The Washington Post - USA (2022-05-24)

TUESDAY, MAY 24 , 2022. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ M2 D5

baseball

BY ANDREW GOLDEN

On a warm Saturday night in Northern Virginia, more than 5,000 fans filled a minor league ballpark for “Star Wars Night.” Ushers with lightsabers escorted families to their seats, and chil- dren scurried away from their parents and grandparents. They lined the third base wall, hoping to get a glimpse of a player or — even better — snag an autograph. Not far away, the Fredericks- burg Nationals stretched in their special Star Wars-themed jerseys. The players briefly walked into the dugout before taking the field. Most fans cheered, some gave a standing ovation, and others watched intently. “I heard the guy right there, number 28, he’s supposed to be the next big thing,” one fan said to another as they watched the team warm up. “Really?” “He’s like 18 years old, I think, but they drafted him last year.” That guy was Brady House, the Washington Nationals’ first- round pick in 2021. House towers over his teammates at 6-foot-4, his brown curls bouncing out of the back of his cap as he fields ground- balls. House, who turns 19 in J une, is seen as central to the Nationals’ future. That’s what happens after a trade deadline sell-off, when a fan base is left searching for glimpses of the next big thing and new names to cling to. House isn’t living the life of a typical teenager. He made sure to have his fun — which included attending his senior prom — before he graduated from high school, but soon he was out on his own. After spring training, he fit everything he could in his pickup

truck, drove from Florida and settled in near Fredericksburg, which is about 550 miles from his home- town of Winder, Ga. He doesn’t feel he has missed out on anything — well, maybe college classes; he had committed to Tennessee — but he joked that it’s a part of his life he is okay with leaving behind. “It’s great,” he said. “Getting to come out here and practice and play every day and not have to worry about anything else but do- ing that as your job — it’s really nice, especially with me being 18.” He has never lived this far from home. He has seen his family just three times since spring training, but he said that only makes their trips that much more meaningful. House expects his brother, Brooks, his parents and his grandmother to make more trips to Virginia once Brooks’s baseball season ends. House also had to adjust as one

of the few high-schoolers when he arrived at the Florida Complex League last summer. The way pro- fessionals carried themselves was noticeably different. “Going from high school to pro baseball with a bunch of grown men has been a change,” House said. “But I’m used to it now, I feel like, and it’s been great so far.” Infielder Sammy Infante is one of House’s closest teammates in Fredericksburg; they are room- mates on the road. Infante, 20, understands the transition House is experiencing — he was a second- round pick in 2020. “Brady’s had a lot of success, and that only shows how good of a player he is,” Infante said. “Every- thing’s different in the game. So just imagine the pressure, the expectations, you not fitting in quite yet with your teammates, not knowing your coaches. It’s just a completely different atmosphere.” House, who had a .304 batting

average, three home runs and 28 RBI through 28 games, has had no trouble getting comfortable at the plate. Off the field, he has adapted, too. His daily schedule is similar for a 6 p.m. start: He wakes up, makes breakfast, then heads to the stadium and arrives around 1. He does his early work in the batting cage, goes through team drills and takes a short break before hitting again. He doesn’t show much emotion during games, offering the same calm de- meanor when he struck out in an at-bat as he did when he roped an RBI double two innings later. That’s by design for House, who aims to stay levelheaded. “A lot of times, it’s hard for younger players to succeed with the skill sets that they have when they’re not confident in it,” hitting coach Delwyn Young said. “And what Brady’s taught me about himself is the fact that he’s confident, but you can’t really tell it.” His manager, Jake Lowery, said House reminds him of a franchise player such as Ryan Zimmerman or Francisco Lindor, whom Low- ery played with in Cleveland’s mi- nor league system. House has asked questions when he has needed to, but Lowery said he has handled the external pressure “beautifully.” After “Star Wars Night,” the Fredericksburg Nationals auc- tioned off a handful of the jerseys for charity; House’s sold for $12,300. The lucky buyers, Scott and Jennifer Ballard, admitted they weren’t planning to spend that much on a jersey. But this wasn’t just any jersey — it was Brady House’s. “This individual, I really truly believe, is going to go somewhere,” Scott Ballard said. “I think he’s going all the way.”

House is a player Nats can build on

With a hot start at Fredericksburg, 2021 first-round pick is seen as central to the franchise’s future

AMANDA ANDRADE-RHOADES FOR THE WASHINGTON POST Brady House has had no trouble getting comfortable at the plate, with a .304 batting average, three homers and 28 RBI in 28 games.

