Among the Washington Nationals relievers who threw live batting practice Tuesday in West Palm Beach were right-hander Brandon Kintzler and lefty Sean Doolittle, the former University of Virginia standout.
Kintzler was 2-2 with an ERA of 2.78 with 28 saves in 45 games with the Twins last season before he was traded to Washington.
After the trade, the former BYU pitcher was 2-1 with an ERA of 3.46 in 27 games with one save for the Nationals.
Doolittle was 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in 23 games with three with Oakland last season. He was then traded by the Athletics to the Nationals last summer, and he went 1-0 with a 2.40 ERA in 30 games with 21 saves in Washington.
Right-handed reliever Shawn Kelley threw off one of the mounds in a practice field bullpen on Tuesday.
“He threw real well,” Martinez said. “We are going to be careful with him.”
Kelley is coming off a horrendous season, as he posted an ERA of 7.27 in 33 games while dealing with neck and arm injuries.
Some position players hit off live pitching on a back field. That included outfielder Adam Eaton, who was injured in late April of last season while running out a ground ball and missed the rest of the season. Eaton hit .297 in 23 games last season for Washington.
“He is coming along,” Martinez said. “He wants to play tomorrow if he could. His progressions are great. We will see how it goes.”
Tuesday was the first day of workouts for the entire club at The Fitteam Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. The Nationals’ first spring training game will be here Friday against the Houston Astros, the defending World Series champions who share the facility here with Washington.
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