“You know, we’re using some of our younger guys,” Davey Martinez told reporters in Washington after Washington traded veteran infielder Nick Senzel for assignment and reinstated Trey Lipscomb, 24, as the Nationals’ third baseman going forward.
“He’s big for our future so we wanted to give him the opportunity to see what he can do.”
The move to promote Lipscombe comes just days after prospect James Wood (21) was called up and the Nationals demoted Joey Meneses to Triple-A and promoted Juan Yepes (26) to play first base in the nation’s capital.
They join C.J. Abrams (23), Luis Garcia Jr. (24), Kayvert Lewis (25), Jacob Young (24), Nasim Nunez (23), Mackenzie Gore (25), Jake Irvin (27), Mitchell Parker (24) and D.J. Hurts (23) with several more young players expected to emerge as the season progresses.
“These young guys are developing really fast,” Martinez said ahead of the second of four games against the Cardinals at Nationals Park. “They’re coming up, and I feel like they have an opportunity to help this team. For me, it’s about their development. Now it’s about bringing them here and teaching them how to play here and how to be consistent.”
“We have a good core of guys and we have a lot more to come. This is just the beginning of what we’re trying to do here. But like I said, I think our future is really bright. You can see that with Lipscomb, C.J. and Gore. As far as all of our starting pitchers, there’s a lot more to talk about.”
“They’re doing really well. There are other guys coming up…”
“For me, it’s exciting that they’ll be here for six months, almost a year, so when we’re really ready to compete, they’ll already have experience here and know what we expect and what they’re capable of.”
in a 14-6 victory on Saturday. St. Louis CardinalsWashington’s lineup had 15 hits, with Abrams hitting a home run on the first pitch of the first inning and scoring, and having 1 hit and 1 walk at bats; Wood had 2 hits for 5 with his first major league double and home run, 5 RBIs and 1 run; Lewis had 3 hits for 5 with a three-run homer, a double and 3 runs; Garcia Jr. had 3 hits for 5 with his 15th double; and Lipscombe had 1 hit and 1 run at bats.
“After what happened last night,” after the Nationals blew a 5-0 lead and lost 7-6 in overtime, “the way they bounced back and did it today says a lot about the character of the guys on this team. These young guys are hungry,” Martinez said after the win over the Cardinals.
“They want to play. They want to play baseball. I’m really proud of the way we went out there and hit baseball today. Really.”
“We were a little under the weather today with the heat and we could have turned it around, but they were ready to bat.”
Martinez said the ability to progress is something that is instilled in players at every level of the organization.
“They’re indoctrinated and raised to forget about it. We try not to dwell on the bad things and we try to stay positive here, and they’re really good at that,” he explained.
“‘Hey, forget it, it’s over. Let’s come back today and go 1-0.’
Abrams homered in his first at-bat early in the bottom of the first inning, Lewis followed with a three-run homer and Wood’s first homer was also a three-run homer. The Cardinals scored four runs in the top of the third inning and took a 9-4 lead after Gore threw 44 pitches, but Wood doubled in the third inning to score two more runs and take an 11-4 lead.
“[Wood] “Wood hit a big home run for us and then he hit a double when they started to come back, so he’s having a good day,” Martinez said of Wood’s performance since taking the mound.
“He’s been playing really well since he’s been here. His at-bats have been great. He’s very patient.”
“He’s trying to throw the ball in the zone. We’ve been talking about that since spring training, so it’s coming along nicely.”
Wood led 2-0 against veteran Lance Lynn before his home run, then smashed a 383-foot fastball through the zone into left field for his first major league home run and his 11th of 2024 overall.
“He had a really good at-bat. It was great to see him stay on the ball and hit it the other way and get his first home run.”
Gore, of course, struggled, giving up six hits, five walks and five runs in just three innings. 1⁄3 He threw 90 pitches in one inning, 52 of which were strikes.
“First of all, I think his fastball weakened a little bit. Seven of the nine batters he faced reached base. He threw 44 pitches in one inning,” Martinez said.
“I think the heat just tired him out a bit after that. It was hot. [thrown] That was a lot of pitches. The bullpen was exhausted, so we tried to get him to pitch longer.
“but [Pitching coach Jim] Hickey and I just said he can’t go, so I’m going to talk to him tomorrow and say, ‘Hey, forget about this and let’s get ready in five days.'”
The bullpen scored Gore for five runs. 2⁄3 He allowed five hits, two walks and one earned run in the inning.
Overall, it was a great display of the talent the Nationals have assembled at the major league level.
“We have a good core, and we can still grow from here,” Martinez said.
“This is just the beginning of what we’re going to do here. I think our future is really bright.”
