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Game Details

• St. Louis Cardinals (4-6) vs. Washington Nationals (6-5)
• Pitching Matchup: RHP Lance Lynn (0-0; 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Josiah Gray (0-0; 1.80 ERA)
• Date: Friday, March 8, 2024 | 6:05 p.m. ET
• Location: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches | West Palm Beach, FL

Game Story Line & Notes

• The Washington Nationals will begin a long weekend against the St. Louis Cardinals tonight. They will then play a doubleheader tomorrow against the Houston Astros (game time at 12:05 p.m.) and a 6:05 start against the Miami Marlins.

• The Nationals are coming off a loss against the New York Mets in their first game of the 2024 campaign under the lights.

• Jake Irvin was sharp in his first start of this year’s Spring Training. The right-hander pitched four scoreless innings, giving up only two hits and striking out five.

• Washington Nationals prospect Brady House had a pitch-hit opposite-field single in the top of the ninth inning and is now 4-15 with a batting average of .267 this Spring Training. House has been sneakily quiet during this year’s spring training, as others, such as James Wood and Dylan Crews, have been stealing the spotlight.

• Quotable(s):

  • “Last year, I leaned on my breaking balls heavy… Those have been successful pitches for me, but now I want to establish that fastball, work on the changeup a lot, keep the cutter where it is, and kind of react to the hitters. Things have been good so far, but there’s always more work to be done.” - RHP Josiah Gray discussing. his 2023 performance

  • Jake was good. He was very good, very efficient… Fastball was live. He threw the ball over the plate for the most part. The cutter was good. He didn't throw any changeups today. He just wanted to work on his cutter. His fastball was really good. His curveball he could drop for strikes. And that's really good. A good outing.” - Manager Davey Martinez on Jake Irvin’s performance in yesterday’s loss against the New York Mets.

On the bump for the Nationals: RHP Josiah Gray

Today, the Washington Nationals will send RHP Josiah Gray for his third start of this year’s Spring Training. Gray has been razor-sharp in his previous two outings. He has pitched five innings and struck out 10, boasting an ERA of 1.80 and a WHIP of 1.20.

In his previous start against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, the 26-year-old threw 48 pitches, 27 of them for strikes.

Washington Nationals Starting Lineup (Subject to Change)

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