González and Doug Fister; Anthony Rendon was good enough to take over for Ryan Zimmerman at third base; on and on. But in Rizzo’s history as a GM — one that dates from 2009 — does he have a better trade on his résumé than Steven Souza Jr. and minor league pitcher Travis Ott for Turner and Joe Ross? It says here he does not. (The complete transaction involved 11 players bouncing among the Nationals, San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays.) That it took rule-changing creativity to get it done — Turner technically was not allowed to be dealt by the Padres because he had been drafted less than a year earlier, so the Nats asked if he could be included as a “player to be named later” — only adds richness to the story. Hat tip to former assistant general manager Bob Miller for that wrinkle. Souza, an outfielder, has bounced around to five teams since; he was designated for assignment by Seattle this week. Ross has been more injured than healthy and is working his way back from having a bone spur removed from his elbow in March. But Turner? Turner is a star. That expectation — to receive a star in return in every trade — isn’t reasonable. But part of the job of Rizzo and his staff is to find players who will help this process posthaste. On Monday night, that included catcher Keibert Ruiz, who entered the Dodgers series hitting .353 with a .969 OPS in May. On Tuesday night, that will include right- hander Josiah Gray, who will be trying to win for the third time in his past four decisions. They are the major-league-ready pieces who came over from the Dodgers. They’re the players who, for now, must represent hope that the future includes brighter days. Will either be as impactful as Turner? Unlikely. From 2016, when he came up to the majors to stay, through 2021, Turner racked up 25.3 Wins Above Replacement (according to FanGraphs), trailing only Francisco Lindor among players who primarily played shortstop in that span. It’s asking a lot of Ruiz or Gray — or any prospect landed in any future trade — to develop into a player of that stature. But they’ll have to come from somewhere, which brings to mind one final, wistful notion: Hey, Trea. The Dodgers haven’t extended you. You’re a free agent this offseason. Would you consider coming back? “I gave all that up last year — out the window,” Turner said, laughing. “After that trade, I don’t expect nothing. I don’t have any expectations.... Who knows what happens? Not me.” Who could have known, in 2019, that Trea Turner wouldn’t be the Nationals’ shortstop in 2022? He is here this week with the Dodgers a s a reminder not just of what it takes to tear down a franchise but of how it could be built up again, too.

the National League East,
Stephen Strasburg was out for
the year and Scherzer was free to
walk at the end of the season.
They’re hard deals, but they’re
deals you make.
Turner’s inclusion, though,
sent a clear message that the
reboot — the term General
Manager Mike Rizzo prefers
over “rebuild” — would be
deeper and more traumatic than
what fans and even staff
members might have
anticipated. His appearance
back at his old home with the
Dodgers, with whom he
completed a season that yielded
a batting title, only sprays insect
repellent on a festering wound.
The sting is real.
“When we traded all those
guys, we made an organizational
decision that we were going to
get super young and we were
going to transition to something
different,” Manager Dave
Martinez told reporters Monday.
“It’s part of the game.”
The game can be cruel. The
Dodgers can put Turner behind
Mookie Betts and Freddie
Freeman — both former MVPs —
to top a lineup that entered
Monday with the most runs in
baseball, not to mention the
highest on-base-plus-slugging
percentage. Martinez is now
juggling his lineup in an attempt
to create a spark from rain-
soaked wood, but he still ends
up with Juan Soto protected by
Nelson Cruz, owner of the
seventh-lowest OPS in the
National League. Less than three
years ago, the Nationals shocked
the Dodgers en route to the
World Series championship.
Their trajectories since are stark
and staggering.
“It definitely feels different,”
Turner told reporters. “But it
feels good to be over here and
contributing to this team, and I
feel in a good spot.”
It’s a different spot than that
in which his old club finds itself.
But it’s also important to
remember that the Nationals
once were where the Nationals
are now — and, frankly, worse
from the top of the organization
to the bottom — and that
Turner’s acquisition was the
kind of shrewd move that will
have to be re-created if their
fortunes are to turn around
again.
Now, there is uncertainty
here. The Lerner family is
exploring the sale of the
franchise. The Lerners must
decide whether to pick up 2023
contract options on Rizzo and
Martinez — even if someone else
might be deciding whether to
extend them beyond that. In
Rizzo’s favor: He could look back
to the 100-loss seasons from long
ago and explain how a
consistent contender emerged.
By the offseason of 2014-15,
the Nats already had been
minted as an annual threat.
They won division titles in 2012
and 2014 for all sorts of reasons:
Back-to-back No. 1 picks
Strasburg and Bryce Harper had
become contributing major
leaguers; Rizzo made smart
trades for starting pitchers Gio

