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District On Deck

Washington Nationals: Dave Martinez already a winner

By Ron Juckett

BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 10: The hat and glove of Bryce Harper
BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 10: The hat and glove of Bryce Harper /
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Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez debuts with a win and other tidbits in Saturday’s Daily Washingtonian. Enjoy.

Good morning, Washington Nationals fans!

Today is Saturday, March 31, 2018. The Nats are 1-0 and are tied with the New York Mets for first in the National League East. Hey, it is never too early to watch the standings.

Stephen Strasburg takes the hill at 2 ET at Great American Ball Park as he hopes to win the series versus the Cincinnati Reds. He faces Luis Castillo on MASN. Castillo made is major-league debut last summer at Nationals Park.

More from District on Deck

One note from Opening Day you might have missed, Daniel Murphy was on the list to take batting practice but did not. No word of how soon he will return.

Well, Dave Martinez fared better than Gabe Kapler and Alex Cora did in their managerial debuts.

He made the correct call batting Anthony Rendon second and Trea Turner sixth. Martinez squeezed out six innings from Max Scherzer and kept the “Law Firm” running order in tact from last year.

But, his aggressiveness on the bases was obvious with Michael Taylor‘s huge insurance run in the ninth. From the drag bunt to the steal, this inning felt different from last year. Washington did not force a run, they created it.

Although mistakes will happen over the season, Friday’s execution was flawless. Does wonders for Martinez’s confidence too.

On to the links:

WTOP on no Nats games on OTA TV

Several folks were upset Friday when they could not watch the opener on WUSA. Yes, this year’s local schedule is cable and dish only. William Vitka does make one mistake in his story, the Nats will play once on FOX 5 as part of their Baseball Night in America package.

It is important for those of you who cut cable to let the team and MASN know how unhappy you are. But, be polite.

Washington Post’s Nats Preview

Everything the staff of The Washington Post wants you to know as we start the 2018 season. You must laugh at the illustration at the top. Yes, that is an Oakland Athletics hat in Bryce Harper‘s hand and a name tag on Martinez’s jersey.

Call to the Pen on keeping Trea Turner healthy

Our friend, Tim Boyle, goes into Turners injury history and makes a couple suggestions how to keep him healthy over the season. His thoughts on changing Turner’s slide is an interesting read.

Amazin Avenue previews the Nats

Joshua Tessler is optimistic about the Mets chances in winning the division, but concedes Washington had a good off-season and have Bryce Harper. We wish the Mets will in their future endeavours.

Next: Joey Votto and the Reds

Enjoy the Final Four and be good for the Easter Bunny!

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