PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – The last thing any starting pitcher wants to see is his manager walking up the dugout steps and making his way toward the mound in the first inning. There is no scenario in baseball in which that can be construed as a good thing.

Jake Irvin’s reaction when he saw Davey Martinez make that walk early this afternoon at Clover Park?

“Lock in for the second inning,” the Nationals right-hander said.

In a scene that would never be possible from April through October but is permissible in March, Irvin handed the ball to his manager with two outs in the bottom of the first after giving up six runs to the Mets, then returned to the dugout to mentally prepare himself to re-enter the game in the bottom of the second as if it had never happened.

Major League Baseball instituted the re-entry rule a few years ago for exactly this type of situation. If a starter’s pitch count gets too high in one particular inning, he can be pulled but then re-inserted the following inning and proceed through the rest of his outing.

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Riley Adams appears to have made quick progress from a bruised right wrist and could be back in the Nationals lineup as soon as Monday, according to manager Davey Martinez.

Adams was hit by a pitch Friday night and had to be scratched from Saturday’s lineup, replacing behind the plate by Drew Millas. X-rays on his wrist were negative, and he was diagnosed with a contusion.

The 28-year-old was ready to resume a full workout this morning, though. If he made it through that session feeling strong, he could be back in the lineup for one of Monday’s split-squad games against the Marlins.

“He took a few swings yesterday off the tee, said he felt a lot better. So he’s going to hit today out on the field,” Martinez said. “I’ll get something back, and then if he’s OK, we’ll plop him back in tomorrow.”

This is an important spring for Adams, who is trying to hold onto the No. 2 catching job on the Opening Day, backing up Keibert Ruiz. He was twice optioned to Triple-A Rochester last season after falling into slumps at the plate, with Millas called up to replace him.

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – The Nationals hit the road this afternoon, making the 45-minute trek up Interstate-95 to face the Mets. And a decent number of regulars are making the trip, headlined by CJ Abrams and James Wood, who will bat first and second, respectively.

Wood is serving as designated hitter, and Dylan Crews and Jacob Young aren’t on the trip, so today’s outfield has a different look, with Alex Call in left field, Andrew Pinckney in center and Daylen Lile in right. They’ll all get a chance to face Clay Holmes, the former Yankees reliever who is now getting a chance to become a full-time starter with the Mets.

Jake Irvin becomes the first member of the Nationals rotation to make his fourth start of the spring. Irvin has already completed four innings in his last outing, so he should be good to ramp up to five frames today, provided he keeps the pitch count reasonable.

You can watch today’s game live on MASN, the broadcast beginning at 1 p.m. That’s 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time, of course. Hope you all remembered to change your clocks last night!

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. NEW YORK METS
Where: Clover Park, Port St. Lucie
Gametime: 1:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 980 AM, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 85 degrees, wind 11 mph out to left field

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Progress in early March looks different than it would later in the year, or even in the spring. The Nationals still have two weeks to name a fifth starter, which means DJ Herz still has three more exhibition outings to make his case.

So even though this afternoon’s start during a 5-3 loss to the Cardinals didn’t look great on paper, both Herz and manager Davey Martinez were able to point to some positive developments that represented progress from his two previous appearances.

“He threw a lot of strikes,” Martinez said of Herz, who was credited with 46 of them among his 71 total pitches. “The big thing with him is, he got ahead, and then he got hitters back in the count: 3-2, 2-2. Once he gets ahead, he’s got to stay ahead. But he did throw the ball around the plate. It was way better today. A better outing for him today, so we’ll build from that.”

High pitch counts and an inability to throw strikes were the defining characteristics of Herz’s prior spring starts, most notably last week’s effort against the Astros in which he walked four and didn’t even make it out of the second inning.

The lefty again got himself in trouble in the top of the second today, with two runs scoring on three hits, and a leaping catch in center field by Jacob Young saving the inning from going on any longer. Even so, Herz walked off the mound with his pitch count already up to 48, a product of all those long at-bats, most of which lasted at least five or six pitches.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The ball shot off CJ Abrams’ bat and made a beeline for the left field wall, clearing it with some room to spare as the Nationals shortstop rounded the bases to applause Friday night from the crowd at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.