SVRLUGA FROM D1

BARRY SVRLUGA

Turner r eminds this club

of what was and c ould be

KATHERINE FREY/THE WASHINGTON POST

“It feels good to be over here and contributing to this team,” said
former National Trea Turner of his new employer, the Dodgers.

NATIONALS ON DECK

vs. L os Angeles Dodgers

Today7:05MASN2 Tomorrow 4:05 MASN

vs. Colorado Rockies

Thursday7:05MASN Friday7:05MASN

Saturday4:05MASN2 Sunday1:35MASN2

at New York Mets

Monday7:10MASN May 31 7:10 MASN

June 11 :10MASN

Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM)

Dodgers 10, Nationals 1 DODGERS AB RHBIBBSOAVG Betts rf........................... 322211 .280 Freeman 1b .................... 523200 .310 T.Turner ss..................... 401300 .289 Alberto 2b ...................... 100000 .231 Ríos dh............................ 500003 .240 Smith c........................... 411111 .255 Muncy 3b........................ 501000 .157 Bellinger cf..................... 411112 .216 Taylor lf.......................... 411110 .240 Lux 2b-ss........................ 432011 .263 TOTALS 39 10 12 10 58— NATIONALS AB RHBIBBSOAVG Thomas cf-rf .................. 400002 .219 Ruiz c.............................. 400000 .279 Soto rf ............................ 301000 .245 Robles cf......................... 000000 .229 Strange-Gordon cf ......... 100000 .211 Cruz dh ........................... 411000 .205 Bell 1b ............................ 402101 .296 Hernandez lf................... 401001 .319 Franco 3b........................ 300000 .262 Hernández 2b................. 301002 .277 Escobar ss ...................... 301002 .206 TOTALS 33 17 108 — L.A........................... 200 313 100 —10120 WASHINGTON........ 000 000 001 —170 LOB: Los Angeles 8, Washington 5. 2B: Freeman 2 (16), Betts (10), Bellinger (10), Hernández (10), Cruz (2). 3B: Taylor (2). RBI: T.Turner 3 (32), Smith (19), Taylor (16), Betts 2 (26), Bellinger (15), Freeman 2 (23), Bell (23). SB: Bellinger (6). DODGERS IP HRER BB SO NP ERA Anderson .................... 850008101 3.30 Bickford....................... 121100 11 3.68 NATIONALS IP HRER BB SO NP ERA Adon ......................... 42 / 3 76644 92 6.97 Voth.......................... 11 / 3 33312 34 9.35 Ramírez....................... 121101 21 2.50 Espino.......................... 200001 27 2.75 WP: Anderson (5-0); LP: Adon (1-8). Inherited runners- scored: Voth 2-0. HBP: Ramírez (Betts). T: 2:52. A: 22,423 (41,339). HOW THEY SCORED DODGERS FIRST Mookie Betts singles. Freddie Freeman doubles. Mook- ie Betts to third. Trea Turner grounds out, Freddie Free- man to third, Mookie Betts scores. Edwin Rios strikes out on a foul tip. Will Smith singles, Freddie Freeman scores. Max Muncy flies out. Dodgers 2, Nationals 0 DODGERS FOURTH Will Smith flies out. Max Muncy grounds out. Cody Bellinger walks. Chris Taylor triples, Cody Bellinger scores. Gavin Lux walks. Mookie Betts doubles, Gavin Lux scores, Chris Taylor scores. Freddie Freeman flies out. Dodgers 5, Nationals 0 DODGERS FIFTH Trea Turner grounds out. Edwin Rios grounds out. Will Smith walks. Max Muncy singles. Will Smith to second. Cody Bellinger doubles, Max Muncy to third, Will Smith scores. Chris Taylor pops out. Dodgers 6, Nationals 0 DODGERS SIXTH Gavin Lux singles. Mookie Betts walks. Gavin Lux to second. Freddie Freeman doubles, M ookie Betts to third, Gavin Lux scores. Trea Turner singles, Freddie Freeman scores, Mookie Betts scores. Edwin Rios strikes out swinging. Will Smith strikes out swinging. Max Muncy pops out. Dodgers 9, Nationals 0 DODGERS SEVENTH Cody Bellinger strikes out swinging. Chris Taylor pops out. Gavin Lux singles. Mookie Betts hit by pitch. Gavin Lux to second. Freddie Freeman singles, Mookie Betts to second, Gavin Lux scores. Hanser Alberto pops out. Dodgers 10, Nationals 0 NATIONALS NINTH Keibert Ruiz pops out. Dee Strange-Gordon grounds out. Nelson Cruz doubles. Josh Bell singles, Nelson Cruz scores. Yadiel Hernandez grounds out. Dodgers 10, Nationals 1

