West Palm Beach, Fla. - A win is a win, regardless of how it is achieved. This afternoon, the Washington Nationals secured a 1-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, marking the team’s fifth win of Spring Training.

The decisive moment occurred in the bottom of the fourth inning when Keibert Ruiz executed a sacrifice fly to center field off JoJo Romero (0-2; 6.00 ERA). This play enabled Lane Thomas to score from third, clinching the Nationals' win over the Cardinals.

In his second spring start, Cardinals' right-hander Sonny Gray had to exit the game in the second inning due to right hamstring tightness.

On the Nationals' side, Trevor Williams demonstrated his prowess in his first Spring Training appearance. The right-hander threw two scoreless innings, striking out three and allowing only one hit.

40 in 40 Mason Thompson

Henry Basilica • Mar 4, 2024

Editor’s Note: This is the latest edition of our 40-man breakdown series. You can read more by clicking here. Mason Thompson Position: Right-Handed Relief Pitcher Current status: Recovering from Tommy John surgery How acquired: Acquired by the Nationals along with Jordy Barley in exchange for Daniel Hudson via trade with the Padres on July 30, 2021

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This afternoon’s game marked Williams' first start of Spring Training after joining a bit later due to the birth of his fifth child.

“The goal going into it was just to come out healthy,” Williams said at his locker to a room full of media following his departure from the game. “At this point of spring training, we want to get as much volume as possible. So, thankfully, we're able to get two full innings today. I could throw about 15 more in the bullpen to get that volume up. I think it was successful in that sense.”

Last year, Williams posted a record of 6-10 with an ERA of 5.55 across 144.1 innings pitched.

Tanner Rainey also delivered an impressive performance, pitching one inning, striking out two, and allowing just one hit.

James Wood continued his strong showing in this year’s Spring Training, securing a hit at the start of the game in the bottom of the first inning. Wood finished the game 1-3 with a strikeout.

Despite the Nationals scoring only one run, they managed five hits and left six baserunners. The team went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

Other Nationals News:

Lile out with a back Contusion: The most significant story from this weekend was the injury to Nationals prospect Daylen Lile in Saturday afternoon’s game against the Boston Red Sox. Yesterday, it was revealed that Lile had a back contusion and might miss some time; however, that was the best-case scenario for the prospect.

“I watched [the play] last night, about 10 times, and he really did luck out,” manager Dave Martinez said yesterday afternoon. “The fact that he was able to flip all the way -- I know it’s still painful, but it could have been a lot worse. So we’re grateful. … I mean, he’s hurting, but he will be OK.”

Pitching Calendar set: According to media reports, the Nationals have already set their pitching rotation for the next three days after tomorrow’s day off. Patrick Corbin will start Wednesday’s afternoon game against the Miami Marlins in Jupiter, followed by Jake Irvin on Thursday night against the Mets in Port St. Lucie. Josiah Gray will make his third start Friday night against the Cardinals in West Palm Beach.

Next Game:

Nationals vs. Marlins
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium Jupiter, FL | 1:10 PM

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