Photo by Jake Stephens/TalkNats)
The Washington Nationals have been alternating their primary starters every other game in kind of a half-in and half-out method that most teams put together early in Spring Training. At some point, those projected starters will play a little deeper into games. That also doesn’t mean that the half-out crew isn’t working on the backfields back at the Nats’ Spring Training complex. Today, RHP Brad Lord gets the start for the Nationals.
Yesterday, CJ Abrams and Dylan Crews were on the backfields getting “live” BP courtesy of RHP Luis Perales. Maybe there were other starters with them. This is also common for projected starters to get daily work.
However, not seen since he was pulled after the third inning on Friday is Jacob Young who is out of the lineup today. Source tells us that he is still experiencing some wrist soreness although it is getting better — and he is considered day-to-day. He has been nursing a contusion on his wrist after being hit by his own teammate (Bryce Montes de Oca) two weeks ago in one of those “live” BP sessions. His only Spring Training work was on Friday with two at-bats and of course his stellar defense robbing a home run on Jose Altuve to start that game.
With Young out, that put Robert Hassell III in a back-to-back start, and he will play Young’s position of center field. Also, you will note that Luis Garcia Jr. is still at second base, and not sure if the plan has changed in a move to first base. The Nats get Warming Bernabel a start at first base, and Abimelec Ortiz will get the DH today. Those three plus Andres Chaparro, Matt Mervis and Yohandy Morales are in the first base, DH and bench competition.
About an hour ago, Crews was scratched from the lineup with left thumb soreness. Here is the new lineup with Christian Franklin in for Crews:
At this point, we only have nine Spring Training games in the books, and no batter has more than 13 plate appearances on the Washington Nationals. And for that matter, no pitcher has more than 5.0 innings.
Remember, players are working on some of the intricacies of their game — and yes, some just are not good enough yet for the MLB competition. The Nats have had 54 batters step into the box, and 25 of them have no hits. As the sample sizes get larger, and there is more data to analyze, we can all start to form better judgements.
Process means a lot in small sample size analysis. But we also need to know back-stories of what players are working on. Would you not play James Wood and Daylen Lile due to the fact that neither have hits going into this game? Of course not.
Miami Marlins vs. Washington Nationals
Stadium: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, Florida
1st Pitch: 1:05 PM EDT
TV: N/A
Radio: 106.7 The Fan and the MLB app
