Houston Astros 4-2 Over The Washington Nationals: Stephen Strasburg Dominates; Drew Storen Struggles

Houston Astros' outfielder Trevor Crowe, a 29-year-old, '05 Cleveland Indians' 1st Round pick out of the University of Arizona, fouled off a few 1-2 pitches and lined to center off '09 no.1 overall pick (and former SDSU starter) Stephen Strasburg for a leadoff hit in the first at bat of tonight's Grapefruit League game in Viera, Florida's Space Coast Ghost Stadium. '08 St. Louis Cardinals' 1st Round pick Brett Wallace sliced a 1-2 curve to left where it got caught on the wind and curled away from a lunging 2010 Nats' no.1 overall pick Bryce Harper. Scored a hit since Harp didn't touch it. With runners on first and second and no one out, former Oakland A's first baseman Carlos Pena, who was famously traded by Brad Pitt as Billy Beane because he was making the other Athletics look bad, rolled over a 1-2 change and sent a grounder to second that advanced both runners into scoring postition with one down. Former New York Mets' top prospect Fernando Martinez had no chance catching up to a 96 mph 2-2 heater. A 1-2 bender to Rick Ankiel sent the former Nationals' outfielder out to center field with his hat and glove for the bottom of the first. Called strike three. 25-pitch opening frame for Strasburg. 2 Ks.

Houston right-hander Lucas Harrell made quick work of the Nats' in the bottom of the first, sending Stephen Strasburg back out to the mound rather quickly. Ryan Zimmerman got to do the old charge and low throw on the first ball hit to him this Spring off Astros' catcher Carlos Corporan's bat. Strasburg shaved Marwin Gonzalez's armpits with a high 90's heater up under the arms that had the 'Stros' shortstop taking deep breaths as he took a step out of the box to collect himself. The 24-year-old infielder went the other way with a grounder that Adam LaRoche backhanded and played for out no.2. Astros' second baseman Jake Elmore reached on a two-out infield single in front of Astros' starter Lucas Harrell, who was reportedly told not to swing by manager Bo Porter. He listened. Backwards K. 3 strikeouts in 2.0 scoreless. 39 pitches after a 14-pitch second by Strasburg.

Adam LaRoche was the Nationals' first baserunner when he walked with one down in the home-half of the second. Ian Desmond K'd swinging at a two-strike curve for out no.2 and Danny Espinosa grounded to first to end Lucas Harrell's second scoreless.

A diving 0-2 change away got Trevor Crowe chasing for out no.1 and K no.3 on the night for Strasburg. An 0-2 curve to Brett Wallace hit a bird on the way to the plate and fell under Wallace's bat. Out no.2, K no. 5. An 84 mph 1-1 change had veteran slugger Carlos Pena guessing. Strasburg missed with a 97 mph fastball low and away, and couldn't get the left-hander to bite on a curve, but a full-count change just wasn't fair. Swinging K for Pena. Out no.3 and K no.6 for Strasburg. 52 pitches in 3.0 scoreless after a 13-pitch, 1-2-3 3rd. Wilson Ramos, Strasburg and Denard Span went down in order in the bottom of the frame.

23-year-old Astros' outfield prospect Robbie Grossman took a 76 mph 2-2 curve for a called strike three and Strasburg's seventh K. Strasburg threw an otherworldly change* to Rick Ankiel and got ahead of the former Nationals' outfielder, but the Arm got hold of a 2-2 fastball inside and jacked it to right for a solo blast that soared over Jayson Werth's head and out for a 1-0 Astros' lead. Carlos Corporan grounded weakly to short for out no.2 of the top of the fourth. Grounder. Desmond. Out. Marwin Gonzalez did the same. Grounder. Desmond. Out. x 2. 1-0 Astros over the Nats. 67 pitches for Strasburg. Jayson Werth walked for the first time this Spring to start the Nationals' fourth, but was quickly erased on a 4-6-3 DP off Bryce Harper's bat. Ryan Zimmerman's bat, or at least the barrel of it, almost took Lucas Harrell out, but the 'Stros' starter made the play on the grounder to the mound as everything but the handle of Zim's bat flew over his head. 1-0 Houston after four.

' (ed. note - "Here's that 'otherworldly' changeup..."):

Strasburg caught the outside corner with a 94 fastball 1-1 fastball to Jake Elmore, then got the second baseman to ground to short for out no.1 of the fifth. Grounder. Desmond. Out. once again. 24-year-old Astros' outfielder Jimmy Paredes K'd swinging through a 1-2 change for K no.8 on the evening for Strasburg. Trevor Crowe took a healthy cut at a 3-1 fastball but came up empty, then he doubled to center on the full count pitch, but Crowe took a wide turn around second and Ian Desmond saw Adam LaRoche sneak in behind him and threw to the bag where the Nats' first baseman applied the tag. +Defense. +Sneaky.That's an 8-6-3 put out. 1-0 Astros after four and a half. 81 pitches for Stras after a 14-pitch fourth.

Adam LaRoche lined to center for the Nationals' first hit of the night off Astros' reliever Wesley Wright, who was promptly lifted from the game. Houston right-hander Hector Ambriz came on next and retired the next three batters in order, however and the Nationals had just one hit after 5.0 innings in Viera, Florida.

Brett Wallace flew to left on a 93 mph full-count fastball from Strasburg for out no.1 in the sixth. Strasburg just missed outside with a 1-2 fastball to Carlos Pena, then missed inside with a 2-2 bender. The Nats' right-hander's 3-2 fastball missed low and brought Davey Johnson out to the mound. 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 Ks, 1 HR, 93 P. Robbie Grossman grounded out to second for out no.2 with Craig Stammen on for Washington and Rick Ankiel K'd swinging to end the sixth. Still 1-0 Houston after five and a half.

