Finding meaningful developments on an ugly day for Nats

Finding meaningful developments on an ugly day for Nats
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Earlier this spring, Davey Martinez explained that he never lets himself obsess over a day's game for more than 30 minutes upon its completion, win or lose. In this sport, there's no value in stressing out over what just happened, not when there's another game to prepare for in 24 hours. So as he sat in his office this afternoon following an excruciating 12-3 exhibition loss to the Astros that featured just about every manner of sloppiness possible in one ballgame,...
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Rizzo on state of bullpen and S. Romero's return (Nats fall 12-3)

Rizzo on state of bullpen and S. Romero's return (Nats fall 12-3)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Koda Glover hasn't thrown a baseball since reporting to camp with a sore shoulder. Joaquin Benoit, signed the first week of spring training, has a 9.00 ERA. Matt Albers is in Arizona wearing a Brewers uniform. That might all be cause for concern for the Nationals, who don't have any real sure things in their bullpen beyond the three veterans acquired last July in trades. But general manager Mike Rizzo insists he's not looking for more upgrades from outside the...
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Time running out for Murphy, but Eaton about ready to play

Time running out for Murphy, but Eaton about ready to play
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Though they still won't rule out the possibility, the Nationals recognize Daniel Murphy's odds of being ready for opening day are getting slimmer by the day. Murphy, who had microfracture surgery on his right knee in October, has been taking batting practice and fielding light grounders but has not been in any game-like situations yet. With the season opener in Cincinnati only 14 days away, time is running out for the veteran second baseman to get the preparation...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Would you believe we're now only two weeks away from opening day? It's true: A mere 14 days from now, the Nationals will be taking the field in Cincinnati for a game that actually counts in the standings. If you're looking for the Nats to field their full "A" lineup for the first time this spring, though, you're going to have to keep waiting. Adam Eaton, Michael A. Taylor and Ryan Zimmerman continue to get their at-bats in minor league games, and Daniel Murphy...
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What drives veteran Madson to keep pitching at elite level?

What drives veteran Madson to keep pitching at elite level?
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Ryan Madson is the type of person who doesn't provide a quick, stock answer to a question. Ask the 37-year-old reliever something and he'll pause before saying anything, consider his thoughts on the subject and then reveal them in a matter-of-fact tone. Which made his answer to the following question - "After a long and productive career spanning 15 seasons, what drives you to keep pitching in the majors?" - more elaborate and more interesting than a reporter might...
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Scherzer ramps things up, Nats make six more cuts

Scherzer ramps things up, Nats make six more cuts
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Maybe it was the fact they were playing under the lights for the first time this spring. Maybe it was the fact he was stretched out to five innings for the first time. Or maybe it was simply the fact he's Max Scherzer. Whatever the case, the Nationals ace seemed to be even more amped up than usual for tonight's start against the Mets, one in which he posted five zeros, allowed one hit, struck out nine and strutted around the mound more than once. Scherzer may not be...
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Wieters keeps hitting, Scherzer keeps dealing (Nats win 7-4)

Wieters keeps hitting, Scherzer keeps dealing (Nats win 7-4)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla - The closer we get to opening day and the more he keeps piling up hits, the more Matt Wieters looks like he may legitimately have figured something out at the plate. Already having shown marked improvement through the first half of spring training, Wieters hasn't let up tonight. The veteran catcher had hits in each of his first two at-bats against Mets right-hander Zack Wheeler, raising his Grapefruit League batting average to a cool .438. Wieters' hits tonight, like...
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Updates on Cole, Taylor, Murphy and more

Updates on Cole, Taylor, Murphy and more
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Though he couldn't make his scheduled start Monday due to an illness, A.J. Cole is already back throwing and should be able to slot back into his spot in the Nationals rotation by the end of the week. Cole was supposed to face the Tigers in Lakeland but had to be scratched a day in advance after he fell victim to a stomach bug. The right-hander did feel well enough Monday to throw a side session off a bullpen mound, manager Davey Martinez said, and he emerged from that...
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The history of Nats managers, through Zimmerman's eyes

The history of Nats managers, through Zimmerman's eyes
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals have experienced plenty of change over the years, nowhere more so than in the manager's office. Davey Martinez is now the club's seventh full-time manager in 14 seasons in Washington, with none of his predecessors having survived longer than 2 1/2 seasons. Only one player has been around for every one of the seven skippers: Ryan Zimmerman, the organization's first draft pick in 2005. Zimmerman's career has included its own share of changes, but he has...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Mets in West Palm Beach

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Mets in West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - And we're back. Caught a flight back down to Florida this morning, just in time to see the Nationals take on a Mets split-squad this evening at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Thanks as always to Pete Kerzel for filling in during my break; I'll be with you the rest of the way, which actually isn't that much longer. There are only 12 Grapefruit League games left on the schedule before the club packs up and heads north. We still aren't seeing anything close to...
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Excited Soto gets his first chance to play in front of coaches

