Wieters knows what Eaton can do from top of lineup

Wieters knows what Eaton can do from top of lineup
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Since the moment the Nationals pulled the trigger on a deal at the Winter Meetings to send three top pitching prospects to the White Sox for center fielder Adam Eaton, Nationals fans have contemplated the havoc that could be created atop a lineup headlined by Eaton and Trea Turner. It didn't matter which speedster hit first and which was second. The twosome sat atop mock lineups all through the dead of winter, tantalizing on-base guys to put in front of the...

Starting lineups: Marlins vs. Nats in West Palm Beach (updated)

Starting lineups: Marlins vs. Nats in West Palm Beach (updated)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - With the uncertainty surrounding ace Max Scherzer's availabiity to start the season because of an injury, each start right-hander A.J. Cole makes carries with it greater importance. If Scherzer has to start the season on the disabled list, Cole seems to be the most likely candidate to assume a place in the rotation. Cole gets the ball today against the Marlins, hoping to improve on the 13.50 ERA he's posted in two Grapefruit League starts. In 4 2/3 innings, he's...

Baker on Strasburg's struggles in a 9-3 defeat

Baker on Strasburg's struggles in a 9-3 defeat
JUPITER, Fla. - Dusty Baker wanted Stephen Strasburg to throw three innings today, the logical progression in his workload after a two-inning debut last week. The Cardinals had other ideas, and their aggressive approach, especially early in the count when Strasburg was trying to throw his fastball for a strike, limited the right-hander's workload. "It was a work day," Baker said after watching Strasburg get rattled for six runs on seven hits in two innings. "You don't see Stras get hit...

Still in stretch, Strasburg takes subpar outing in stride (Nats lose 9-3)

Still in stretch, Strasburg takes subpar outing in stride (Nats lose 9-3)
NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Cardinals 9, Nationals 3 Recap: Stephen Strasburg yielded six runs on seven hits in two innings while still pitching exclusively from the stretch. ... Michael A. Taylor, Grant Green and Chris Heisey drove in runs for the Nationals. ... Taylor is hitting .409 after a 2-for-3 day, Pedro Severino pushed his spring average to .571 with a 2-for-2 afternoon and Wilmer Difo also went 2-for-2 to push his spring average to .429. Need to know: The Cardinals were sitting on...

Mistakes hindering Difo's possible move to super utility role

Mistakes hindering Difo's possible move to super utility role
JUPITER, Fla. - Sometime this spring - maybe later today - the Nationals will continue the process of seeing whether 24-year-old Wilmer Difo has the chops to assimilate into one of the game's lost arts as a jack-of-all-trades. But there's one deal breaker for manager Dusty Baker if he's going to morph the career infielder into a super utility guy. "First, he has to demonstrate that he's not prone to mistakes," Baker said. "People see stats and this and that, but mistakes - Difo makes...

Nats' early camp roster: J.D. Martin and John Simms

Nats' early camp roster: J.D. Martin and John Simms
Here are some early camp notes on a pair of now veteran right-handers in J.D. Martin and John Simms. 34-year-old Martin looked to reignite his career last season by returning as a knuckleballer. Martin pitched in 24 games between 2009-10 with the Nationals, going 6-9 with a 4.32 ERA. He last pitched professionally in 2013, but returned to the mound within the Nationals organization in 2016, this time as a knuckleball pitcher. Martin started nine games with the Nats in their minor league system...

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in Jupiter

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Cardinals in Jupiter
JUPITER, Fla. - It's an overcast day in South Florida, rain currently falling at Roger Dean Stadium. But there's baseball in store, as the Nationals face the Cardinals at 1 p.m. By that time, the rain should have moved out and the only obstacle will be the clouds blocking the sun. Stephen Strasburg will try to build on his successful March 3 spring training debut, a two-inning stint against these same Cardinals. In that game, Strasburg pitched from the stretch, a new technique aimed at...

Blink and you'll miss what Koda Glover is doing this spring

Blink and you'll miss what Koda Glover is doing this spring
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Every spring, there's a guy who opens eyes. This year, Koda Glover is that guy in Nationals camp. But blink and you'll miss what Glover is accomplishing as he tries to cement a spot in the Nationals bullpen, perhaps even worm his way into the closer conversation. Yesterday against the Red Sox, Glover made quick work of some established major league hitters. He struck out the side in the sixth, getting Mitch Moreland and Jackie Bradley Jr. swinging and Chris Young on a...

Ross on his outing, Baker and Maddux on Scherzer

Ross on his outing, Baker and Maddux on Scherzer
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Joe Ross has a plan. He knows what he wants to work on in Grapefruit League games, and even when the results aren't so pleasant - like the back-to-back home runs he gave up in the first inning of the Nationals' 5-3 loss to the Red Sox on Tuesday - he isn't going to be deterred. That's the beauty of spring training, when you can slide into a mechanical funk and then pull yourself out of it. Adds a whole new meaning to being a work in progress. Ross acknowledged that...

Ross rebounds after first inning, but Worley struggles (Nats lose 5-3)

Ross rebounds after first inning, but Worley struggles (Nats lose 5-3)
NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Red Sox 5, Nationals 3 Recap: Right-hander Vance Worley allowed three runs in the fourth inning as the Red Sox snapped a 2-2 tie. Worley walked the first two batters he faced and now sports a 7.50 ERA. ... Joe Ross allowed two solo homers in the first inning - to Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez - in his 2 2/3 innings. ... Anthony Rendon and Wilmer Difo drove in Washington runs. ... Reliever Koda Glover struck out the side in the sixth. ... Drew Ward drew a...

Scherzer and Wieters on his first live BP session

Scherzer and Wieters on his first live BP session
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Max Scherzer threw off a mound for the first time this spring Tuesday morning, using all of his pitches - but still a three-fingered grip on his fastball to protect the slow-healing fractured knuckle on his right ring finger. The 44-pitch live batting practice session was caught by Matt Wieters and watched carefully by Nationals manager Dusty Baker and general manager Mike Rizzo. Minor leaguers Spencer Kieboom, Carter Kieboom, Yadiel Hernandez, Nick Banks, Raudy Read and...

Starting lineups: Red Sox vs. Nats in West Palm Beach

Starting lineups: Red Sox vs. Nats in West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Right-hander Joe Ross makes his second start of the spring today when the Nationals host the Red Sox in a 1:05 p.m. game that will be aired live on MASN. You have to wonder who the Red Sox angered to draw three straight road games on the East Coast. Yesterday, they played at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches against the Astros. Tomorrow, they head up the coast to Port St. Lucie to face the Mets. Three straight roadies across the state from their spring headquarters in...

Lee out with non-displaced fracture of left elbow

Lee out with non-displaced fracture of left elbow
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A little after 8 a.m., Nick Lee walked into the Nationals clubhouse at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, popped his backpack off his shoulder and onto the chair in front of his locker stall, and stored his keys in his lockbox. If not for the fact that his left arm was wrapped in a bandage and encased in a black sling, there was no hint that today was any different than any other in spring training. Lee is recovering from what manager Dusty Baker called a non-displaced...

No closer? No problem, insist members of Nats bullpen

No closer? No problem, insist members of Nats bullpen
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Shawn Kelley doesn't know who the Nationals closer is going to be to start the season. Neither does Blake Treinen nor Joe Nathan nor Joe Blanton nor Dusty Baker. (Well, maybe Baker knows deep down who he intends to have pitching the ninth inning, but he's publicly insisting that decision hasn't been made yet.) To outsiders, this appears to be cause for concern, maybe even a major problem. How can a team as good as the Nationals, a team trying to win its fourth...

What can be gleaned from spring training statistics?

What can be gleaned from spring training statistics?
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Now that we've reached the midpoint of spring training - which is about a week longer than usual due to the World Baseball Classic - it might be a good time to talk about spring training statistics and what can be learned from them. In a word, little. A wise baseball sage once cautioned me against putting too much stock into spring or September numbers. Simply put, statistics are like a pushover parent; with enough cajoling, batting of the eyes and pouty lips, you can...

Roark, Murphy ready for intensity of World Baseball Classic

Roark, Murphy ready for intensity of World Baseball Classic
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - There is no way to adequately prepare in only two spring training starts for pitching in a high-level international competition at the end of the week. Tanner Roark knows this. He also knows he has done everything he can so far this spring to prepare himself as best he can for his next assignment: the powerhouse Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. "I feel like I'm well prepared," the Nationals right-hander said. "Body feels good, arm feels good, mind...

Nats' early camp roster: Johansen and Silvestre

Nats' early camp roster: Johansen and Silvestre
Moving on, we'll spotlight a couple of the pitchers from the Nationals' early camp roster. Right-hander Jake Johansen showed well in the Arizona Fall League to wrap up his season. In nine games for the Glendale Desert Dogs, Johansen posted a 2.13 ERA without a decision. He allowed 13 hits and three earned runs in 12 12/3 innings, with five strikeouts and three walks. After making 30 starts in his first two seasons in the minors, Johansen has focused on coming out of the bullpen since...

Pitchers still ahead of hitters this spring (Nats lose 4-2)

Pitchers still ahead of hitters this spring (Nats lose 4-2)
NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Twins 4, Nationals 2 Recap: In his final tune-up before the World Baseball Classic, Tanner Roark looked as sharp as he could, tossing four scoreless innings on 57 pitches. The right-hander scattered two hits and struck out three, setting himself up well to next pitch for Team USA against the Dominican Republic on Saturday night at Marlins Park. Dusty Baker's lineup featured seven regulars, but those hitters couldn't manage much against Twins left-hander Hector...

Baker understands risk of watching spring games from field

Baker understands risk of watching spring games from field
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It's a familiar sight in spring training ballparks across Florida and Arizona, managers and coaches watching the game not from the dugout but from folding chairs stationed behind the on-deck circles, on the field of play. Given how many players there typically are in spring training, and given the less-than-official nature of these games, many managers and coaches like to sit in those chairs to get a better view of pitchers and batters. All the while, though, they know...

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Twins in West Palm Beach

Starting lineups: Nats vs. Twins in West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Today marks the last time we'll see Tanner Roark, Daniel Murphy and four others in Nationals uniforms for a little while. Later this afternoon, the Nats' six representatives in the World Baseball Classic are set to leave camp and join their home countries to play in the international tournament. (Along with Team USA's Roark and Murphy, Rafael Martín and Oliver Pérez will pitch for Mexico, Jhonatan Solano will catch for Colombia and Enny Romero will pitch for the...