Washington Nationals at Miami Marlins: Grapefruit League GameThread

In his pregame press conference yesterday, Washington Nationals’ skipper Davey Martinez broke down the club’s pitching schedule for the next few days.

Max Scherzer made his first start of the spring last night, and today it’s Patrick Corbin’s turn to make his 2021 Grapefruit League debut.

“Corbin is going to throw tomorrow,” Martinez said, “and then after that we don’t play on the seventh, we just have a bunch of live BPs, but we’ll come back the 8th, and it will be — [Joe] Ross will start the game with [Erick] Fedde.”

Corbin, 31, finished the 2020 COVID campaign with a (2-7) record in 11 starts, over which he posted a 4.66 ERA, a 4.17 FIP, 2.47 BB/9, 8.22 K/9, and a .308/.349/.489 line against in a total of 65 2⁄3 IP. It was a disappointing follow-up to the left-hander’s first season in D.C. which ended with a World Series win for the club, and he said earlier this spring that he was ready to move on from 2020 and start his third season in the nation’s capital after a normal spring build-up.

“I think hopefully the progression of being able to throw every day, get on the mound every other day, or every couple days, building up in Spring, getting your workload in, throwing in games, and knowing when you’re going to start the season, I think that’s what normal is to me,” Corbin said.

“I’m looking forward to that, being able to progress, build up that pitch count, make sure your arm is ready to go for a full season.”

It’s been bullpens and live BPs up until now for Corbin, but this afternoon he gets to go up against another team for the first time when the Nationals and Miami Marlins meet at 1:05 PM ET in Jupiter, FL’s Roger Dean Stadium.

HERE’S THE NATS’ LINEUP FOR TODAY’S GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE GAME: