WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Ryan Zimmerman came through his first Grapefruit League game Thursday night unscathed and Nationals manager Davey Martinez expects to have the veteran first baseman back in the lineup tomorrow when the club travels to Jupiter to play the Cardinals.
"Typical soreness," Martinez said, "but he said he made it through."
Zimmerman has come a long way as a first basemen, learning the position from former teammate Adam LaRoche during spring training 2014 in Viera and taking...
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Stephen Strasburg gets his first start of Grapefruit League play this afternoon, and you'll be able to watch the right-hander battle the Rays on MASN at 1 p.m.
Given that it's about a three-hour trek from the Rays' spring home in Port Charlotte on the state's west coast, there will only be a few major leaguers in the lineup facing Strasburg. So the first couple of innings will be the best chance to gauge Strasburg's effectiveness against actual major league...
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - For his second Grapefruit League start, Max Scherer had simple goals. He wanted to build up his pitch count, and succeeded, throwing 49 pitches over three innings. He hoped to display better glove-side location with his fastball, something he and catcher Kurt Suzuki had talked about between starts.
Those were the things Scherzer could plan for. It was what he couldn't have anticipated - and what looked like a momentary loss of command during a top of the first that...
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The scruffy five o'clock shadow Jake Noll wore as a rookie has morphed into a full, flowing beard. It's noticeable because the chair at Noll's locker stall in the Nationals clubhouse faces outward, affording him a view of the room.
Last year's camp phenom looks a lot more comfortable in his second spring training with the major league club. He knows the routine, understands what's expected of him and no longer has the appearance of a deer caught in the...
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Right-hander Stephen Strasburg will make his first Grapefruit League start at home against the Rays on Friday, and lefty Patrick Corbin will take his first spring turn on Saturday when the Nationals travel to Jupiter to face the Cardinals.
Manager Davey Martinez has been slow-playing his veteran starters in the early portion of the exhibition schedule and said he expects both pitchers to go about two innings or 30 pitches in their first game action.
While Strasburg and...
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Ryan Zimmerman makes his Grapefruit League debut for the Nationals tonight, playing first base and hitting fifth against the Astros.
"I was scratching my head about it, but I talked to him and he said he'd like to play today, which is nice," said manager Davey Martinez, who is well aware of the veteran's penchant for delaying his spring debut as long as possible. "We'll see three innings and hopefully get him two at-bats."
Zimmerman came to Martinez a couple of...
The Orioles today announced that the club will play the New York Mets in an exhibition game on Tuesday, March 24 at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium on the grounds of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Prior to the game, players and staff from both teams will visit with representatives from the Naval Academy and tour the academy facilities.
The Naval Academy and the Orioles will distribute complimentary tickets to Midshipmen, as well as select members of the...
The Orioles today announced that the fifth annual "Athletes & Artists Play for Kids" charity weekend will take place at Ed Smith Stadium from March 5-8, 2020. The weekend, which will celebrate current country hits, combines song and sport to support arts education and girls' empowerment, and will feature the fifth annual "Nashville's Music Row Comes to the Ballpark" VIP charity event, two Orioles home games, and free community workshops for local youth.
A portion of proceeds from the...
Sarasota County Government's annual report has found that the Orioles have generated more than $436 million in cumulative economic impact in Sarasota since 2015, the first year comprehensive data on the team's impact became available.
The county's analysis measures the total tourism impact created by the Orioles, combined with the club's year-round business operations and spending in Sarasota County. The most recent reporting period showed a $76 million impact on Sarasota County and $91...
The Washington Nationals announced their 2020 Spring Training non-roster invitees on Wednesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.
Right-handed pitchers: Dakota Bacus, Bryan Bonnell, Wil Crowe, Paolo Espino, Jhonatan German, Javy Guerra, David Hernandez, Kevin Quackenbush, Derek Self
Left-handed pitchers: Fernando Abad, Sam Freeman
Catchers: Welington Castillo, Taylor Gushue, Jakson Reetz
Infielders: Luis Garcia, Brandon Snyder,...
