PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — In the visiting manager’s office at Tradition Field, Matt Williams was asked if the Nationals have set their starting rotation for this season.
“We have,” he said with a grin. “Would you like to know it?”
Williams announced Monday that marquee free agent Max Scherzer will start Opening Day on April 6, but he revealed the rest of the order Saturday morning. Barring any hiccups in the final week of spring training, Williams said Jordan Zimmermann will start the second game of the season, followed by Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Doug Fister.
The order came as little surprise, with the exception of Gonzalez and Fister. Many believed Fister would start fourth, with Gonzalez following him. When asked about that decision, Williams didn’t offer one specific reason.
“Yeah, there’s no deep secret reason behind any of it,” he said. “Gio gets a chance whether he’s four or five to go against the Phillies, who have a lot of left-handed hitters, so he slots there really well. And there’s no reason, other than that, to do it. We get to put Gio in there between Stras and Doug, and we’re confident in that. We feel good about that.”
The order of the names is obviously less important than the names themselves. The Nationals brought back the strongest rotation in the majors in 2014 and added Scherzer, the 2013 American League Cy Young award winner. The group has been a source of cautious optimism all spring.
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“We have depth to it,” pitching coach Steve McCatty said. “We have a legitimate chance to win every single day. That’s a good thing. How it turns out? I’d have to let you know sometime toward the end of September if it turns out like everybody says it’s supposed to. The season has a funny way of changing on you, and these other teams are pretty good.”
The Nationals still have some flexibility, too. They will not play Thursday and have days off before and after Opening Day. Those three days could allow William to tinker with the rotation as needed, should some unexpected setback arise.
For now, the only alteration to the normal spring order will come Monday, when Taylor Jordan will start in place of Scherzer. Williams said Scherzer will instead pitch in a minor-league game that day because he wants to throw 95 pitches in a more controlled environment.
Fister is slated to start the exhibition game at Nationals Park on Saturday, according to Williams. Gonzalez will probably make his final pre-season start in Viera after the rest of the team heads back to Washington.
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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