27-year-old Seattle Mariners' 1st Round pick Josh Fields took over for the Astros in the seventh and walked Nats' catcher Chris Snyder in the first at bat. The Nationals' second "hit" of the game was a fly to center off Denard Span's bat that Robbie Grossman lost in Viera, Florida's friscilating dusklight. Second and third with no outs. Jayson Werth popped to right unproductively for out no.1, but Bryce Harper walked to load the bases in front of Chad Tracy. The Nats' HCBB and Good Squad leader grounded to first and the Astros came home for the force. Adam LaRoche stepped in with the bases loaded and two down and popped up on the first pitch he saw. Out no. thre--- the Astros let it drop. Span scores. 1-1 game. Ian Desmond singles to left. 2-1 Nats after six.

Craig Stammen threw a quick, 1-2-3 top of the seventh. Astros' right-hander Edgar Gonzalez retired the Nationals in order in the bottom of the inning. Nats' '09 1st Round pick Drew Storen took over in the eighth and gave up a leadoff single by first by Astros' infielder Jose Martinez. Trevor Crowe's second hit of the game sent Martinez around to third and with runners on the corners, 2012 no.1 overall pick Carlos Correa hit an RBI single through short to tie the game at 2-2 in the eighth. Crowe tagged and took third on a Jonathan Singleton fly to center to put runners on the corners with one down. Robbie Grossman K'd swinging at an over-the-top 2-2 slider from Storen for out no.2. With 20-year-old Astros' outfielder Domingo Santana at the plate, Correa swiped second, and Santana then walked to load the bases with two down and a broken bat single by backup catcher Rene Garcia gave the Astros a two-run lead. 4-2 Houston and a frustrated Storen after seven and half.

Chad Tracy singled off Astros' right-hander Edgar Gonzalez with one down in the Nationals' eighth. Adam LaRoche flew to left for out no.2. Zach Walters K'd swinging to end the bottom of the inning. Henry Rodriguez took over for the Nats in the top of the ninth. Carlos Rivero dropped a pop to right off Jake Elmore's bat, putting a runner on second to start the frame. Elmore swiped third with Jose Martinez up. Rivero caught Martinez's fly to right and made a strong throw home to keep Elmore at third. Trevor Crowe K'd chasing a diving two-strike change for out no.2. 18-year-old Carlos Correa popped up to second to end the top of the frame.

Chris Snyder hit a two-out single off Edgar Gonzalez to keep the game going for one more out and bring Corey Brown to the plate with a chance to tie it, but Brown grounded to second to end the game. 4-2 Astros final.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Washington Nationals' Third Baseman Ryan Zimmerman Makes Debut In Field Tonight vs Houston Astros

"Obviously it's a lot freer and more natural after the cleanup and things," Washington Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman told MLB Network Radio hosts Mike Ferrin and Jim Duquette a week ago today in a discussion about his surgically-repaired right shoulder, "but we've still got about week or so of strengthening to go and everything feels great, it's just not strong enough yet. And that's just part of the process. You can't, unfortunately, rush that, and you have to kind of go through the step-by-step rehabilitation plan and once we get there we'll be good to go." A week after those comments, and a day after Nats' skipper Davey Johnson told reporters, including the Washington Post's James Wagner, that the on-field debut of the 28-year-old third baseman was close, the Nationals' released their lineup for tonight's game with the Houston Astros and a familiar name was penciled in at the hot corner:

#Nationals lineup tonight vs. HOU: Span 8, Werth 9, Harper 7, Zimmerman 5, LaRoche 3, Desmond 6, Espinosa 4,Ramos 2, Strasburg 1

' Nationals PR (@NationalsPR) March 16, 2013

Barring any injuries, setbacks or hiccups and with a decision on the Nats' Opening Day catcher still pending, that looks an awful lot like the lineup the Nationals will put out there on April 1st when they start the 2013 campaign at home in the nation's capital against the Miami Marlins.

Zimmerman's 11 for 22 with three doubles and a home run in seven games so far this Spring, but tonight's he'll take the field and test his shoulder for the first time in live action since he had surgery to repair the problem that plagued him throughout the Nationals' run at the division title last season.

Davey Johnson told reporters on Friday, as the WaPost's Mr. Wagner wrote, that Zimmerman was currently at "90 to 95 percent arm strength" and said he would talk to his third baseman this morning before deciding whether the infielder would make his debut this weekend or on Monday since Sunday was a Grapefruit League road game not likely to feature many veterans in the lineup. Zimmerman's been throwing across the diamond for over a week now as he explained in the MLB Network Radio interview last weekend, but tonight's game (which is on MASN and MLB.tv) will be the first live-action test for the one-time Gold Glove winning infielder.

After receiving a cortisone shot last June that alleviated the pain caused by inflammation in the AC joint in his right shoulder, Zimmerman finished the 2012 season strong, posting a .321/.383/.584 line with 26 doubles and 22 HRs in the final 90 games 399 plate appearances of his eighth MLB season, leaving him with a .282/.346/.478 line for the year with 36 doubles and 25 HRs in 145 games and 641 PAs, over which he was worth +4.5 fWAR. Zimmerman and the rest of the Nationals will be backing up Stephen Strasburg tonight in Viera, Florida's Space Coast Stadium as they take on the visiting Houston Astros.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Washington Nationals' Davey Johnson Tells Reporters "No Possibility" Of Christian Garcia Being On Opening Day Roster

Washington Nationals' manager Davey Johnson updated reporters on Christian Garcia earlier this week. "He feels real good, he doesn't feel any discomfort in that area," Johnson said, referring to the right-hander's wrist, where the 27-year-old pitcher suffered a partially torn tendon while throwing earlier this Spring. "We have a wrist/arm specialist in [the Baltimore] area," Johnson explained, "that he'll probably have to be examined by before we let him resume throwing." Johnson said then that Garcia would have to make a visit to the doctor before he could get back on the mound and begin catching up on the time he's missed since he was shut down in late February. Garcia's expected to go to Baltimore to see the specialist this weekend, but as the Nats' skipper explained this morning, the reliever/starter has already missed too much time to be available by Opening Day.

