Nats, Marlins Tie, 5-5
After blowing a 3-1 lead and falling behind 5-3 after 7½ innings, the Nats rallied for two in the bottom of the 8th. Both teams were able to get a runner on in the 9th, but neither could push him across for a 5-5 tie on Thursday afternoon.
MacKenzie Gore was dinged for four hits and a run over his two innnings of work. He walked one and struck one.
Jeter Downs was the only watchlister in the starting lineup, playing SS and batting 8th. He went 0-for-3 but stole his third base of the spring.
Here’s how the others fared coming off the bench or in from the bullpen:
- Jake Alu replaced Michael Chavis at 2B in the 6th. He singled in his first AB and grounded to short to plate the tying run in the 8th.
- Jeremy De La Rosa subbed for Victor Robles in CF in the 7th and drew a walk in the 8th.
- José Ferrer was the first man out of the ‘pen in the 3rd and rolled three groundouts in his only inning of work.
- Thad Ward was the second and worked around a leadoff walk with a whiff and a double play.
- Matt Cronin worked the 9th inning and put the go-ahead run on with a two-out single and his own error but got the final out on a flyball to left.
The Nats return to Port St. Lucie this afternoon to face the Mets and old pal Max Scherzer, who’s become the poster child for how pitchers will adjust to the new pickoff rule.
The game can be seen on MLB.tv (Mets feed, duh) and heard on MLB Radio (Nats feed).
Let me say up front that I have no idea whether Jake Alu can be a decent major leaguer. But we know Michael Chavis can’t. Over 309 MLB appearances, he has posted a career -0.4 bWAR, .283 OPB (a frightening .265 in 2022), and has 345 K’s to only 241 hits. If he’s the best you can bring in, then I’m all in on “playing the kids” instead — Alu, Valera, Downs, whoever.
I will add that them giving Downs so many leading/extra reps is interesting considering that he hasn’t been over the Mendoza line since before COVID.
It will be a really miserable re-build if we only give shots to top 3 round picks, whether they’re current prospects or failed prospects. Chavis, as I’m sure Rizzo is well aware, is a former 1st round pick.
It’s concerning that so many of the guys they’re bringing in have significant contact issues, which includes Chavis, Downs, and Valera, among others. It also includes recent high-profile picks like Green, House, and Infante.
The curious part about that is that the organization seemed to make a conscious decision in the mid-2010s to move away from the high-K guys like Espinosa and Desmond. The championship team was made up of Zen masters at putting the ball in play/not striking out. Gomes at 23.5% was the highest K guy who played regularly other than Matt Adams, who wasn’t playing much down the stretch and in the playoffs. Rendon and Kendrick were at 13%, Suzuki 11%, Eaton 16%, Cabrerra 13% in his time with the Nats, Turner and Soto at 20%. The emphasis on guys with numbers like that seems to be gone.
But have you met our guy Jake Alu? (18.2% at AA and AAA)
Alu looking more and more like he belongs with the big club. I’m rooting more and more for him because he hasn’t made a dime since being drafted.
Signed for the bare minimum and been paid $25 a week since.
This will be a rather extensive rebuild before Rizzo sprinkles the needed free agents to go along with the stud kids from the firesale deals
One has play the Michael Bolton song often
Time love and tenderness .
Alu has his lefty swing going for him off the bench plus he carries several gloves in his bag along with a great life / work ethic . And probably a high tolerance for
Fast food on those long bus road trips .
Chad Kuhl more in the back fields getting work in ???