Spring Training Game Chat: Mets vs Nationals, 1:05 PM

Thursday, March 5, 2026 • 1:05 PM
CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches • West Palm Beach, FL
RHP Justin Hagenman (0-0, 5.06) vs. RHP Miles Mikolas (0-0, -.–)
Nationals.TV

The Mets take another step today back to normal spring training baseball. The last two days, the Mets have taken on Nicaragua and Israel in a series of exhibition games leading up to the WBC. With a chunk of the Mets stars away for the WBC for at least the next few days, things are a bit quieter in camp.

There are a couple of things that happened yesterday that are worth noting. Christian Scott took the mound for the first time since his Tommy John surgery in 2024. He threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings, scattering two hits and five strikeouts. Carson Benge smashed a homer. The Mets also reassigned Nate Lavender to minor league camp.

The eyes of the baseball world are on the WBC, but if you have access to the Nationals’ local broadcast, your eyes could be on the Mets today!

Mets Lineup

1. Mike Tauchman – LF
2. Jorge Polanco – 1B
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Brett Baty – RF
5. Ronny Mauricio – SS
6. Jose Rojas – DH
7. Cristian Pache – CF
8. Jackson Cluff – 2B
9. Ben Rortvedt – C

Starting Pitcher: Justin Hagenman

Opposing Lineup

1. Joey Wiemer – RF
2. Seaver King – SS
3. Keibert Ruiz – C
4. Andrés Chaparro – 1B
5. José Tena – 2B
6. Robert Hassell III – CF
7. Christian Franklin – LF
8. Trey Lipscomb – 3B
9. Caleb Lomavita – DH

Starting Pitcher: Miles Mikolas

Game Notes

• Sean Manaea will make his first start of Grapefruit League play on Friday.
• The Mets reassigned Chris Suero to minor league camp. Suero hit a pair of homers in major league camp.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Justin Hagenman. Hagenman pitched 23 2/3 bullpen saving innings for the Mets in 2025 over nine games with a 4.56 ERA, 3.77 FIP, 1.099 WHIP and an 89 ERA+. Over two games this spring, he has pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs from six hits and three walks while striking out seven. Hagenman enters 2025 with two minor league options left. His two options, plus his experience last year, make him a leading candidate for an emergency start or bulk work with an opener.
2. Miles Mikolas. The East Coast of the Grapefruit League is weird. There are five teams, and three of them play in the NL East. Eventually, we get to a point in spring where the NL East teams start to put their starting pitchers in the backfields and minor league games for longer outings and to “hide” them from the hitters in the other dugout. The Nationals are not doing that with Miles Mikolas today. The Nationals signed Mikolas after trading MacKenzie Gore to the Rangers. Mikolas is on the Nationals to eat innings and make starts. He’s made at least 31 starts in four consecutive seasons. Last season, he had a 4.84 ERA, 5.03 FIP, 1.318 WHIP and an 85 ERA+.
3. Jorge Polanco. Jorge Polanco officially makes his Grapefruit debut at first base today. Polanco made his Clover Park debut on Tuesday against Nicaragua, going 0-for-3 at the plate, but that was technically an exhibition game. The questions around Polanco aren’t around his hitting – they’re around his new fielding position. If you have the ability to watch the Nationals broadcast, let us know how he looks out there!

Let’s go Mets!

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