WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals know they need to hit for more power in 2025. They hit the second-fewest home runs in the major leagues last year with 135, only two more than the woeful White Sox.

The offseason additions to the lineup are supposed to address that lack of power. They already know Josh Bell’s homer potential. They believe Nathaniel Lowe can tap into the power he displayed in Texas. And Paul DeJong, while not known for his batting average, has been able to provide some pop throughout his eight-year big league career.

Bell hit his first home run in yesterday’s loss to the Cardinals, a two-run shot for the Nats’ only runs in the first game of their split-squad doubleheader. Lowe has yet to go long. And DeJong finally went deep in today’s 4-3 win over the Astros.

Against Astros closer Josh Hader, DeJong got ahead in the count, ran it full and drove the seventh pitch over the visiting bullpen in left field. There are no Statcast measurements at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, but it traveled far.

“He's been good. He's been really good,” manager Davey Martinez said. “Another veteran guy that knows himself really well. When he connects, he can hit the ball a long way. We saw that today. What I really love, though, is that, honestly, he plays defense really well, too, which is going to help us. It really is. We know when he's up there, he's got a chance to put us in the lead. And I love that about him. So he's been great.”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – After some initial confusion this morning, James Wood will return to the Nationals lineup as the designated hitter for this afternoon’s spring training game against the Astros.

Manager Davey Martinez said after Wood’s spring debut Friday that the towering outfielder would DH again today. But when the Nats lineup was initially submitted, it did not include Wood and instead had Josh Bell batting fourth as the designated hitter.

A brief moment of panic and concern was quickly quashed by Martinez in his pregame media session. The error was caused by the skipper’s habit of filling out lineups days in advance and not knowing Wood’s availability while doing so earlier this week.

There were no setbacks or anything of the sort. All is well.

“He's feeling good,” Martinez said of Wood, who has been dealing with right quad tendinitis. “Depending on how long the game goes, we'll hope to get him three at-bats again. Then we'll see how he's doing.”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – If yesterday’s split-squad doubleheader wasn’t enough, we’re right back for more baseball this afternoon!

Trevor Williams gets the ball for his second start of spring this afternoon against the Astros. The veteran right-hander was the first Nationals starter to go multiple innings in his first outing, tossing 23 pitches, 16 strikes, Tuesday against the Marlins.

Williams had a quick first inning with only seven pitches against the Fish, but he ran into some trouble in the second, serving up a two-run home run. He wasn’t as concerned with that longball as he was proud of his ability to throw all of his pitches for strikes. But he is only two years removed from leading the National League in home runs allowed, so keeping the ball in the yard would be welcomed today, especially against a Houston lineup filled with regulars.

James Wood (right quad tendinitis) is not in the lineup as the designated hitter as manager Davey Martinez said he would. Wood had the day off yesterday following his spring debut on Friday, in which he went 1-for-2 with a walk in three plate appearances against the Mets. And the Nats will again be without Luis García Jr., who is not in the lineup after being scratched from last night’s game with an illness. (Although, he probably wasn’t scheduled to play today anyway).

The Nats bats will have their work cut out for them against Astros starter Ronel Blanco (no relation to yours truly). But the Nats, too, have a number of other regulars playing this afternoon, hopefully making for an entertaining spring training game.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – It was a two-out walk in the first inning on Feb. 26. Not that big a deal, right?

For DJ Herz, it was a big deal. Not because the result of today’s exhibition game – a 3-0 loss to the Astros – was important. But because he knows two-out walks are among his biggest bugaboos, something the young left-hander is really trying to focus on correcting this year.

“Obviously, we don’t want to do the two-out walks,” Herz said. “A lot of weird stuff happens when that happens.”

What happened after this two-out walk of Isaac Paredes? A two-run homer by Yainer Diaz. Then back-to-back singles. And suddenly, what could’ve been a quick, 1-2-3 top of the first turned into a laborious 24-pitch frame.

