Martinez repeating lineup for just the third time

NEW YORK – If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Davey Martinez hasn’t really followed that motto through this season’s first 22 games, still tinkering with his lineup to find the right combination while also keeping matchups in mind on any given night.

The Nationals have used 20 different batting orders through the first month of the season. Early on, it was largely due to the high volume of opposing left-handed starters they faced, causing Martinez to switch around the order a lot.

The only time the manager has trotted out the same lineup for back-to-back games was on April 14-15 against the Guardians and on April 16 and 18 against the Guardians and Orioles, all four against opposing right-handed starters.

Tonight’s second game against the Mets will mark the third time the Nationals will trot out the same lineup for consecutive games, with Alex Call leading off, Luis García remaining in the second spot, Jeimer Candelario hitting third, Joey Meneses batting cleanup, and Keibert Ruiz, Dominic Smith, Lane Thomas, CJ Abrams and Victor Robles following.

That lineup had success against right-hander José Butto en route to a 5-0 win last night: Call had two hits and two walks in the leadoff spot; García knocked a clutch two-run double in the sixth; and Meneses and Ruiz combined for six hits and three RBIs.

Now they’re looking for similar success tonight against another righty in Kodai Senga.

“I want to get Luis up there and keep him up there for a while. Let him bat second,” Martinez said during his pregame media session. “We worked good at-bats yesterday and we took our walks. This guy today, we have to do the same thing. We're going to approach him the same way. He's gonna make you chase. He's got a really good changeup or whatever that thing is that he throws, but it's good. And we just got to get the ball up a little bit and not chase.”

That thing that Senga throws is called a “ghost forkball” by those around these parts. But you won’t see that name show up on the scoreboard or on Statcast tonight. There’s no official name for it. It’s just called that based on how it looks like a fastball and “disappears” right before reaching the plate.

Whatever it is, the Nationals studied it before the game like they would for any other starting pitcher.

But Martinez is not worried about what that pitch is called. He’s more worried about trying to find the best spots in the lineup for his young hitters as the season moves along.

“We got so many young guys, for me, it's trying to figure out where they fit best for our lineup,” he said. “I mean, that's what it comes down to. So we've been moving guys around, but my biggest thing is, like I said yesterday, to kind of get Luis up there, keep him second against righties, spread the lefties out a little bit and see how that plays out. Yesterday was a good day. So I thought, hey, today this guy is kind of similar, and we'll keep the same lineup.”

If the Nationals come away with a win tonight, they’ll be looking for a sweep tomorrow. At the very least, they’ll be in position to win their second straight series. But they’re scheduled to face left-hander Joey Lucchesi, which might bring yet another lineup change.

“Tomorrow, it might be something different,” Martinez said with a grin.