Herz finds positives despite high pitch count, Adams scratched with bruised wrist

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Progress in early March looks different than it would later in the year, or even in the spring. The Nationals still have two weeks to name a fifth starter, which means DJ Herz still has three more exhibition outings to make his case.

So even though this afternoon’s start during a 5-3 loss to the Cardinals didn’t look great on paper, both Herz and manager Davey Martinez were able to point to some positive developments that represented progress from his two previous appearances.

“He threw a lot of strikes,” Martinez said of Herz, who was credited with 46 of them among his 71 total pitches. “The big thing with him is, he got ahead, and then he got hitters back in the count: 3-2, 2-2. Once he gets ahead, he’s got to stay ahead. But he did throw the ball around the plate. It was way better today. A better outing for him today, so we’ll build from that.”

High pitch counts and an inability to throw strikes were the defining characteristics of Herz’s prior spring starts, most notably last week’s effort against the Astros in which he walked four and didn’t even make it out of the second inning.

The lefty again got himself in trouble in the top of the second today, with two runs scoring on three hits, and a leaping catch in center field by Jacob Young saving the inning from going on any longer. Even so, Herz walked off the mound with his pitch count already up to 48, a product of all those long at-bats, most of which lasted at least five or six pitches.

“I felt like I pounded the zone today well,” he said. “There were times where it could’ve been a disaster, and we minimized it as much as possible. Just taking it day by day, and I feel good about today.”

Herz’s fastball velocity has been a bit down this spring; he topped out at 91 mph today, according to the not-always-accurate radar gun at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. That may explain in part his lack of strikeouts; he has notched only three of them through 6 2/3 innings this spring.

For a guy who averaged 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings as a rookie last season, that’s a bit alarming.

“Right now, his fastball is a little down, but I think that’s going to come,” Martinez said. “I think also, he’s letting hitters back in the count. Once he gets ahead and stays ahead of them, the strikeouts will come.”

Herz, who departed with four runs (two earned) allowed over 3 1/3 innings, emerged encouraged less by the results and more by the way he felt.

“The delivery felt smooth,” he said. “It felt a lot better than it did the last two times. It’s just about moving down the mound, making sure the tempo’s smooth. I think today, we found that perfect smoothness to the tempo.”

With two weeks to go in camp, none of the three likely candidates for the fifth job (Herz, Mitchell Parker, Shinnosuke Ogasawara) has distinguished himself from the rest of the pack. Which means results will start to take on added significance as early March becomes mid-March becomes late March.

* Riley Adams was scratched from today’s lineup after getting hit by a pitch on his right wrist Friday night.

Adams was supposed to catch Herz and bat eighth but was replaced this morning by Drew Millas. He underwent X-rays, which Martinez said were negative. He was diagnosed with a contusion and will be considered day-to-day.

Adams, who is competing with Millas to be Keibert Ruiz’s backup to begin the season, is 2-for-9 with a homer and four RBIs this spring. Millas went 0-for-3 today and is now 1-for-15 with four walks.

More troubling today was Millas’ defensive struggles; he was charged with two throwing errors, one of them on a relatively routine tapper in front of the plate where he airmailed the ball past a lunging Andrés Chaparro at first base.

“You know what, he’s done this before. He’s had some struggles,” Martinez said. “But it’s still spring. He’ll be fine.”

* Jake Irvin is scheduled to start Sunday against the Mets in Port St. Lucie, becoming the first member of the rotation to make four starts this spring.

Both Parker and Ogasawara, meanwhile, are scheduled to pitch Monday. For the first time, both will be starting, with the Nats playing split-squad games against the Marlins.

Parker is penciled in to pitch the Monday afternoon road game in Jupiter, his first start of the spring and his first game action since Feb. 28, after which he was dealing with a stiff neck.

Ogasawara will make his fourth start of the spring, pitching the nightcap home game against Miami, looking to complete three innings for the first time.