By Douglas Holtz-Eakin
The young drop coverage to avoid higher premiums
Ramos has already begun to conquer what was admittedly his biggest fear: blocking. He participated in a blocking drill on Sunday with bullpen coach Jim Lett throwing balls at the catchers, bouncing them in the dirt and on either side of them, and Ramos had no trouble.
As Henry Rodriguez took the mound at Citizens Bank Park on Monday night, all eyes from the Washington Nationals' dugout and bullpen were on him. The warm-up pitches, they knew, would tell them all they needed to know.
The Washington Nationals have figured out, at least for now, the place for Chien-Ming Wang. When the right-hander is ready to come off the disabled list and return to the active roster on or before May 27, the Nationals will pitch him out of the bullpen, allowing their major league-best rotation to remain intact.
The Washington Nationals' extended injury list got longer Monday night. A team source confirmed that right-handed reliever Brad Lidge will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair a hernia.
The Washington Nationals were the recipients of three errors by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night. Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, the 2011 Cy Young Award winner, had no intention of being so charitable.
The Washington Nationals announced three roster moves on Friday.
Previewing the American League.
In the morning, Washington Nationals outfielder Brett Carroll watched as the man who'd been his primary competition for a spot on the team's bench all spring quietly packed up his belongings. In the afternoon, Carroll all but solidified his place on the roster.
A team-by-team look at the American League entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:
The Nationals made their first trade of the 2011 offseason on Friday evening, sending one of the organization's longest-tenured players, right-hander Collin Balester, to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for right-hander Ryan Perry, a former first-round pick.
Nelson Cruz hit the first game-ending grand slam in postseason history, lifting the Texas Rangers over the Detroit Tigers 7-3 in 11 innings Monday for a 2-0 lead in the AL championship series.
The Detroit Tigers have welcomed back third baseman Brandon Inge.
Johnny Damon followed up his 2,500th hit with a game-winning homer in the 11th inning to lift the Detroit Tigers to a 7-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.
