Yesterday, Zach Davies was supposed to start against the Marlins, but the weather got in the way of that. Today was supposed to be Trevor Williams. 2024 Spring Training debut against the Cardinals. The Spring Training schedule and everything about it is unpredictable. Pitchers have to build up arm strength, and Williams was already given permission for a delayed arrival in camp due to the birth of his child.
Baseball, like births of children, have that sense of unpredictability. Baseball has more flexibility at times. Manager Dave Martinez will give us the new plan today. Did Davies throw a sim game yesterday indoors, pitch in the slop on the minor league side of camp, or will he be bumped to today? If Davies did not pitch yesterday, he could pitch today on the minor league side or tandem pitch with Williams against the Cardinals. Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men.
The Astros and Mets played baseball on Sunday in Port St. Lucie, and got six innings in before that game was called by rain. Every game on the Gulf Coast of Florida was played. Florida weather has a mind of its own.
Missing a day also took the bat out of the hands of so many players that needed those at-bats. Sure, they have those covered batting cages behind the stadium at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches — it just isn’t the same thing. Now we have to hope that today’s weather cooperates.
Tomorrow was a scheduled day-off for no big league game for the Nationals. MASN was supposed to televise yesterday’s game as just one-of-six Spring Training games in Florida. It is doubtful they will grant Nats fans another game. On top of that. the largest cable provide in the DMV region, Comcast/Xfinity, is due to turn off service for MASN on March 7 after the cable company extended service for one additional week. That will be an issue for both Orioles and Nats fans that only are able to watch on MASN. The next scheduled MASN date is on March 9.
What is also interesting about MASN was their decision not send their TV broadcasters to Florida to call the games in-person. Before the scheduled start of yesterday’s game we saw Dan Kolko and Bob Carpenter open with the news of rain falling in West Palm Beach as they stood in front of a stadium photographed backdrop that looked like they were stuck in a closet. Rumors are they were broadcasting from a MASN location in Baltimore and not even at Nationals Park.
One thing we have to hope for is the end of MASN control of Washington Nationals games. That is supposed to be happening as a negotiating point in the sale of the Orioles to the Rubenstein group per the Baltimore Sun. Weeks have gone by since that news broke with no new news of a resolution.
Today’s game is a radio only game with Charlie & Dave on 1580 AM and on the MLB app.
