WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – We are down to the final 48 hours of spring training. And we are now five days away from the season opener. Which means tonight’s exhibition lineup against the Astros has a distinct Opening Day feel to it.

All of the regulars are in and will play most of the game. The only tweak is that Joey Meneses is again playing left field (so he can continue to get reps after not playing the outfield while in the World Baseball Classic), with Corey Dickerson serving as designated hitter.

Patrick Corbin, meanwhile, is making his final start of the spring. He’ll hope to continue what he did five days ago against the Mets and put himself in a good frame of mind heading into his Opening Day start five days from now against the Braves.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches
Gametime: 6:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MLB.tv (Astros broadcast)
Radio: MLB.com (Astros broadcast)
Weather: Chance of rain late, 82 degrees, wind 14 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
RF Lane Thomas
1B Dominic Smith
LF Joey Meneses
3B Jeimer Candelario
DH Corey Dickerson
2B Luis García
C Keibert Ruiz
SS CJ Abrams
CF Víctor Robles

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Trevor Williams didn’t get the opportunity to face a lineup three times in one night very often last season. That was partly due to his role as the Mets’ swingman, in which he bounced between the rotation and bullpen based on need. But it was also a reflection of manager Buck Showalter’s reluctance to let him go too deep into a start and risk damage.

In only three of his nine starts did Williams face a hitter three times, for a grand total of nine plate appearances. (He did have success, allowing only two of them to reach base.)

So the opportunity tonight to face five Astros hitters three times, albeit in an exhibition game that ended in a 5-4 loss, was a big deal for the right-hander, who knows he’s going to be a full-time starter with the Nationals.

“I think no matter who it is, facing the same guy two or three times is going to be important once the season starts,” he said. “Today we went through a normal pregame routine with pitchers meetings and catchers meetings. It was good to get that under our belt.”

As it turned out, Williams had far more success the first two times he went through the Houston order than the third. He cruised through five innings, allowing one hit and one walk on 73 pitches. Then came in the sixth, in which he allowed a solo homer to Jeremy Pena, plus singles to Alex Bregman and Jose Abreu, all of them stepping to the plate for the third time.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The trouble that found Grayson Rodriguez in the fourth inning in his past two starts arrived a little earlier tonight.

Rodriguez allowed five runs in the third after retiring six of the first seven Tigers batters. Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson burned him with two-out RBI singles and Nick Maton jumped on a two-strike pitch and cleared the center field fence.

In a reverse from his spring past, Rodriguez got a fly ball and two strikeouts while retiring the side in order in the fourth. He fanned former Oriole Jonathan Schoop on 10 pitches, blowing a fastball past him.

Andrew Knapp also struck out to end the inning, and left-hander Cionel Pérez began to warm. But again, the second time through the order created issues.

Rodriguez was charged with five runs and four hits in four innings, with no walks and five strikeouts. All of the damage occurred in the third.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Three players vying for the final spot on the Nationals’ Opening Day bench remain in big league camp, but one of them is not currently playing.

Jeter Downs, who has twice been hit by a pitch on the hand in the last week, didn’t play Wednesday afternoon against the Yankees and isn’t on the lineup card for tonight’s game against the Astros.

Manager Davey Martinez said X-rays on Downs’ hand were negative, but he does have a contusion and needs at least a few days to heal. That complicates the infielder’s chances of heading north with the club, given how few opportunities remain to make a case.

“I want to see him get some at-bats,” Martinez said. “We’ve been working on some stuff with him hitting, and I want to see him back out there to see if he can do these things we’re asking him to do. But I don’t want to him push himself to try to get back out there. I want to make sure that (he’s healthy).”

Downs, the former top prospect of the Dodgers and Red Sox whom the Nationals claimed off waivers this winter, is batting just .176 (6-for-34) with three RBIs, three walks and 12 strikeouts this spring. His ability to play multiple infield positions as well as the outfield, though, makes him intriguing as a 26th man on the roster.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Orioles reliever Mychal Givens is throwing on flat ground today to test his left knee. His status for Opening Day won’t be resolved this quickly.

“Unsure at this point,” manager Brandon Hyde said this afternoon.

The bullpen already had a few pockets of uncertainty and Givens is the latest complication. He was a lock until the discomfort surfaced, and he hasn’t pitched in a week.

The Orioles have used Givens in four games, holding back his first appearance until March 6.

Grayson Rodriguez has struggled in the fourth inning in his last two starts, and he’s allowed six earned runs and nine total with 10 hits in his last two outings covering 6 2/3 innings.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – We’ve got a “Nexus of the Universe” moment coming up tonight when the Nationals and Astros take the field at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. On the mound for Houston will be Luis Garcia. At the plate for the Nats will be Luis García. Prepare for your minds to be blown.

