Game Thread: Nats vs. Cardinals in Jupiter
Zack Littell and a bunch of regulars are facing St. Louis this afternoon, with the Spring Breakout prospect game to follow at 4:30 p.m.
JUPITER, Fla. – It’s a doubleheader day at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. In addition to the official Grapefruit League game between the Nationals and Cardinals at 1:05 p.m., prospects from both clubs will meet at 4:30 p.m. in the “Spring Breakout” game (which you can watch on Nationals.TV, though it’s actually MLB Network announcers calling that one).
The big-league game will see Zack Littell take the mound for the Nats, bumped back a day after Wednesday night’s game was rained out. Littell is slated for four innings, and if all goes well, he’d then make one more start before the season begins.
Blake Butera is fielding what might just be an Opening Day lineup, though not necessarily in this particular batting order. Jacob Young, who needs all the at-bats he can get, is batting third. You probably won’t be seeing that come next week. Several guys today are scheduled to play all nine innings for the first time this spring.
We don’t have the lineups for the Spring Breakout game yet, but I’ll be sure to include those (and some observations along the way) down below in the comments section …
WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EDT
TV: None
Radio: MLB.com (Cardinals feed)
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 74 degrees, wind 17 mph in from left
NATIONALS
LF James Wood
2B Nasim Nuñez
CF Jacob Young
3B Brady House
DH Daylen Lile
1B Luis García Jr.
SS CJ Abrams
C Keibert Ruiz
RF Dylan Crews
RHP Zack Littell
CARDINALS
SS Masyn Winn
1B Alec Burleson
3B Nolan Gorman
LF Nelson Velásquez
C Yohel Pozo
CF Victor Scott II
2B Ramon Mendoza
DH Bligh Madris
RF Dakota Harris
LHP Quinn Mathews
UPDATE: Here’s the Nats’ lineup for the Spring Breakout game …
SS Eli Willits
DH Gavin Fien
2B Seaver King
CF Andrew Pinckney
1B Yohandy Morales
SS Ronny Cruz
LF Phillip Glasser
C Caleb Lomavita
RF Sam Peterson
RHP Davian Garcia
Littell wasn't sharp today and got pulled after throwing 59 pitches in only 2 2/3 innings. Walked four batters, which is highly uncharacteristic for a guy who normally has one of the lowest walk rates in baseball. Will be curious to see how the Nats handle him now, with little time before the opener. He can't pitch in another official exhibition game, because his next turn would come after the finale against the Orioles.
An erratic first inning for Zack Littell. He allowed two well-struck singles. He issued a leadoff walk. He hit a batter. He also struck out two (each on splitters) and emerged with only one run across the plate while throwing 24 pitches (14 strikes).