It was Hudson’s return, too How did Daniel Hudson feel about returning to Nationals Park? He called it cool and found it tough to describe his emotions. He was traded to the San Diego Padres at the trade deadline last year; the 35-year-old reliever, who was on the mound for the final out in Game 7 of the 2019 World Series, was on the covid- 19 injured list when he was dealt, so he didn’t get to say goodbye to members of the organization. Being back gave him a sense of closure. “I’ve told people this before: I wasn’t in a very good spot per- sonally before I came here,” he said. “I wasn’t really having a lot of fun playing baseball. And this organization, this city, this great group of guys over there, it really kind of reinvigorated it for me. I’ll always be grateful for that.... I wasn’t quite sure how much longer I was going to play baseball until I got here. So I’ll always be grateful for that, every time I come back here until I retire.”

Late changes Soto was removed in the eighth inning to get some rest, Martinez said, and Victor Robles came in to play center, shifting Thomas to right. But Robles experienced cramping in his right calf be- tween innings, so he was taken out as a precautionary measure and Dee Strange-Gordon played center in the ninth.

tent with my line to home.” As the Dodgers added on against the Washington bullpen — including a two-run single from Turner against Austin Voth in the sixth — the Nationals managed just seven hits, five of them singles. The Dodgers’ Tyler Anderson tossed eight scoreless innings and finished by striking out the side in the eighth. Ander- son threw an effective change-up that kept the Nationals off bal- ance. Here’s what else to know about the Nationals’ loss:

More lineup tweaks Martinez moved center fielder Lane Thomas into the leadoff spot because Thomas is better against lefties. Thomas had bat- ted leadoff one other time this season in a loss to the San Francisco Giants on April 23. Hernández has been first in every other game but dropped to eighth Monday. Thomas went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts, so it’s unclear whether he’ll get more opportunities there — or whether these recent changes will produce results for an offense that has scored two runs or fewer in eight of its past 11 games. It worked Sunday, when Mar- tinez shifted catcher Keibert Ruiz, who makes contact at a high rate, into the second spot and dropped Soto to third. The change yielded an 8-2 victory in Milwaukee, but Monday’s move didn’t pay off the same way.

Adon was in a jam almost i mmediately. Mookie Betts singled on his third pitch, and Freddie Freeman followed with a double one pitch later to set up a matchup with Turner, who made his return to Washington on Monday after being traded to the Dodgers in July with fellow franchise icon Max Scherzer. Turner grounded out to second but brought home Betts, giving him the first of his three RBI and the Dodgers (28-13) a 1-0 lead. An RBI single by Will Smith two batters later made it 2-0. Adon settled down from there, but self-inflicted mistakes led to extra pitches — and extra runs. He walked Cody Bellinger with two outs in the fourth, and Chris Taylor made him pay with a triple off the out-of-town score- board in right field that Juan Soto almost made a play on but couldn’t quite snag. A walk by Gavin Lux and a two-run double by Betts let the Dodgers extend their lead to 5-0. The same dilemma arose in the fifth: After getting two quick outs, Adon walked Smith. Max Muncy singled, and Bellinger doubled Smith home, ending Adon’s night after 4^2 / 3 innings. “I think that’s the biggest thing for me: to maintain my consistency,” Adon said through an interpreter. “Sometimes I’m trying to overdo it with my pitches and I lose my line when I land. So just trying to stay consis-

NATIONALS FROM D1

Nationals return home, fall to Dodgers

KATHERINE FREY/THE WASHINGTON POST Pitching coach Jim Hickey talks with Nationals starter Joan Adon, who fell to 1-8 with Monday’s loss.

The Washington Post - USA (2022-05-24)

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