Game Thread: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach
Jake Irvin makes what could be an important start toward securing the final slot in the Nationals' Opening Day rotation
We are officially two weeks away from Opening Day. If you had to deal with the surprise snowstorm in the D.C. area this afternoon, that news will hopefully warm your heart a bit.
There’s no singular date on the calendar when spring training has to start turning serious, but we’re probably right around that date now. Certainly for anyone still competing for spots on the Opening Day roster, it’s time to start paying a little more attention to results over process.
And that makes tonight’s start potentially an important one for Jake Irvin. Though there has been no public indication his spot in the Nationals rotation isn’t secure, it’s not hard to see his hold on the No. 5 job is tenuous, with several others seeking an opportunity. A strong outing tonight against the Astros would help put to rest any doubts. A struggle might crack the door open a bit for club officials to consider how they want to proceed.
There are a number of regulars in the Nats lineup facing Mike Burrows, and it sure would be nice to see some struggling hitters like CJ Abrams and Dylan Crews get going now before we get too close to the end of camp. Tonight’s game also presents an opportunity for Nasim Nuñez to get more comfortable at third base, and for Robert Hassell III and Christian Franklin to make their cases for one of the final spots on the Opening Day bench, especially if fellow outfielder Jacob Young isn’t ready to return from a wrist injury that has now lingered for three weeks.
If you have the 2026 MLB.TV package, you can watch the Astros’ broadcast of tonight’s game. Houston’s radio feed is also available, for those so inclined ...
WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches
Gametime: 6:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MLB.TV (Astros feed)
Radio: MLB.com (Astros feed)
Weather: Partly cloudy, 81 degrees, wind 10 mph out to left
NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
2B Luis García Jr.
CF Dylan Crews
C Keibert Ruiz
DH Brady House
3B Nasim Nuñez
LF Robert Hassell III
1B Andrés Chaparro
RF Christian Franklin
RHP Jake Irvin
ASTROS
CF Zach Cole
SS Carlos Correa
LF Yordan Alvarez
C Yainer Diaz
1B Christian Walker
RF Cam Smith
CF Jake Meyers
3B Jax Biggers
2B Nick Allen
RHP Mike Burrows
UPDATE: The start of tonight’s game has been delayed due to rain. It will now start at 7:20 p.m.
The most noteworthy thing so far tonight: C.B. Bucknor has had four pitches challenged through two innings, and all four were overturned. He might've had a couple more, too, had some other close pitches been challenged. I think one of the most intriguing aspects of ABS is that it's going to officially expose MLB's worst ball-strike callers. The question then becomes: Will there be any consequences for those umpires?
How about that, the Nats rally to take the lead in the ninth on a Riley Adams double to deep right-center, a bloop single by Brady House and an opposite-field RBI single by Trey Lipscomb. (Plus some ugly defense by Houston.)