A solo homer on March 7 from an established big leaguer isn’t all that noteworthy, but this one felt different not because of who hit it, but where he hit it.

Abrams hit 20 home runs for the Nats last season. Every single one of them was hit to right or right-center field. This one, of course, went to the opposite field, which made it very notable to the 24-year-old.

“It was big,” Abrams said. “I’ve been seeing it really well up there. I’ve been swinging at better pitches. The results early on probably wasn’t the best, but I was getting good contact.”

Abrams entered Friday only 3-for-19 at the plate this spring, making a lot of contact early in the count. He hadn’t struck out, but he hadn’t been hitting the ball with much authority, either.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals have a quick turnaround from Friday night’s walk-off win over the Mets, facing the Cardinals today at the extra-early time of 12:05 p.m. Davey Martinez decided to let the guys sleep in a little, canceling formal morning workouts and batting practice. And most of the regulars who started Friday night are not in today’s lineup.

DJ Herz should be well-rested, though, and eager to perform better than he did in either of his previous two spring starts. The young lefty has been pulled with two outs in the second each time, having allowed two runs. He’s also walked six in those 3 1/3 combined innings while striking out only two, the exact opposite of what should be expected of him. He’s in a battle with Mitchell Parker and Shinnosuke Ogasawara for the No. 5 starter’s job; this would be a good time for him to step up and make the case for himself.

The Nationals lineup faces veteran left-hander Steven Matz. With many of the regulars sitting, Jacob Young gets a chance to lead off, with Robert Hassell III bumped all the way up to the No. 2 spot.

You can watch today’s game live on MASN, with Bob Carpenter and Kevin Frandsen together on the call for the first time in 2025. The radio broadcast with Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler, meanwhile, is streaming online only today.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach
Gametime: 12:05 p.m. EST
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: Nationals.com, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 81 degrees, wind 7 mph out to left field

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Kyle Finnegan woke up early this morning, raring to go. Unfortunately, he didn’t need to report to the ballpark until lunchtime, because the Nationals had a night game against the Mets.

“I woke up early like usual and was just staring at the clock like: ‘When can I go in the field?’” the veteran closer said with a laugh. “Being around for a while now, that’s a good thing to still be super excited to throw in a back field spring training game.”

Finnegan indeed only threw an inning of a simulated game this afternoon, facing a quartet of teammates while coaches watched from behind a screen. Hardly anything to get excited about. But for the 33-year-old, who re-signed with the Nats only a week ago, this was a big deal: the first time he faced live hitters since the end of the 2024 season.

Though he kept himself ready while unsigned this spring throwing off a mound at home in Houston, the only “batter’ Finnegan had faced was a cardboard cutout figure positioned in the batter’s box. Not quite the same as facing Robert Hassell III, Brady House, Stone Garrett and José Tena on Field 2 outside CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.

“I was anxious to throw today, super excited,” he said. “It’s that natural progression of taking that next step. No matter what you do in the offseason, nothing can prepare you for that first week of spring training, just how you body responds to it. Today was a big step forward.”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals and Orioles are set to close out their respective exhibition seasons with one final game against each other later this month, but that’s just a precursor to more games against each other in coming years.

The two clubs today announced a five-year deal to play exhibitions against each other, including an annual home-and-home series from 2026-29.

This year’s standalone game is set for Monday, March 24 at 1:05 p.m. at Nationals Park. The Nats also announced today all current and former federal employees are eligible to receive two free tickets to that game “as a special expression of gratitude for their services.” Federal workers can claim their free tickets at the first base box office beginning at 11:45 a.m. on the day of game. Additional details can be found at nationals.com/federal.

The clubs will expand this series with annual home-and-home games beginning in 2026, one game played at Nationals Park, one at Camden Yards. The specific schedule has yet to be announced, but the games are expected to take place on the Sunday and Monday prior to Opening Day, which would require the Nats to finish spring training in Florida one day earlier than usual.

This is a return to a previous era when end-of-spring exhibitions between the Nationals and Orioles was commonplace. They met each other every year from 2006-09, with games played in both cities.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Hello once again from sunny South Florida. It’s good to be back after a short respite at home. Many thanks as always to Bobby Blanco for a dynamite job covering the team all week in my stead.

The Nationals are back home with a night game against the Mets, and most of the regulars are in there for this one. That includes, for the first time this spring, the 1-2-3 of CJ Abrams, Dylan Crews and James Wood atop Davey Martinez’s lineup. That seems to be the order they have in mind to open the season, if everyone’s healthy and productive. We’ll see how they look against New York right-hander Paul Blackburn this evening.

Trevor Williams gets the ball for the Nats in his third outing of the spring. The veteran right-hander gave up a costly, two-run homer to the Marlins in his debut. He then held the Astros to one run over 2 1/3 innings last time out, but did give up five hits and a walk in the process. Williams faces a New York lineup tonight featuring Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos and old pal Joey Meneses.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. NEW YORK METS
Where: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach
Gametime: 6:05 p.m. EST
TV: None
Radio: 980 AM, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 73 degrees, wind 9 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
CF Dylan Crews
LF James Wood
1B Nathaniel Lowe
3B Paul DeJong
2B Luis García Jr.
RF Alex Call
DH Andrés Chaparro
C Andrew Knizner

Beginning this year, the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles will battle for regional bragging rights before the season even starts.

The two Clubs are adding to their deep-seated rivalry, today announcing a multi-year exhibition series that will provide an exciting conclusion to each of the next five Spring Training seasons. This year, the Nationals will host the Orioles on Monday, March 24, at 1:05 p.m. for a single exhibition game, and from 2026 through 2029, the series will expand to two matchups a year with one contest played in Washington, D.C., and the other in Baltimore. Tickets to this year’s game are on sale now at nats.com/Tickets.

Current and former employees of the federal government are eligible to receive two free tickets to this year’s exhibition game as a special expression of gratitude for their services. Federal workers can claim their free tickets at the First Base Box Office beginning at 11:45 a.m. on Monday, March 24. Additional details can be found at nats.com/Federal.

After the exhibition game’s final out, fans can get up close and personal with their favorite players at the 2025 Nationals Homecoming Gala, red carpet and Fan Fest. The red carpet and Fan Fest are both free to attend and will take place at The Wharf beginning at approximately 4:00 p.m. The team’s premier off-the-field event, the Homecoming Gala is held at The Anthem and celebrates the power of baseball in the community. This year, former All-Star shortstop Ian Desmond, the first ever Player Ambassador to the Youth Baseball Academy, will be honored with the Power of Baseball Award.

The Nationals-Orioles exhibition game will be televised by MASN with play-by-play announcer Bob Carpenter and color commentator Kevin Frandsen in the booth and broadcaster Dan Kolko interviewing players live from the home dugout. Fans in the D.C. area can also tune in to 106.7 The Fan FM with Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler as well as the Spanish-language radio broadcast on DC 87.7 FM and La Pantera 100.7 FM/1220 AM with Luciano Rodríguez and Gustavo Salazar.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – CJ Abrams arrived to spring training as one of, if not the, biggest storylines at the start of a new season.

How would the young shortstop respond to his disciplinary demotion that prematurely ended his 2024 campaign?

At the start of camp, all signs pointed to Abrams responding very well. He added 10 pounds of muscle, said he got even faster over the offseason and still flashed that noticeable smile while walking around the Nationals clubhouse.

“I just put it behind me,” Abrams told the media in his first public appearance since the demotion on the first day of spring training. “Things happen, and you’ve got to move forward. I’m here now, and I'm excited to get going with the team.”

As we’ve moved to the halfway point of camp, the off-field issues have been left in the past. Now the attention has turned to Abrams’ on-field performance.

JUPITER, Fla. – As the starting lineups were announced for this afternoon's Grapefruit League action at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, one could have thought we had traveled back in time.

The starting pitcher for the visitors: Michael Soroka. The starting pitcher for the home side: Erick Fedde.

No, this was not a Nats-Braves matchup from 2019. This was a 2025 spring training game between the Nationals and Cardinals, which the good guys won in a 12-1 rout.

The two right-handers became good friends during their time with the White Sox last year. They’re even roommates here in the greater West Palm Beach area for spring training. But today they were rivals.

