Mark Zuckerman
Mark Zuckerman

Early spring reasons to be encouraged or discouraged

Early spring reasons to be encouraged or discouraged
Spring training is only 33 percent complete at this point. Two weeks have passed since pitchers and catchers reported to West Palm Beach. Four weeks remain until the Nationals face the Mets at Citi Field and officially begin their title defense. So it's probably unfair to start drawing any conclusions yet. But it's not unfair to point out some things that appear to be going well at Nats camp and some things that appear not to be going so well. With that in mind - and since I'm writing this...
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Mark Zuckerman

Ross thrives vs. Yankees, Robles survives misplay in field

Ross thrives vs. Yankees, Robles survives misplay in field
TAMPA, Fla. - Joe Ross could be forgiven if he was feeling a bit antsy before taking the mound at Steinbrenner Field this afternoon for his long-awaited spring debut. He thought he was going to pitch last weekend in West Palm Beach, and even warmed up to relieve Max Scherzer in the Grapefruit League opener, but watched the heavens open up and force the cancellation of the game. That led to an extra four days' wait before his turn came up again this afternoon. But in order to pitch today, Ross...
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Mark Zuckerman

Turner gets first opportunity to bat third (Nats lose 8-2)

Turner gets first opportunity to bat third (Nats lose 8-2)
TAMPA, Fla. - Davey Martinez has been talking about it much of the winter and through the first two weeks of the spring. Today the Nationals manager will finally see his unconventional lineup idea in action: Trea Turner is batting third against the Yankees. It's not a perfect way to evaluate this lineup wrinkle, because only three players guaranteed to be in the opening day lineup (Turner, Victor Robles, Starlin Castro) made the 3 1/2-hour trip from West Palm Beach for today's exhibition...
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Mark Zuckerman

Opposite field remains Soto's best friend

Opposite field remains Soto's best friend
JUPITER, Fla. - It was a home run off a minor league reliever on Feb. 25. It's not going to make Juan Soto any money or help the Nationals win any games that actually matter. And yet it was impossible to watch Soto's blast off Cardinals right-hander Seth Elledge during Tuesday's 9-6 exhibition win and not react with the same astonishment and approval that accompanies any gargantuan blast by the 21-year-old star slugger. Soto's homer, the first by a Nationals batter so far this spring, came...
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Mark Zuckerman

Lineups: Nats vs. Yankees in Tampa

Lineups: Nats vs. Yankees in Tampa
TAMPA - The Nationals' spring relocation from Viera to West Palm Beach three years ago dramatically reduced the amount of time players have to spend on buses traveling to road games. But it didn't completely eliminate long trips from the Grapefruit League schedule. Today the Nats make their longest trek of the spring, a full 204-mile jaunt across the state of Florida to Tampa, where they are scheduled to face the Yankees this afternoon. Scheduled, that is, weather permitting. There's rain...
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Mark Zuckerman

After strong finish to 2019, Sánchez seeks fast start to 2020

After strong finish to 2019, Sánchez seeks fast start to 2020
JUPITER, Fla. - It's easy to forget now, because - like the Nationals as a whole - Aníbal Sánchez was so good from late May through late October. But you may recall that the veteran right-hander's first six weeks with the club were an abject disaster. When he took the mound on May 16 to face the Mets, Sánchez was 0-6 with a 5.27 ERA. He had allowed 69 batters to reach base in only 41 innings. A skeptic would've called his signing (two years for $19 million) a massive fail by general...
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Mark Zuckerman

Strasburg to debut Friday, rotation order takes shape (Nats win)

Strasburg to debut Friday, rotation order takes shape (Nats win)
JUPITER, Fla. - Davey Martinez isn't about to announce his rotation order to begin the season. There's too much time and too many things that could happen to throw a wrench into his plans. But with all of the regular starters now lined up here in Florida, it's not hard to extrapolate things out and see how it all projects for March 26 and beyond. The key revelations that came today from the Nationals manager: Stephen Strasburg will make his spring debut Friday against the Rays after throwing...
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Mark Zuckerman

Lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in Jupiter

Lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in Jupiter
JUPITER, Fla. - Spring training lineups don't always resemble regular season lineups. And today presents the perfect reminder of that. Eric Thames is leading off for the Nationals against the Cardinals, with Kurt Suzuki batting second. Has Davey Martinez lost his mind? No. This is simply a way to get two veterans two quick at-bats and then let them head home. You won't be seeing this 1-2 combo at any point during the regular season. We'll also see Howie Kendrick batting behind Juan Soto, a...
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Mark Zuckerman

Nats could go many different ways with 26th roster spot

Nats could go many different ways with 26th roster spot
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The most significant of Major League Baseball's rule changes for the upcoming season is the three-batter minimum that will now be required for every reliever that enters a game. (With an exception granted for anyone who finishes an inning, even if it's only one batter.) Less discussed but not necessarily less significant is the addition of a 26th man to the active roster. For as far back as any of us can remember, a baseball roster consisted of 25 players. "We're...
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Mark Zuckerman

After fiasco of 2019, Elías determined to reveal his true self

After fiasco of 2019, Elías determined to reveal his true self
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It's not entirely accurate to say the Nationals never saw the real Roenis Elías last season. "We saw it," manager Davey Martinez said. "The first day. Then after that ..." This is true. Acquired from the Mariners on July 31 to help fix the Nats' major bullpen woes, Elías made his debut two nights later in Arizona, summoned by Martinez with one out in the bottom of the sixth. The lefty got David Peralta to fly out, then struck out Adam Jones. All good,...
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Mark Zuckerman