So, even though the game didn’t count, is the two-out walk in spring training that important?

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Juan Yepez didn’t enter the 2024 season as the Nationals’ starting first baseman. He didn’t even enter the season on the Nationals’ major league roster.

But as Joey Gallo dealt with injuries and Joey Meneses dealt with struggles, Yepez found his way to D.C. and ultimately a semi-regular spot in the lineup. He finished the year with a respectable .764 OPS, providing quality production at the plate, especially against left-handers.

But when the season ended, the Nats knew they needed to upgrade at first base. So they traded for Nathaniel Lowe, then also signed Josh Bell to return (though primarily as designated hitter).

Which leaves Yepez … where, exactly? Competing for a utility role.

“We’ve got to see if he can play multiple positions,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We’re looking for that guy who can do a bunch of different things. … And he deserves a chance to make this team. He played really well for us last year in a limited role. If he can do all these little things – we’ll try him out in left field, we’ll put him at third base, play first base as well – we’ll see how he does.”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The undefeated Nationals have looked good so far in the early stages of the exhibition season, especially a lineup that has scored 31 runs in three games. That group has done well in the first inning, scoring five runs against the Mets and three runs against the Marlins.

The challenge is quite a bit tougher this afternoon when the Nats face Astros ace Framber Valdez. The veteran left-hander will be on the mound for his first outing of the spring, facing a lineup featuring a few regulars.

Those regulars include CJ Abrams, Luis García Jr., Keibert Ruiz and Nathaniel Lowe at the top of the order. The bottom of the order includes a familiar name in an unfamiliar position: Juan Yepez in left field. Given the offseason additions of Lowe and Josh Bell, Yepez’s only real shot of making the team is to prove he can adequately play something other than first base. So he’ll get a shot this afternoon in the outfield. He’s also been taking some reps at third base during workouts.

DJ Herz makes his spring debut on the mound. The young lefty seemingly is competing with fellow young lefties Mitchell Parker and Shinnosuke Ogasawara for the No. 5 starter’s job, but it’s still too early in camp to see exactly how that will all play out. For now, the Nationals just want Herz to throw strikes and pitch with some consistency as he tries to prove he’s the right man for the job.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EST
TV: None
Radio: MLB.com (Astros’ feed)
Weather: Partly cloudy, 73 degrees, wind 10 mph in from center field

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Robert Hassell III has been here before. One year ago, in his spring training debut, the Nationals prospect went 2-for-3 with a triple. Three days later, he homered. By the end of March, he sported a .357 batting average and 1.198 OPS.

So there was a comfort level for Hassell when he stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the ninth inning of a tie game this afternoon. Sure, he was annoyed at striking out in his first at-bat back in the fifth and lining out his next time up in the eighth. Here, though, was another opportunity to make a statement.

And that’s just what Hassell did, driving a two-out, two-strike pitch from Astros reliever Joey Mancini off the left field wall for a three-run double, the decisive blow in the Nats’ 6-3 victory to open the Grapefruit League season.

“I think I’m more prepared, for sure,” he said when asked to compare this spring to the previous one. “I think last year, they were coming right at me, the pitchers were. It wasn’t too fast for me, but just like today, I was getting down in counts a little bit. But I’m definitely more comfortable just from being here, for sure.”

A year ago, Hassell wasn’t able to parlay a strong spring into a strong regular season. Hampered yet again by a persistent hand injury, he was limited to 85 games between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester. He batted just .241, slugged just .328, totaled just 16 extra-base hits in 362 plate appearances.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A bunch of guys are going to play for the Nationals today in their Grapefruit League opener against the Astros. But not everyone.

Some prominent regulars are being held back and are expected to debut Sunday against the Mets, including CJ Abrams, Luis García Jr. and Nathaniel Lowe. That’s the routine in late February, when hardly anyone plays in back-to-back games.