“It was fun. It was fun to watch Fed do what he had to do,” Soroka said after his outing was done. “I got to watch him a lot last year. I'll see what our guys are saying and I'll talk to them. Yeah, he's a special guy, first and foremost, and it's fun to go up against a friend.”

JUPITER, Fla. – The Nationals will be trying some new things this weekend as they continue to get their pitchers ready for the regular season.

For the most part, the starters are staying in the same rotation. There are just some tweaks as to how and where they’ll be getting their work done over the next couple of days.

The rotation following Michael Soroka’s start today against the Cardinals includes Trevor Williams starting tomorrow night against the Mets, with MacKenzie Gore and Kyle Finnegan pitching on the back fields at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. DJ Herz starts Saturday’s game against the Cardinals and Jake Irvin starts Sunday’s game against the Mets, with both matchups on MASN. And Shinnosuke Ogasawara will start one of Monday’s split-squad games against the Marlins.

Mitchell Parker is still day-to-day with a stiff neck after not pitching on his regularly scheduled day yesterday behind Ogasawara.

“Parker is still day-to-day,” manager Davey Martinez said during his pregame session with the media. “I want to make sure that we get this neck thing right before we send him back out.”

JUPITER, Fla. – The Nationals return to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium after yesterday’s 8-7 win over the Marlins. But this time, they’ll take on the Cardinals and an old friend.

Erick Fedde, the Nats’ first-round pick in 2014, will make this third start of spring for St. Louis. The right-hander was traded from the White Sox to the Cardinals as part of a three-team deal at last year’s trade deadline after signing a two-year, $15 million contract with Chicago following his standout year in Korea.

Opposing him will be Michael Soroka for the Nats. The right-hander is making his second start of spring after debuting here Saturday against the Red Birds. Soroka pitched three shutout innings with three strikeouts and one walk on 39 pitches.

Both pitchers would be wise to keep batters from getting balls in the air. Once again, strong winds are blowing out toward the outfield. As we saw yesterday as the Nationals and Marlins combined hit five home runs, balls can fly here if they get caught in the jet streams.

And this game is back on MASN! You can join Bob Carpenter and Dan Kolko on the broadcast starting at 1 p.m., while I’ll continue having game coverage from here in West Palm! Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler are also back on the radio broadcast streamed on Nationals.com and MLB.com.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Automated Balls and Strikes system won’t be used in Major League Baseball during the regular season. But it’s getting a good look during spring training.

The Nationals don’t have access to the technology at the CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. It’s only available at spring training stadiums that house full-season minor league teams. The Nats and Astros only have their Florida Complex League teams playing on the back fields of the complex.

But the Nats get a chance to test the system when they visit Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter or Clover Park in Port St. Lucie. And it provided two interesting moments in yesterday’s 8-7 win over the Marlins.

A Nats lineup filled with regulars got to face former Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara as he works his way back from October 2023 Tommy John surgery. Some for the very first time. The Miami right-hander was efficient over his 2 ⅔ innings, but his only mishaps came while using his ABS challenges.

Budding Nats stars James Wood and Robert Hassell III – both of the blockbuster Juan Soto trade in 2022 – displayed impressive eyes at the plate against one of the league’s best pitchers.

JUPITER, Fla. – Today’s Grapefruit League matchup between the Nationals and Marlins started off slow. In fact, it started late before it started off slow.

After a 23-minute rain delay, the first three innings seemed to drag along with nothing really of note happening. James Wood was playing left field for the first time since dealing with right quad tendinitis, but he only had one ball hit toward him.

A slow-paced, actionless game is not uncommon during spring training.

Then the action picked up real fast and all of a sudden the game – which resulted in an 8-7 Nationals victory – was quite interesting. The batters started taking advantage of the 20-plus mph wind gusts out to left-center field, as opposed to the incoming winds yesterday in West Palm Beach.

Through the first three innings, the only things of note were Andrew Pinckney’s strong throw from right field for an out at home, and Wood and Robert Hassell III winning two Automated Balls and Strikes (ABS) challenges against former Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara.

JUPITER, Fla. – The time has come for James Wood to finally return to the outfield after dealing with right quad tendinitis over the first few weeks of Nationals spring training.

