Mix-and-match lineup manages just 1 run

PHILADELPHIA -- The Nationals had yet to put out a lineup for Sunday's series finale with only 90 minutes until first pitch, giving manager Dave Martinez some extra time to assess the number of healthy players he had remaining as he tried to piece together a starting unit. Martinez even joked with bullpen catcher Henry Blanco to see if he felt good enough to be activated.

Such is the state of this Nationals lineup, which went quietly in a 7-1 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. It's so decimated by injuries that it hardly resembles what the Nats envisioned at the start of the year.

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Here’s what is missing from the Nationals Opening Day lineup: their No. 2 hitter (Trea Turner, broken right index finger); their No. 3 hitter (Anthony Rendon, bruised left elbow); their cleanup hitter (Juan Soto, back spasms) and No. 5 hitter (Ryan Zimmerman, plantar fasciitis). Even their replacements have found themselves bitten by the injury bug, with first baseman Matt Adams being put on the injured list Sunday after straining his left shoulder, and center fielder Michael A. Taylor unavailable after jamming his left wrist on Saturday.

It left Sunday’s lineup with only one player -- Kurt Suzuki, who homered for a third straight game -- with an OPS+ greater than 100, which is league average (Victor Robles began the day at exactly 100). Adam Eaton batted third for just the sixth time in his career and first time since 2016.

“These have been some trying moments,” Martinez said prior to the game. “But like I’ve said before, we've got a bunch of young kids getting an opportunity to play.”

So talented rookies like Robles and Carter Kieboom will have to endure their ups and downs in the big leagues. Other young players such as Andrew Stevenson and Wilmer Difo will get more playing time. And Jake Noll, the only healthy infielder or outfielder on the 40-man roster that wasn't already with the Nats, arrived in Philadelphia on Sunday morning and had to start at first base because Howie Kendrick needed a day off.

“They've just got to try to be themselves,” Suzuki said. “Just do what they do. They got called up here for a reason, and just play baseball. Not try to do too much and stay within themselves.”

This lineup leaves the Nationals with little margin for error, however, while they are in the midst of one of the most grueling portions of their schedule.

They dropped two out of three games in Philadelphia this weekend to start a 10-game road trip. Next, the Nationals begin a three-game series in Milwaukee on Monday before heading to Los Angeles for a four-game set with the Dodgers next weekend. Reinforcements could join them at some point this trip, as Rendon is eligible to return on Tuesday and Soto on Saturday. The Nats still expect both to be activated at those respective times.

In the meantime, Washington must survive this stretch that could threaten to bury its season. Mistakes on defense have been heightened, like when Noll booted a grounder in the first inning that led to a pair of unearned runs. It inflated Aníbal Sánchez's pitch count early in the game, and he ultimately needed 108 pitches to get through 4 2/3 innings. So Martinez leaned on Matt Grace to give the Nationals multiple innings from the bullpen, but the Phillies tagged Grace for five runs in the sixth inning to blow the game open.

“We’re going to play together,” Sanchez said. “No matter who is behind me, I trust them and I know how baseball is. And i just try to use my gameplan in the game. … That’s what I’m thinking about when I’m on the mound. I don’t pay attention to who is behind me, because I trust in my team all the time.”