Johnson, in fact, told reporters this morning, including MASN's Dan Kolko and NatsInsider.com's Mark Zuckerman, that there was "no possibility" of Garcia being available by Opening Day on April 1st. Once he starts throwing again, again according to the reports, the former New York Yankees' prospect signed by the Nats in July of 2011, will likely remain at the team's facilities in Florida "'We'll probably keep him down here once he starts throwing, see where he's at,'" the manager's quoted explaining by NatsInsider.com's Mr. Zuckerman.

The Nationals had planned on stretching Garcia out this Spring in the hope that he could provide them with additional starting depth, one area the team thinks still needs to be addressed. According to both the MASN and NatsInsider.com reports, that plan hasn't changed. The right-hander started the 2012 campaign, his second in the organization, at Double-A Harrisburg where Garcia was (1-0) with seven saves, a 1.80 ERA, 1.30 FIP, six walks (2.70 K/9) and 28 Ks (12.60 K/9) in 18 games and 20.0 IP. The right-hander then moved up to Triple-A Syracuse, where he saved 14 games and posted a 0.56 ERA, 1.87 FIP, 11 walks (3.06 BB/9) and 38 Ks (10.58 K/9) in 27 games and 32.1 IP before he was called up to the nation's capital where he put up a 2.13 ERA, a 3.73 FIP, two walks (1.42 BB/9) and 15 Ks (10.66 K/9) in 13 G and 12.2 IP.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Puerto Rico Eliminates Team USA With 4-3 WBC Win; Washington Nationals' Ross Detwiler And Gio Gonzalez Headed Home To Viera

Cleveland Indians' infielder Mike Aviles' two-out RBI single in the top of the first gave Puerto Rico an early 1-0 lead over the United States in their Round 2 matchup in the World Baseball Classic. Tonight's win-or-go-home WBC game didn't have half of the boisterous, instrument-wielding crowd that turned out to watch the Dominican Republic beat the U.S. last night or even the one that watched Gio Gonzalez shut Puerto Rico down earlier this week in the US squad's 7-1 win on Tuesday night in Miami's Marlins Park.

Team USA right-hander Ryan Vogelsong was up in the zone early in the game, giving up three singles in the first and after a 1-2-3 second, surrendering a leadoff walk and a two-out double by Carlos Beltran in the third. The double play the Giants' starter got from Jesus Feliciano after the leadoff walk to his teammate Angel Pagan is all that kept the Americans from trailing by two after Beltran's hit. The St. Louis Cardinals' outfielder was stranded at second instead one out later when Yadier Molina popped out to end the third.

Nelson FIgueroa, 38, who signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks this past December, last pitched in the majors with the Houston Astros in 2011. FIgueroa pitched at Triple-A with the Yankees and Red Sox' top affiliates in 2012. Tonight in Miami, the right-hander held the U.S. team off the scoreboard through the first five innings, giving up just one hit and one walk while throwing 69 pitches, 47 for strikes and preserving Puerto Rico's 1-0 lead. The U.S. turned to 28-year-old Indians' right-hander Vinnie Pestano with one on and two out in the top of the sixth, after Vogelsong gave up a one-out walk to Carlos Beltran and got a flyout to center from Yadier Molina...

Ryan Vogelsong's line: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R*, 2 ER*, 2 BB, 1 K, 73 P, 43 S.

A single off Pestano by Mike Aviles and back-to-back walks by Chicago White Sox outfielder Alex Rios and one-time Pirates' first baseman Carlos RIvera, respectively, loaded the bases and then forced in a run* to make it 2-0 Puerto Rico before 31-year-old White Sox' minor leaguer Andy Gonzalez's two-run double to left gave the U.S. a 4-0 lead after five and a half. Nelson Figueroa was approaching his pitch limit when Jimmy Rollins singled with one down in the bottom of the sixth, but one out later the Philadelphia Phillies' shortstop was caught stealing with Ryan Braun at the plate to end the Puerto Rican starter's 6.0 scoreless inning of work.

Figueroa's line: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 Ks, 82 P, 57 S.

The United States finally got on the board in the seventh after Figuerao was out of the game. Joe Mauer tripled to center off Puerto Rican lefty (and 22-year-old Indians' prospect) Giovanni Soto with one down. Mauer then scored the United States' first run on an RBI single to left by Giancarlo Stanton. 4-1 Puerto Rico. Ben Zobrist grounded into a force at second for the second out of the frame, but Eric Hosmer's two-out single brought the tying run to the plate in the person of Adam Jones, prompting Puerto Rico's manager Edwin Rodriguez to go to the pen for right-hander Jose De La Torre, a 27-year-old Boston Red Sox' prospect, who got Adam Jones looking on a questionable (it wasn't a strike) called strike three to end the U.S. rally. Still 4-1 PR.

Former Marlin and current D-Back Heath Bell threw a scoreless eighth, giving up one hit. De La Torre returned in the bottom of the inning and gave up back-to-back one-out singles by Jimmy Rollins and Brandon Phillips. A double by the third base bag by Ryan Braun brought Rollins around to make it 4-2. De La Torre was replaced by lefty Xavier Cedeno, a 26-year-old Houston Astros' pitcher, who walked Joe Mauer to load the bases... with one out... for Giancarlo Stanton... Puerto Rico brought on 31-year-old right-hander Fernando Cabrera. Stanton worked the count full in an eight-pitch at bat that ended in a pop to short left. Two outs. Ben Zobrist got ahead 3-1 on Cabrera, and walked to force in run no.3, 4-3 Puerto Rico.

