains i

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – It’s going to be a long day at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, where the Nationals play twice. Later this afternoon (5:05 p.m., to be precise), the organization’s top prospects take on the Mets’ top prospects in the Spring Breakout game (televised live on MASN). But first up, it’s the regular Grapefruit League game of the da

SARASOTA, Fla. – Jorge Mateo is making his spring debut this afternoon by starting at shortstop against the Phillies in a split-squad game at Ed Smith Stadium. Mateo has recovered from late-August reconstructive surgery on his left elbow. He’s engaged in full baseball activities and waited for clearance to play. Today, it happens. Gunnar Henderson