VIERA, Fla. - Nationals fans, please give a warm welcome to MASN's newest color analyst, F.P. Santangelo. The energetic young broadcaster shared his thoughts in this Q&A with Nats Buzz at Space Coast Stadium on Thursday afternoon. What are your thoughts about the Nationals heading into this season? "Well, I just think they are playing really good baseball. I don't really want to get caught up in wins and losses in spring training, but I think when you are coming off of a tough year, it's...

The Nationals hope this is the season they make their way out of the cellar of the National League East and get some momentum going for what promises to be an enticing future as top prospects and No. 1 picks make their way to Nats Park. What do some of the experts think? Can the Nats make a pre-emptive strike in the NL East before Stephen Strasburg returns from injury and Bryce Harper arrives? The 2011 Baseball Prospectus is available now (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., $24.95), and I got the...

BRADENTON, Fla. - For those of you scoring at home, here's the Pirates lineup: Jose Tabata LF Matt Diaz RF Neil Walker 2B Lyle Overbay 1B Garrett Atkins 3B Ronny Cedeno SS Gorkys Hernandez CF Jason Jaramillo C Paul Maholm LHP No designated hitter for the Pirates tonight. Their choice. Jeff Karstans, Joel Hanrahan, Evan Meek, Chris Resop and Jose Veras also are slated to pitch for the Pirates. Atkins is hitting .250 (4-for-16) with one homer and four RBIs. The Orioles get left-hander Cliff...

VIERA, Fla. - Want to win eight front row tickets to watch the Nationals beat the World Series champion Giants this April? Venga, a new website and mobile phone application, is running a contest to generate buzz about their new platform. The program will allow users to track happy hours, social events and special deals in restaurants, bars and music venues with a custom-built mobile application for iPhone and Android. "It's built so you get just the information you want, and only when you...

VIERA, Fla. - It's official. Fans can now follow two of the Nationals' brightest stars on the popular social networking platform, Twitter. Stephen Strasburg will be tweeting from @stras37. Bryce Harper's @BHarp34 account has also been confirmed by the Nationals. In addition, fans can follow newcomer Todd Coffey (@ToddCoffey60). Other tweeting Nationals players include Drew Storen, Craig Stammen, John Lannan and Collin Balester.

SARASOTA, Fla. - I haven't started my drive to Bradenton, but I've already got a lineup for you. For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Adam Jones CF Mark Reynolds 3B Vladimir Guerrero DH Jake Fox LF Nolan Reimold RF Brandon Snyder 1B Craig Tatum C Ryan Adams 2B Brad Bergesen RHP Josh Rupe and Jeremy Accardo also are slated to pitch tonight. Fox gets a chance to further show off his versatility with a start in left field. Update: Former Oriole Garrett Atkins will start at third base and bat...

VIERA, Fla. - In the wake of the news that Atlanta Braves minor league manager Luis Salazar was struck by a foul ball and hospitalized on Wednesday, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman reflected Thursday on the many hazards of baseball. Several baseball-related accidents in recent years have created a greater awareness about the safety hazards - for both team personnel and fans sitting close to the action. "You're not going to a game thinking about a foul ball," Riggleman said. "It almost...

Coming off some dominating performances late last year and after a winter of workouts near his Orange County, Calif., home, O's minor league pitcher Dan Klein is now ready for his first full professional season. Klein, the O's second pick in last June's draft, which came in round three, reported to minor league camp at Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota, Fla., on Sunday Some O's fans had to be excited about Klein's potential when he pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings in five appearances for Short...

SARASOTA, Fla. - I just opened the curtains and saw my first heavy rain of the spring. It's coming down in buckets, accompanied by claps of thunder, but the forecast calls for clearing in the afternoon. Time spent pairing up the animals has probably been wasted. The Orioles will be playing under the lights in Bradenton tonight, their second road game against the Pirates in less than two weeks. It's the shortest drive of the spring, replacing Jupiter, so no complaints on this end. The...

Nationals minor league Pitcher of the Year Tom Milone started against the Houston Astros on Tuesday and pitched well, allowing just one hit over two innings of shutout ball with no walks and no strikeouts. The left-hander, in Nationals accelerated camp and facing Houston minor leaguers, threw between 20 to 25 pitches, inducing a pair of flyouts and three groundouts. "It felt good coming out of the hand," the former USC hurler reported. "I have no complaints. My arm felt great. I was...