The fourth pitcher in the eighth, J.C. Romero, came out of the pen, and got a groundout to second by Eric Hosmer that ended the eighth. Still 4-3. Braves' closer Craig Kimbrel pitched around a leadoff single in a scoreless top of the ninth. J.C. Romero stayed on for Puerto Rico and retired the U.S. hitters in order for the save. 4-3 Puerto Rico and the U.S. is eliminated from the WBC.

What does this all mean for Washington Nationals fans? Well, it means that Nats' lefties Gio Gonzalez and Ross Detwiler will be heading back to Viera, Florida to rejoin the defending NL East champs for the last two weeks of Grapefruit League action. Nationals' skipper Davey Johnson discussed the scheduling should the U.S. lose tonight with reporters this morning including the Washington Post's James Wagner, who wrote that Gonzalez, the 2012 21-game winning left-hander who threw 5.0 scoreless vs Puerto Rico Tuesday night, would pitch on his regular rest on Sunday afternoon when Washington travels to Lakeland, Florida's Joker Marchant Stadium to take on the Detroit Tigers.

As for Detwiler, who threw 4.0 scoreless in relief of Ryan Vogelsong on Saturday night and never pitched again in the WBC, the WaPost's Mr. Wagner wrote, "[Pitching Coach Steve] McCatty and Johnson would have to find a spot for Detwiler based on whether ' and how much ' he pitches tonight." Veteran right-hander Chris Young has been filling Detwiler's spot in the Nationals' rotation while the 26-year-old left-hander has been with the U.S. team.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Washington Nationals 6-3 Over Houston Astros On Micah Owings' Grand Slam; Yes That Micah Owings

Chris Young's second start for the Washington Nationals this Spring began with Houston Astros' infielder Marwin Gonzalez, who hit two home runs in 219 major league plate appearances last season, taking the Nats' right-hander deep to right, into the wind and over the outfield wall for a leadoff home run and an early 1-0 'Stros' lead. In Young's first start for the Nationals, after signing a minor league deal on February 22nd, the 33-year-old, nine-year veteran surrendered three hits, three walks and three runs in 3.0 IP against the Miami Marlins. After giving up the leadoff blast and having Astros' first baseman Brett Wallace reach on a wind-aided error by Jayson Werth in right, Young recovered and retired the next three batters in order in a relatively quick opening frame. 1-0 Astros.

'09 Cleveland Indians' 1st Round pick Alex White, a right-hander acquired by the Astros from the Rockies this past December in a trade that sent RHP Wilton Lopez to Colorado, was also part of the July 2011 Ubaldo Jimenez deal between the Rockies and Indians. White made 23 appearances, 20 of them starts with the Rockies last year. His third start and fourth appearance this Spring started with Denard Span grounding out to second in the bottom of the first, but Jayson Werth took the Astros' right-hander yard in the next at bat, hitting his first home run of the Spring (6 for 23) and tying the game at 1-1. Ryan Zimmerman was 10 for 20 with two doubles and home run in Grapefruit League action after he hit a two-out, two-base hit one out before White escaped the first. 1-1 after one.

Chris Young walked the first batter he faced after the Nationals tied it up in the bottom of the first, putting Rick Ankiel on in the top of the second, but Young retired the next three Astros in order in a scoreless inning of work. Ian Desmond entered play today 8 for 21 in 12 Grapefruit League games and he was 9 for 22 when he singled to start the Nats' second. Wilson Ramos collected his fourth hit in 12 ABs one out later when he singled to center, moving Desmond to second and the Nats' shortstop took third on a pitch in the dirt Astros' catcher Jason Castro couldn't corral. With runners on the corners, Steve Lombardozzi came through with an RBI single, his 8th hit and 7th RBI in 16 games and 38 PAs. 2-1 Nationals after two.

After retiring eight-straight batters following the leadoff home run and ROE in the first, Chris Young issued his second walk of the game to Astros' outfielder Chris Carter in the top of the third, bringing Houston's DH Carlos Pena up with a runner on and two down. A two-out "infield" single to the outfield grass in right by Pena put two on with two out, but a Justin Maxwell fly to Bryce Harper in left ended the top of the frame with the Nationals still up by one. 2-1 Washington. Ryan Zimmerman was 2 for 2 today with two doubles after a two-out, two-base hit in the Nationals' third. 11 for 21 on the Spring. But Zim was stranded when Adam LaRoche K'd swinging to end the third.

Former National Rick Ankiel collected his 11th hit in 24 Spring Training ABs in the top of the fourth when he doubled (for the third time this Spring) off Chris Young to start the inning. Ankiel took third on another hit, this one by Astros' catcher Jason Castro, who singled on the next pitch Young threw, sending Ankiel to third, but two outs later, both runners were still on the corners after Young struck Matt Dominguez out and popped Marwin Gonzalez up to Adam LaRoche at first. Two down and a sharp grounder to short by Marwin Gonzalez strands two. Grounder (or low liner). Desmond. Out. 2-1 Nationals in the fourth. Alex White retired the Nats in order in the fourth, setting Desmond, Espinosa and Lombardozzi down in order in a quick inning of work.

' Chris Young's Line: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 Ks, 1 HR.

Zach Duke, the lone lefty in the Nats' pen, issued a two-out walk to Carlos Pena in the top of the fifth. Pena stole second on new Nats' catcher Chris Snyder with Justin Maxwell at the plate and an error by Duke on a Justin Maxwell grounder put runners on the corners with two down and Rick Ankiel up. Justin Maxwell stole the second base of the inning off Snyder (and Duke, I guess), but Ankiel K'd swinging to end the Astros' half of the inning. Houston lefty Wesley Wright got Denard Span looking on three pitches for the first out of the Nationals' fifth. Jayson Werth singled to center for his second hit in three at bats. Bryce Harper was 1 for 3 today (and 17 for 39 this Spring) after hustlin', hustlin' to first on a grounder to third and beating Astros' third baseman Brett Wallace's throw to first. Two outs later, however, both runners were stranded when Wright retired Zimmerman and LaRoche to end the fifth.