It is kind of interesting that García leading off. We’ll hear from Davey Martinez if that’s actually something he wants to get a look at, or if it’s just happening tonight for whatever reason. You’ll notice a flip-flop of yesterday’s 2-3 hitters, with Joey Meneses batting second and Dominic Smith batting third. And a flip-flop of yesterday’s 4-5 hitters, with Jeimer Candelario now batting cleanup and Corey Dickerson batting fifth.

On the mound is Trevor Williams for his second-to-last tune-up. Williams should be aiming for close to 100 pitches tonight, and he’ll still get a chance to pitch in Tuesday’s exhibition finale at Nationals Park against the Yankees, along with MacKenzie Gore.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches
Gametime: 6:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MLB.tv (Astros broadcast)
Radio: MLB.com (Astros broadcast)
Weather: Partly cloudy, 78 degrees, wind 12 mph in from right field

NATIONALS
2B Luis García
LF Joey Meneses
1B Dominic Smith
3B Jeimer Candelario
DH Corey Dickerson
RF Alex Call
SS CJ Abrams
C Riley Adams
CF Víctor Robles

SARASOTA, Fla. – Cole Irvin got his extra up this afternoon, pitching into the sixth inning for the first time. He pumped strike after strike and rationed the Red Sox to Adam Duvall’s solo home run through the fifth. Pretty much how he wanted to wind down his stay in Orioles spring training.

Irvin surrendered back-to-back doubles to Duvall and Daniel Palka in the sixth to raise his pitch count to 68. Manager Brandon Hyde came out of the dugout and got him. Nothing else was needed from him.

Cionel Pérez stranded the runner with a popup and two strikeouts.

“That wasn’t actually the plan,” Hyde said following a 6-2 win played in 2 hours and 6 minutes.
“Because of Cole’s quick pitch count, wanted to send him back out there for six ups.”

In his four exhibition starts, not counting the back field work, Irvin has allowed five runs and 17 hits with one walk and nine strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings.

The Washington Nationals have made the following moves: 

Optioned to Triple-A Rochester: OF Stone Garrett

LHP Jose Ferrer

JUPITER, Fla. – The Nationals made three more cuts this morning, narrowing their options for the final spot on the bench to three players and the competition for four available spots in the bullpen to eight healthy arms.

Outfielder Stone Garrett and left-hander Jose Ferrer were optioned to Triple-A Rochester, with infielder Leonel Valera reassigned to minor league camp.

Those moves leave 32 healthy players in major league camp, so six more must be cut before the Opening Day roster is set next week.

Garrett’s demotion to Rochester finalized what already had become clear over the course of the spring: Alex Call will make the club as the fourth outfielder. The 28-year-old has been the Nationals’ most consistent hitter in Grapefruit League play, entering today’s game batting .333 (13-for-39) with four doubles, four RBI and six walks.

“He’s done really well,” manager Davey Martinez said. “I like him. He’s a pesky guy, and he put together some good at-bats this spring. I know he can do that. When we got him last year, that’s something we liked about him. He’ll accept his walks. He has long ABs. And he puts the ball in play.”

SARASOTA, Fla. – Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander walked into the clubhouse this morning wearing a gray sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head and a pair of shades covering his eyes. The smile was unmistakable, though. It gave away his identity.

So did the teammates who rushed over to hug Santander and ask how it felt to play for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. He had stories to share, usually starting with how incredible it was for him.

“Like a dream,” he said, as the media gathered at his locker. “Oh my God, unbelievable experience. I’m very grateful and happy for the opportunity. That’s something that I’ll never forget, being there, playing like a kid in big situations. It’s amazing. Something really, really good.

“Feel really proud to be able to wear that jersey, representing the whole country, family, my hometown. That’s something that, as a player you never forget that big moment. The most important thing is we bring some happiness to our people back there. Even though we didn’t get to the final, I feel so proud of the team, the chemistry that we got. That was awesome. To be able to share the clubhouse with big names like Miggy (Miguel Cabrera), (José) Altuva, Salvador (Pérez) and learn from them. That was also a great experience.”

Santander was 6-for-17 with two home runs and five RBIs before Team USA eliminated Venezuela in the quarterfinals.  

JUPITER, Fla. – While there’s been plenty of reason to fret about the Nationals rotation this spring, there hasn’t been much reason to worry about Josiah Gray. At least, not based on the right-hander’s results to date.

Gray enters today’s start against the Cardinals with a sparkling 1.42 ERA in three Grapefruit League starts. He’s allowed only one earned run across 6 1/3 innings. He’s issued only one walk while striking out six. The workload isn’t as high as others, because his last outing came on a back field against minor leaguers. But the results have been positive so far.

