Joe Ross leaves game with right heel contusion (Nats lose 7-6)

By Mark Zuckerman

Nationals

March 20, 2016, 10:07am

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NATIONALS QUICK WRAP

Score: Tigers 7, Nationals 6

Recap: After Saturday's rainout in Viera, the Nationals sent their entire lineup to Lakeland this afternoon, a rare occurrence for the 90-minute drive to Tigers camp. That lineup, of course, included Bryce Harper, who rose to the occasion by homering twice off former AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, including a monster shot over the 30-foot-high batter's eye in center field. Daniel Murphy also notched a couple of hits off Verlander, then showed off his baseball instincts by advancing from first to third when Harper grounded into Detroit's shift and left the bag uncovered. Clint Robinson's eighth-inning homer, which landed on the second level of the yet-to-be-completed new clubhouse down the right field line, was his team-leading third of the spring. Joe Ross gave everyone a scare when he started hobbling around after taking Nick Castellanos' comebacker off the back of his lower right leg in the bottom of the second, but the Nationals said Ross suffered only a contusion to his heel. Blake Treinen churned out four scoreless innings in early relief of Ross, but the rest of the bullpen struggled. Dusty Baker had to pull both Matt Belisle and Burke Badenhop in the middle of an inning, and Aaron Laffey surrendered the two-run double in the eighth that gave the Tigers the lead.

Need to know: It's still too early to draw any real conclusions, but Wilson Ramos sure looks like he's seeing the ball better since getting LASIK surgery two weeks ago. Ramos roped a double to deep left-center and drove another ball to the warning track in center field today, the latest solid contact for the Nats catcher. Since returning from his procedure in D.C., he's hitting .333 (5-for-15) while striking out only twice.

On deck: Monday vs. Astros in Viera, 1:05 p.m.
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LAKELAND, Fla. - Joe Ross had to leave today's game against the Tigers after taking a comebacker off his lower right leg in the bottom of the second inning, a direct hit that left the Nationals right-hander hobbling for a few minutes before he walked off the field under his own power.

The Nationals said Ross suffered a right heel contusion and will be re-evaluated Monday. The pitcher was optimistic the injury isn't anything severe.

"I feel fine, better right now," Ross said about 45 minutes after leaving the game at Joker Marchant Stadium. "We'll see how it feels tomorrow."

Detroit third baseman Nick Castellanos, leading off the inning, sent Ross' pitch straight back at the mound. The ball caromed off the back of the pitcher's lower leg and toward third baseman Anthony Rendon, who picked it up and threw late to first base.

Ross immediately began hopping up and down, then stood hunched near the mound as manager Dusty Baker, pitching coach Mike Maddux and head athletic trainer Paul Lessard jogged from the dugout to check on him. The 22-year-old initially couldn't put any weight on the leg, though after a couple of minutes he was able to walk slowly all the way back to the visiting clubhouse in the right field corner without assistance.

"At first, I went to put my foot down, and I think instinctively was like, 'Don't do it,' " said Ross, who had only athletic tape wrapped around his ankle as he spoke to reporters outside the clubhouse. "So I kind of was hobbling around. But then after a few seconds when I tried to move it, it felt a lot better and I didn't really panic as much. I think it'll be fine. We'll see tomorrow, when I get up in the morning and see how it feels."

Blake Treinen, who wasn't scheduled to pitch until the sixth inning, entered from the bullpen to replace Ross, who wound up throwing only 22 pitches in the abbreviated start.

The Nationals can ill afford a serious injury to one of its starting pitchers in the wake of Bronson Arroyo's recent shoulder troubles. With Arroyo spending the next four to six weeks attempting to rehab from a partial tear in his rotator cuff, the Nationals are counting on Ross to be part of their opening day rotation along with Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark.

The organizational pitching depth beyond that group is thin on big league-ready starters. Top prospect Lucas Giolito has impressed in camp this spring, but the Nationals strongly prefer to bring the 21-year-old along slowly, with a promotion to the majors unlikely early in the season. Right-handers A.J. Cole and Taylor Jordan are more advanced but haven't enjoyed much success in their respective, brief stints in Washington.

The Nationals also could look at veteran right-hander Yusmeiro Petit (who was signed over the winter to serve as their long reliever and emergency starter) or Treinen (who has started in the past but has more recently been viewed solely as a reliever by the organization).