Yesterday, with the Nationals

Lorem Yesterday, the Washington Nationals defeated the Houston Astros 6-3 thanks to a bases-clearing double by Washington Nationals prospect Robert Hassell III in the top of the ninth. RHP Jake Irvin started for the Nationals, pitching a planned one inning and retiring the Astros on just eight pitches. Jacob Young recorded the Nationals' first hit of the spring, a sharp single in the third inning off Astros pitcher Miguel Castro (who had relieved pitching prospect Ryan Gusto). Young then stole third, and Nationals outfielder and top prospect Dylan Crews drove him in with an RBI single, giving Washington a 1-0 lead.

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Multiple Nationals plan on making their debuts today.

Yesterday, many Washington Nationals players sat on the bench; however, that is planning on changing today when Paul DeJong, Nathaniel Lowe, and don’t forget that Left-handed pitcher Shinnosuke Ogasawara will make his Washington Nationals debut today as he takes the mound for the first time against the New York Mets. We will also see familiar faces like CJ Abrams and Luis García Jr. making their 2025 Spring Training debuts. 

New York State of Mind

This spring, the Washington Nationals will play the New York Mets eight times, their most frequent opponent. Last season, the Mets dominated the series against the Nationals, winning 11 of the 13 games played between the two teams. The 13-game regular season series this year starts on April 25th with a four-game series at Nationals Park and ends with a three-game weekend series at Citi Field from September 19th-21st.. 

On the mound for the Washington Nationals

Left-handed pitcher Shinnosuke Ogasawara will make his Washington Nationals debut today as he takes the mound for the first time against the New York Mets. Ogasawara has previously played Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chunichi Dragons.

Ogasawara's arrival marks a significant transition, not just for him but potentially for the Nationals' pitching strategy. Coming from a league with a different pitching schedule, Ogasawara must adjust to the MLB's five-day rotation. Martinez acknowledged this, noting that Ogasawara is accustomed to longer bullpens and higher pitch counts, even throwing as many as 140 pitches in a single game – a practice Martinez assured would not be replicated in Washington. "That will never happen here," he joked, "I'll lose my job!"

The transition extends beyond workload management. Ogasawara will also need to adapt to the pitch clock. However, Martinez was pleased to hear that he had already been working on this adjustment over the winter. The Nationals are committed to supporting him through this process. "He's going to come, and if we have to make some adjustments, we will," Martinez stated. The plan is to integrate Ogasawara seamlessly into the team and get him working alongside the other pitchers.

Read more about Shinnosuke Ogawawara here

Opposition Research: The Amazin' Mets

The New York Mets finished the 2024 season by going 89-73, which was tied for second place in the NL East and clinched a Wild Card spot in the postseason and fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-games-to-2 in the NLCS.

Their 89-73 record was a 14-win improvement from the 2023 season. The New York Mets dominated the headlines during the offseason by signing former Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto and making other significant moves. The New York Mets also re-signed first baseman Pete Alonso to a two-year contract. Alonso, 30, ranks third in franchise history with 226 homers.

2024 Regular Season Record:

• Overall Record: 89-73

• Home Record: 46-35

• Road Record: 43-38

• vs. Right-handed starting pitchers: 65-51

• vs. Left-handed starting pitchers: 24-22

On the mound for the New York Mets

RHP Ty Adcock is scheduled to get the start for the New York Mets today in West Palm Beach. Adcock spent most of the 2024 season in the minor leagues, working his way through the New York Mets minor league system. However, he did appear at the Major Leagueor three games, where he only pitched 4.1 innings, struck out three. In the minor leagues, Adcock had a 5-1 record with an ERA of 5.02 over 28 games and 28.2 innings pitched and striking out 32. Adcock is looking to make the opening day roster for the New York Mets.