Kieboom adjusting to game speed at third base (Nats lose 2-1)

Kieboom adjusting to game speed at third base (Nats lose 2-1)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - There is a month's worth of exhibition games to play, and there will be countless opportunities for Carter Kieboom to make his case to be the Nationals' opening day third baseman. What happens right now may have little to no bearing on the club's ultimate decision. But every game Kieboom plays, he is going to be scrutinized more than perhaps any other player in camp. And so the 22-year-old wasn't surprised this morning when reporters approached him to ask about his...
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Mark Zuckerman

Lineups: Nats vs. Mets in West Palm Beach

Lineups: Nats vs. Mets in West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - In deciding to delay Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin's first starts of the spring a few days, the Nationals have opened the door for some younger pitchers to get an opportunity to take the mound for the first and second innings this week. Today, that young pitcher will be Wil Crowe, who gets the start against a Mets lineup featuring plenty of regulars. Crowe, a second-round pick in 2017, split last season between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Fresno, where he...
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Mark Zuckerman

Virginia native Snyder gets to enjoy his moment vs. Astros

Virginia native Snyder gets to enjoy his moment vs. Astros
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Brandon Snyder would be the first to admit this was nothing like what the rest of the Nationals experienced the last time they faced the Astros, when the stakes were just a bit higher. While his teammates were hoisting the Commissioner's Trophy in Houston on Oct. 30, Snyder was watching on television with a buddy at his home in Warrenton, Va. He was a member of the organization and knew all the guys who had just won the World Series, but he spent the season playing at...
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Mark Zuckerman

Voth succeeds, Fedde struggles in Round 1 of competition

Voth succeeds, Fedde struggles in Round 1 of competition
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Austin Voth, Joe Ross and Erick Fedde all sit next to each other in the Nationals clubhouse this spring. They all hang out together. They all want one another to do well. And yet, each knows the harsh truth: Only one of the three is going to open the season in the Nats rotation. One other is likely to get a spot in the bullpen. Which means one is destined for the minor leagues. "These two guys are my friends, and if I had it my way, I would want them on the team," Voth...
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Mark Zuckerman

Strasburg, Corbin, Zimmerman not playing yet (Nats win 2-1)

Strasburg, Corbin, Zimmerman not playing yet (Nats win 2-1)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - They aren't holding anybody back because of injury, but the Nationals are easing a few of their veterans into game action this spring, most notably members of their rotation. Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin won't make a start the first time through the rotation this week, instead throwing live batting practice one more time before debuting in a Grapefruit League game. "It's all putting them in a controlled environment, where they can slow down if they want to,"...
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Mark Zuckerman

Split-squad lineups: Nats vs. Astros and Marlins

Split-squad lineups: Nats vs. Astros and Marlins
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Good news: The skies have cleared, the rain is long gone and it should be a beautiful day for baseball. So beautiful, the Nationals are going to play two - at the same time. It's a split-squad day, with half of the guys staying home to face the Astros again while the other half of the roster goes to Jupiter to face the Marlins. t'll be our first opportunity to see two of the pitchers battling for the No. 5 starter's job, with Austin Voth going up against the Astros...
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Mark Zuckerman

Unable to replicate October vibe, Scherzer content with '20 debut

Unable to replicate October vibe, Scherzer content with '20 debut
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - If Max Scherzer has proven nothing else, it's that he'll never take the mound with anything less than 100 percent commitment to compete. Having said that, not all starts are created equal. And a start on Feb. 22 can never compare to a start on Oct. 30, even if the opponent is the same. "The last game I pitched was Game 7 of the World Series. And we're talking about spring training," Scherzer said Saturday night after making his 2020 exhibition debut. "So it's a...
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Nats cheered, Astros booed during rained-out spring opener

Nats cheered, Astros booed during rained-out spring opener
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - They came to cheer the defending World Series champs and boo the runners up. And they did so at every possible opportunity. Any mention of the Nationals (technically, the visiting team) tonight in the Grapefruit League opener at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches - a game that wound up getting canceled after two scoreless innings due to a persistent rain that would not go away - was met with rousing cheers from the thousands of red-clad fans who made their way down...
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Castillo has sore shoulder, plus other notes (game canceled)

Castillo has sore shoulder, plus other notes (game canceled)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals' first injury of the spring may not involve a member of the 40-man roster, but it does involve a veteran trying to squeeze his way onto the opening day roster. Welington Castillo, a catcher with 10 years of big league experience, was due to DH in tonight's Grapefruit League opener but was scratched with a sore right shoulder. Davey Martinez said Castillo approached him earlier today and informed him of the ailment. The manager didn't hesitate to give him...
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Mark Zuckerman

Lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach (updated)

Lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach (updated)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - One hundred fifteen days have passed since the Nationals and Astros last took the field, a late October night that will forever bring smiles to anyone who lives in Washington and tears to anyone who lives in Houston. Tonight, both teams return to begin their quest to reach late October again. The Grapefruit League opener is a big deal any spring, but it's never been as big a deal as it is tonight. In a perfect convergence of events, this game between co-inhabitants of...
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