Game #17 has the #Nats with many changes!

We are back in Jupiter, Florida against the Miami Marlins. Their lineup will look much different with so many players participating in the World Baseball Classic. For the Nationals, they changed from Jake Irvin starting this game to Patrick Corbin. The Nats will be without Cade Cavalli for a while as he suffered an elbow injury and will be getting an MRI today. The Nats did not waste time as manager Dave Martinez named Chad Kuhl as his new fifth starter in a rotation with MacKenzie Gore, Trevor Williams, Josiah Gray and Corbin.  As we know, injuries happen and quality depth is a key. This is why Martinez wanted at least one competent starter added in free agency, but like us, was hoping for two. The reason for that was two-fold: 1. The young starters were going to have their innings limited 2. Injuries happen and you need quality depth

“So you’re talking about adding maybe one or two more starters, ” Martinez said in December. “We’re going into the winter with a lot of different areas that we need to fix.”

For now, it will be a wait and see for free agent signings or waiver claims on which the direction the Nats can go in finding another starter. For now it’s Kuhl, but you have to add depth. Don’t be surprised if Anibal Sanchez is signed as a depth piece on a minor league deal. Martinez named Joan Adon, Paolo Espino, Cory Abbott as other possibilities behind Kuhl. The list could be much longer of course as the season progresses to see who steps up from Double-A and Triple-A like Jackson Rutledge and Jackson Tetreault. This could be a great opportunity for a pitcher to take advantage of a situation.

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Washington Nationals vs. Miami Marlins Stadium:   Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, Jupiter Florida 1st Pitch: 1:10 pm EDT TV: N/A Radio: FOX Sports 940AM (WINZ) feed via MLB app

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Line-up subject to change (without notice):

We have a lineup! https://t.co/44FgRWGrw7

— Talk Nats (@TalkNats) March 15, 2023