Game Thread: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach

Lineups, news, injury updates and in-game conversation for today's Grapefruit League opener

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Hello from CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, where today the Nationals open Grapefruit League play against their complex-mates: the Astros. It’s actually a split-squad game, with another group of players facing the Cardinals up the road in Jupiter, but most of the bigger names are staying back here for the home game.

It’s only an exhibition, but let’s be honest: This is a bigger exhibition game than most, because it’s the first game for manager Blake Butera and his coaching staff, and it’s the first game for Paul Toboni and his front office. There’s only so much you can reasonably interpret from a game on Feb. 21, but it’s still a big moment for those two and everyone who works with them.

Butera is fielding a lineup that features only a few regulars. CJ Abrams will lead off, with Dylan Crews (starting in center field) batting second. Keibert Ruiz will DH, with Riley Adams behind the plate. Other regulars (James Wood, Daylen Lile, Brady House) are scheduled to debut Sunday. Two regulars (Jacob Young, Luis García Jr.) are dealing with minor injuries – more on that below. And stay tuned for the second half of the game, because among the players scheduled to come off the bench is 2025 No. 1 pick Eli Willits, who should be replacing Abrams at shortstop.

On the mound is a lesser-known starter: Jake Eder. The 27-year-old left-hander was acquired from the Angels last July in the deal that sent Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia (the pitcher) to Anaheim. He’s probably not in the mix for a spot in the Opening Day rotation, but he’s definitely a candidate to pitch for the Nats sometime this season, so he’ll get an opportunity today to make a positive first impression on the coaching staff and front office. Among the relievers scheduled to pitch are Richard Lovelady, PJ Poulin and Paxton Schultz.

Shinnosuke Ogasawara, meanwhile, is starting the game in Jupiter. The Japanese lefty was dropped from the 40-man roster during the offseason, but he remains in the organization in the second year of his two-year, $3.5 million contract. He’ll need to prove a lot to earn his way back to the majors, so we’ll see how he fares today. Harry Ford is his batterymate for that game.

You can watch today’s game on the brand-new Nationals.TV, with Dan Kolko, Kevin Frandsen and Alexa Datt on the call. The eight spring training telecasts are only available streaming via the MLB app, but they’re free of charge. As mentioned in this morning’s article, the team is expected to finalize deals with major cable and satellite providers shortly before Opening Day, so regular-season games will be available the old-fashioned way.

You can also listen to today’s game on nationals.com, with Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler back for another season in the booth. A handful of spring training games will be streaming only, but most of the radio broadcasts will be on 106.7 FM or 980 AM. If you haven’t checked it out yet, we’ve got a permanent tab at the top of the website with a link to the full spring training schedule, including all TV and radio information.

I’m hoping these game threads become a popular place for fans to gather and watch the games together, so please take full advantage of the comments section (paid subscribers only). I’m planning to join in there, as well, so let’s get a good conversation going about the game and the new broadcast!

HOUSTON ASTROS vs. WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EDT
TV: Nationals.TV (free in-market), MLB.TV (out-of-market)
Radio: Nationals.com (streaming only)
Weather: Partly cloudy, 81 degrees, wind 9 mph right to left

ASTROS
CF Zach Cole
2B Brice Matthews
RF Cam Smith
LF Joey Loperfido
1B Zach Dezenzo
3B Shay Whitcomb
DH Will Bush
SS Nick Allen
C Cesar Salazar

LHP Colton Gordon

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
CF Dylan Crews
DH Keibert Ruiz
C Riley Adams
3B José Tena
RF Andrew Pinckney
1B Abimelec Ortiz
2B Orelvis Martínez
LF Christian Franklin

LHP Jake Eder

PREGAME NOTES

YOUNG, GARCIA DEALING WITH MINOR INJURIES
Center fielder Jacob Young and second baseman Luis García Jr. aren’t ready to play yet due to minor injuries sustained within the last few days.

Young was hit by a pitch on his right wrist Wednesday during a live batting practice session facing reliever Bryce Montes de Oca. He’s been able to play catch, complete outfield drills and run the bases without any issue, and he was scheduled to hit in the batting cage today to test the wrist.

“He says he’s pretty much fine. It’s just kind of a pain-tolerance thing,” manager Blake Butera said. “But we’re just going to be super smart with him. I don’t see it going too much further, but he feels good.”

García is dealing with left hamstring tightness in recent days. He completed defensive drills and took batting practice Friday and ran the bases at approximately 40 percent speed, according to the club.

“I know he wants to play Monday, but we’ll see,” Butera said. “I’d rather err on the side of caution.”

WILLIAMS SHUT DOWN WITH ELBOW SORENESS
Trevor Williams, who is rehabbing from last summer’s internal brace procedure on his elbow, experienced a recurrence of soreness recently and has been shut down from throwing.

The veteran right-hander had a new MRI taken, the results of which are still being determined.

“I heard the early read was good,” Butera said. “It’s more of a ‘let’s make sure things are good.’ Trevor feels like he’s ready to roll, but we just wanted to be extra cautious and get the imaging. He’s going to be with the doc today, but from what I heard, things are in a good spot.”

The Nationals had already placed Williams on the 60-day injured list prior to this shutdown. He wouldn’t have been ready to return prior to late-May regardless.

NO ABS CHALLENGES FROM PITCHERS
Today marks the first opportunity for the Nationals to try out the Automated Balls and Strikes challenge system that will be in place across the majors all season.

Butera has told players they should feel free to challenge calls if they believe the plate umpire got them wrong, but he’s only allowing hitters and catchers to challenge for now. Pitchers, who historically have been less accurate with challenges in Triple-A, won’t be allowed to ask for a video review.

“I talked to them; they don’t want to do it, either,” Butera said. “It’s just tough. I’ve luckily had the chance to see it at Triple-A the last few years. It’s just really hard for pitchers. And asking them for their feedback on how they felt when they were challenging, they (admitted): ‘Sometimes we just really wanted it to be a strike, so we just challenged.’”

Teams are allowed two challenges per game. Any they get correct are retained. Any they get wrong are lost.