Nats Stay at .500 with 4-4 Tie vs. Astros
The Astros banged out three in the bottom of the 8th for a 4-4 tie that ended the Nats’ winning streak at three.
Stephen Strasburg made his 2021 ST debut and turned in 1⅔ scoreless innings, though he needed 38 pitches to get those five outs – four by way of the K. He walked one and did not give up a hit.
The Nats took a 3-1 lead in the 3rd with a three-run rally, highlighted by Victor Robles’s first HR of the spring. They tacked on another in the 5th on an Andrew Stevenson double, a Josh Harrison single, and a Josh Bell sacrifice fly.
NRI Bryan Bonnell, who reached AAA for the first time in 2019, was charged with the blown save as he let in the tying runs in the bottom of the 8th on four hits (no homers). He did not issue a walk and struck out two.
RHP Steven Fuentes preserved the tie with a 1-2-3 ninth with a groundout sandwiched between a pair of whiffs. He was the second watchlist player to appear in the game, with Drew Mendoza subbing for Bell at 1B in the 6th. Mendoza walked to lead off the Nats 8th but did not score.
Luis García got the start at SS and reached base with a walk in three plate appearances. It was, however, his sixth base-on-balls in eight spring training games, matching his 2020 regular-season total (40G).
Raudy Read also came in on defense (*cough*) as he took over catching duties from Yan Gomes. He struck out for the second out of the 9th.
Cody Wilson ended his hitless streak with a single after the Read infield breeze and stole second base but was stranded when Jordy Mercer piled up the 15th and final whiff by Washington.
The tie was the second for the Nats in the spring. They remain in West Palm Beach to host the Cardinals this afternoon. Max Scherzer makes his second appearance against Jack Flaherty. The game can be heard on MLB Audio with Washington’s feed.
With Flannigan struggling, don’t sleep on Fuentes’s stealth bid to make the big club. Not saying it’s going to happen, but he’s certainly stamping himself as someone the team will keep an eye on. He’s mostly spent his career as a reliever, but he was stretched out and starting in 2019 before the suspension.
It’s very notable that Garcia seems to be working on his plate discipline.
KW, you, Sao and me have been talking up Fuentes for a couple of years now. He’s still only 23 and his E.R.A. at Harrisburg was a sparkling 2.69 in 63 innings.
I’d like to see him get his feet wet in Rochester for at least half a season. It seems he’s pitching to AAA guys now in the later innings.
Guys like Fuentes are the reason we are here. Stay tuned!