Duke's sixth went a bit smoother as the left-hander retired the Astros in order. Houston right-hander John Ely retired the Syracuse crew: Zach Walters, Carlos Rivero and Chris Snyder in order in the bottom of the sixth. Rafael Soriano came out for his fourth inning of work this Spring in the top of the seventh. Brandon Laird connected for a leadoff single to start the inning and 6'8'', 250 lb Astros' slugger Nate Freiman hit a two-run blast out on the jet stream to right-center to give Houston a 3-2 lead in the 7th. First runs allowed by Soriano this Spring. The new Nats' closer retired the next three Astros in order, but Houston was ahead 3-2 after six and a half. Steve Lombardozzi and Corey Brown on singles and Tyler Moore on a fielder's choice, all reached safely to start the Nationals' seventh and Micah Owings, who entered today's game 6 for 18 w/ three doubles and a HR this Spring, hit an opposite field Grand Slam to right field off John Ely to give the Nationals a 6-3 lead in the seventh.

Nats' right-hander Henry Rodriguez came out for the top of the eighth. Chris Marrero caught a foul pop off Astros' catcher Carlos Perez's bat for out no.1. Rodriguez issued a one-out walk to 29-year-old Houston outfielder Trevor Crowe, who stole second with Che-Hsuan Lin at the plate, but the Nats' flame throwing right hander got Lin looking for out no.2 and got a groundout to third from Jake Elmore to end a scoreless eighth. The Nationals came up empty against RHP Jose Valdez in the bottom of the frame, and took a three-run lead into the top of the ninth.

Tyler Clippard came on in the Astros' ninth. Brandon Laird flew to left for out no.1 Nate Freiman K'd looking. Two. And Clippard got infielder Jose Martinez flew out to Corey Brown to end the game. 6-3 Nationals.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

WBC GameThread: USA vs Dominican Republic From Miami, Florida's Marlins Park

Washington Nationals' manager Davey Johnson told reporters on Wednesday that he didn't know what Team USA Manager Joe Torre and Pitching Coach Greg Maddux had in mind for 26-year-old Nats' lefty Ross Detwiler, who's scheduled to throw today but not starting for the U.S. entry in the second round of the 3rd installment of the World Baseball Classic. Former New York Mets' and current Toronto Blue Jays' knuckler R.A. Dickey is scheduled to start in tonight's WBC Round 2 matchup with the Dominican Republic. Detwiler came on in relief of Ryan Vogelsong this past Saturday in the U.S. team's win over Italy, throwing four scoreless in which he allowed just one walk and one hit, while striking out three and throwing 51 pitches total, 36 of them strikes. No one told the Nats' skipper how Detwiler would be used, but he's well-rested and as Johnson said, "I'm sure that everybody will be available in that game, that's a big game for them."

MLB.com's Barry Bloom wrote Thursday morning that, "The Americans are going with Dickey, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner," who gave up six hits and four runs in 4.0 IP in his first WBC start last Friday against Mexico, and the U.S., "... will have Ross Detwiler in the wings."

"If Dickey's knuckleball is again flat," Mr. Bloom contined, "as it was against Mexico when he allowed an Adrian Gonzalez two-run homer and [allowed] the Mexicans to take an early 4-0 lead, Torre will certainly go quickly to the 'pen."

Dickey told reporters, including MLB.com's Mr. Bloom, that he wasn't worried about his knuckleball being flat. "'It's not unlike the regular season,'" the veteran right-hander said, "'when sometimes you struggle for an outing and you get it back for four or five days later.'" U.S. Pitching Coach Greg Maddux told reporters on Wednesday that he was confident Dickey would be fine in his second WBC outing:

"Well, I think you let Dickey go out there and do his thing. He's got a very unique pitch and he's had a lot of success with it, and you just kind of support him the best you can and hope he throws it correctly. The scouting reports are kind of out the window when he pitches. His knuckle is unpredictable and it does unpredictable things."

Though Davey Johnson didn't know exactly how Detwiler would be used, the Nats' 70-year-old skipper said he was given one bit of information about the plans for the other Nationals' lefty in the WBC. If the US Team makes it to the World Baseball Classic's third championship game, the nation's capital will get to watch Gio Gonzalez pitch again. "They tell me [Gonzalez] is probably scheduled to pitch the last game," Johnson said, if the U.S. makes it to the championship. No matter how things turn out, Johnson, who has a long history with Team USA baseball and the international game, said that playing in the WBC, much like last year's postseason run, can only help his pitchers gain experience.

"Any time you get to pitch on an international level like this one which has grown into a great event, it's a great experience," the Nationals' manager explained, "No.1, there is a lot of pressure on you just representing your country and double that pitching in your hometown," as Gio Gonzalez did this week. "I think that any experience like this is nothing but great," Johnson said, "It was great for Detwiler. Great for Gio. And hopefully they'll bring home a championship." If they get there, Johnson, who had Gio Gonzalez available for Game 5 of this past October's NLDS, thinks U.S. skipper Joe Torre will be in a good position heading into the tournament finale.

"I love the way it's setting up for Joe," Johnson said, before making an assumption about which team the U.S. might meet. "Because Japan's obviously, they've won it twice, so he's setting up to have a good left-hander to go possibly against them in the finals and that's perfect." Ross Detwiler will try to remain perfect in the WBC as well if and when he takes the mound tonight in Miami, Florida's Marlins Park. The U.S. vs the Dominican Republic. 7:00 pm EDT from Miami. Who's Watching the WBC?