Excited Soto gets his first chance to play in front of coaches
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Juan Soto's exuberance, possibly over-exuberance, was understandable. Here was a 19-year-old prospect standing in the batter's box in a major league Grapefruit League game for the first time, pinch-hitting for Howie Kendrick in the bottom of the sixth of Sunday's game against the Tigers. So when Soto nearly swung out of his shoes a couple of times while striking out against 22-year-old right-hander Gerson Moreno, those in the park with big league experience weren't...
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Adams, Harper return healthy and productive in win over Tigers

Adams, Harper return healthy and productive in win over Tigers
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - As happy as he was to see Matt Adams launch a ball off the right field wall in the bottom of the second today, Davey Martinez also couldn't help but cringe a little once he realized Adams was going to have to try to stretch the hit into a triple. "I'm going: 'Oh lord, stop,'" the manager said. "He said he felt fine. My biggest thing about spring training is the fear of injuries. Every day we get through a game and nobody gets hurt, it's a good day." Chalk up...
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Harper belts first homer of spring (Nats win 6-2)

Harper belts first homer of spring (Nats win 6-2)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It had been a quiet spring so far for Bryce Harper. Too quiet, to be honest. There was his introductory press conference, during which he made it clear he won't answer questions about his looming free agency. There were some nondescript at-bats in his first couple of Grapefruit League games. And then there were three days off after having an ingrown toenail removed. Sooner or later, Harper was going to do something eye-catching, right? Yep. It happened in the bottom of...
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Nationals' plan behind the plate remains a question

Nationals' plan behind the plate remains a question
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - One of the few legitimate roster decisions the Nationals need to make this spring is behind the plate, where Matt Wieters returns as the No. 1 catcher but the backup position is up for grabs. As much conjecture as there was over the winter about the Nationals pursuing an upgrade - J.T. Realmuto? Alex Avila? Jonathan Lucroy? - general manger Mike Rizzo continues to stand behind Wieters, who he believes is primed for a bounceback season. The backup job? That's up for...
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Split-squad lineups: Nats vs. Tigers and Mets

Split-squad lineups: Nats vs. Tigers and Mets
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It's a split-squad day for the Nationals, with one group staying back here in West Palm Beach to face the Tigers and another group heading north to Port St. Lucie to face the Mets. Between the two games, nearly everybody of consequence on the roster is playing somewhere today, and there even will be some prospects from minor league camp coming off the bench (including outfielder Juan Soto here at the home game). Gio Gonzalez starts against a Tigers lineup that includes...
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Turner's patient approach leading to more walks this spring

Turner's patient approach leading to more walks this spring
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Trea Turner knows the primary criticism with his approach at the plate. And he doesn't entirely disagree, even if he adds a qualifier to the sentiment. "I think a lot of people made a big deal out of me not walking the last couple years, I guess rightfully so," the Nationals shortstop said. "But I feel like if they give me pitches to hit, I should put them in play. And if they don't, I need to walk." Turner is an aggressive hitter, always has been and always will...
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Strasburg gets his work in, Doolittle works on his off-speed stuff

Strasburg gets his work in, Doolittle works on his off-speed stuff
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The day began with Stephen Strasburg on the mound for the first time against an opponent this spring. And Strasburg's outing - two innings of one-run ball, plus another 20 pitches in the bullpen afterward - was important, in that he needed to make his first start of the spring at some point and begin the process of ramping up before the season begins. These days, though, there's not that much new for Strasburg to do in spring training. After several years of tinkering,...
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Verlander outdoes Strasburg in spring matchup (Nats win 8-1)

Verlander outdoes Strasburg in spring matchup (Nats win 8-1)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It lasted all of 2 1/2 innings, but at this time of the spring, we'll all take as much of a Stephen Strasburg-Justin Verlander pitching matchup as we can get. The two right-handers didn't disappoint in their head-to-head showdown today at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Strasburg allowed one run over two innings but consistently hit 97-98 mph with his fastball. Verlander, meanwhile, tossed three scoreless innings and struck out five before calling it a...
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Martinez meets with Torre, learns more about pace of play

Martinez meets with Torre, learns more about pace of play
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Davey Martinez had sat through meetings with Joe Torre before, but only as a bench coach to Joe Maddon, and thus not as the primary point of contact between Torre (Major League Baseball's chief baseball officer) and his club. This morning's session at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, then, represented a new dynamic for Martinez, who was responsible for digesting everything Torre revealed regarding MLB's new pace of play rules and making sure any pertinent...
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Starting lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - I know none of you up north want to hear about the weather down here right now, but it has cooled off considerably across Florida, with the same cold front that has caused so much havoc back home swooping through this state as well. The wind has picked up and the temperatures have dropped - I know, I know, it's still going to be 75 degrees this afternoon - for the first time all spring. With the wind blowing in, it should be a good day to be a pitcher. Not that either...
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