Wood will play four or five innings in left field while batting second behind leadoff man CJ Abrams in this afternoon’s game against the Marlins in Jupiter. The big outfielder has appeared in two games as the designated hitter, going 2-for-6 with one run, one walk and one strikeout, and faces a tough challenge today in Miami starter Sandy Alcantara.

“He's gonna probably play about four or five innings out there,” manager Davey Martinez said during his pregame media session. “We'll see how it goes, but he played well yesterday. He looked good. He says he's ready to go, so we'll get him out there and get him some regular reps out in the field.”

Wood took part in the Nationals’ fly ball drills yesterday and then played a couple of innings in the outfield during a simulated intrasquad game on the back fields at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. The 22-year-old reported that he was fine afterwards and told his manager he’s ready to return to the field in an actual Grapefruit League game.

“I think everything went well yesterday and he felt good,” Martinez said. “He's been itching to get back out there. So we'll get him going.

JUPITER, Fla. – This afternoon the Nationals will make their first of back-to-back trips to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium over the next two days. They’ll play the Marlins in their first 15-minute trip up the road from their home in West Palm Beach.

We’ve landed on another multiple-starter day as Shinnosuke Ogasawara and Mitchell Parker are both scheduled to pitch against the Fish. The plan is for each left-hander to get up to 40 pitches and about three innings.

Ogasawara had a tough time during his last outing against the Mets’ A lineup. He completed 1 ⅔ innings with four hits, four runs (two earned), one walk and two strikeouts on 32 pitches, 24 strikes. He also served up a two-run home run to Juan Soto. But he should have a better time against this Marlins squad that is projected to finish last in the National League East.

Parker was charged with five hits, a double, two runs and two strikeouts in 2 ⅓ innings on 42 pitches, 31 strikes, against the Mets on Friday. He did, however, strike out Soto on a high fastball.

The lineup – which includes regulars James Wood, making his first appearance in the outfield, and Luis García Jr. – will have a tough challenge to start this one. Former Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara makes his third start of the spring. The right-hander has yet to give up a run or walk over three innings, recording four strikeouts and allowing only three hits. Alcantara missed all of last season while recovering from October 2023 Tommy John surgery.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Early March in spring training brings the anticipation of the first roster cuts. Usually, it’s a group of minor leaguers who have been in major league camp but are running out of opportunities to play as the everyday big leaguers need more reps to get ready for the season.

Technically, it is a demotion. But none of the young players should hold their heads down as they move from the Nationals clubhouse to the minor league side down the hall at the CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches complex.

The Nats made their first cuts of the spring yesterday, reassigning right-handers Daison Acosta, Marquis Grissom Jr., Jack Sinclair, Tyler Stuart and Jarlin Susana, and catchers Caleb Lomavita and Max Romero to minor league camp.

“We had some young guys that threw the ball really, really well,” manager Davey Martinez said. “So now that we're trying to get our starters stretched out and see some of these other guys go multiple innings, it's time for them to get ready for their season as well. But I saw a lot of really good things. As I said earlier, for me, this is the first camp where I really feel like we have some depth. Our young guys are doing well and they're coming. So it was a lot of fun to watch these guys pitch early.”

Demoting Susana, who is the Nats’ No. 3 ranked prospect and the No. 78 ranked prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline’s latest rankings, wasn’t unexpected. But it is unfortunate that we’ll see less of the 6-foot-6, 235-pound flamethrower, who draws attention every time he steps on a mound. He could still be called up from minor league camp for games, plus one of the two Spring Breakout games next week.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Spring training results, especially early in camp, don’t really carry much weight for a variety of reasons. Starters don’t play the whole nine innings. Pitchers often work on different pitches. And minor leaguers can fill out a lineup against major leaguers.

Another factor affecting play, especially in South Florida, is the weather.

The sun can blind fielders on popups. Clouds can roll in and out in a matter of seconds. Rain can downpour and then vanish just as quickly. And the wind can blow all over the field at high speeds.

It seemed like the wind was the 10th fielder for both teams during the Nationals’ 6-4 loss to the Cardinals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. With gusts between 20-30 mph coming in from the right field corner, most fly balls died in the outfield.

The benefactors: Starting pitchers Jake Irvin and Michael McGreevy.