LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Jayson Werth smacked the first pitch he saw today on a line over the right field wall, giving the center fielder his first hit of spring and giving the Nationals a 1-0 lead over the Braves. The ball got out of here quickly, and while it might have been wind-aided, it was definitely struck well. Two batters later, right fielder Bryce Harper - who was a late addition to the lineup today after Michael Morse was pulled because of a lat strain - smoked a line drive single...

FORT MYERS, Fla. - I finally made it to the JetBlue Park after being stuck in one of the worst traffic jams in history. It's a nice facility, but you need to arrive a few hours before first pitch. I'm thinking 12 hours to be safe. Anyway, here are a few quotes from Jim Johnson regarding today's simulated game: "It feels good. It feels a lot better today mechanically. I felt like I was repeating my delivery pretty good. There's still a lot left in the tank as far as velocity, but it was...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Michael Morse was scheduled to get his second start of spring this afternoon against the Braves. That won't be happening. Morse has been pulled from today's lineup because of a lat strain. According to the team, Morse is listed as day-to-day. Manager Davey Johnson worked around the Morse injury by moving Brett Carroll from right field to Morse's left field spot and inserting Bryce Harper into the starting lineup in right field. This will mark the fourth time in...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Greetings from the Wide World of Sports complex at Disney World, where the Nationals will take on the Braves in about an hour or so. I can neither confirm nor deny reports that I started crying tears of joy when I drove past the "Happiest Place on Earth" sign on my way in. Right-handed flamethrower Henry Rodriguez got some work in during in an intrasquad game yesterday, and after getting a chance to rest today and tomorrow, he'll likely make his Grapefruit League...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The class will convene sometime in the next couple of days on the half field at Space Coast Stadium. Nationals manager Davey Johnson will assume the role of teacher, working with several players on how to be a better second baseman. It's Johnson's positional version of post-graduate study for guys like Anthony Rendon, a natural third baseman currently blocked by Ryan Zimmerman on the Nationals' depth chart, and Zach Walters, a farmhand who figures learning a new...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles just completed their simulated game on the Camden Yards field. It technically lasted two innings, with Tommy Hunter working the two top halves and Zach Britton and Jim Johnson each working a bottom half. Hunter threw 37 pitches. I counted 20 pitches for Johnson, though the official total is 17. Britton threw 16. Nick Markakis took two cuts against Johnson and lined a ball into center field. "I'm ready," he said, walking away from home plate. John Hester, Jai...

The performance of Jake Fox last year in spring training should remind us to never get caught up too much in spring training statistics. Yet, it's all we will have to go on until opening day and we can't say that spring stats don't matter at all. But when Fox hit 10 spring training homers last year to lead all big leaguers it led some to jump to the conclusion that he might hit 30 for the Orioles and some even said he should start at catcher ahead of Matt Wieters who was coming off a season...

VIERA, Fla. - A week of rest has apparently benefited Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche, who says that both his surgically repaired left shoulder and his injured left foot are feeling strong after getting a handful of days off. "I feel better," LaRoche said moments ago in the Nats' clubhouse at Space Coast Stadium. "Last couple days, I feel a lot better. Just one of those little frustrating things that came out of nowhere and has kind of lingered a little bit. Fortunately it's early,...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have a 1:35 p.m. game against the Red Sox today in Fort Myers. Once again, most of the regulars will stay back at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. For the Orioles: Endy Chavez RF Ryan Adams 2B Nick Johnson DH Wilson Betemit LF Joe Mahoney 1B Taylor Teagarden C Ryan Flaherty SS Josh Bell 3B Xavier Avery CF Dana Eveland LHP Chris Tillman, Pat Neshek, Jon Link and Oliver Drake also will pitch today. For the Red Sox: Ellsbury CF Pedroia 2B Gonzalez 1B Lavarnway C Ross...

VIERA, Fla. - It was only fitting that Rick Ankiel went yard last night. The pride of Port St. Lucie High School had to put on a show back in his old stomping grounds. In front of a group of friends and some of his high school teachers, Ankiel smacked an opposite-field home run in his first at-bat against the Mets last night, sending a decent portion of the 5,021 in attendance at Digital Domain Park to their feet. "It was his hometown and he gave them something to cheer about," Nationals...