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You’re forgiven if you glanced at tonight’s lineup and didn’t recognize three of the names Davey Martinez penciled in for the second game of the Nationals’ series against the Cubs.
Alex Call? Amed Rosario? Nasim Nuñez? They sound vaguely familiar, but it feels like a while since any of them saw the field.
Indeed, none of those three players has been in the Nats lineup since May 25, the finale of their last homestand against the Giants, a full 10 days ago. Not so coincidentally, that’s the last time the team faced a left-handed opposing starter.
“Yeah, it is good to see some of these guys get a chance to play,” Martinez said with a laugh. “Our left-handed lineup has been doing really well. But these guys get an opportunity to go out there and face a lefty today, which is kind of nice.”
The Nationals had faced seven consecutive right-handed starters before tonight. And with only one exception (Riley Adams for Keibert Ruiz behind the plate Friday in Arizona), every member of the lineup in every one of those games batted left-handed.
There hadn’t even been opportunities to come off the bench, though. Nuñez replaced CJ Abrams at shortstop for one inning at the end of a May 28 blowout win in Seattle but never took an at-bat. Call and Rosario never appeared during these last seven games.
How did those veterans handle the extended lack of playing time?
“They’ve been actually really good,” Martinez said. “We’ve got a couple (coaches) who throw left-handed, so they hit off them every day. They get a lot of swings. Rosario has an unbelievable routine. So does Call. He hits a lot. Rosario has a really unique routine in the cage to keep him ready. They’ll be ready.”
The Nationals had been getting good production from their left-handed hitters. José Tena has a .994 OPS over his last seven games. Luis García Jr. has a .939 OPS over his last 16 games. Robert Hassell III is batting .321 over his last six games. Daylen Lile is slugging .550 over his last six games.
Tena, García and Lile are all sitting tonight, though, against Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd, with Rosario, Nuñez and Call taking their respective places. Only Hassell (1-for-6 in limited time against lefties) gets the start from that group.
Martinez felt like the others were ready for a well-deserved break. The manager also acknowledged their absence from the starting lineup doesn’t mean they can’t come off the bench before night’s end.
“Even though we had a day off (Monday), they have been playing every day, and a lot,” Martinez said. “It’s nice to give these guys a day. And then all of a sudden, here comes a righty out of the bullpen, we’ve got some left-handed bats to plop in if we need to. But I want to keep everybody involved.”
* Jacob Young is once again leading off for Double-A Harrisburg tonight, his second rehab appearance with the Senators. Young, who is close to returning from an AC sprain in his left shoulder, went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI on Tuesday.
* Mason Thompson threw a simulated game Monday in West Palm Beach, Fla., a key threshold for the rehabbing reliever, who is more than a year removed from his second career Tommy John surgery. Martinez said Thompson could be ready for a minor league rehab assignment soon if things continue to progress.
* Derek Law, out since the end of spring training with forearm inflammation, is scheduled to throw one more bullpen session before he’ll likely be cleared to face hitters for the first time since March.
* Orlando Ribalta (right biceps strain) played light catch, the first step in a longer throwing program before the reliever will be ready to return.
