Starting lineups: Nats vs. Marlins at Jupiter

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Marlins at Jupiter
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Jeremy Hellickson faces the Marlins this afternoon, his second start of the spring. In his first Grapefruit League outing on Feb. 27 against the Astros, Hellickson went two scoreless innings, allowing a hit, a walk and striking out three. Ryan Zimmerman is back at first base today, and under manager Davey Martinez's plan of playing him every other game, the veteran will get the benefit of tomorrow off and Wednesday's scheduled off-day. A spring training oddity: Both...
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On the Nationals' interest in signing Craig Kimbrel

On the Nationals' interest in signing Craig Kimbrel
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Though the Nationals are interested in signing Craig Kimbrel, they must overcome a significant hurdle before inking a deal with the free agent closer. Sources have confirmed that the Nationals front office would like to add Kimbrel to serve as their ninth-inning arm, but such a move would require ownership approval because a contract would eclipse the luxury tax threshold. So far, ownership is unwilling to exceed the luxury tax for a third consecutive season, the sources...
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Martinez appreciates the way Sánchez battles through adversity

Martinez appreciates the way Sánchez battles through adversity
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The fly ball off the bat of the Astros' Michael Brantley sailed into short left-center field, no man's land in the middle of three Nationals trying to make a play. But it dropped between left fielder Juan Soto, shortstop Trea Turner and center fielder Victor Robles for a one-out, first-inning single instead of a hustling out recorded. After Carlos Correa's single put runners at the corners, Yuli Gurriel lofted a ball down the right field line, with the Nationals'...
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Unclear future not weighing down focused Stevenson

Unclear future not weighing down focused Stevenson
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - His future with the Nationals is about as clear as a mud bog in his hometown of Lafayette, La. - and that's perfectly OK with Andrew Stevenson. Bring up the subject of playing time and the talented outfielders who are ahead of him in the organizational pecking order, and the soft-spoken Stevenson doesn't really mince words. "It's tough to say," he said. "We've got a lot of good outfielders, so we'll just kind of see how it plays out and try to earn a spot. See...
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Martinez on rotation, plus other notes (Nats win 4-2)

Martinez on rotation, plus other notes (Nats win 4-2)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It's only spring, but Aníbal Sánchez will be trying to keep up a most impressive streak by the Nationals rotation in today's game against the Astros. The Nats' presumed five starters - right-handers Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Sánchez and Jeremy Hellickson, and left-hander Patrick Corbin - have allowed just one earned run in 16 innings covering seven starts. Nats starters have yielded nine hits and two runs, walked three and fanned 16, posting a...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Astros at West Palm Beach

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Astros at West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Right-hander Aníbal Sánchez makes his second start of the spring schedule when the Nationals entertain the Astros this afternoon at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. In his first outing, Feb. 26 against the Cardinals, Sánchez threw two hitless innings, walking one and striking out one. Anthony Rendon gets today off, with Howie Kendrick taking over at third base. Kendrick has made 15 starts and 18 appearances at the hot corner during his major league career,...
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Zimmerman, Martinez and Corbin speak after 10-6 victory

Zimmerman, Martinez and Corbin speak after 10-6 victory
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It didn't take long for the ball to find first baseman Ryan Zimmerman after he took the field for his thrice-delayed debut in Grapefruit League play. In the first inning he was on the back end of a 5-4-3 double play and then snagged a throw from shortstop Carter Kieboom to end the inning. In the second, Patrick Corbin got three groundball outs, all ending in Zimmerman's mitt. On the final play of the frame, Zimmerman ranged to his right to snag a sharp Alex Kirilloff...
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Grace ready to build on breakthrough campaign

Grace ready to build on breakthrough campaign
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A breakthrough season in 2018 has pretty much cemented left-hander Matt Grace's place in the Nationals bullpen. Now the durable lefty is doing everything he can to keep his spot. "Just keep looking for what's next in that next level," Grace said. "Talk to guys like Max (Scherzer) and stuff like that. It's a never-ending pursuit of how you figure this stuff out. It's just keep going, keep competing, keep trying to refine what you got." Grace, 30, made a...
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Martinez on plan for Zimmerman, plus other notes (Nats win 10-6)

Martinez on plan for Zimmerman, plus other notes (Nats win 10-6)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Now that he's finally in the lineup, has Nationals manager Davey Martinez devised a plan for how much first baseman Ryan Zimmerman will play for the rest of camp? He has, and though he'll discuss it with Zimmerman later today, Martinez doesn't sound like he'll be deviating from what he's planned for the veteran. So far, he's not talking in specifics. "No, like I said, as long as he's good, I want him to participate and play games," Martinez said. Zimmerman was...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Twins in West Palm Beach (updated)

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Twins in West Palm Beach (updated)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Ryan Zimmerman is in the Nationals lineup today against the Twins, the first time this spring he's played in a Grapefruit League game. He's hitting fourth and playing first base. Zimmerman was supposed to make his debut Wednesday, but was scratched when he came down with a bug that's been making its way through the clubhouse. It took him a couple of days to recover, and he went through drills in camp yesterday to prove that he was fit. It'll be interesting to see how...
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Eaton's path to playing time is finally wide open

