SARASOTA, Fla. - Rather than start Wednesday night's split-squad game against the Boston Red Sox at Ed Smith Stadium, left-hander Zach Britton will follow Chris Tillman to the mound and work in relief. Tillman was supposed to start today against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton before heavy rains caused a cancellation and a bit of a rotation shuffle. Dylan Bundy, also slated to pitch today, is currently scheduled to follow Jake Arrieta Wednesday afternoon against the New York Yankees in...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Had the rain postponed today's game between the Nationals and Braves, Ross Detwiler's pitching schedule would have gotten thrown all out of whack. Detwiler was scheduled to start today and then get one more outing with the Nats on March 3 before joining Team USA for the World Baseball Classic on March 4. If the rain that fell heavily from about 12:30 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. had forced a postponement and not just a one-hour delay, the Nationals would have needed to...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - It's a 9-5 Braves lead here at Champion Field as we enter the ninth inning. Anthony Rendon and Sandy Leon delivered back-to-back RBI doubles in the eighth to make it a four-run game. It would be easy to disregard Ross Detwiler's spring debut as a worthless Grapefruit League game against the Braves, an outing that Detwiler could toss aside as soon as he left the mound. Detwiler sure doesn't view it that way, however. "I was just in a competitive game," Detwiler...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Things started just fine for Ryan Perry here today. Perry came into this afternoon's game in the third inning with two runners on base, inherited from Ross Detwiler, and he struck out Dan Uggla looking to end the frame. In the fourth inning, Perry allowed two singles, but he got an inning-ending double play, with a hand from Anthony Rendon, who stepped on the bag at third and then delivered a strike across the diamond to nab Reed Johnson at first. But in the fifth,...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Largely because he reports to spring training so early, Ross Detwiler usually finds himself one of the Nationals' most game-ready pitchers each year in the early stages of camp. Detwiler has been in Florida for nearly a month now, throwing and building up arm strength. That work has showed so far today, as the left-hander has allowed just one hit through two innings of work and notched two strikeouts. The 27-year-old needed just 13 pitches (eight of which were...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The rain is still falling, and we're in a delay that might not be lifted anytime soon. Radar over the Orlando area shows plenty of rain is still coming, so Ross Detwiler might have trouble getting his two or three innings in this afternoon. Ryan Mattheus takes a look around the Nationals' clubhouse these days and sees a lack of southpaws. Sean Burnett departed via free agency this offseason. So did Tom Gorzelanny. Michael Gonzalez then joined Gorzelanny in...

BRADENTON, Fla. - It's still raining at McKechnie Field and umpires will check back with the managers at 1 p.m. to decide whether to wait or cancel the game. The Orioles' pitching schedule will be affected if we have a cancellation. Otherwise, Jake Arrieta and Zach Britton will start the split-squad games on Wednesday and Jair Jurrjens will start Thursday against the Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers. Tommy Hunter is slated to go two or three innings on Thursday. Kevin Gausman will pitch two...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The tarp is on the field here at Champion Stadium at ESPN's Wide World of Sports, and the skies have opened up. They're calling for some pretty heavy showers here this afternoon and I've even heard rumblings of a tornado watch, but the Nationals are really hoping to get today's contest in, largely because they want to get Ross Detwiler into a game. Detwiler is scheduled to leave the Nats on March 4 to join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic. He'll get a...

Oh, say, do you think you can sing the national anthem before a game at Nationals Park? If so, warm up your vocal chords. The Nationals would like to hear - and hear from - you. Beginning today, the first 50 people who submit their resume (performance or otherwise) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. will be invited to auditions at the ballpark on Saturday, March 9. Anthem performers must meet the following prerequisites: * The anthem should take no longer than 90 seconds to sing. * The anthem must be...

As part of their Sarasota 365 commitment to the community, the Orioles and OriolesREACH will conduct three clinics for area youth on the main field at Ed Smith Stadium over the coming weeks. Two are for pre-selected children from local Boys and Girls Clubs and the third, on April 13, is open to Sarasota County youth ages 8-14. All participants will receive instruction in baseball fundamentals from Orioles players, coaches and staff members. The first clinic will be held this Saturday, March 2...