Wire Taps: Nationals’ first round of roster cuts; Victor Robles off to hot start; Patrick Corbin & his changeup...

Patrick Corbin talked about bringing his changeup back after throwing it just 1.1% of the time in 2018. Davey Martinez and the Nationals made the first roster cuts of the Spring + more from the last 24 hours in Nats news. Go read your links while you wait for tonight’s game against the Marlins to start (at 6:35 PM EST on MASN).

NATS BEAT:

Bullpen Stories:

Hard-throwing Tanner Rainey trying to slow things down - (MASN)
"Pitchers capable of throwing 100 mph tend to get noticed, and it was the right-hander’s radar gun readings that made him attractive to the Nationals..."

Aaron Barrett’s comeback is full of miracles. But he wants one more - (WaPost)
"Barrett has told this story and he will tell it again, over and over, to his kids and grandkids and whoever else wants to hear."

Roster Cuts:

Raudy Read, James Bourque are among Nats' first spring cuts (Cards win 3-2) - (MASN)
"The Nationals made their first cuts of camp this morning, and there were no real surprises among the seven players trimmed from the spring roster."

Nationals make first round of spring training cuts - (WaPost)
"There were no surprises; these players have been career minor leaguers or are prospects who were expected to begin the year somewhere in the system."

Victor Robles love:

Robles continues hot start to spring - (MLB.com)
"Nationals rookie outfielder Victor Robles continued to play his way toward the Opening Day roster on Friday afternoon by reaching base three times against the Cardinals on two hits and one walk..."

Dave Martinez’s message to center fielder Victor Robles: Try to catch everything - (WaPost)
"Martinez, once a major league center fielder himself, was taught to command the outfield and make every catch he could. He wants Robles to do the same."

Other Nats stuff:

Adam Eaton sees Pedroia as source of motivation - (MLB.com)
"The Nats are hoping Pedroia is a good comparison when they consider what it would be like to finally have Eaton for a full season."

Patrick Corbin changes things up, rebounds after rocky start to set tone - (MASN)
"Provided an early lead on successive first-inning home runs by Matt Adams and Jake Noll off Michael Wacha, Corbin struggled out of the chute."

Nationals' Patrick Corbin wants to bring his changeup back - (WaPost)
"Now he may have another tweak for 2019, even if it’s a small one. Corbin doesn’t want that change-up to completely go away."

Back in D.C., Adams relishes role as a clubhouse leader - (MASN)
"Matt Adams isn’t sure how many offers his agent fielded this offseason. When all was said and done, there was really only one place Adams wanted to go."

NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

New Era Cap pushes back closing date for Derby plant – (The Buffalo News)
"Before the union's statement came out, Washington Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle tweeted his support for the Derby workers, drawing more attention to the issue."

Toolshed: Prospect promotion predictions - (MILB.com)
"Washington signed Brian Dozier to hold down second base for one year, allowing Kieboom -- a shortstop stuck behind Trea Turner -- to develop a little longer with his first taste of Triple-A."

Speed test: The 10 fastest teams in MLB - (MLB.com)
"[Trea] Turner is one of MLB's elite burners. He reached the 30 ft/sec mark more times than any other runner in 2018, and it wasn't close..."