management:
Washington Nationals 2023 Rule 5 Draft pick Nasim Nunez played in 17 games (Only 3 starts), was hitless in 10 at-bats with one walk in 11 at-bats, but got his first major league hit on Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park.
“We’re not going to let her down,” Nunes’ manager, Davey Martinez, said in the post-fight press conference after the series-ending loss. San Diego PadresBut he didn’t tell the 23-year-old infielder he’d be given an at-bat until it was time to go to the on-deck circle.
“I didn’t want to tell him,” Martinez said. “I was thinking about taking C.J. [Abrams] did not say [Nuñez] Unexpectedness can be useful until you step up to bat and get the ball rolling. I remember my first hit in the major leagues. [Chicago Cubs’ skipper] Gene Michaels did the same thing to me. I just sat there and he said, ‘Hey, boy, he’s hitting it.’ And then ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh… and I got a hit on the first pitch. [Nuñez]But I am happy.”
Martinez’s first hit came in his 13th major league at-bat, while Nunez’s came in his 12th.
Martinez seemed to think that the element of surprise would allow his young players to go in there, react without thinking and ultimately break through.
“I kind of surprised Nunez, I just threw it and he made a great play,” Martinez said.
“He got his first hit, so I was really happy. But the guys were on the ball and they were getting the ball, so we could have scored more runs at the end, but we just fell short.”
The Nationals were trailing 8-0 in the ninth when Nunez hit the wrong side of the plate. They rallied back with five runs after a single, and Martinez said excitement over the rookie’s performance was a factor in the rally.
“Everybody was excited because he got a hit,” Martinez said, “and then we started hitting the ball and it was good.”
Current situation of the people:
Speaking about the Nationals, who were 38-41 at the time (now 38-42) in an interview with Audacy’s Sports Junkies broadcast on 106.7 the FAN in Washington on Wednesday morning, GM Mike Rizzo told the show’s hosts that he thinks there’s plenty of reason to be excited about the current state of the team’s multi-year restructuring.
“There’s a lot of positives. There’s a lot of positives to take from this team,” Rizzo said.
“If you’re not excited about where we are right now, then you haven’t paid attention to this rebuild,” he continued. “The rebuild is going well, starting pitching is going to be key and we’ve got that. We’ve got more guys in the minor leagues, we’ve got guys at every level, so I’m excited to be here.”
After three straight losses to the Padres, the team is now 3.5 games out of the final wild card spot.As of Thursday morning), and manager Davey Martinez’s style of play leaves the question of whether the club will be buyers or sellers at this year’s trade deadline (July 30) is natural (If it’s a little too early).
Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images
Rizzo said the phone has been ringing and “we’ve been making inroads for the last few weeks,” but “things aren’t going to start moving until we get closer to the trade deadline.”
“Typically it starts to heat up about two weeks before the deadline and then it really calms down. A lot of the final decisions aren’t made until a week before the trade deadline, sometimes a few days before the deadline,” Rizzo said.
“I think a lot of times these things get tight until the last minute. The Lane Thomas trade happened a minute before the deadline. These things are a process.”
“The deadline ultimately brings us to the conclusion: ‘Am I a buyer or a seller?’ And I think it’s becoming an exciting time.”
Either way, with several promising prospects close to making their MLB debuts, Rizzo stressed the team will have some help, even if it comes from within the organization.
“That’s something we’ll definitely do. We’ll bring in some young players. [to] Let’s see if he can get some experience at the major league level and give us a little bit of a jump start and energy. [But] You can’t get any more energy than this team is showing. [Davey Martinez] This team is playing hard.”
