On Taylor's swing, Martinez's lineup and Ross' pitch count

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - More thoughts and observations from Wednesday's 14-8 thumping of the Astros to tide you over while I trek across the state for today's game against the Red Sox in Fort Myers ...

* Yes, it's early. But the early returns on Michael A. Taylor's revamped swing have been quite positive.

Taylor added two more hits during Wednesday's game, both of them line drives to left field, one for a single and another for a double. He also drew a walk in his third plate appearance. That makes him 4-for-6 with three extra-base hits and a .714 on-base percentage through three games. Not bad.

It's not just the results, though. There's a noticeable difference in Taylor's swing. It's much more compact, and it's allowing him to get to the ball quicker and with fewer moving parts that can cause problems.

"I like it," manager Davey Martinez said. "He's way shorter to the ball. He's not over-striding. And he's having really good at-bats, especially with two strikes. It gives him a chance. I hope that he sticks with it and gives it an opportunity. But I really like where he's at right now."

Now, this is the point where we're obligated to mention that Taylor is a perennial Grapefruit League All-Star and often has been unable to translate spring success into regular season success.

Maybe that will be the case again. But it's hard to dispute the progress he's showing right now. And it's not unfair to wonder whether this is a legitimate sign of better things to come over the long term.

* For the second time this spring, Martinez had a lineup that featured Trea Turner in the leadoff spot and Adam Eaton in the No. 2 spot. That's the opposite of the order that was often used last season, but it may be something we'll see more regularly this spring ... and then perhaps into the season as well.

Martinez's rationale? Turner might feel more comfortable running the bases in front of Eaton, who is less of a power threat than potential No. 3 hitters Juan Soto or Anthony Rendon.

"We'll see, but right now I like the fact that Trea will get on base, he can steal, he won't have to worry about hitting in front of Rendon early," the manager said. "And Adam, who can hit the hole with the best of them over there, can pull the ball and get the ball in the hole. For me it's about scoring runs early in the game, and those two guys can make that happen. Regardless, either way, it's going to be pretty good."

A Turner-Eaton 1-2 combo also would allow Martinez to bat Rendon third and Soto fourth. That would space out the Nationals' only two left-handed hitters projected to be in the daily lineup. (Matt Adams would be a third, but only on days when he's starting instead of Ryan Zimmerman.)

This is more of a concern this season because of the losses of Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy, who gave the Nats a more balanced lineup the last three seasons.

"I would definitely like to stagger the lineup a little bit," Martinez said. "We've got two left-handed hitters if Matty doesn't play. For me it gives us a little more length in our lineup, too."

* One of the few disappointing performances in Wednesday's game came from Joe Ross, who pitched in relief of Jeremy Hellickson and was unable to complete the two innings he was scheduled to pitch.

Ross got through his first frame fine, facing the minimum thanks to an inning-ending caught stealing. But he couldn't get through his second frame, surrendering two doubles and a walk. He was on the verge of getting out of it, but Adrian Sanchez committed an error at third base to extend the inning.

By that point, Ross' pitch count was a whopping 53. That's awfully high for this early stage of the spring, especially for a young pitcher who just came back in September from Tommy John surgery.

Martinez, though, said Ross (who was making his second appearance of the spring) was scheduled to throw 50 pitches and wound up surpassing that mark by only three extra pitches. There wasn't much concern of overuse in this case.

"He's been throwing quite a bit," Martinez said. "And after talking to (pitching coach Derek Lilliquist), he said he's good for 50 pitches today. Just let him go out there. He should've gotten out of the inning. We made an error. But he threw well."

Ross has been confined to two relief appearances so far, but Martinez said he should get to start a game soon. The Nationals intend to stretch the right-hander out and have him open the season as a starter, whether in the majors or minors.