Why Adams and Goodwin are in today's lineup

CINCINNATI - The sight of today's lineup may have induced a sense of dread for more than a few Nationals fans who are curious why Ryan Zimmerman and Michael A. Taylor are sitting out the season's second game.

Manager Davey Martinez, though, insists he was planning to do this all along. Not as a reaction to anything Zimmerman or Taylor did on opening day but as a way to make sure Matt Adams and Brian Goodwin don't waste away on the bench.

"Coming into the series, I had different lineups, different options, and this was one of them," Martinez said. "To me, it only made sense. I want to get these guys involved early, get them engaged. They're a big part of what we need to do to be successful. So I want to get them in there."

So it is only 24 hours after they opened the season, Zimmerman and Taylor are sitting while Adams bats cleanup and Goodwin bats seventh against the Reds.

Martinez spoke all spring about his belief in using his entire 25-man roster, especially productive bench players who might challenge for more playing time on less-talented teams. In Adams, who has averaged 352 plate appearances each of the last five seasons with the Cardinals and Braves, the Nationals have an experienced first baseman, one Martinez was comfortable enough to bat cleanup today.

"Matty, he can drive in runs," the manager said. "That's the one thing we look at with him. We've got to put him in situations where we feel like he can be successful. He's a big part of what we're going to do. Like I've said before, he could play every day on any other team. I'm fortunate enough to have him here with us, and I want to get him his at-bats."

Goodwin, meanwhile, made some sense as a fill-in for Taylor today given his track record vs. Cincinnati starter Luis Castillo. It's a small sample, to be sure, but Goodwin is 1-for-3 with a homer and three walks against the difficult Castillo.

"He's got an electric fastball, good changeup, good slider, he kind of throws three-quarters," said Martinez, who saw Castillo more last season while coaching the Cubs in the NL Central. "I think it's probably a little easier, more visible for left-handed hitters. So I thought to get the lefties in there today would be a good opportunity."

That desire to load up the lineup with left-handed hitters may have played some role in keeping Adam Eaton in there today. Eaton looked strong Friday in his return from a torn ACL, reaching base twice and running the bases well. Martinez did pull him in favor of Goodwin late, trying to ease him back in a bit. But Eaton will play today and as often as his manager allows him.

"We got him out of the game early yesterday, which was nice," Martinez said. "I talked to him after the game, he said he felt great. I asked him if he could play today and he said: 'Absolutely.' So he's in. But he knows we're going to have to give him some days off. We'll see where it goes and how far it foes. He loves to play, and right now he's doing really well."