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| Jayson Werth’s first hit of the season propels Nats to 4-2 win against the Marlins | Jayson Werth’s first hit of the season propels Nats to 4-2 win against the Marlins |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A player’s first hit of the season should carry no extra significance, especially when he is in his 14th major league campaign. But when that first hit comes in the fourth game of the season, after an 0-for-13 start for a soon-to-be-37-year-old outfielder, it undoubtedly feels better than most. On Sunday, in the seventh inning of the Washington Nationals’ 4-2 win over the Miami Marlins, Jayson Werth stepped to the plate with a target on his back. | A player’s first hit of the season should carry no extra significance, especially when he is in his 14th major league campaign. But when that first hit comes in the fourth game of the season, after an 0-for-13 start for a soon-to-be-37-year-old outfielder, it undoubtedly feels better than most. On Sunday, in the seventh inning of the Washington Nationals’ 4-2 win over the Miami Marlins, Jayson Werth stepped to the plate with a target on his back. |
| The Marlins wanted to challenge him. Werth, who is coming off an injury-riddled 2015 season, had stranded four base runners in his previous three plate appearances. So with Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon on base late in a tie game , the Marlins intentionally walked hot-hitting Daniel Murphy and brought in right-handed reliever Edwin Jackson to face Werth with one out. | |
| Jackson attacked Werth successfully inside but puzzlingly left a fastball up and outside, enough for the veteran outfielder to softly flick it to shallow center field for the RBI single that broke the stalemate and gave Jose Ross a win in his stellar season debut. | |
| “Needed to dink one in there to get me going I guess,” Werth said later with a shrug. | “Needed to dink one in there to get me going I guess,” Werth said later with a shrug. |
| [Ben Revere has an oblique strain, and his recovery time is uncertain] | [Ben Revere has an oblique strain, and his recovery time is uncertain] |
| On first base, Werth slapped his hands and looked at his teammates in the dugout. One batter later, Clint Robinson, who was starting at first base because Manager Dusty Baker gave Ryan Zimmerman a day off, also collected his first hit of the season, a two-run single to left field that gave the Nationals the winning cushion. | |
| “That was huge,” Robinson said. “Talk about my confidence, I’m sure it does a lot for [Werth]. I know J-Dub doesn’t need that type of stuff for confidence, but it’s always good to go out there and help your team win and contribute.” | “That was huge,” Robinson said. “Talk about my confidence, I’m sure it does a lot for [Werth]. I know J-Dub doesn’t need that type of stuff for confidence, but it’s always good to go out there and help your team win and contribute.” |
| After sputtering for six innings, the Nationals’ offense had finally turned base runners into runs, enough to secure a win for Ross. Bad weather in spring training and Saturday’s postponement messed with Ross’s pitching schedule. Between March 21 and Sunday, he threw only five innings against major league hitters. | After sputtering for six innings, the Nationals’ offense had finally turned base runners into runs, enough to secure a win for Ross. Bad weather in spring training and Saturday’s postponement messed with Ross’s pitching schedule. Between March 21 and Sunday, he threw only five innings against major league hitters. |
| Despite the long layoff, Ross quickly settled into a groove and plowed through the Marlins’ lineup. He tossed seven strong innings, striking out five and allowing only one run on 97 pitches . | |
| “Just another day of rest,” Ross said. “I felt pretty good going out there. I don’t think missing out on those starts really affected me.” | “Just another day of rest,” Ross said. “I felt pretty good going out there. I don’t think missing out on those starts really affected me.” |
| Ross’s command was understandably off in the first inning. He navigated his way around a slider that didn’t feel sharp, a leadoff triple by Dee Gordon, a walk of Christian Yelich and a rocket RBI single by Giancarlo Stanton. He escaped the jam with a double play after allowing only one run. | |
| “After that, he threw perfect for six more innings,” catcher Wilson Ramos said. | “After that, he threw perfect for six more innings,” catcher Wilson Ramos said. |
| Ross commanded his slider better and used a hard cut-back sinker to freeze batters and produce groundballs. He even flashed a change-up against left-handed batters, getting Yelich to fly out on one in the fourth inning. | Ross commanded his slider better and used a hard cut-back sinker to freeze batters and produce groundballs. He even flashed a change-up against left-handed batters, getting Yelich to fly out on one in the fourth inning. |
| “I just kind of got into a good rhythm, and I felt comfortable on the mound, and it kind of just went from there,” he said. | |
| Ross found a way out of jams in the fourth and sixth innings. Martin Prado tripled in the fourth with two outs when Harper dove for a sinking line drive. But Ross got Centreville native Justin Bour to fly out to end the threat. In the sixth, Gordon singled, but Ross did a good job of keeping him honest at first base, and Ramos threw him out on a stolen base attempt. Ross pitched around a walk to get two more outs. | |
| [Barry Bonds: Bryce Harper ‘doesn’t compare to me yet’] | [Barry Bonds: Bryce Harper ‘doesn’t compare to me yet’] |
| “The game appears slow to Joe anyway,” Baker said. “He’s 22, but he comes from a great family. His brother has been in pro ball for a while. He knows what he’s doing, and he’s not intimidated by any situation.” | “The game appears slow to Joe anyway,” Baker said. “He’s 22, but he comes from a great family. His brother has been in pro ball for a while. He knows what he’s doing, and he’s not intimidated by any situation.” |
| Ross’s stout pitching kept the Nationals in the game before they were able to finally crack the Marlins’ pitching staff late. Harper’s double in the first inning produced the Nationals’ first run. From the second through the sixth inning, the Nationals produced seven base runners but didn’t push them across home plate. Center fielder Michael A. Taylor also snapped his 0-for-12 start with a second-inning single. | |
| But the winning rally started in the seventh inning when Rendon singled off Marlins starter Tom Koehler with one out and Harper doubled off left-handed reliever Chris Narveson, his 100th career double. The Marlins didn’t want to face Murphy, who reached base in each of his previous three plate appearances. They licked their chops at Werth, who finally came through with a hit. | |
| “I’ve never been the best player in April,” Werth said. “I never had a chance to win the player of the month for April. I’m usually a slow starter. Hopefully that’ll get me going. I feel good. I’m healthy. My drills and swings I have been taking are good. I feel all right. My timing has been a little bit off, and I have been moving my hands around a little bit trying to get comfortable up there. It’ll come.” | “I’ve never been the best player in April,” Werth said. “I never had a chance to win the player of the month for April. I’m usually a slow starter. Hopefully that’ll get me going. I feel good. I’m healthy. My drills and swings I have been taking are good. I feel all right. My timing has been a little bit off, and I have been moving my hands around a little bit trying to get comfortable up there. It’ll come.” |