WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – We’ve reached the final week of spring training. Seven days from now, the Nationals will board their charter flight and head north to Washington for a final exhibition game against their own prospects before flying to Cincinnati for Opening Day. So we’re getting down to the nitty gritty now, as established players fine-tune everything and the competition among players fighting for roster spots gets serious.
There are two turns left in the rotation, and two of the starters will be pitching today. MacKenzie Gore gets the nod in the big league game against the Mets, looking to duplicate what he did five days ago against the same opponent (one run, two hits in 5 2/3 innings), and maybe throw a few more pitches to approach the 90 mark. Patrick Corbin, meanwhile, is pitching in a minor league game this morning, getting his work on a back field.
The lineup includes most of the regulars. Of note: Eddie Rosario is making another start in center field, something Davey Martinez said would be happening as the Nats try to decide if the veteran can handle the position well enough to make the occasional start out there. Drew Millas also gets a chance to catch Gore and play alongside the regulars.
And you can watch it all this afternoon on MASN, with Bob Carpenter and Kevin Frandsen on the call. Enjoy!
WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. NEW YORK METS
Where: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach
Gametime: 1:05 p.m.
TV: MASN, MLB.tv (outside D.C. market)
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 84 degrees, wind 10 mph out to center field
NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
LF Jesse Winker
DH Joey Meneses
1B Joey Gallo
CF Eddie Rosario
3B Nick Senzel
2B Luis García Jr.
C Drew Millas
LHP MacKenzie Gore
METS
RF DJ Stewart
CF Trayce Thompson
1B Pete Alonso
3B Brett Baty
DH Luke Voit
C Omar Narvaez
SS Joey Wendle
2B Zack Short
LF Ben Gamel
RHP Tylor Megill