Then there are those players who aren’t ready to take the field for game action quite yet. And there are some significant names on that list.

Most notable is James Wood, who has been dealing with right quad tendinitis. The 22-year-old outfielder continues to take batting practice, and on Friday he was cleared to begin light running. But there doesn’t appear to be a rush to get him into games just yet.

“He’s been hitting. He’s starting to a run a little bit,” manager Davey Martinez said. “But we’re kind of going to slow play this a little bit and try to nip this in the bud.”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Who’s ready for some baseball? I can assure everyone here is, having made it through 10 days of pitchers and catchers and eventually full-squad workouts. Those days get tedious toward the end, and everyone is itching to get the Grapefruit League started this afternoon.

The Nationals are on the road for their opener, but that doesn’t mean they have to pack their bags and board a bus to go anywhere. Because they’re facing their co-residents of CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, all they have to do is make sure they’re wearing gray pants and prepare to bat in the top of the first. It’s not a bad situation at all.

Jake Irvin gets the ball for the opener, and the right-hander is thinking big things for his 2025 season. Irvin knows consistency is the name of the game, and while there’s only so much he can during his one scheduled inning this afternoon, he can get things off on a right foot with a quick, easy frame against Houston.

The Astros have split-squad games today, so half of the team is headed up to Port St. Lucie to face the Mets while the other half stays here for this game. Their starter this afternoon is Ryan Gusto, a 25-year-old right-hander who had a 3.70 ERA and 141 strikeouts last season at Triple-A Sugar Land.

Facing Gusto is a Nats lineup featuring some, but not all, of the regulars. With CJ Abrams sitting until Sunday, it'll be Dylan Crews in the leadoff spot and Amed Rosario at shortstop. We'll also see Keibert Ruiz behind the plate and Josh Bell serving as designated hitter.

The Orioles were six outs away from losing more ground in the American League East.

Anthony Santander made it shake at Camden Yards.

Santander hit a grand slam off Astros reliever Bryan Abreu in the eighth inning to give the Orioles a thrilling 7-5 win before an announced Gunnar Henderson bobblehead crowd of 39,578.

Santander’s 38^th home run followed singles by Colton Cowser and Adley Rutschman and a comebacker from Henderson that enticed Abreu to try for the out at third base.

Cowser was safe, the crowd stayed on its feet and Santander sent it into a frenzy with his fourth career slam and second this year.

While the Orioles wonder about getting some of their eight pitchers on the injured list back later this season, their current biggest worry might be the offense.

That offense has produced just three hits in back-to-back games with three runs in those two games. Batters went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

The Astros pitched their ninth shutout of the year last night in a 6-0 win over the Orioles, handing the O’s their fifth shutout of 2024.

At 74-55, the Orioles have lost two in a row, three of four, five of seven and seven of the last 11. Baltimore, now 1 1/2 games out in the American League East, is 16-17 in the second half. The 1 1/2-game margin is the team's largest deficit in the division since being two games back of New York following a loss on June 25 in Cleveland.

Over the past six games, the Orioles have scored 20 runs, with nine coming in one game. In that span, the team is batting .167/.245/.323/.568 and has gone 2-for-27 with runners in scoring position. They have five hits or less in four of those games and three or less in three of them.

Oriole first baseman Ryan Mountcastle could play later tonight depending on how he reacts to treatments on his sore wrist.

Mountcastle was removed from last night’s game in the top of the ninth inning. Ryan O’Hearn switched from right field to first base and Austin Slater batted in Mountcastle’s spot in the bottom of the ninth.

Manager Brandon Hyde said afterward that the wrist gradually became more sore after Mountcastle’s slide into second base on a double in the second inning – one of only three hits for the Orioles.

“He’s better today, it’s a little better,” Hyde said. “He’s getting treatment right now. He’s going to get treatment up until game time, so we’ll see if he’s available or not. It got pretty sore as the game went on last night but it’s a little bit better today.”

