Nats make their own intensity during quiet intrasquad game

They wore jerseys with names and numbers on them for the first time in four months, one team in red tops and gray pants, the other in all white. They played music between innings from a large speaker near the dugout. They sent two big league starters to the mound for this five-inning intrasquad matchup, but didn't have enough available position players to fill both lineups after one had to be scratched due to a "contact lens issue." So they were forced to use a minor league coach as the right fielder.

This isn't real Major League Baseball. It's not even real exhibition baseball. But for a few more days, it's all the Nationals can do in their quest to get themselves ready for next Thursday's season opener.

So they chose to make the most of Monday evening's intrasquad game, and have a little fun while doing it.

At 6:05 p.m., as the shadows crept over the field, Max Scherzer fired a strike to Wilmer Difo, and they were off and running. Scherzer would end up throwing four scoreless innings on 67 pitches, allowing two hits and striking out nine of the 15 batters he faced to help lead the Red Team to a 5-0 victory over the White Team.

Along the way, the three-time Cy Young Award winner grunted as he released several pitches, stalked around the mound after completing a strikeout and generally brought the kind of intensity you'd expect in a real game, not this.

"We all know Max. He's an unbelievable competitor," manager Davey Martinez said. "And he's going to bring it every day."

Scherzer faced only a few big league regulars, most notably catcher Kurt Suzuki and center fielder Michael A. Taylor. He'll get one more tune-up (Saturday night's exhibition against the Phillies) before taking the mound opening night against the Yankees.

By then, the Nationals can only hope to have their full, regular lineup in uniform. They don't have that right now, not with Juan Soto, Victor Robles and Howie Kendrick among those who have yet to be cleared to participate in camp either because they tested positive for COVID-19 or have been in contact with someone who did.

Most of the regulars who did play Monday night served as Scherzer's teammates in the field, then took their at-bats against Austin Voth, who allowed two runs over three innings, both coming during a quick flurry of hits by Yan Gomes, Emilio Bonifácio and Andrew Stevenson in the bottom of the second.

Relievers Sean Doolittle and Tanner Rainey each retired the side when they got a chance to pitch. Right-hander Kyle Finnegan was less fortunate, giving up three runs in the bottom of the fifth (albeit one of them unearned), including a towering home run by Eric Thames into the second deck in right-center field.

"They're taking these at-bats seriously," Martinez said. "They know they don't have that much time to get ready. That's something we talked about: You've got to take every at-bat like it means something right now."

Given their notable absences from camp, the Nationals' roster of available position players already was thin. Then rookie third baseman Carter Kieboom had to be scratched at the last minute due to an issue with his contact lens.

Consider it part of Martinez's crash course on managing the strangest season any living baseball fan has ever seen.

"That's the way you're going to have to do things," he said. "On any given day, you don't know what's going to happen. So we've just got to prepare with the guys we have and do the best we can."

Kieboom's absence left the Nationals with only 16 available position players. And precious few outfielders. Which is how minor league field coordinator Jeff Garber found himself playing right field, the 53-year-old former minor league infielder positioning himself steps from the warning track.

Garber had two balls hit to him. He managed to make a spinning catch of Trea Turner's second-inning drive to the warning track. He was less successful on Starlin Castro's liner right at him, the ball ricocheting off his glove for an error.

And what would Martinez like to see from his coach-turned-temporary player the next time he's out there?

"I want to see him sit in that dugout and watch," the manager said with a laugh.