Game Thread: Nats vs. Marlins in Jupiter

Lineups, news and in-game conversation for today's exhibition game

JUPITER, Fla. – Now that the hubbub of Opening Day – the spring training version, that is – has subsided, it’s time to get down to the grind of the Grapefruit League. There are 26 more games to be played down here before the team heads north, which is a lot of time for a lot of storylines to develop.

Today’s entry: an exhibition against the Marlins at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, which has undergone some much-needed renovations since the last time the Nationals played here. And because it always seems to line up this way, the Nats will have to face Miami ace Sandy Alcantara.

Blake Butera’s lineup features several prominent guys who didn’t play yesterday, including James Wood, Daylen Lile and Brady House. It also includes two guys who did play yesterday, but swapping roles. Harry Ford, who caught the split-squad game against the Cardinals, will be the DH today. And Keibert Ruiz, who was the DH against the Astros, will be behind the plate today.

Ruiz will be working with Mitchell Parker, who gets the ball for what should be a two-inning start. Parker is going to have to re-prove himself this spring if he wants to make the Opening Day rotation after a frustrating 2025 season. It’s also possible he could be kept as a long reliever, though for now the team is stretching him out to start.

No TV broadcast today, but you can listen to Charlie and Dave on 106.7 FM ...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. MIAMI MARLINS
Where: Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, Jupiter
Gametime: 1:10 p.m. EDT
TV: None
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain late, 85 degrees, wind 15 mph out to right

NATIONALS
SS Nasim Nuñez
LF James Wood
RF Daylen Lile
3B Brady House
DH Harry Ford
C Keibert Ruiz
CF Robert Hassell III
1B Andrés Chaparro
2B Seaver King

LHP Mitchell Parker

MARLINS
2B Xavier Edwards
DH Kyle Stowers
SS Otto Lopez
C Liam Hicks
RF Owen Caissie
LF Esteury Ruiz
1B Deyvison De Los Santos
3B Jacob Berry
CF Dillon Lewis

RHP Sandy Alcantara

PREGAME NOTES

NUNEZ, KING START UP THE MIDDLE
The Nationals have a young, high-energy middle infield starting this afternoon with Nasim Nuñez at shortstop and Seaver King at second base.

Nuñez will get the opportunity to lead off today, showcasing his speed if he can get on base. He’s ticketed to be at least the backup infielder on Opening Day, with a chance for starts at second base if Luis García Jr. moves to first base.

“The speed’s really good. The ability to put the ball in play. Just such a dynamic player,” manager Blake Butera said. “We’ll toy around with some different lineups. But just wanted to see what type of spark he is at the front of the lineup.”

King, meanwhile, gets his first opportunity to participate in big-league camp after debuting in minor-league camp last spring following his first-round selection in the 2024 Draft. He has primarily played shortstop in the minors but was known for his versatility at Wake Forest and should get more opportunities to move around the diamond this spring as the Nationals consider his long-term prospects.

“You’ll see him at different spots (in the field), probably mostly at shortstop and second base,” Butera said. “But CJ (Abrams) and Nas will get the primary reps at shortstop when they’re in the lineup. So if there’s a day where one of those guys aren’t in the lineup, Seaver is going to get pushed to second or third. But he feels really comfortable at second. I know he played some there in college, and a little bit this past year in the minors. But he looks good at all three spots in the infield.”

FORD OK AFTER DEPARTING SATURDAY’S GAME
Harry Ford came out of his spring debut after only three innings following a stolen-base attempt against the Cardinals, but the rookie catcher appears to be fine and indeed is back in the lineup today.

“He’s good to go,” Butera said. “He just had a little scratch on his face or something. Good to go.”

Ford went 1-for-2 with an RBI single and a walk in the game, starting behind the plate. He’s the DH for today’s game and will likely get more consistent action during this first week than most teammates because he needs to build up stamina before heading out to play for Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic.

UPCOMING PITCHING PLAN
It’s going to take a while for all of the Nationals’ rotation candidates get a chance to pitch in games. Saturday’s openers saw Jake Eder and Shinnosuke Ogasawara on the mound, and today’s game has Mitchell Parker getting the ball. Jake Irvin is scheduled to start Monday night against the Phillies, with Brad Lord piggybacking him out of the bullpen. Cade Cavalli is slated for Tuesday night’s game against the Cardinals, then Andrew Alvarez will make the long trip to Tampa for Wednesday night’s game against the Yankees.

The pitching schedule hasn’t been revealed beyond that, but the Nationals still need to get Josiah Gray, Foster Griffin and Miles Mikolas into games. Butera said all will pitch soon, and that none are being held back for physical reasons.