Baker on lineup, Jackie Robinson Day, Wizards and Capitals

Manager Dusty Baker decided to give left fielder Jayson Werth, catcher Matt Wieters and center fielder Adam Eaton a day of rest as the Nationals face the Phillies in a Saturday matinee.

Chris Heisey, Michael A. Taylor and Jose Lobaton take their respective spots in the field. Baker confirmed it was justa day of rest and not for injury concerns. He also said the players went happy about sitting.

"Wieters, I think, has only rested one day," Baker said. "Eaton hadn't rested any and Werth hadn't rested any. And we got a long year. Werth's been busting it ever since spring training, both of them have. And so they didn't want it, but I gave it to them. Just like Trea Turner didn't want it the other day and he talked me into playing anyway, which I didn't know what was going to happen, I was just going to give it to him. I told them (to) just stay ready.

"Eaton said he wants to play every day. I said that's good, but Hank Aaron told me how to stay healthy and how to keep guys healthy and that's two days off a month. That's 150 games. And if you can go 150 games, just 12 games where you're doing nothing more than occupying ink on the lineup card. Emotionally, mentally and physically. That's what I try to do to try and keep my guys healthy."

The schedule also affected why Baker gave Werth and Eaton the day today. The Nationals are set to face right-hander Jerad Eickhoff on Sunday before a full day off for the club.

"I didn't want to give Werth and I didn't want to give Eaton two days off," Baker said. "We kind of look at the schedule today, tomorrow and the next day - who you're facing in that - and also Heisey hadn't had a start yet. I heard something on TV that you go from spring training to those guys playing almost every day. You regulars having about the equal at-bats to your non-regulars. I've been there.

"Then the season starts and you don't get an at-bat every two weeks and then I'm asking them to go up there and face the toughest ... in their staff late in the game. So that's not fair to them or fair to us. If I don't give them a start every once and awhile, four at-bats. Heisey hadn't started and neither had Michael Taylor. Today was the day."

Like Heisey, this will be Taylor's first start of the season. Any message for the center fielder, who has had outstanding spring trainings but has been unable to translate that into consistent full seasons?

"I'm kind of out of messages," Baker said. "It gets to the point where it's on you. And if you get one at-bat, make it count. If you get two, make it count. If you get four, make it count. You got to take a job now. And there aren't any jobs open at the moment. At some point in time, if somebody gets hurt, then you got a great opportunity.

"Jayson Werth is a year older. You don't know his future next year. You're playing to impress us and impress others that possibly might want to come to retain your services. You're playing to impress the world. In any job sometimes you lose value and then it's up to you to regain your value. Now it's up to him."

* April 15 is Jackie Robinson Day with each player, coach and manager wearing Robinson's jersey No. 42. What does this day mean to Baker?

"Means to me that we talk about it every day, every year at this day," Baker said. "But to me, no big deal. Every day is Jackie Robinson Day to me. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be in baseball and I wouldn't be working as a player and I wouldn't have this job. So it's great to think about it and to hold the guy in high esteem, but every day is Jackie Robinson Day to me."

* This series against the Phillies certainly has its share of interesting first pitch times. Friday it was 4:05 p.m. Today it's 1:05 p.m. Sunday it's the usual 1:35 p.m. first pitch. Baker is not a fan.

"Terrible. I don't know it slipped through the crack yesterday because we would've probably said something about that," Baker said. "But you look at the schedule and all you see is numbers and times and you are like, 'Oh, OK,' and boom, June, July. And then it creeps up on you, it happens sometimes. These start times, you don't know whether to eat, go to sleep, use the bathroom or shower. You have to set your alarm clock for different days and times. It's like working night shift, day shift, swing shift."

Baker also looked ahead to what will be a daunting task next week with a home-and-home series with the Mets that falls in the middle of a long trip, which includes a visit to Denver for four games. Sunday's game at New York is a night game followed by a long flight to Denver to face the Rockies on Monday night at 6:40 p.m. Mountain time. Colorado will already be home wrapping up a weekend series with the Giants at Coors Field.

"Scheduling is not easy, which is indicative of our next road trip," Baker said. "Whew. We play a night game in New York and then we get into Colorado who knows what time in the morning. Hopefully, no rain delays and then we come back and play the Mets as soon as we come back. I got to prepare my lineups and things to combat that as well."

* Baker is excited about the playoffs beginning for the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals and the National Basketball Association's Washington Wizards. He has become a fan of the Wizards.

"I pay attention, but I wasn't paying attention before I got here as much because we got the Golden State Warriors out there," Baker laughed. "I'm paying attention big time, especially when John Wall came in the clubhouse last year at the end. He's one of my son's favorite players. And he promised he'd send my son a jersey, which we are still waiting on. But I understand he's been busy."

"My son wanted to know: Does he have to go back tomorrow because the Wizards are playing here tomorrow night? I said, 'Yeah, you gotta go home and I got to go to Atlanta.' "

Baker said having the Wizards, Capitals and Nationals as winners provides an opportunity for D.C. to alter its mindset of what the city is capable of in professional sports.

"I'm hoping we turn into a city of champions because it can be contagious, that thought process of positive thoughts," Baker said. "When one team wins, another team wins, then another team in the city gets behind you. Right now, the city is kind of negative as far as playoff situations that I've heard, which I didn't know. Every time I talk to somebody about the Caps, they are always 'Ah, they'll lose.' That becomes contagious in thought throughout the city.

"So I'm hoping that they win and the Wizards win and then we win."