Champion Stadium; Photo by Luis Albisu for TalkNats
Twice this week the Nationals have been scheduled to play the Atlanta Braves on Disney property near the Magic Kingdom in Orlando. The roundtrip is a 326 mile bus drive and 2 1/2 hours each way. Today’s game has A.J. Cole starting for the Washington Nationals and right-hander Matt Wisler for the Atlanta Braves.
Yesterday, the Nationals lost to the Marlins 3-to-1 after two unearned runs on two errors by Anthony Rendon. It was another sloppy game by the Nationals. The day started off with a “hump day” surprise as Nats’ manager Dave Martinez brought camels to the morning practice symbolic of the proverbial “getting over the hump” which the Nats have been stuck at in the NLDS.
Happy Hump Day, everyone! pic.twitter.com/llifzYsOhu
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) February 28, 2018
“My intentions were to bring the hump to us,” Martinez said. “The proverbial hump question that we all try to answer. I want these guys out there. I want it out there. For me, as I thought about it, the hump is every day. And I want them to embrace it, not fear it. And have fun with it.”
The Nationals seem to be playing loose this Spring and quite possibly that will pay dividends down the road. At the end of the day, the way you are judged is on winning.
“I’ve always believed, as a coach and as a player later in my career that we need to make this fun and enjoyable,” Martinez said. “I want these guys to wake up in the morning wanting to come to the ballpark every day. For me, the baseball field is my sanctuary. I love it, and I want them to feel the same way.”
Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves
Stadium: Champion Stadium, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, 700 S Victory Way, Kissimmee, FL 34747
1st Pitch: 1:05 pm EDT
TV:
Nats Radio: Radio on Braves broadcast and the MLB App
Line-up subject to change (without notice):
Today at Disney: Goodwin LF, Difo SS, Robles CF, Marmolejos 1B, Severino C, Stevenson RF, Gutierrez 3B, Brignac 2B, Kieboom DH, A.J. Cole RHP
— TALK NATS ⚾ (@TalkNats2) March 1, 2018
A.J. Cole RHP