' Here's Team USA's Lineup for tonight's game against the Dominican Republic:

#TeamUSA's lineup for tonight's @wbcbaseball game against the Dominican Republic at 7pm ET on @mlbnetwork @mlb twitter.com/USABaseball/st'

' USABaseball (@USABaseball) March 14, 2013

' Here's the Dominican Republic's Lineup:

Here is the lineup the Dominican Republic will go with tonight. twitter.com/USABaseball/st'

' USABaseball (@USABaseball) March 14, 2013

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Washington Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo Talks Anthony Rendon; Plans For 2011 1st Round Pick In 2013

Anthony Rendon's eighth inning home run today in the Washington Nationals' split-squad game against the Houston Astros put the traveling Nats up 7-5 in what ended up being a 9-7 win on the road in Kissimmee, Florida's Osceola County Stadium. Rendon was 4 for 5 with a double and the home run, leaving the 22-year-old, 2011 1st Round pick 12 for 32 (.375/.412/.875) with four doubles and four home runs in 13 Grapefruit League games. In an interview with ESPN980's The Sports Fix hosts Kevin Sheehan and Thom Loverro this afternoon, Nationals' General Manager Mike Rizzo was asked if it was a sign of the times that a player who was having that hot a start was not going to make the Opening Day roster as Davey Johnson assured [over-] enthusiastic reporters a week or so back.

As the Nats' 52-year-old GM and Executive Vice President of Baseball Ops explained, however, even back then, just a few years ago when the team wasn't winning divisions or talking World Series seriously, Rendon would not have made the Opening Day roster. "I really don't think he would [make it]," Rizzo said, "If I was the general manager, even if it was years back -- you know, Anthony is a terrific talent, he's got a great skill set, he's going to be an impact player in the very-near-future, but he's a guy without many professional at bats due to injury."

A partial fracture of his left ankle, suffered rounding third in just his second minor league game last April paused Rendon's first pro season until late July when he returned to the Nats' system. Overall, on the year, the former Rice University infielder whose previous injury history caused him to drop to sixth overall in the 2011 Draft where the Nationals selected him, got in just 43 games at four levels of the Nats' organization, posting a combined .233/.363/.489 line with eight doubles, four triples and six home runs in 163 plate appearances.

As Rendon explained it in an interview on 106.7 the FAN in D.C. back in January, it wasn't until he finished the season and went to the Arizona Fall League that he finally felt comfortable at the plate. "I was really just trying to find out where I was at," Rendon said, "And just trying to learn how to hit again and when I got to Arizona it just started clicking and I started trying to feel normal again and I just started going back to the basics, trying to square up the baseball, put the barrel on it and just let the ball work for [itself]." At the so-called finishing school for the game's top prospects, Rendon posted a .338/.436/.494 line with 10 doubles, a triple, 15 walks and 14 Ks in 77 at bats over 22 games.

Now he's back in Spring Training with the Nationals for the second time and both he and the Nats want a full, healthy season on the field this year. "We think he's a quick-to-the-big-leagues guy," Rizzo told ESPN980's Mr.'s Sheehan and Loverro this afternoon, "We said that from the day we drafted him. We were fortunate and had the guts enough to take him out of the draft and rehab him and get him healthy and we think that once he gets some more professional at bats under his belt he's going to be an asset to us and be an impact player for us."

"But," the Nats' GM explained, "I think it would be too soon to rush him to the big leagues, because even in days gone by, he's still a guy that has an extremely high ceiling and I would hate to rush a guy like that to the big leagues and set him back in his developmental curve. So we, I still think we would take our time with him and do the right thing and develop him properly because there's so much at stake with him that we need to develop him properly, because he's got a chance to be really, really good."

A sure sign that Rendon's a quick-to-the-majors-type of player? His jersey number? Seriously? When Rizzo was asked on ESPN980, the GM answered seriously and just explained how the team felt about Rendon when they drafted him. "We think Anthony has a chance to be an impactful player for us," Rizzo said, "We thought so the first time I saw him in high school and then his early days at Rice University. Kris Kline and Roy Clark, our guys who run our amateur draft, do a great job identifying the impact-type of guys in the draft and we had [Rendon] on the board, he was really strong on the board and opportunity knocked and we took a risk, but we thought that the reward outweighed the risk and we took him sixth and gave him a major league contract because of what we thought we had and how quickly he could make it to the big leagues."

"Suffice it to say, we're comfortable with the pick and we love the player," Rizzo explained, "But with that said, he hasn't done anything yet. And we're trying to get his feet wet in professional baseball."

In an interview with ESPN.com's Buster Olney broadcast early this morning, however, the Nats' General Manager actually talked about the fact that Rendon didn't end up with one of the no.89 jerseys you sometimes see prospects wear in Spring Training. How'd the Nationals' prospect end up being assigned the no.6?

"When we signed him, we signed him to a major league contract and he was on the 40-Man roster and his first Spring Training here he certainly wasn't as comfortable as he is right now and when our clubhouse man, Mike Wallace, talks to the players and picks out numbers [there] certainly is a pecking order and Anthony is certainly one of our bright, up-and-coming stars and I guess they negotiate a number that it's going to be. And you're right, it's not no.96, it's no.6, I think because we're going to have to be buying jerseys in the near future with his name on the back of it."

Now where will Rendon play? That's another topic altogether...

