Nats excited in return to D.C., ready for Monday to arrive

The Nationals are back in D.C. preparing for Monday's opening day. They will play just one game over these next three days, a scheduled exhibition against the Boston Red Sox from the Naval Academy on Saturday. Friday's exhibition game at Nats Park was cancelled due to inclement weather.

Manager Dusty Baker noticed the cooler temps as the club arrived back into D.C., leaving Florida and the 87-degree weather behind.

"I got a little shock when we walked off the plane last night because it's a lot cooler than Florida," Baker smiled. "But it feels good to be back because it was a long spring, a lot of practice. Some point in time you get tired of practicing and ready to start playing. So we are ready to start playing.

"I feel fortunate that we are opening here at home even if it's only three days. At least it gives the guys and their families and myself time to unpack. Don't have to be gone that long. Getting situated is time consuming and energy consuming. I'm just glad we had this time to use it effectively."

The Nationals now prepare for Miami and opening day on Monday. Their starting pitcher will be Stephen Strasburg, who is ready to go after a healthy spring.

"It's game one of 162 and hopefully more," Strasburg said. "Spring has come to a close. No more trying to work on things and mess with new pitches maybe. Now it's go time. It's time to compete."

This team was built on starting pitching, bolstered three seasons back when Max Scherzer was brought on board. Fresh off last year's division title and with new additions, Scherzer is acutely aware of what this team is capable of in 2017.

"We know we got a talented group," Scherzer said. "We know we got the core here to win and win a bunch of ballgames. We understand that the rest of the division in the NL East is very talented as well. It's going to be a fight the whole year and we're going to need to stay healthy again to accomplish our goals. It's going to be fun, it's going to be a fun summer. Hopefully all the fans come out and watch us."

Offensively, a return to MVP form would be huge for 24-year-old Bryce Harper, who hit eight homers in spring training, displaying jacked arms noticeably bigger than he was to start 2016.

"I'm excited. Happy to be able to get up here," Harper said. "Looking forward to opening day. I think every single year you have what you want to do, what you set out to do on a team scale. We're very excited to having the team that we do. Looking forward to competing this year and having some fun and hopefully doing the things we can to take it one game at a time and enjoy that day every single day and do the things we can to win ballgames."

The newest everyday outfield starter is Adam Eaton, who arrived from the Chicago White Sox in a trade that involved three top Nationals pitching prospects. Eaton said the goal for a club like this is to build on each day.

"Just a focus. A checklist of things that you want to get done individually and as a team," Eaton observed. "I think as a team, the checklists were all the same: come in, get better, grow as a team. Really everything is funneled toward winning. Not to say I haven't had that in the past, but it was really just really well defined here. Made me comfortable coming right in and everyone on the same page right off the bat."

Monday is always a special day for a now "grizzled veteran" like Ryan Zimmerman, the original face of the franchise back before they were winning division titles. So is Monday still special for him?

"Opening day, it's the start of a new season," Zimmerman said. "Everyone is 0-and-0 and optimistic, no matter what your team is supposed to do that year. Everyone celebrates that day. For us, it's fun. I don't want to say opening day ever gets old. It's exciting. You are lucky to play baseball and to kind of start over every year and have that celebration of opening day. It's something to look forward to."