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It's been an unbelievable week for Justin Maxwell. At the beginning of it, his daughter Liana Joy was born. In the middle of it, he was called up to the major leagues. And at the end of it, he's hit his first home run of the year in the majors.
Maxwell's two-run homer in the second inning extended the Nationals' lead to 3-0, which is where it sits after three innings. But no matter what happens today, Maxwell could be the big development himself.
The Nationals have been hoping for him to emerge for several years, and after he had a great September last year, he struggled all spring, losing the final outfield job to Willy Taveras. He's got power, plate discipline, speed and a good glove. He could solve many of their right-field problems, if he could find a way to hit major-league pitching consistently and stick. Something to keep an eye on.
Livan Hernandez has been solid through three innings. He's thrown 45 pitches, and walked two to load the bases in the second. But he's broken out a couple of his 64-mph changeups (the "Bugs Bunny" pitch, as I've heard it called), and the 1-2-3 double play he forced to get out of the second-inning jam was vintage Livo.
So it's 3-0 after three, as the Nats try to go over .500 for the first time since April 2008.