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Washington Nationals' Davey Johnson On Nats' Opening Day Starter Stephen Strasburg

"I like to put my best foot forward from the get-go," Davey Johnson told reporters last March when he announced that a then-23-year-old Stephen Strasburg would be the Washington Nationals' Opening Day starter against the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field. It wasn't really a difficult decision for the then-69-year-old skipper. "'It was easy. Very easy. He's my opening say starter,'" Johnson was quoted stating. In an appearance on ESPN980's The Sports Fix with Kevin Sheehan and Thom Loverro, Strasburg said it was an honor to be named the Opening Day starter, but the first game of the year was not what was important. "Obviously it would be a huge honor," the '09 no.1 overall pick explained, "but I'm more focused on how we finish the season and not necessarily how we start it."

Strasburg, of course, wasn't available when the Nationals' 2012 season did end. He was shut down as planned after 159.1 IP in his first full-year back following Tommy John surgery. As he explained in an interview this morning on The Mike and Mike in the Morning Show on ESPNRadio, it was obviously not an enjoyable experience. "It's kind of hard to explain," Strasburg said, "As an athlete and a competitor, it's the last thing you want to do, is when you know you're 100% healthy and you want to perform and help your team that you're not allowed to. So it's something that I've never experienced before and hopefully I'll never experience again."

In hindsight, the right-hander said, "You can definitely look back and see the reasons why they did it," but, Strasburg continued, "It's tough to really predict the future and at that moment you really want to be out there and give it everything you have and live in the moment. But it's all water under the bridge, so I'm just excited for the opportunities that we have this year."

Among those opportunities is the chance to be the Nationals' Opening Day starter for the second-straight year. A now-70-year-old Davey Johnson reluctantly admitted that the now-24-year-old Strasburg would be his starter on April 1st when the team plays the first game of the 2013 campaign at home against the Miami Marlins. "I think you guys pretty much know," Johnson joked with reporters, "You always are trying to get me to say something about two weeks ahead of time." When pressed, Johnson relented, "I guess you want me to say it?"

"You drug it out of me," the manager said. It will be Stephen Strasburg again on Opening Day. "He's just got great stuff," Johnson said in explaining his decision, "He's very dedicated. He works very hard. That's a great honor. We've got a lot of great starters in [our] rotation." Strasburg told reporters, as quoted by MLB.com's Bill Ladson, that it will be exciting to open the season for the defending NL East champs in front of the hometown crowd:

"It's a tremendous honor, and I'm definitely excited," Strasburg said. "Last year, obviously, it was an experience in its own right at Wrigley Field. This time, it will be fun to pitch the home opener, too. The atmosphere is going to be electric."

Marlins' Manager Mike Redmond named his Opening Day starter last week. 30-year-old right-hander Ricky Nolasco will pitch for the Fish and oppose Strasburg in Game 1 of 162. The seven-year-veteran was (12-13) for the Marlins last season, with a 4.48 ERA, 3.87 FIP, 47 walks (2.21 BB/9) and 125 Ks (5.89 K/9) in 31 starts and 191.0 IP over which he was worth +2.7 fWAR. Strasburg finished his third major league season at +4.3 fWAR with a (15-6) record, 48 walks (2.71 BB/9) and 197 Ks (11.13 K/9) in 28 starts and 159.1 IP. Not a bad matchup...

Is it Opening Day yet?

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Washington Nationals' Davey Johnson Talks 2013 Bullpen; Left-Handed Relievers; Significance Of Rafael Soriano Signing

In separate interviews on MLB Network Radio this weekend, both Washington Nationals' manager Davey Johnson and GM Mike Rizzo addressed the composition of the 2013 Nats' bullpen. Would the Nationals keep a second left-hander in the pen? Bill Bray, considered one of the top candidates for the role when Spring Training began, was sent to minor league camp in the first round of cuts so that he could work on finding his arm slot after altering his delivery while dealing with injuries the last few years. Fernando Abad is still hanging on, but is he better than the right-handers the Nationals already have on their roster?

"We're a little different bullpen this year," the Nats' 70-year-old skipper said this weekend, "We were a little more balanced in the bullpen last year." Gone are left-handers Tom Gorzelanny, Sean Burnett and Mike Gonzalez, but as the Nationals' Manager and General Manager have stressed throughout the Hot Stove season and the start of Spring Training, and as Johnson reiterated on MLB Network Radio, the Nats believe their, "... right-handers are very capable right-handers and they've had success against both right and [left-handed hitters.]"

Veteran left-hander Zach Duke will fill the role Tom Gorzelanny played in 2012, as the long man in Johnson's pen, but other than Duke, the pen is decidedly right-hand heavy with Rafael Soriano, Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard, Ryan Mattheus, Craig Stammen and... Christian Garcia, Henry Rodriguez most likely?

"We're a little short on left-handers this year," Davey Johnson told MLB Network Radio's Mike Ferrin and Jim Duquette. In discussing the decision to send Bray, Will Ohman and Brandon Mann (all left-handers) to minor league camp last week, leaving Abad as the last possibility for a two-lefty bullpen, Johnson did tell reporters, including the Washington Post's James Wagner, "'... it's no secret I would prefer to have a little more [left-handed] presence in our bullpen,'" but as he explained to reporters today before Washington's Grapefruit League game with the New York Mets, the moment the Nationals signed Soriano this winter, the decision on the makeup of the bullpen was effectively made.

"If you look at the guys that were successful up here last year," Johnson explained, "and with the addition of Soriano, the addition of a right-handed, closer-type, really, and with the loss of some other left-handers that were here last year, it kind of boils down to, you know, just down to one left-hander in the pen. I think that's kind of obvious. It was obvious from the day we signed Soriano. And I'm comfortable with the guys that we had out there. I mean, when you have four guys that have closed, obviously they're pretty comfortable against left-handers, so, that's not a big issue."

"Every club that you manage," the Nats' skipper continued, "is always different. The talent that you have, because you don't always manage every club the same way. You have the different talent... It's pretty easy in the past, when you know you're coming into a series with a club that's predominantly a left-hand hitting club, if you paid any attention over the last few years you see that I kind of rested some of my left-handers going into that series and worked the left-handers harder that series than the right side of the bullpen."

