Scherzer ramps up, Soto stays home, Parra plays in B game

After using his first start of the spring to make sure his sprained left ankle was healed and his pitching mechanics were still in proper form, Max Scherzer remarked that his objective was to "go out there, get my work in and worry about getting the intensity later."

It appears five days counts as "later" in Scherzer's mind.

Making his second start of the spring this afternoon in West Palm Beach, Fla., Scherzer looked like a midseason version of himself. He faced nine Cardinals batters and retired them all, five via strikeout, during a performance that was impressive any day of the year, March or otherwise.

Pounding the zone with 33 of his 42 pitches for strikes, Scherzer was effective, efficient and at times dominant against a St. Louis lineup that included Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.

And the 36-year-old ace moved another step further from the left ankle sprain that briefly slowed down his early-spring training regimen.

"I was able to put a little more intensity into the ankle, and that checked out great," Scherzer said during a Zoom session with reporters. "I was able to get three innings in today at a higher intensity level, so I'm progressing as expected."

Using all his pitches, Scherzer was able to record strikeouts on his fastball and slider. His fastball velocity was normal (92 to 95 mph). And his competitive drive matched it.

"Typically, when he's throwing the ball good, he'll let out a couple grunts," manager Davey Martinez said. "He did that a few times today, so that was encouraging. Overall, I thought he threw the ball well. We're heading in the right direction with Max."

On the heels of Stephen Strasburg's first start following last summer's carpal tunnel surgery, the Nationals have reason to be optimistic about both of their aces with three weeks to go until opening night. But for anyone hoping Martinez has seen enough to make any announcements about his rotation plans for that first series against the Mets, you're going to have to wait a bit longer.

Asked if he's decided on an opening night starter yet, Martinez replied: "No, I have not. We've got to get through 10 days or so and then I'll let you know," before then adding: "Max looked good, though."

Soto stays home while feeling ill: Juan Soto was not in the Nationals lineup for the second straight day. He fouled a ball off his ear Monday, then was already scheduled to have Tuesday off before returning to play today.

Soto, though, informed the club he was feeling "a little ill," according to Martinez, and was told to stay home instead of reporting to the ballpark.

"Hopefully it's nothing," said Martinez, who added that no other players on the roster have been affected by this. "Protocols, if guys feel sick, they don't come in."

Asked if there was any need to conduct contact tracing with Soto, Martinez again suggested there's no cause for significant concern.

"I don't think it's that kind of situation," he said. "It could be a multitude of things. I don't want to speculate or anything. We just know when somebody's sick nowadays or feels any kind of sickness, we keep him away."

With camp now halfway complete, the Nationals have not had any players or staffers test positive for COVID-19.

Parra debuts in B game: The Nationals played their first of several scheduled B games this morning, giving more players a chance to get work in outside of the official Grapefruit League contests. They wound up beating the Cardinals 1-0 on a back field outside The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, with top pitching prospects Cade Cavalli and Jackson Rutledge among those who appeared on the mound.

The game also saw the 2021 debut for Gerardo Parra, who had right knee surgery last fall after playing in Japan last season. The popular veteran, trying to make the club as a non-roster invitee, played three innings in right field, led off the game with a double off the wall and also drew two walks.

Parra isn't ready to appear in an actual game just yet, and when he does, Martinez said he'll likely need to serve as DH several times first. That could leave him with a tight window of opportunity to prove he's healthy and make the opening day roster.

"We have to make sure we're careful," Martinez said. "He worked really hard to get back into baseball shape. He's running around pretty good; I'd say he's around 85 percent right now. It was nice to see him out there, nice to see him playing. He had some fun this morning, as he always does."