Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals: Grapefruit League GameThread

[ed. note - “We’re repurposing (read: copy/pasting) this GameThread info from Saturday’s game, which was rained out. So if any of this seems familiar, that’s probably why.

“Today’s game starts at 1:05 PM ET, and it’s a radio-only day from Florida if you’re planning on following along with the Grapefruit League action...”]

Joan Adon was added to the Washington Nationals’ 40-man roster at the end of the 2020 campaign, to protect the right-handed pitcher from selection in the Rule 5 Draft, and Assistant GM, Player Personnel, Mark Scialabba, said at the time the now-23-year-old pitcher was on the come, with some impressive power stuff.

“He is a power arm that attacks the zone with his fastball, change, and slider,” Scialabba told FBB’s David Driver late in September 2020.

“[Adon] does a really good [job] of pitching up and down with his fastball and his change has become a weapon he can use against right and left-handed batters.”

Adon, who signed out of the Dominican Republic for $50K in July of 2016, posted a 4.97 ERA in 17 starts and 87 innings at High-A ball in 2021, a 6.43 ERA in three starts and 14 IP at Double-A, and struck out seven batters over four scoreless innings in his Triple-A debut, giving up two hits and three walks, before he was called up to make his final start of the year in Washington, D.C.’s Nationals Park in his MLB debut.

In 5 ¹⁄₃ IP against the Boston Red Sox, Adon struck out nine of the 24 batters he faced, and gave up six hits, three walks, and two runs, both earned, which, he said, provided him with some additional motivation to get back to the big leagues.

“It obviously gives me a lot of motivation to keep working hard,” Adon said when asked how he felt after making it to the majors.

“Keep working hard in the offseason, and get ready for next season, and hopefully start the year with the team up here at the big league level.”

In two games and 5 IP out of the bullpen this spring before today, Adon has given up five hits (two home runs) and four earned runs, walking two and striking out five. Will he start in the majors this season? He’s still in the mix as the final days of Spring Training fall off of the calendar...

HERE’S THE NATS’ LINEUP FOR TODAY’S GAME AGAINST THE CARDINALS:

NOTES: As you might have noticed above, Alcides Escobar was scratched after the initial lineup was posted. He’s out with a stiff neck as MASN’s Mark Zuckerman reported on Twitter: