Phillies Gallop Past Nats, 7-3
A four-run 3rd broke open a 1-1 game as the Phillies handed the Nats their second loss in as many games, 7-3.
Jake Eder gave up a first-inning HR and issued a walk while striking out two over two innings. The loss went to dumpst…er, waiver-claim Gus Varland, whio retired two of six batters faced and was charged with the aforementioned four runs on three hits, including a two-run HR.
Seaver King and Chad Lomavita were the two watchlisters in the Washington starting lineup, batting 8th and 9th respectively. King played 2B and had a single in two trips to the plate. Lomavita was the DH and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
Andry Lara was the sole watchlist pitcher to appear in the game. He let in a run on a walk and a pair of two-out singles in the 6th, then worked a 1-2-3 seventh. He struck out two.
Five watchlisters came off the bench:
- Sam Petersen pinch-hit for RF James Wood in the 6th and struck out but collected the sixth and final hit for the Nats in the 9th.
- Sam Brown pinch-hit for LF Daylen Lile in the 6th and grounded out, then struck out looking in the 9th.
- Cayden Wallace grounded out for 3B Brady House in the 6th and struck out in the 9th.
- Elijah Nunez subbed for CF Robert Hassell and got the memo about going 0-for-2 with a whiff.
- Harry Ford replaced C Riley Adams and grounded out in his lone at-bat.
Washington returns to West Palm Beach tonight to play Houston for the second of six games against their co-tenants. Miles Mikolas is slated to make his first start, opposed by Lance McCullers, Jr. CBS News and the Washington Post were both able to confirm he is the son of Lance McCullers, Sr.
Two interesting positional developments: Wood again played RF and Lile again in LF. Great to see that management has identified their defense as problematic and are trialing new approaches!
But the more interesting one is that Seaver King started again at 2B. He’s now played 3 times in ST, 2 of which came at 2B. This is super interesting, because while Seaver King was basically a utility player in college (forced by being a teammate of uberprospect, Marek Houston at SS at Wake Forest), he was drafted as a SS and has played every single inning at SS. These two games at 2B are, as best I can tell, the first time he’s played anywhere besides SS since getting upset by Trey Yesavage and East Carolina in the ’24 CWS playoffs.
It’s all a bit interesting what the motivation is here. Is it that they don’t see King as a SS going forward? This is what Jim Callis predicted during the AFL. Yet, Keith Law contradicted this by saying King was potentially one of the best defensive SS in the game. You tend to not move those kinds of guys off a premium position… especially when King has played 2B to ostensibly accommodate Nasim Nunez (another elite SS. Interestingly, in the one game King played short, Nunez started at 2B).
I’d think by now the team would be contingency planning for a future where Abrams moves to 2B or 3B, but maybe Garcia being injured forces this issue a bit. Still, I’d like to see Abrams getting reps elsewhere besides SS. Even if he improves a good amount this season, he’d have to make massive strides to get even close to average defensively. He’s, by a significant margin, the worst defensive infielder in baseball over the past 3 seasons.
good thoughts.
for what it’s worth my time watching King sees him as an above average shortstop due to his good range and strong arm. as for if and where he ends up it could be CF. he has to improve with the bat, he’s off to a good start there.
Just a comment between my visit with “ Tito Fuentes “
Bryan Polanco taking his work horse make up to Delino Sr and Sens ???
Talk about under the radar guy who is healthy not TJ