The lineup has a bit of a different look to it today, with CJ Abrams leading off and Victor Robles batting second. I wouldn’t read too much into that, other than Davey Martinez wanting to get both guys at-bats without having to play too deep into the game. But it’ll be nice to see how Abrams handles the leadoff spot against Cardinals right-hander Jack Flaherty.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MLB.tv (Cardinals broadcast)
Radio: nationals.com
Weather: Sunny, 76 degrees, wind 9 mph in from right field

NATIONALS
DH CJ Abrams
CF Víctor Robles
RF Alex Call
LF Corey Dickerson
1B Matt Adams
3B Ildemaro Vargas
C Riley Adams
SS Jeter Downs
2B Michael Chavis

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles are breaking out a lineup today that could have many similarities to their Opening Day setup, except with Austin Hays in center field while Cedric Mullins remains with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. And Gunnar Henderson isn’t playing after he homered yesterday in Clearwater.

Mullins could be back by Thursday, with the WBC final played tonight.

Adley Rutschman is catching Cole Irvin and Anthony Santander, who returned yesterday from the WBC, is serving as the designated hitter.

Ryan O’Hearn is in left field with Hays moved to center again. Kyle Stowers is in right field.

Ramón Urías is the third baseman.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Because they’ve been teased too many times the last three years by one or two strong outings, the Nationals have been careful not to make any bold declarations about Patrick Corbin returning to peak form.

Too many times since 2019, Corbin has followed up good starts with disastrous ones, leaving the beleaguered left-hander right back where he started.

So take this with a large grain of salt: The Nationals are really encouraged by Corbin right now, never more so than they were tonight after watching him toss six innings of one-run ball during a 3-2 exhibition win over the Mets.

“You know what, he’s come to spring training a different guy,” manager Davey Martinez said. “He’s got a lot of confidence. He knows that he can do this. He’s had success before. He wants to put everything that happened the last two years behind him and just move forward. … I love where he’s at right now.”

Corbin’s first two starts of the spring weren’t anything to write home about. But his last two – spread out over 10 days because he had another start rained out and had to get his work in throwing off a covered mound in the batting tunnel – have been noteworthy.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – If the final week of spring training is about making final preparations for the regular season, the Nationals are about to get some real prep playing under the lights. Four of their final seven Grapefruit League games are night games, beginning tonight against the Mets.

Most of the regulars are in Davey Martinez’s lineup, set to go up against the ageless Justin Verlander. The only guys missing from the projected Opening Day nine: Joey Meneses (who will be playing in a much more important game tonight for Mexico) and Víctor Robles (who played Sunday). In an interesting twist, Ildemaro Vargas is starting in left field. He’s started only one game in the outfield during his major league career, and that came in 2021 for the Pirates.

Patrick Corbin makes what should be his second-to-last exhibition start prior to Opening Day. The lefty had his last scheduled start disrupted by rain, so he could only throw off a mound in the batting cage. He’ll try to get some better work in tonight against a good Mets lineup, with unseasonably cool temperatures and a strong wind blowing in from left field perhaps playing to his benefit.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. NEW YORK METS
Where: The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches
Gametime: 6:05 p.m. EDT
TV: None
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 69 degrees, wind 14 mph in from left field

NATIONALS
CF Lane Thomas
1B Dominic Smith
3B Jeimer Candelario
DH Corey Dickerson
C Keibert Ruiz
2B Luis García
LF Ildemaro Vargas
SS CJ Abrams
RF Alex Call

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Optioned INF Joey Ortiz to minor league camp.
• Reassigned RHP Kyle Dowdy, SS Jackson Holliday, and INF Connor Norby to minor league camp.

The Orioles’ Spring Training roster currently has 51 players (36+15 NRI).

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – The first 42 pitches of Cade Cavalli’s afternoon were some of the best he’s thrown this spring. The rookie right-hander was pumping out 97 mph fastballs and mixing in curveballs, sliders and a couple of changeups, retiring eight of the first nine Mets hitter he faced and surrendering zero hard contact.

"I think that's the best I've seen him since I've known him," catcher Keibert Ruiz remarked.

And then Cavalli threw his 43rd pitch of the afternoon, an 87-mph changeup that veered way high and away from left-handed batter Brandon Nimmo, and "felt something behind his throwing elbow," according to manager Davey Martinez, who made his way from the dugout alongside head athletic trainer Paul Lessard to have the kind of conversation no pitcher ever wants to have in that moment.

Cavalli, who was not made available to reporters, would depart the game a few moments later with Lessard by his side, a look of dejection on his face.