Eaton's path to playing time is finally wide open
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - There were times last season when Adam Eaton would slice a ball into the gap and briefly forget that trying to stretch a double into a triple might not be the best of ideas, given his surgically repaired ankle. When speed has been your calling card, learning to rein it in can be a challenge. After rehabbing from a grisly knee injury in his first year with the Nationals, an awkward slide into home plate landed Eaton back on the disabled list early last season. When he...
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Strasburg pleased with mechanical focus in first spring outing

Strasburg pleased with mechanical focus in first spring outing
JUPITER, Fla. - Stephen Strasburg has been through enough spring trainings to understand that maximum effort doesn't always yield the most desired results. He's seen plenty of pitchers use their first game action of the spring to amp themselves up to the point that their mechanics suffer even if the radar gun readings rise. So in his first outing against Grapefruit League competition on Friday, the veteran right-hander kept it simple and focused on repeating his mechanics. He spent the...
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Notes on Zimmerman, Strasburg and McKeon (Nats win 5-4)

Notes on Zimmerman, Strasburg and McKeon (Nats win 5-4)
JUPITER, Fla. - Ryan Zimmerman seems to have weathered the worst of the illness making its way through the Nationals clubhouse, and the first baseman is staying back in camp in West Palm Beach today to go through drills. Manager Davey Martinez said that if Zimmerman gets through today's action without any issues, he should play Saturday when the Nats host the Twins in Grapefruit League action. "He's going to go through a workout today and we'll see where he's at," Martinez said. "I told...
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Clubhouse reaction to Harper signing with Phillies

Clubhouse reaction to Harper signing with Phillies
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals have had some time to digest the 13-year, $330 million deal that free agent Bryce Harper landed with the Phillies, and they're both happy for their former teammate and eager for the competition that the megadeal creates in what has become a much tougher National League East. "Man, it's awesome," third baseman Anthony Rendon said Friday morning at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. "So happy for him. I think it's great you have a team out there...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Marlins in Jupiter

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Marlins in Jupiter
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Stephen Strasburg will make his first Grapefruit League start this afternoon when the Nationals travel up Interstate 95 to nearby Jupiter to face the Marlins. Strasburg is the final member of the Nats' presumed starting rotation to take a spring turn. The lineup for today's game again does not contain first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who was supposed to play in his first spring exhibition on Wednesday against the Astros at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. That was...
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Orioles announce 2019 promotions schedule; individual tickets go on sale on Friday, March 1

Orioles announce 2019 promotions schedule; individual tickets go on sale on Friday, March 1
The Orioles today released their 2019 promotional schedule highlighted by an extensive slate of unique items and events, as well as returning favorites, to appeal to Birdland's diverse fanbase. The Orioles also announced that individual game tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, March 1, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Birdland Members will receive a special pre-sale opportunity on Thursday, February 28 at 10:00 a.m. May the 'fourth' be with you on Saturday, May 4, as the Orioles...
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Orioles' economic impact on Sarasota tops $360 since 2015

Orioles' economic impact on Sarasota tops $360 since 2015
The Orioles have generated more than $360 million in cumulative economic impact in Sarasota since 2015, the first year Sarasota County Government analyzed comprehensive data on the team's impact. The county's analysis measures the total tourism impact created by the Orioles, combined with the club's business operations and spending in Sarasota County. At $92 million for the most recent reporting period, the Orioles' annual impact is nearly three times the figure projected when the Orioles...
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Powell bringing iconic Boog's BBQ to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota

Powell bringing iconic Boog's BBQ to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota
For years, I've spent the offseason staring at the canopy that houses Boog's BBQ at Camden Yards during the regular season and wondered how good it would be to chow down on a pit beef sandwich (medium well, with barbecue sauce and horseradish, of course) to ward off the winter chill. But the emptiness beneath the canopy on Eutaw Street usually tells me that there will be no wintertime feast (though I've often though about the gold mine that would be created by opening Boog's BBQ one day a...
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Iconic Boog's BBQ coming to Ed Smith Stadium

Iconic Boog's BBQ coming to Ed Smith Stadium
After 26 years of shaking hands, signing autographs, and serving millions of BBQ sandwiches in Maryland, Orioles Hall of Famer Boog Powell will bring his famed Boog's BBQ to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota for the 2019 Spring Training season. "No trip to Oriole Park at Camden Yards is complete without a stop at Boog's BBQ, and we are delighted to offer the same experience to fans at Ed Smith Stadium," said Greg Bader, Orioles Vice President, Communications & Marketing. "As an Orioles...
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Orioles announce spring training broadcast schedule

Orioles announce spring training broadcast schedule
The Orioles today announced that seven Spring Training games will be broadcast on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), 13 games will be available on the Orioles Radio Network and flagship station 105.7 The Fan, and 16 of the remaining 17 games will be carried live via audio-only streaming exclusively on Orioles.com and MLB At Bat. MASNsports.com reporter Steve Melewski will serve as play-by-play broadcaster for the 16-game digital streaming schedule on Orioles.com and MLB At Bat. He will be...
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