The offense needs a boost. Mountcastle hasn’t homered since July 29 and he’s batting .225/.257/.310 this month in 19 games but he has hits in 11 of his last 17, including three on Aug. 10 and two on the 13^th, 16^th and 19^th.

Ryan Mountcastle is out of the Orioles lineup tonight after leaving last night’s game in the ninth inning with wrist soreness.

Ryan O’Hearn is playing first base and Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter and batting second.

The Orioles began the day 1 ½ games behind the Yankees in the division race and they’re counting on rookie Cade Povich, making his 10^th major league start, to give them length before turning to the bullpen.

Povich lowered his ERA to 5.77 by holding the Red Sox to two runs over a career-high 6 1/3 innings in his last start. He was optioned later that night but returned with Zach Eflin on the injured list.

Left-hander Keegan Akin was reinstated from the paternity list and the Orioles optioned lefty Nick Vespi, who tossed a scoreless inning last night.

The Orioles just can’t seem to get rolling again. On a night where their bullpen allowed no runs or hits, they still lost 6-0 in the Houston series opener. Their offense has produced six hits the last two games.

Right now, they look like a second-division club with a lack of runs, hits and unfortunately fire and passion too.

Maybe the next win and a night of fire and passion is right around the corner. But right ahead of this club is six straight games versus Houston and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In the last six games, the Birds have scored 20 runs, but nine of them came in one game. In those games they have five hits or less four times and three hits or less three times.

During the six games the O’s are batting .167/.245/.323/.568 as a team and have gone 2-for-27 with runners in scoring position.

Joey Meneses is by nature a worrier. It probably comes from the decade he spent in the minor leagues, bouncing around between organizations, even venturing to Japan at one point to try to keep his career alive.

After finally breaking through in 2022 with two out-of-nowhere months of MVP-level production as a 30-year-old rookie with the Nationals, he still reported to camp the following spring worried he might not make the team. And even after driving in a team-high 89 RBIs in 2023, he still wasn’t sure about his future here after the Nats signed slugger Joey Gallo over the winter and invited top prospects Dylan Crews and James Wood to big league camp.

So imagine the thoughts swirling though Meneses’ mind as he came up to bat in the bottom of the 10th early Saturday evening, his batting average in the .180s, his slugging percentage barely topping .200, having already failed to come through in big spots in the sixth and eighth innings. Was the clock nearing midnight on his fairy tale, with a demotion to Triple-A looming in the near future?

Then watch Meneses’ reaction to his game-winning hit: a first-pitch gap shot to right-center that easily scored pinch-runner Nasim Nunez to beat the Astros. As he approached second base, he flung his helmet aside, spread out his arms and waited for his teammates to mob him. For the first time in a while, the smile on his face was wide.

“Like you said, I’ve been battling and struggling to start the season,” he said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. “But this kind of at-bat and situation kind of relaxes me. And obviously I’m excited about it.”

Given the circumstances, it was fair to wonder if Mitchell Parker’s impressive major league debut last week was a bit flukish. Was that five-inning victory before a sellout crowd at Dodger Stadium as good as it was ever going to get for the Nationals’ 2020 fifth-round draft pick?

Given what he just accomplished today in his follow-up start against the Astros, it feels more appropriate to start wondering if this just might actually be the start of something really special.

With seven scoreless innings on only 73 pitches, Parker led the Nats to an easy 6-0 victory, improved to 2-0 as a big leaguer and authored Chapter 2 in what has suddenly become the most compelling – and unexpected – pitching story in recent club history.

"It doesn't seem like anything really fazes him," manager Davey Martinez said. "He goes out there and he challenges hitters. He competes. He's been giving us what we need."

The 24-year-old left-hander was in complete control throughout his home debut. He surrendered three hits (all singles). He allowed only one runner to reach scoring position. He didn’t issue a walk for the second straight outing. And he pounded the strike zone in a manner rarely seen in these parts.

