Washington
My prediction for the Washington Nationals Opening Day Lineup
The Washington Nationals Opening Day matchup against the Phillies is just two weeks away! With that in mind, I thought it was time to make my prediction for the Opening Day lineup. One important thing to keep in mind is that the Phillies Opening Day starter, Zack Wheeler is right handed.
1: CJ Abrams, SS
This one is a slam dunk. Manager Davey Martinez has already confirmed that Abrams will be the leadoff man. Despite his tumultuous second half, the Nationals still have faith in their young shortstop. The best stretches of CJ’s career have come from the leadoff spot, and it has always felt like he has been more confident at the top of the order. He will take the first at bat of the season for the Washington Nationals.
2: Dylan Crews, RF
This might be slightly bold due to Crews’ lack of MLB production, but I think the Nats are going to stick him in the 2 hole. A big reason for this is his right handed bat. The Nationals lineup is very left handed heavy at the top as we will discuss. Davey Martinez will want a right handed bat in between those guys and Crews fits the bill. Martinez has a history of not liking too many same sided hitters in a row, so Crews is a good bet at in the 2 hole.
3: James Wood, LF
The Nationals highest upside hitter will hit in the three hole. There are high hopes for the towering slugger in 2025. Andrew Golden said he had a chance to hit 35 homers this season, while Grant Paulsen said 30 was within reach. Wood certainly has the raw power to get that done. He hits the ball hard a ton, and it goes a long way when he elevates the ball. Right now he hits the ball on the ground too much, but even with that, he had a productive half season at just 21 years old.
4: Nathaniel Lowe, 1B
The first of a few new additions, Nathaniel Lowe was the biggest move of the Nationals offseason. He has been a stalwart in a stacked Texas Rangers lineup the past few years. While he hasn’t hit for the power of your prototypical cleanup man the past couple years, he is a well above average bat. He gets on base a ton and provides some thump to go along with it. Lowe should be a leader in the young Nats lineup.
5: Josh Bell, DH
While I would consider Luis Garcia Jr here, I know Davey wouldn’t love three lefties in a row. That is why the switch hitting Bell is going into the five hole. Bell is looking to get back to hitting for more power, something the Nats need him to do. The Nats are hoping he can be a 25 home run bat. He has also a beloved member of the community in his first stint with the club, so it will be nice to get him back in town.
6: Luis Garcia Jr., 2B
Luis Garcia had a breakout year in 2024. He was arguably the Nationals best hitter last season. You can certainly argue that he should be hitting higher in the lineup, but this is what I think will happen. Having Garcia in the 6 hole shows the improved depth of the lineup. He can establish himself as one of the better second baseman in baseball if he can repeat or improve upon his 2024 campaign. Garcia has been swinging a hot bat this spring.
7: Keibert Ruiz, C
Speaking of swinging a hot bat, Keibert Ruiz has looked excellent this spring. He is tapping into his power, with three home runs and his approach looks improved. Those were the two things Ruiz needed to do to bounce back from a brutal 2024 season. The bat to ball skills have never been in doubt, he has just given away too many at bats and there has been too much weak contact. 2025 is a massive year for the 26 year old catcher.
8: Paul Dejong, 3B
I think Paul Dejong is going to be the opening day third baseman. He signed just before Spring Training on a one-year deal, but the veteran has impressed. Dejong has looked very strong defensively at third base and has showed off some of his famous power. He hit 24 homers last year and the Nationals need power bats.
9: Jacob Young, CF
Jacob Young will be like a second leadoff man for the Nats. His speed and solid contact ability make him a pesky hitter at the bottom of the order. Hopefully his new strength can translate to a bit more power. Young will never be a slugger, but even if he could hit 8 homers a season, it would go a long way. He is a phenomenal defensive center fielder, but if the bat doesn’t improve, his job will be under pressure with all of the outfielders the Nats have in the upper minors.
This is my Opening Day lineup prediction. We will see how I did in two weeks when the Nats host the Phillies on March 27th for Opening Day.
