When: 1:05 p.m. Sunday.
Where: The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Florida.
TV: None.
Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1; other radio affiliates).
Probable starting pitchers: Tigers LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (1-0, 0.00 ERA this spring) vs. Nationals RHP Chad Kuhl (1-1, 8.59).
SATURDAY’S ACTION:Tigers’ Spencer Torkelson hits first home run in 8-4 loss to St. Louis Cardinals
READY FOR OPENING DAY?Detroit Tigers’ roster prediction 2.0: Why matchups matter for almost all
Tigers lineup: TBA.
LF Zack Short
SS Ryan Kreidler
3B Andy Ibáñez
1B Spencer Torkelson
C Eric Haase
DH Cèsar Hernández
3B Jermaine Palacios
RF Kerry Carpenter
CF Jonathan Davis
P Matthew Boyd
Game notes: It’s a matchup of two of baseball’s worst in 2022, as the Nats — remember when they won the World Series, all the way back in 2019? — lost 107 games last season. That brings them to 238 losses in 384 games — a .380 win percentage — since Stephen Strasburg & Co. took down the Astros in the Fall Classic. Nats fans have to be hoping their rebuild was juiced up by the franchise-altering trade of Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres last summer. Washington received a plethora of young talent — gee, why does this sound so familiar — that will get the chance to develop at the major-league level, including left-hander Mackenzie Gore, shortstop CJ Abrams and catcher Keibert Ruiz (who has already signed a $50 million extension).
The Nats aren’t putting it all on them; they’ve signed several veterans to short-term deals, including former Tiger Jeimer Candelario. The third baseman, who was flat-out awful last season with a .633 OPS just a season after leading the majors with 42 doubles, isn’t off to a great start this spring. Before he joined the Dominican Republic for the WBC, he was hitting .227 with two doubles and no home runs over seven games with the Nats.
Washington also added right-hander Chad Kuhl, who controlled the Tigers — one hit, one strikeout and no walks over 2 1/3 innings — earlier this month. He was less effective on Monday against the Astros, however, giving up two runs on four hits and four walks over three innings.
The Tigers, meanwhile, will send Eduardo Rodriguez to the mound, fresh off his time with Venezuela (which took on the U.S. in the WBC semifinals on Saturday night). He, too,…