Washington Nationals Players ‘Pissed’ After Dave Martinez’s Comments

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Martinez went on to say that "Sometimes you got to put the onus on the players. … We can't hit for them. We can't catch the balls for them. We can't pitch for them. We can't throw strikes for them. They got to do that.”

Apparently, Martinez’s comments did not go well in the locker room.

The Washington Post’s Andrew Golden (subscription required) reported on Sunday that a source within the Nationals’ organization said some players were “shocked, dismayed and pissed” by what Martinez said. He also reported that general manager Mike Rizzo and other front office staff were chatting with players, behavior described as “atypical” for a normal pre-game.

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The root of the issue right now is offense. The Nationals have scored three runs or less in 11 of their last 13 games and are stuck in their longest losing streak — eight games — in nearly three years.

Martinez told reporters in pre-game that he spoke to his team about the comments he made on Saturday, and he said the players “were great.”  Golden posted the entire exchange on X (formerly Twitter).

“Hey, it wasn’t on them, right? My comments were nothing about them. They know that. They read through it. Like I said, I talked to them about it, and they’re all good,” he said.

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He was later asked who his comments were directed toward. He reiterated they were not directed at the players, even though one of his direct comments put the onus on the players to play better.  

“Was never about them, right? I never mentioned anything about players, right?” Martinez said. “I appreciate those players. I played. I understand how hard this game is. They know that. So, it’s a difficult game. These guys are out there trying hard. We got to do the little things. As I talked about, we start doing little things, we’ll start winning some of these games.”

Martinez and the Nationals will host the Colorado Rockies on Monday. The game is likely to be the Major League debut of third baseman Brady House, who Golden reported was being promoted from Triple-A Rochester on Sunday. The Nationals have not officially announced the move.

For more Nationals news, head over to Nationals On SI.