It's been a dreary winter. Not as long as most offseasons, given the fact that the Nationals won the World Series, delaying until Halloween the beginning of the dearth of the national pastime. But months on end without baseball has a way of dragging you down.
But a new season began this week when pitchers and catchers reported to spring training in West Palm Beach, Fla. In no time, the exhibition games will be replaced by meaningful battles as other teams take aim at the Nats, baseball's new...
This week's "Orioles Classics" on MASN read like a history lesson. So come to order, class (what, you thought Roch Kubatko had the market cornered on baseball school?).
We'll start with a pair of games from the 1970 World Series, move into the Ripken portion of the curriculum, watch Eddie Murray reach a home run milestone, check in on the Orioles swansong for a couple of key contributors from a more recent vintage of the orange and black, and finish with some more from the Iron Man.
Oh, and...
The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a one-year contract with first baseman Ryan Zimmerman on Tuesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.
Zimmerman, 35, returns to Washington after hitting .257 with nine doubles, six homers, 27 RBI, 17 walks and 20 runs scored in 52 games for the Nationals in 2019. He battled plantar fasciitis in his right foot, leading to two stints on the Injured List.
When he returned to the active roster...
It's getting closer, I promise. Just another couple of weeks and we'll be talking about real, actual baseball. Yes, spring training is right around the corner, and before you know it, you'll be spending warm afternoons and evenings at the ballpark, bathed in sunshine and reminding people that the Nationals are World Series champions.
In the meantime, we'll whet your appetites this week with a handful of "Nationals Classics" on MASN. What's on the menu? Well, a buffet of baseball fun:...
This week's slate of "Orioles Classics" on MASN contains a variety of highlights.
You want game-deciding heroics? We've got 'em.
You want career milestones? Check off that box.
You want to travel back in time and relive some of the O's postseason glory of years past? Tune in.
That's the beauty of a team like the Orioles, ripe with history and full of exciting moments that can warm the January chill and remind you that spring training in Sarasota is less than a month away.
Enjoy this...
Like most of the Nationals, there was far more rest than post-postseason shenanigans for reliever Sean Doolittle. And considering how much Doolittle pitched down the stretch and how much the Nationals relied on him in the postseason, the left-handed definitely needed the mental floss in the formative weeks of the offseason.
But as the calendar turned to December and the bulk of baseball's roster machinations, Doolittle took careful note of what the Nationals were doing -specifically, how much...
Now that we're into January, we can honestly say - over and over again, if you like - that Nationals pitchers and catchers report to spring training in West Palm Beach, Fla., next month.
Warms you up just thinking about palm trees and line drives, doesn't it?
To get you in the proper mood for camp, we've got a full plate of "Nationals Classics" this week on MASN, including a dazzling array of walk-off victories and the second career start by newly re-signed right-hander Stephen...
The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a three-year contract with right-handed pitcher Will Harris on Friday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.
Harris, 35, joins the Nationals after going 4-1 with four saves and a 1.50 ERA in 68 games for the Houston Astros in 2019. He struck out 62 batters, walked 14 and posted a .196 opponents' batting average in his eighth Major League season.
Harris' 1.50 ERA (10 ER/60.0 IP) led American...
Happy new year!
It's a brand-new year, and even though we're basking in the achievement of a World Series victory - and will be for some time - the Nationals are not too far from getting down to the business of baseball again. By mid-February, pitchers and catchers will report to FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla., for spring training. Position players will follow (at least those who don't report early) and workouts will commence.
So in the theme of all things new,...
His offseason isn't over by a longshot. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo still has much left to do. There's a hole at third base after Anthony Rendon bolted for big bucks in Disneyland as a free agent. There's work to finish in the bullpen, probably with a reliable arm that can get outs in crunch time. There may be the need for a second baseman to spell Howie Kendrick. Ryan Zimmerman needs to be re-signed or else Rizzo can add a first baseman to his offseason shopping list.
But there's...
