by Andrew Lang
by Andrew Lang
Clover Park in Port St. Lucie; Photo from Stan for TalkNats
Today is the day we will finally get to see LHP Jon Lester‘s debut game in Spring Training for the Washington Nationals. His previous two starts were scratched because of his decision to have surgery on his thyroid gland. Nationals’ manager Dave Martinez pushed starter Joe Ross to tomorrow to make room for Lester who will face the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie. Continue reading
Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats
See ball, hit ball. It is the most basic message from a coach to a player holding a bat. We had avoided the Carter Kieboom storyline for an entire Spring Training until now. But we should discuss it now. Performance at this time of year is about getting timing down and getting your reps in and progressing day-by-day. The process and eye test are what should count most. Results can be taken with a grain of salt and are too skewed in small sample sizes. Two balls put in play in a 25 at-bat sample that could have been hits will change everything. Continue reading
Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats
The D.C. Government gave the green light to the Washington Nationals to host fans to start the season late on Monday. While that number has been initially capped at 5,000, there is optimism that number will grow. All of a sudden behind bolted gates on Tuesday, workers were spread out doing Spring cleaning at Nationals Park. Painters were hard at work and the concrete concourse was being powerwashed while you could hear hammers and saws blazing in the distance. A sweet-16 days to Opening Day! Continue reading
Photo by Andrew Lang for TalkNats
We are getting close to the end of camp. Patrick Corbin gets the start tonight and will have two more starts after this in Grapefruit League action to get him ready for the season. It is looking like he will pitch after Max Scherzer in the rotation and they would like to get Stephen Strasburg into the third spot in the rotation with Jon Lester who is planning to make his Grapefruit debut on Thursday as the fourth starter and Joe Ross on Friday as the fifth starter. Continue reading
Photo provided to TalkNats from Yasel Antuna
Ryan Morris
Sunsets on Lake Ontario, Abbott’s frozen custard, and Rochester Red Wings baseball. That’s been my summer for as long as I can remember. Thus I was ecstatic to learn my hometown Nationals had chosen my other home team to hold some of their brightest prospects. But what are the Red Wings all about? Here’s everything you need to know about the Nats’ new Triple-A affiliate. Continue reading
Photo by Kevin Nibley for TalkNats
Tell us if you have heard this before — the Nationals have a Grapefruit League road game in Jupiter at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. The 14-mile drive up I-95 is also great for Nationals fans to make the short drive up the road to see the team in another venue, and today they get to see Max Scherzer on the mound and Gerardo Parra in an “A” lineup for the first time since Game 5 of the 2019 World Series! Bonus! For the Cardinals, they give right-handed John Gant the start, and the Nats just faced him last week. Continue reading
Photo by Craig Nedrow for TalkNats
If you read down the injury list for players on the Washington Nationals big league roster, Stephen Strasburg just got added to that list. In total, there are now seven players on the medical list from the 51-players on the big league roster. None of them would be deemed major, but each could disrupt the Opening Day roster.
The most serious of the injuries would be with Gerardo Parra and Aaron Barrett who both had knee procedures done, but neither player was projected to be key parts of the 2021 roster. Right-hander Rogelio Armenteros who is a fringe starter was shutdown late last month with arm pain but is reportedly back to throwing. Welington Castillo who was signed as catching depth is dealing with a shoulder issue, and he is probably fourth or fifth on the depth chart. A different story with Strasburg, Jon Lester, and Tanner Rainey who are all key components with Stras and Lester combining for 40 percent of the starting rotation. Continue reading
Photo by Craig Nedrow for TalkNats
If you have the MLB app or the ability to watch ATT Sportsnet-SW, they can watch this Washington Nationals game today with Stephen Strasburg on the mound facing the Astros. This is the first broadcasted glimpse of Stras since August 14 of last year. The World Series MVP feels like the key to the Nats success in 2021.
For those with or without TV, this game is also available on Nats radio network with Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler calling the game. One of the great things the Nats have done is beef up the radio coverage in this Spring Training due to the lack of television. For some of us old enough to remember back to the 1970s and prior before cable, radio was our only way to follow a game unless you attended in-person.
We are now at the halfway point in the Grapefruit League schedule of 24-games at the conclusion of this game. Time is certainly running short on the Spring Training schedule with the final game scheduled just 15 days away on March 29 then a two-day break before Opening Day on April 1. Continue reading
Photo by Lynn G. for TalkNats
With Joe Ross as the presumptive fifth starter, the Nats rotation goes to Stephen Strasburg tomorrow followed by Max Scherzer then Patrick Corbin according to manager Dave Martinez. At some point the rotation will be reseeded and Jon Lester will be added into the rotation. For tonight, it is Ross versus the Mets.
Continue reading
Photo by Laura Peebles for TalkNats.com
What makes Max Scherzer so special? It is his desire to always be improving and never being satisfied with the past. Scherzer made his debut on April 29, 2008 at the age of 23 ¾. Since then, his resumé has added 3 Cy Young awards including 2 in the NL and 1 in the AL, 7 All-Star games, immaculate innings, a 20-strikeout game, and World Series champ.
But Scherzer wants more. He knows he won’t reach 300 wins in his illustrious career, but he is 25 Curly W’s from 200. He won’t say that is a goal when asked but said it is a nice number. He also said that 2021 will not be his last season in baseball even though that record-breaking contract that he signed at the time for 7-years and $210 million ends this season. Continue reading
"Opening Day should be a National holiday"
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