It may be awhile until official word comes down on Cavalli's status - he's scheduled to have an MRI on his elbow Wednesday, with results perhaps to be read by multiple doctors - but it's not inappropriate to fear the organization’s top pitching prospect suffered a significant injury a little more than two weeks away from Opening Day, perhaps tearing his elbow ligament.

BRADENTON, Fla. – It had to be a pleasing sight to everyone in an Orioles uniform today as they played the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton. Closer Félix Bautista was back on the mound and was touching 99 mph and throwing pitches by hitters in his spring debut.

To better control exactly when he would pitch today, the Orioles had Bautista start the game and would let him throw as many as 25 pitches. He needed just 15 in a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts. His fastball averaged 97.9 mph and topped at 99.0. He looked as good as he had last year.

“Fastball velocity was there, good splits,” manager Brandon Hyde said after the game. "His first time out and it looked like he had been out there for a while. Real positive for today.

"Let's see how he is tomorrow and after his next few outings, but today went as well as it possibly could."

The Orioles won the game 7-6 heading into an off-day on Wednesday to improve their spring record to 2-1-1 versus Pittsburgh and 8-9-2 for the spring overall.

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• Optioned LHP Drew Rom to minor league camp.

The Orioles’ Spring Training roster currently has 55 players (37+18 NRI).

This weekend, the Orioles hosted the sixth annual “Athletes & Artists Play for Kids” charity event weekend, for the largest ever crowd since its inception in 2015. The event, which combines song and sport to support creativity and music and arts education featured the return of “Nashville’s Music Row Comes to the Ballpark” VIP charity event, and was attended by Orioles players and personnel, as well as front office executives, and other community leaders from Baltimore, Sarasota, and Nashville including representatives from Intersection of Change and Girls Inc.

Proceeds from the weekend’s events benefited the Intersection of Change’s Jubilee Arts Program in Baltimore and Girls Inc in Sarasota. Jubilee Arts provides comprehensive arts programs to children and adults, using art as a catalyst for social change, a tool for empowerment, and an alternative to drugs and violence in the community. Girls Inc. is focused on the development of the whole girl, using long-lasting mentoring relationships, a pro-girl environment, and research-based programming to equip girls to navigate gender, economic, and social barriers. The “Athletes & Artists” series has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for various charities through the Orioles Charitable Foundation’s Music & Arts Education Scholarship, which was created in 2019 to support deserving students and programs in Baltimore, Sarasota, and Nashville.

The event featured SiriusXM “Highway Find” and “CMT Next Women of Country” KALIE SHORR, lead guitarist of Matchbox Twenty KYLE COOK, and New York City-based singer-songwriter QUEEN V. More information about each performer can be found at Orioles.com/AthletesAndArtists.

The weekend-long series of events began on Friday, March 10, when Maryland Governor WES MOORE threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Orioles taking on the Minnesota Twins at Ed Smith Stadium. “Athletes & Artists Play for Kids” weekend concluded on Sunday, March 12, when the Orioles hosted the Boston Red Sox.

The annual “Athletes & Artists Play for Kids” weekend fundraiser began in 2015 with the first “Nashville Comes to the Ballpark” charity event and has steadily grown to include more programming, including in 2019 when the ballpark hosted an on-field concert by country music rising superstar and 11-time No. 1 singer-songwriter COLE SWINDELL, to support selected charitable efforts. The Orioles also welcomed Billboard chart-topping and Platinum-certified country artist RAELYNN in 2020. In 2019, proceeds from the mid-summer “Athletes & Artists Play for Kids” fundraiser, held the evening before the historic BILLY JOEL concert at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, were used to fund community grants from the Orioles Charitable Foundation to JUBILEE ARTS and BALTIMORE SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS. Past beneficiaries include the MUSIC HEALTH ALLIANCE, SARASOTA YMCA, LIBRARY FOUNDATION FOR SARASOTA COUNTY, and GIRLS, INC.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Few within the Nationals clubhouse have known Keibert Ruiz longer than Josiah Gray, the two having come up together in the Dodgers’ farm system before their lives were forever changed when they were the centerpiece prospects acquired for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner.

So when Ruiz officially signed an eight-year, $50 million extension Saturday, Gray couldn’t help but feel something special for his teammate and friend.

“It was awesome,” the right-hander said. “Keib deserves it. We all see how hard he’s worked, how good he is with you guys in the media, how good he is with us in the clubhouse. Really happy for him. He’s all-deserving, and I’m really excited to throw to him for years and years.”

Ruiz is now under contract through at least the 2030 season, with club options for 2031 and 2032 tacked onto the deal beyond that. Gray, with 1 1/2 years of big league service time, is under team control through 2027 unless he agrees to an extension as well someday.

Regardless, they’re going to be working together as a battery for a while, two of the key faces of the Nationals’ rebuild.