WASHINGTON (7News) — With thousands of spectators expected to attend the UFC fights at The White House, fans had to fight the weather while awaiting the much-anticipated event.
Fight night on Sunday was preceded by excitement in the hours leading up to the first bout.
ALSO SEE | FIRST LOOK: UFC drops renderings for White House fight, Freedom 250 Fan Fest
“Everywhere you walk, people have American flags; they’re excited about the fights,” said David Klimek.
The heat and humidity blanketed the nation’s capital throughout the day.
Event staff handed out free water bottles along the path leading to the security screening area.
“We’re probably just going to find a bar or a watch party, maybe get out of the heat a little bit. They were giving out free waters. That was cool. I wasn’t expecting that,” said Nathan Willingham.
Klimek echoed this sentiment, telling 7News, “It’s just too hot out here. We try to have water, but you’re standing in the sun, so we did the best we can.”
It wasn’t just the heat that played a role on Sunday.
The possibility of storms also had fans making plans in case they had to find cover.
“We planned to just wait it out right in the rain. But for the lightning, we were just going to follow the crowd, see where people go. I heard they were going to come back when it’s over, so we just trusted the organizers to keep us safe,” Klimek said.
Ethan Ragland told 7News, “I think we’re just going to go to a bar, just watch the fight there if that happens. That’s the ‘plan B,’ I guess.”
In the days leading up to the fights, public safety officials ramped up security measures.
That included road closures all around the National Mall.
ALSO READ | Federal judge dismisses challenge to White House UFC fight
“I think they did a really good job of setting up all of the infrastructure. They got a lot of police. It seems like it’s pretty safe,” Willingham said. “I was worried about the possibility of some dangerous stuff, but it seems like it’s very, very secure.”
Many roads will remain closed through Monday evening.
The Mariners will try to wipe the slate clean today behind Emerson Hancock. He could use a great outing as much as the Mariners could use one from him. Since his first start in May, Hancock has looked less like a breakout star and more like a somewhat improved version of his old self. Over that time, his K%-BB% is down to just 12%, and he’s outrunning his peripherals on the back of a .200 BABIP. That’s all fine, and even that version of Hancock has more of a career in front of him than the guy who finished last season. But one hopes he can adjust back now that the league has clearly adjusted to him.
The Nats will counter with PJ Poulin, who will work as an opener in front of Miles Mikolas.
With Randy Arozarena still down with the hamstring issue and Julio Rodríguez getting a DH day, we’ll see an outfield of Luke Raley, Víctor Robles, and Dominic Canzone. It’s giving 2024. I wouldn’t read too much into Raley, Canzone, and Miles Mastrobouni getting starts against a lefty since Mikolas is expected to get the bulk today for Washington. Honestly, I’m surprised more teams aren’t trying a lefty opener against the Mariners.
Pretty standard lineup for the Nats except that Curtis Mead has the day off, and James Wood gets DH duty. On the seventh day, they rested.
First pitch: We got ourselves brunch baseball, baby. 10:35 PDT first pitch.
TV: Mariners TV
Radio: Old reliable
A fighter jet crashed into a mountain Saturday afternoon in Yakima County, Washington, sparking a wildfire, local officials said.
The crash occurred at about noon near Rimrock Lake in Washington state. The pilot sustained minor injuries after ejecting from the plane and was transported to the hospital, the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office said.
The crash sparked a fire in the area, prompting the evacuation of campers as firefighters worked to suppress it, officials said.
The U.S. Marine Corps told CBS affiliate KIRO-TV in a statement that the crashed jet was an F/A-18 Hornet “assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.”
The jet “experienced a non-fatal aviation mishap while conducting routine training approximately 55 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington,” the statement read.
The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing is based in Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California.
The Naches Fire Department said the fire was being suppressed by helicopters and at least one engine from the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest crew.
Helicopters and at least one engine from the U.S. Forest Service’s Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest also responded. The size of the blaze was unclear.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, officials said.
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