Davies tries to make his case for spot in Nats' rotation

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Zach Davies hasn’t been in this position in a while, pitching in spring training not to get ready for his team but to make his team.

Such is life on a minor league contract, and such is the dilemma facing Davies this month as he tries to convince the Nationals to include him on their Opening Day roster.

“In years past, having a secured job, the things that run through your mind are you’re still probably trying to work on something,” the 31-year-old right-hander said. “There’s times within a game that’s your focus. And then there’s a couple innings in there where you’re going to try to go after guys and be game-like. For me, I feel like you have to mix all that into every at-bat at this point. Just because I’m not on the roster and I’m still trying to make the team. Try and be competitive every time I’m out there.”

Davies said all this minutes after he departed tonight’s game at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, having just allowed two runs over five innings during the Nats’ 5-3 exhibition victory over the Astros. It wasn’t exactly a masterpiece – Houston collected seven hits and a walk, and Davies needed 89 pitches to complete his five frames – but it was hard to argue with the final results.

And results are what matter most to Davies right now.

“You’re going to have days with him when you see that,” manager Davey Martinez said. “He’s really smart. He understands what he needs to do. He doesn’t give in. There were a couple at-bats today where we saw what he was trying to do, and he just was not going to give in to a hitter. He was able to get weak contact and pitch well.”

The Nationals know Davies isn’t an overpowering pitcher. His fastball topped out at 90 mph tonight. But against a lineup that included the likes of Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker, the veteran limited the damage.

If Davies did that – two runs in five innings against Houston – in the regular season, the Nats would be thrilled. The question now: Are they going to give him that chance?

With five returning starters (Josiah Gray, MacKenzie Gore, Patrick Corbin, Jake Irvin, Trevor Williams) in camp and to this point healthy, the Nationals don’t necessarily have an opening in their rotation. But if they don’t put Davies on the Opening Day roster, they risk losing him to another organization that comes calling.

Martinez has expressed a desire to keep a long man in his bullpen, but asked tonight if Davies could fill that role, the manager shot down the notion.

“I would prefer him to start,” Martinez said. “He’s started (his whole career). So yeah, if he’s on the team, he’ll be a starter.”

For Davies to do that, he’s going to have to convince club officials he’s turned a corner following a disastrous 2023 season with the Diamondbacks, during which he went 2-5 with a 7.00 ERA and 1.664 WHIP in 18 starts.

Three starts into his first spring with the Nationals, he has produced a 4.35 ERA and 1.452 WHIP. Suffice it to say, the jury’s still out. But time is running out before a decision must be made.

“I think my focus is really getting guys out,” Davies said, “showing them that last year was a down year, and last year’s over with and that I can get guys out this year.”