4 Takeaways From Nationals Spring Training Tie vs. Phillies

Pitchers are tinkering with things early on during spring training, so making judgements during that process is never a smart idea. With that being said, Andre Granillo still struggled in his first action of the spring.

Inserted into the game at the top of sixth inning, the right-hander was tagged for four runs -- all unearned -- during his outing. The frame began by giving up an infield single. Then, a runner reached on a throwing error during the next at-bat and Granillo walked the next batter. The Phillies took a 2-1 lead on a ground out, and then another throwing error loaded up the bases. But that's when his outing took a turn for the worse, as Granillo gave up a bases-clearing double that put Philadelphia up 5-1.

Again, it's early. So this is nothing that's overly alarming. But the 25-year-old was being looked upon as someone who could pitch major innings for the Nationals this season after they acquired him from the St. Louis Cardinals before camp got underway. So better showings going forward will inspire more confidence that can happen.

Abimelec Ortiz Has Yet to Show Up at the Plate Just Yet

The one major league-ready return piece of the MacKenzie Gore trade package was Abimelec Ortiz. After hitting nine home runs at Triple-A last year across 41 games to go along with a slash line of .283/.388/.565, there was some thought he could be a dark horse to win the starting first base role.

But his hitting ability has yet to show up at the plate thus far, as he has failed to record a hit across his four plate appearances where he's drawn a walk and struck out once. His bat has to come around if he's going to push for a spot, so this will be something to keep an eye one.

Jake Irvin, Brad Lord Piggyback Was Something to Note

Piggybacking starting pitchers -- or those projected to be starters -- is not uncommon during spring training, especially early on when trying to ease everyone into things. However, the combination of this piggyback was notable.

Brad Lord is likely going to be in the Opening Day rotation. Jake Irvin is fighting for the final spot. If Irvin isn't able to win that role, then there's a good chance he could be moved to the bullpen, where he might find himself pitching after Lord is pulled from a game.

That was reversed on Monday, as Lord pitched two innings after Irvin started the game and threw two of his own. But it was something that stood out to me for the future when the Nationals try to figure out what their best pitching configuration might be.

Trey Lipscomb Continues to Rake

This is a bit of cheating on my end since I normally focus on what took place in the first five innings of the game when it comes to takeaways. But what Trey Lipscomb has done at the plate so far this spring has been impressive.

In the bottom of the seventh inning on Monday, he led off the frame with a double. That was his second one across two games played, and he also has a single and a walk to his name. His perfect on-base and batting average went down the drain in the bottom of the eighth when he struck out. But it's still been a sizzling start for the 25-year-old who is pushing for a roster spot.

Leftovers

Matt Mervis picked a good time to announce himself in a major way. After picking up a hit in his first game of the spring, his second one couldn't have been more timely, as it was a two-RBI ground-rule double that tied the game up at five runs apiece in the bottom of the eighth inning. Pushing for a roster spot of his own, Mervis will need more moments like this.

CJ Abrams and Dylan Crews were quiet. Both combined to go 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout, but Crews did provide a highlight play when he scored the first run of the game from first base after Drew Millas ripped a double to right field.

Overall, this was a sleepy spring training game early on that didn't provide much overall. However, there were some things that stood out that could be banked when things start picking up later.