SARASOTA, Fla. - Japanese left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada threw in the indoor batting cage today as the Orioles' first workout for pitchers and catchers concluded at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. The area is off-limits to media, so I can't tell you how the ball came out of his hand. Wada is drawing a lot of attention from the Japanese media. They filmed him tying his shoes this morning at his locker. I guess that's breaking news back home. Wada, speaking through interpreter Danny MacLeith, said...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Today's first workout consisted mostly of pitchers fielding practice, which rivals watching paint dry in terms of excitement. A group of pitchers threw inside the covered batting cage, which is off-limits to reporters. They also underwent the biomechanical pitching analysis designed by new director of pitching development Rick Peterson. "We're breaking them up. It'll go on for at least two more days. We just don't want to disrupt too much. We should get most of the...

VIERA, Fla. - Count Rick Ankiel among the few people happy that Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo is still searching for a center fielder who can hit leadoff. If Rizzo had found elusive quarry this offseason, Ankiel might still be searching for a job. Two weeks ago, Ankiel inked a minor league deal with the Nationals, getting a spring training invitation that's more formality than anything. Barring a collapse of epic proportions, Ankiel will be on the opening day roster at Chicago's...

VIERA, Fla. - Scenes from the first day of Nationals spring training at Space Coast Stadium, where pitchers and catchers reported: Handshakes, hugs and introductions - a necessity considering the team's offseason maneuvering. A clubhouse attendant sits at a table removing the elastic band at the bottom of pants legs with surgical precision, an accommodation for players who prefer a looser fit. One by one, pitchers don their dress white uniforms and head off to be filmed by the club's...

To prepare for this season, his first full campaign after Tommy John ligament-replacement surgery, Stephen Strasburg started a little later than usual, ramped up his weight lifting for strength and his running for endurance. He took a page from the past, returning to the yoga poses he practiced while in college at San Diego State University, to increase his flexibility and facilitate quicker recovery. None of that will change the path the Nationals will push the right-hander down ever so...

VIERA,Fla. - A few minutes ago, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo was joking with reporters about how empty the Space Coast Stadium clubhouse felt with only 55 players needing locker space. It was a far cry from 2007, when 71 players were jammed into the room, necessitating extra locker stalls in the middle of the clubhouse. Now, there's unexpectedly one less player. According to this tweet from the club's public relations department, veteran outfielder Mike Cameron has notified the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles reliever Jim Johnson said he'll probably be a week behind the other pitchers in camp because of lower-back discomfort that has subsided. Johnson described his condition as "a little strain" and playfully chided reporters for rushing to his locker for an update. "I had a little problem in the offseason and went and saw a doctor and we've been working on it," he said. "Everything's fine. I'll just be a week behind schedule. It's taken care of. "It's just...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Pitchers and catchers are taking their physicals this morning, which pushes back the time of today's first workout to noon on the back fields of the Ed Smith Stadium complex. One field is under construction, with concrete being spread over it yesterday. I'll assume it's an artificial surface. Otherwise, the grass is going to look the same as the stuff growing in my front yard. The forecast for today is ominous - thunderstorms are supposed to crash the workout party - but...

VIERA, Fla. - Think Jayson Werth's first season in Washington left a sour taste in your mouth? You've got nothing on Werth, who didn't exactly perform like a player who had signed a seven-year, $126 million contract with the Nationals, then struggled to find his form, often appearing to be battling himself. "Last year was a little odd," Werth, one of the position players to arrive early at spring training, told reporters Saturday. "You are coming into a new place. I really didn't know...

VIERA, Fla. - Danny Espinosa's main goal this spring? Avoid extended slumps and become more productive more of the time. "I think I'll be able to stop those long slumps," the Nationals' second baseman said. "You're going to have slumps, I don't care who you are. You hit .330 and you're still going to ... have a week of being cold. The difference between the good guys is it's a week of being cold and then being back on track. It's not two, three weeks of being cold, a bad month of...