Williams in 'good spot' entering regular season

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Trevor Williams is checking off his boxes as Spring Training nears its end.

The veteran right-hander took the mound against the Astros on Thursday, one week before Opening Day, for his longest outing of camp. He tossed six innings, allowing one run off four hits (a home run to Jeremy Peña in his final frame) and two walks while striking out five in the Nationals’ 5-4 loss.

“We wanted to accomplish six ups today and as close as we could do a hundred pitches, so I think overall we did a great job with that,” Williams said. “At this point in Spring Training, it’s what we wanted to do, and we’re in a good spot leading into the season.”

Williams will share innings in Tuesday’s exhibition versus the Yankees at Nationals Park with MacKenzie Gore for his final appearance ahead of regular season action. In six starts in Florida, Williams went 1-1 with a 5.71 ERA across 17 1/3 innings.

“He’s a student of the game,” said manager Dave Martinez. “I saw him sitting down today studying the opponents, knew how to attack them. [He] was talking to Riley [Adams] a little bit before the game. He’s a competitor, and he wants to win; he wants to help us win. I love that about him."

Thursday’s start had regular season vibes for Williams. He enjoyed going through a pregame routine with pitchers and catchers meetings. Williams, who started nine games and pitched 21 out of the bullpen last season for the Mets, also faced 23 batters against the Astros.

“He got through it really well; the third time through the order was not an issue,” Martinez said. “He attacked a little bit differently the third time. That’s good, and that’s somebody that has knowledge about pitching, a veteran guy. I love how he was attacking the hitters. He was getting us ground balls [and] early contact.”

Williams, 30, is entering his eighth Major League season. He played his first five with the Pirates, half a season with the Cubs and a year-plus with the Mets. Williams signed a two-year deal with the Nats this winter in free agency to join their starting rotation. Having a defined role has helped him look ahead to the big picture of the season rather than focus on spring numbers.

“Being on the active roster and not the injury list, that’s probably the biggest one,” Williams said when asked which statistics are most meaningful to him in camp. “Stats are one thing in Spring Training for certain guys. I'm fortunate enough to be in a spot where results don't necessarily weigh into a roster decision, so that puts my mind at ease where I can truly work on things and get ready for the season so the stuff that I work on in these five, six starts carry over to the 35 in the season."

Williams soon will be leaving West Palm Beach to play in Washington, D.C., for the first time wearing a curly ‘W.’ After making a positive impression on his teammates and the coaching staff in camp, he aims to do the same in his introduction to the Nationals crowd.

“I'm looking forward to getting out there,” Williams said. “It's been one of my favorite stadiums as a visiting player. I've heard nothing but good things about the fan base. I'm excited to earn the trust of the guys behind me, and then also the coaching staff, where they know every five days, they're going to get what they get."