As he described the illness that sidelined him now for nearly two weeks, Keibert Ruiz was asked if he’d ever been that sick before.

“When I got COVID,” the Nationals catcher said. “This was kind of the same. My whole body was in pain. Fever every three, four hours. The whole night sweating.”

Ruiz has finally moved past the worst of his case of influenza, which first began afflicting him 13 days ago in San Francisco and ultimately forced him to the 10-day injured list. He described himself as “90 percent” better now after a particularly rough stretch while the team was on the West Coast last week.

Ruiz has been able to start some baseball activities, hitting off a pitching machine, participating in some defensive drills and partaking in some light weight lifting. He was set to begin running before today’s game against the Astros.

The ordeal took a real toll on the 25-year-old, who lost 18-to-20 pounds.

After an absolutely beautiful Saturday here at the ballpark, the clouds have rolled in and the temperature has dropped nearly 20 degrees for today’s series finale against the Astros. Hopefully that’s not an omen of things to come for the Nationals, who were all sunshine and roses on Saturday.

The Nats have a chance to win another series; it would be three of their last four if they can pull this off. And if they do, it could come on the shoulders of Mitchell Parker once again.

The rookie left-hander makes his second career start, hoping to pick up right where he left off Monday night in Los Angeles, where he held the mighty Dodgers to two runs over five innings and became the first Nationals starter to win his major league debut since Stephen Strasburg. It’s another tough challenge today for Parker in the Astros. If he can throw strikes as he did last time out, it’ll put him in a good position to succeed.

The Nats won Saturday in spite of another atrocious performance with runners in scoring position. They were 0-for-10 until Jesse Winker and Joey Meneses finally delivered in the bottom of the ninth and 10th to emerge with the walk-off win. They’ve got to do a better job taking advantage of their scoring opportunities today against Hunter Brown, a late substitution for Houston, which had to scratch scheduled starter Cristian Javier due to neck discomfort. Brown has made four starts this season, one of them an absolute disaster (nine runs allowed in two-thirds of an inning against the Royals), but he was much better last time out (two runs in six innings against the Braves).

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 980 AM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 52 degrees, wind 5 mph out to right field

Saturday was full of celebrations, fanfare and big moments. Both on and off the field.

The 2019 World Series championship team was in attendance for the Nationals’ second game against the Astros. Former players were recognized before and during the game for their heroics five years ago.

Then the current Nationals squad showed the old guys they have that same “finish the fight” attitude as the 2019 team. Jesse Winker hit a two-run single to tie the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth inning. And then Joey Meneses walked it off in the bottom of the 10th with a first-pitch single to deep center field.

More hugs, high fives and a Gatorade bath ensued.

But one huge play may have gotten lost in all of the celebrations. One defensive play in the top of the 10th that set up Meneses’ big swing.

With much of the 2019 World Series championship roster in the house, the 2024 Nationals took a page from their celebrated predecessors and mounted a late comeback that special group surely could appreciate.

Then they pulled off a feat even the greatest team in Nats history never pulled off: They beat the Astros at home.

With a furious rally in the bottom of the ninth capped by Jesse Winker's two-run single, the Nationals stormed back to force extra innings. Then with one swing from Joey Meneses in the bottom of the 10th, they completed a 5-4 victory over Houston to cap a celebratory afternoon on South Capitol Street.

"I think it's cool, especially with those guys in the stands who had that great run in '19," said Lane Thomas, whose outfield assist in the top of the 10th set the stage for Meneses' game-winning hit. "It's cool to do that in front of them."

Trailing 4-2 with three outs to go, and unable to deliver any clutch hits throughout the game, the Nats finally came through when they needed it against Astros closer Ryan Pressly. Nick Senzel reached on catcher’s interference, then CJ Abrams launched a double high off the wall in right-center to put the tying run in scoring position with nobody out.