Nationals tee off on Santiago
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Hector Santiago’s strong spring with the Mets was derailed Sunday by a first-inning disaster.
The veteran lefty was yanked with two outs in the first after throwing 43 pitches and allowing six runs to the Nationals. The final straw was drilling Victor Robles, the 10th batter he faced in the inning.
“They just hit him around a little bit, plain and simple,” manager Mickey Callaway said following a 10-5 loss. “Everything they hit found holes and we weren’t able to make plays on the balls they put in play, and just an off day for him.”
Santiago entered with a 1.50 ERA this spring as he competes for a bullpen job.
Juan Soto’s two-run homer in the first had Santiago’s afternoon headed in the wrong direction after four batters. The Nationals collected seven straight hits against him.
“He’s thrown the ball well all spring,” Callaway said. “He still is [a bullpen candidate]. One bad outing and we are going to get him back out there again as soon as he is ready to go and he is going to keep on plugging away.”
Jacob deGrom was scratched from his minor league start because of a stomach ailment. The Mets ace is now scheduled to pitch Monday in a minor league game against Noah
Syndergaard in Port St. Lucie. Both have been withheld from facing the Nationals because the Mets open their season in Washington.
But the Nationals had no qualms about sending Stephen Strasburg to the mound Sunday against the Mets, despite the fact he is scheduled to face them in the seasonopening series.
“It’s always great when you get a look in these games,” said Michael
Conforto, who homered in the fourth inning against Strasburg. “We saw [Strasburg] earlier in spring and today, so we have got a good idea of seeing his pitches, seeing his movement, get a good idea of what he likes to do in certain situations. It’s good to see him when you know you are going to get him the second game.” The Mets expect Carlos Gomez’s Grapefruit League debut to come Monday. The veteran outfielder has been relegated to minor league workouts as he awaits a work visa.