Washington Nationals release 2018 Spring Training schedule...

Washington released its 2018 regular season schedule earlier this year, and today the Nationals released their Spring Training schedule for the second season in West Palm Beach, Florida’s Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.

The defending NL East champions play 32 games total this Spring, beginning with a road/home game against the World Series champion Houston Astros on February 23, 2018, and their first official home game in The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on the 25th against the Atlanta Braves.

Washington plays 15 games in their relatively new Spring Training home against NL East rivals, the Miami Marlins, New York Mets, and Atlanta Braves, and also welcome the St. Louis Cardinals (March 11, 16, 25), and Detroit Tigers (March 4).

They wrap up their Spring schedule on March 27th, when they play the Minnesota Twins in an exhibition game in the nation’s capital before heading out to Cincinnati for the regular season opener with the Reds on March 29th in Great American Ball Park.

Some notes from the press release on today’s announcement of the Spring Training schedule:

• Washington and Houston will play each other seven times during the Grapefruit League slate with the Nationals hosting on March 6, March 15, March 21, and March 23, while the Astros will serve as the home team on Feb. 23, March 3, and March 10.

• From March 8–17 Washington will play seven of eight games at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.

• While the Nationals will travel to Orlando twice to play the Braves (Feb. 26 and March 1), and to Lakeland once to visit the Tigers (March 12), they will only trek outside of Palm Beach County on three other occasions all spring: March 2, 4 and 22 when they visit the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie.

HERE’S THE NATIONALS’ FULL 2018 SPRING TRAINING SCHEDULE: