CHICAGO - Happy opening day, everyone, and welcome to my brand spankin' new blog here on MASNsports.com - Nationals Pastime. Clever title, huh? Feel free to bookmark the link to my landing page, email it to your friends and tell your grandparents, cousins and annoying co-workers all about it. This is where you'll be able to find me from now on, although you can still flip through our Nationals Buzz blog for my full spring training archive, right through yesterday's email from John Lannan...

It's workout day at Camden Yards, which should prove to be fairly uneventful with the 25-man roster being set. There's no more drama. We know that Zach Phillips has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk despite being one of the best pitchers in camp. We know that the Orioles added Nick Johnson and Ronny Paulino to the 40-man roster. We know that Brian Matusz made the rotation. We know that Matusz is the No. 4 starter ahead of Wei-Yin Chen. The bench was set weeks ago, though it didn't become...

CHICAGO - Barely 24 hours after being skipped over for a spot in the Nationals' rotation and instead optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, left-hander John Lannan has asked the Nationals for a trade. In an email to members of the local media, Lannan explained his decision, saying he has met with Nats general manager Mike Rizzo twice since being informed yesterday that he would not make the team's 25-man opening day roster, and told Rizzo, "I believe a trade would be the best solution for everyone...

If first appearances count for anything, I'm predicting that Orioles fans are going to really enjoy some of the renovations and new food offerings at Camden Yards. They'll go on full display Friday, when the O's draw the curtain on the 2012 season against the Minnesota Twins, but I've just returned from a sneak peek. Color me impressed - and eager to sneak down to the flag court or roof deck in the middle of a game this weekend to get the full effect. As we've previously discussed, as...

NORFOLK, Va. - When Major League Baseball made the 50-game suspension of Orioles minor league catcher Brian Ward official today, Dan Duquette could comment on the situation with Ward for the first time. Here is the release from MLB: The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that Baltimore Orioles Minor League catcher Brian Ward has received a 50-game suspension after a second violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program for a drug of abuse. The...

"Ignite Your Natitude" during Opening Weekend and throughout the season The Washington Nationals will celebrate Opening Day and the start of the 2012 season at Nationals Park on Thursday, April 12 when the team hosts the Cincinnati Reds at 1:05 p.m. Though Opening Day is expected to sell out, select tickets still remain and Standing Room Only tickets are available for $15 at nationals.com/tickets. Due to the anticipated sellout, all gates will open at 10:30 a.m. to allow fans more time...

The Orioles will hold a workout at Camden Yards Thursday at 3:05 p.m., matching the starting time of Friday's opener against the Twins. We now know which players will have lockers in the clubhouse. As expected, manager Buck Showalter is keeping 12 pitchers and 13 position players. Here they are: Starters Jake Arrieta Tommy Hunter Jason Hammel Brian Matusz Wei-Yin Chen Relievers Jim Johnson Kevin Gregg Matt Lindstrom Luis Ayala Pedro Strop Darren O'Day Troy Patton Infielders Mark...

The Orioles today announced that they have placed left-handed pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada on the disabled list, retroactive to March 28, with a left elbow impingement. Catcher Taylor Teagarden was also placed on the disabled list, retroactive to March 26, with a strained back. The club has selected the contracts of catcher Ronny Paulino and infielder Nick Johnson. Additionally, left-handed pitcher Zach Phillips has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. With these moves, the Orioles have finalized...

NORFOLK, Va - Buck Showalter just informed reporters of his season opening rotation and final roster move. The Orioles starters will be in order: Jake Arrieta, Tommy Hunter, Jason Hammel, Brian Matusz and Wei-Yin Chen. Zach Phillips has now officially been optioned to Triple-A, so Troy Patton and Darren O'Day get the final two roster spots. The Orioles also put lefty Tsuyoshi Wada officially on the DL retroactive to March 28, with a left elbow impingement. Catcher Taylor Teagarden was also...

CHICAGO - Hello from the Windy City, which actually isn't that windy at all today. It's a beautiful 55 degrees here and for someone who hasn't seen the city before (the one-day trip with my dad to see a game at Wrigley when I was 13 doesn't really count in my mind), the cab ride in along the water provided a nice little mini-tour. I look forward to a getting a taste of Chicago (literally) when a few of the other beat reporters and I head out to grab some deep-dish pizza sometime over...