Let the Games Begin

Spring Training begins tomorrow afternoon with a bang – split-squad games in West Palm Beach and Jupiter, which will give us plenty of fodder to discuss how “our guys” did coming off the bench against the Astros and starting against the Cardinals (maybe not on both counts, but hope springs eternal, yada yada yada).

It’s also the debut for Nationals TV on MLB. While it’s free, you’re getting what you paid for with the MASN holdovers (perhaps even less). There’s a reason why products like this exist, which in fairness, means Washington ain’t the only one with shitty TV broadcasters.

But I digress…

This may be worth bookmarking (click to view larger format; H/T to @NationalsSource on the hellscape former known as Twitter). It appears that only two games will not be covered by anyone, anywhere (March 13 & 21; both vs. the Mets)

Jake Eder is expected to start for the Nats against Houston while /opens Nats 40-man roster page, copies and then pastes/ Shinnosuke Ogasawara will be on the bump first vs. St. Louis. If past is prologue, it’ll be a parade of one-inning stints as the Nats sift through the 28 pitchers /closes 40-man page/ in camp.

We’ll probably read way too much into which catcher gets sent where, but my guess in Keibert Ruiz for Eder, Harry Ford for Ogasawara. Likewise for Luis García and Abimelic Ortiz at first base. But after ten days or so of stories about batting practice, pitching machines, and Blake Butera, no one will blame us for reading whatever we can (or want) from the sunflower seeds tea leaves.