SARASOTA, Fla. - It seems like only yesterday that Conor Jackson was stressing over the amount of days he remained idle in camp because of a sore lower back. He's signed to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. Guys like him can't afford to spend the bulk of their time on the injury report instead of in the lineup. "You can't impress anybody when you're in the training room," he said. "You've got to be on the field, you've got to play and you've got to show...

VIERA, Fla. - Not only did Wilson Ramos make his long-awaited return to game action, he also played an integral part in the Nationals' walk-off win over the Cardinals. Appearing in his first game since tearing the ACL and meniscus in his right knee last May 12, Ramos went 1-for-2, grounding out to third in his first at-bat and then doubling off the base of the right-center field wall leading off the bottom of the ninth. Sandy Leon was called upon to pinch-run for Ramos, and after he moved to...

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals have made their first round of cuts, sending left-handed pitchers Bill Bray, Will Ohman and Brandon Mann, and right-hander Tanner Roark to minor league camp. Bray and Ohman, brought in on minor league deals, were hopeful of winning a role in the Nats' bullpen. Mechanical issues set Bray back this spring, and he allowed three runs (two earned), five hits and a walk in two innings of work. Ohman battled a hamstring injury that slowed him over the last week, and he...

Following today's game, the Washington Nationals re-assigned left-handed pitchers Bill Bray, Brandon Mann and Will Ohman and right-handed pitcher Tanner Roark to minor-league camp. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. The Nationals currently have 50 players in their big league camp.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Dylan Bundy was scheduled to pitch today, but he was held out of the game because of "groin spasms," according to manager Buck Showalter. It's nothing serious. Showalter said it wasn't anything that Bundy couldn't have pitched with if the club needed him on the mound, but again, it's spring training and there's no reason to push anyone. Bundy probably won't pitch again before Wednesday, and he could be held back until Thursday. The Orioles are off Monday and Bundy...

VIERA, Fla. - We've got a 5-5 game here in Viera, as the Cardinals responded to Chad Tracy's two-run homer in the sixth with three runs of their own off Brandon Mann in the top of the seventh. Tracy's longball was his first of spring and gave the Nationals four home runs in their last two games. Wilson Ramos just stepped in for his first at-bat since tearing his ACL and meniscus last May 12, and after looking at fastball for strike one, Ramos bounced out to third base. He got a nice hand...

SARASOTA, Fla. - No wonder today had a special feel for Orioles pitcher Miguel Gonzalez. He reminded reporters that he hadn't thrown in a major league exhibition game since 2007, when the Angels summoned him from minor league camp. Gonzalez didn't make it to the Ed Smith Stadium complex last spring, and he didn't join an affiliate when the minor league season began in April. He was in limbo long before he joined the Orioles' rotation. Gonzalez struck out two batters in two scoreless...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Making his first appearance of the spring today, Miguel Gonzalez tossed two scoreless innings while facing only six batters. Gonzalez struck out the first two batters on a total of six pitches. Cesar Hernandez walked with two outs, but he was thrown out trying to steal. Gonzalez made short work of the Phillies in the fifth inning, getting a bouncer in front of the mound, a ground ball to first and a fly ball to right. Pretty routine. Chris Tillman told reporters that he felt...

VIERA, Fla. - Battling a stiff wind and cool conditions, Ross Detwiler pitched two innings of one-run ball in his final appearance for the Nationals before leaving to join Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. Detwiler allowed back-to-back singles to open the game, then struck out the side, with Matt Carpenter, Ty Wigginton and Matt Adams all going down swinging. In the second, Detwiler again allowed two straight singles to start the frame. The Cardinals plated a run when Justin Christian...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts followed his 3-for-3 game on Friday with a single today in the bottom of the first inning. That's four straight hits for Roberts, the latest being a line drive into right field off Philadelphia's Kyle Kendrick. Chris Davis also singled, and Matt Wieters launched an opposite-field three-run homer to left, the wind definitely providing an assist as the ball continued to carry. The Orioles weren't done. Conor Jackson followed with a long...