Nats Hook Marlins, 6-3
James Wood went deep again as the Nats doubled up the Marlins, 6-3 this afternoon.
MacKenzie Gore got the start and gave up a run on two hits. He walked none and struck out four. Jake Irvin followed in the 3rd and put up an identical line.
With a day game after a night game (and on the road), Wood, Trey Lipscomb, and Jacob Young got the start in right field, second base, and centerfield.
Wood tied the game with his second HR of the spring following a leadoff single by DH Juan Yepez in the 5th. He also walked and scored ahead of Lipscomb’s one hit in three trips to the plate. Young singled, stole second, and was picked off in the 3rd, then hit a two-out ground rule in the 5th.
Robert Hassell, who replaced Alex Call in LF, also singled and stole second. He scored ahead of journeyman Lewin Diaz’s two-run HR.
Dylan Crews remains hitless in two games but drew another walk. Brady House replaced Carter Kieboom at third base and went 0-for-1 with a sac fly in the 9th that plated the 6th Washington run.
Darren Baker subbed for Lipscomb and was 1-for-1 with a run scored, but also committed an error.
Israel Pineda was the second backstop after Riley Adams but went 0-for-2 with a strikeout.
The Nats return to West Palm Beach tomorrow afternoon to host the Mets. Josiah Gray is expected to make his first start of the spring.
It sure is exciting to see the future of the club start so well. I really hope a month from now we’re arguing in the comments about whether a few of these guys should break camp with the big league team.
How many ex Reds will appear on Nats before Memorial Day ? Worth asking .
Hassell didn’t go deep, but he did have a nice at bat resulting in a line out/SF. Lewin Diaz hit the other Nats HR.
Ugh. It’s my spring training too. Fixed now.
Luke, you’re not wrong here. There was an error in the box score, which seems to have been quietly corrected. The box score (I checked in around the 8th inning) DEFINITELY said Hassell hit a HR. Now it’s been corrected to Lewin Diaz. I’m absolutely certain it said the opposite before, because I was going to comment on how it looks like Hassell’s hand is finally fully healed.
That makes sense. I was writing the post while the game was still going, roughly around that time. It’s early but a few more games like this and the MASN Commenters will be calling for the Nats to put Hassell, Crews, and Wood in the OD lineup…
Not just the MASN commenters. There’s a corner of the regulars at most Nats sites that I frequent who are in the “play the kids now! If they flop, they were never that good anyway” camp.
I mean, I get it. It’s a lot easier to get excited about a Crews/Wood/Thomas OF than it is a Gallo/Robles/Thomas OF. Heck, if Hassell returns to his “Bobby Barrels” status then the enthusiasts are for jettisoning Thomas as well. Personally I’m in the camp believing that there are reasons (besides service time issues) to have a player develop their game level by level.
Hondo Hassell
Harrisburg deserves a monster squad for a first time since … ahem .. Expo affiliation . I wouldn’t mind seeing Henry and Shuman put some innings in at AA.
While affiliated with the Expos, Harrisburg was usually a perennial powerhouse. The 1993 squad was ranked one of the 100 greatest minor leaugue teams of all time.
Yeah 93 club kicked butt even after Floyd and White were called up .
In the oh-wow attaboy department, I see that Brenner Cox got into the MLB game yesterday. Good for him, but considering how far down the organizational OF depth chart he would seem to be, that’s a bit head-scratching.
I’m always curious about who they’re getting the hits off of. At least Wood did homer off a major-leaguer this time, albeit one with a 6.45 ERA last season. Great to see Wood and Hassell off to such confidence-building starts to the spring.
per Andrew Golden Rutledge starting Wed on 3 days rest. two innings or not that’s surprising to me. MASN has the game