Top News:
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Center field up for grabs — JUPITER, Fla. — With Mike Morse penciled in as the starting left fielder, the Nationals believe that center field is up for grabs. Nyjer Morgan is competing against Rick Ankiel and Roger Bernadina for the job. — Morgan hasn't been able to establish himself …
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Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Wang, Ramirez likely to start season on DL — JUPITER, Fla. — Nationals manager Jim Riggleman indicated that right-handers Elvin Ramirez and Chien-Ming Wang will not be ready for Opening Day. Both players are experiencing shoulder problems. — Ramirez, who has yet to play in a Spring Training game …
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Nats eager to gauge Rodriguez's ability — Reliever acquired in Willingham trade to debut on Sunday — VIERA, Fla. — Right-handed reliever Henry Rodriguez is expected to make his Nationals debut in the late innings of Sunday's game against the Marlins. — Rodriguez, who was acquired …
Adam Kilgore / Nationals Journal:
Bryce Harper optioned to Class A Hagerstown, could play for the Nationals this year — The Nationals optioned first overall pick Bryce Harper to low-Class A Hagerstown, an inevitable development that continued the process of Harper reaching the major leagues - which General Manager Mike Rizzo …
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NATIONALS NEWS NETWORK, The Goessling Game and Nationals Inquisition
NorthJersey.com:
Johan Santana's season in jeopardy for the Mets — According to a source, Johan Santana has not been progressing in his return to light throwing and the team is concerned enough to halt this section of his rehabilitation. By doing so, the Mets' timetable of a possible late-June …
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MetsBlog.com, HardballTalk, Mets Fever, Bats and The Mets Police
Tony Jackson / ESPN:
Casey Blake's back still ‘pretty sore’ — GLENDALE, Ariz. — Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Casey Blake isn't expected to miss much time after leaving in the middle of the first inning of Saturday's Cactus League game against the San Francisco Giants with what was thought to be lower-back tightness.
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Yahoo! Sports
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Ken Gurnick / MLB.com:
Ribs, not back, source of Blake's discomfort — Dodgers third baseman unsure how long he will be sidelined — GLENDALE, Ariz. — Casey Blake was examined Sunday by Dr. Robert Watkins Jr., who concurred that the injury the veteran infielder suffered Saturday was to the back of his ribcage …
Discussion:
True Blue LA
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Matsuzaka tries tweaking side schedule — BRADENTON, Fla. — With Daisuke Matsuzaka entering his fifth season with the Red Sox, there are still adjustments from his time in Japan, where he pitched in a six-man rotation. — Along those lines, Matsuzaka is trying a new between-starts routine.
Discussion:
Sox #1 Fan dot com
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Gordon Edes / ESPN:
2011 spring training: Boston Red Sox open to potential trades involving Daisuke Matsuzaka …
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MLB Rumors, HardballTalk, Surviving Grady, joy of sox and Fenway West
Bruce Levine / ESPN:
Sources: Chicago Cubs Carlos Silva being scouted by other teams — MESA, Ariz. — Chicago Cubs right-hander Carlos Silva has been pitching for a rotation spot with the Northsiders, but his spring outings also appear to be an audition for other teams in need of starting pitching.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, Bronx Baseball Daily, NESN.com and Associated Press
Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times:
Angels' Kevin Jepsen wants swagger of a closer — Angels relief pitcher Kevin Jepsen builds on suggestion from former Angels star closer Troy Percival. — Angels reliever Kevin Jepsen, left, listens to catcher Hank Conger during a spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 5.
John Thorn / New York Times:
Debate Over Baseball's Origins Spills Into Another Century — Moving beyond the binary and false options of Abner Doubleday and Alexander Cartwright Jr. as the father of baseball, three better candidates emerge: Daniel Lucius Adams, William Rufus Wheaton and Louis Fenn Wadsworth.
AdamMcCalvy / Brew Beat:
Braun says he's fine — A familiar problem popped up Saturday for Brewers All-Star outfielder Ryan Braun, who exited the team's Spring Training game with a rib-cage strain. — Braun's right side banged into the outfield wall during batting practice and he felt some discomfort along his left side that …
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SBNation.com and HardballTalk
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