Washington Nationals News: Nats win spring home opener, lose Wilson Ramos
By Pablo Roa
The Washington Nationals topped the New York Mets in today’s Spring Training home opener. The team got some bad news too, as Wilson Ramos will be out for at least a week for lasik surgery.
The Washington Nationals returned to Viera today to take on the New York Mets in their spring home opener. It was the first time this spring that the team fielded a lineup similar to what we might expect to see on Opening Day, and the Nationals rode a big first inning to a victory over their NL East rivals.
Max Scherzer got the start for the Nationals and pitched well, allowing just one hit and striking out one over two innings of work. The offense got things going early today, scoring four runs in the first on RBI singles by Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon and Reed Johnson.
After the Mets scored a run in the top of the fourth, the Nationals scored four more runs over the next two innings. Brendan Ryan drove in a run on an RBI groundout in the bottom of the fifth. The Nationals scored two more runs in the sixth inning on a homer by Trea Turner and an RBI single by Stephen Drew, giving Washington an 8-1 lead.
The Mets chipped away at the Nationals’ lead in the top of the eighth. They scored their second run of the night on an RBI double off the bat of Travis Taijeron. New York added two more runs later in the inning on RBI groundouts from Ty Kelly and Danny Muno, trimming Washington’s lead to 8-4.
The Nationals scored their ninth and final run on an RBI single by Matt den Dekker in the bottom of the eighth, closing out a 9-1 victory over last year’s NL East champions.
While the win was encouraging for the Nationals, the team also received some bad news earlier in the day when it was announced that catcher Wilson Ramos needs lasik surgery and will be out of camp for at least a week.
Here’s what manager Dusty Baker had to say about Ramos, via MLB.com’s Bill Ladson:
"“We decided it was better [to have it] now than later,” Baker said. He then jokingly added, “He will be able to hit now.”"
Ramos was able to stay healthy all year long in 2015 and was a Gold Glove finalist. But the longtime Nationals catcher struggled mightily at the plate, batting 229 with 15 home runs and 68 RBIs.