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#TKCHZ: Starting in his 10th game of the Spring, which is nine more games than he played in last time around, Ryan Zimmerman homered in his first at bat of the night tonight, taking St. Louis Cardinals’ starter Chris Beck deep to lead off the bottom of the second inning.
It was Zimmerman’s second home run over 22 at bats in Grapefruit League action, leaving him 5 for 22 (.227 AVG) so far down in Florida.
Dozier: Yan Gomes walked to start the Nationals’ half of the fourth, and scored on a home run to left-center by Brian Dozier (who’s a pull hitter don’t ya know). Dozier took Cards left-hander Chasen Shreve deep, putting the home team up 3-0 with his third home run of the Spring.
Hellboy vs the Cards: Making his fifth start of the Spring tonight in West Palm Beach, FL’s FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, Jeremy Hellickson worked around a leadoff double and a walk in the first, a walk in the second, and a leadoff double and one-out single in the third, completing three scoreless as the Nationals jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Zim’s home run in the second.
He took the mound with a 3-0 lead on the fifth, (after a 1-2-3 fourth) and struck out three batters, giving up a leadoff single and two-out walk, but stranding both runners to reach base.
Hellickson started the night with a 1.29 ERA, three walks, and 13 Ks in 14 IP, over which he’d held opposing hitters to a .216 AVG.
That ERA was down to a 0.95 ERA by the time Hellickson was done with his fifth Grapefruit League outing, having tossed five scoreless in which he gave up four hits and three walks, striking out six of the 21 batters he faced.
Jeremy Hellickson's night is finished after five innings and 84 pitches. He had six strikeouts and is relieved by Kyle Barraclough.
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) March 22, 2019
BULLPEN ACTION: Kyle Barraclough took over for Hellickson in the top of the sixth inning, and gave up back-to-back, one-out walks that led to the Cardinals’ first run when Andrew Kninzer, who came on as a pinch runner for Matt Wieters (after Wieters took the first of the two walks), scored on an RBI single by Dylan Carlson.
Victor Robles “robbed [Evan] Mendoza” of extra bases with a ”leaping, tumbling catch” as Dave Jageler described in on 106.7 the FAN in D.C.’s broadcast of the game, making a nice catch in center field after Carlson’s run-scoring hit.
Robles takes a bad route (two steps in) on a liner smoked over his head but shows off his athleticism to making a sprawling catch over his shoulder and then fires the ball back to the infield.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) March 22, 2019
Ryan Zimmerman picked a low throw to first from Anthony Rendon for the final out of the frame, 3-1 Nationals.
Trevor Rosenthal retired the Cardinals in order in a 10-pitch seventh.
Victor Robles and Trea Turner took walks around a HBP on Adam Eaton in the Nationals’ half of the seventh, loading the bases with no one out against Cards’ lefty Evan Kruczynski with Juan Soto due up, and the Nats’ left-handed hitting outfielder took the third walk of the half-inning, forcing in the fourth run of the game for the home team, 4-1.
Anthony Rendon followed with a two-run single off right-hander John Fasola, 6-1, and an RBI sac fly by Spencer Kieboom made it a six-run lead, 7-1.
Matt Grace gave up a one-out single in the Cardinals’ eighth, but got an inning-ending 6-4-3 DP to end the inning.
Nationals’ closer Sean Doolittle got the ninth, and gave up leadoff and one-out singles that put runners on the corners, but he stranded them both and completed a scoreless frame to end the game, 7-1 final.