Some of the late-game decisions he's had to make in the past to get matchups that were favorable for the Nationals will be eliminated, but Johnson said he'll be prepared to make decisions based on the roster he starts the season with next month. "I'll still be doing homework on what I think is the best option," Johnson said, "Whether it's hard or soft or whatever," but the decisions will be based on what pitchers are rested and which match up better in the particular situations that present themselves. "It's just, you manage according to the talent you have," Johnson said.

And judging by what the Nationals' GM said in his interview with the MLB Network's Mr.'s Ferrin and Jim Duquette this weekend, and by what Johnson said today, the Nats' manager is most likely going to have a pen with just one left-hander. "I certainly would rather have a shutdown right-handed reliever than a mediocre left-handed reliever in my bullpen even if it's left on left," Rizzo told the show's hosts. The Nationals would, as always, be open to any possibilities, but as Rizzo put it, it would have to be a special reliever for the team to make a move, and, "... it would have to be a long-term-type of guy that we would control. It wouldn't be a guy that we would rent for a year and give up anything of substance for him."

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Miami New Times: "New Times Says No To MLB" - Won't Turn Over Biogenesis Records

It probably shouldn't be a surprise that the latest update in the story has come out today. With the World Baseball Classic in Miami, the Miami New Times' investigation into the since-shuttered Coral Gables, Florida anti-aging clinic Biogeneis and its owner Anthony Bosch's alleged connection to professional athletes, who allegedly purchased performance-enhancing drugs from Mr. Bosch, is once again in the headlines.

The latest update, of sorts, comes over a month after the paper's editor said he was considering handing over to Major League Baseball what was described in the original article by the Miami New Times' reporter Tim Elfrink as, "...an extraordinary batch of records from Biogenesis," given to them by a former clinic employee which included, "... the patient files, the payment records, and the handwritten notebooks kept by the clinic's chief, 49-year-old Anthony Bosch," which, after a three-month investigation, provided what the Miami New Times believed was evidence that, "... the firm's real business," was, "... selling performance-enhancing drugs, from human growth hormone (HGH) to testosterone to anabolic steroids." Mentioned in the records, according to the original report, were the names of at least six major league players.

More names have surfaced since. Major League Baseball launched an investigation immediately. Several of the players named in the article issued denials or explanations of their connection to the clinic and the Miami New Times considered handing over the records to MLB. Miami New Times' editor Chuck Strouse wrote this afternoon, however, that they had finally decided against giving Major League Baseball the batch of records they received. In today's article, Mr. Strouse explained the decision:

"The reasons are manifold. History plays a role in our decision. So do journalistic ethics and the fact that we have already posted dozens of records on our website. Finally, there is a hitherto-unreported Florida Department of Health criminal probe into clinic director Anthony Bosch."

History? Mr. Strouse goes on to talk about Marlins' owner Jeffrey Loria's time in Montreal and the ongoing drama surrounding the construction of Marlins Park (a site of WBC games today) and Miami's MLB team's decision to deal a number of the high profile free agents they acquired once the new facilty was built. Mr. Strouse also goes back in time some and mentions Shoeless Joe Jackson, MLB's handling of the 1919 "Black Sox" scandal, the history of racism in the game and Major League Baseball's handling of the last steroid scandal in the 1990s. As for journalistic ethics, Mr. Strouse writes about the chilling effect handing over the records might have on potential future sources. It's an interesting read at least...

Read the article HERE.

(ed. note - "Not sure about the second sentence of the new article in light of subsequent reports.")

CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman spoke to an MLB spokesman who commented on the Miami New Times' announcement:

miami new times says no to mlb. mlb spokesman pat courtney says "we have been proceeding w/ our investigation as if (cont.)

' Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) March 12, 2013

(Cont.) we were not going to be getting documents from them."

' Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) March 12, 2013

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

WBC GameThread: USA vs Puerto Rico From Miami, Florida's Marlins Park

The Washington Nationals were facing elimination. They had dropped two of the first three games to the St. Louis Cardinals this past October in the NLDS and they were heading into Game 4 after being soundly beaten 8-0 in the first postseason game in the nation's capital in 79 years in Game 3. Things looked bleak. Behind the scenes, however, there was one player who never wavered. 27-year-old, 21-game winning left-hander Gio Gonzalez was confident that he would get an opportunity to make a second postseason start in Game 5. After the Nats beat the Cards on Jayson Werth's walk-off blast (Werthquake!) the Nationals' then-69-year-old manager Davey Johnson told reporters that Gonzalez had assured him all week that they would play live to play another a day. "Gio was telling me days ago, 'We're going to five; we're going five,'" Johnson said, "'Skip, don't worry about it, we're going [to] Game 5!'"

"And today," the Nats' skipper continued, "He said, 'What did I tell you? What did I tell you?'"

After a 5.0 inning outing in Game 1 of the NLDS in which he walked seven and gave up one hit and two earned runs, Gonzalez turned in another five innings in the decisive Game 5 with the Cardinals, leaving the game with Washington up 6-3 on St. Louis. In his first postseason action, in his fifth major league season, the former Oakland Athletics' lefty, acquired by the Nationals in a December 2011 trade, had a 4.50 ERA, 4.39 FIP, 9.00 K/9 and 9.90 BB/9 in 10.0 innings on the mound. Gonzalez finished his first season in the National League and the nation's capital at +5.4 fWAR, with a 2.89 ERA, 2.82 FIP, 76 walks (3.43 BB/9) and 207 Ks (9.35 K/9) in 32 games and 199.1 IP.

Earlier this Spring, Gonzalez received an invitation to pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic and he jumped at the opportunity as he told reporters yesterday in a pre-start press conference in which he sat side-by-side with US team Manager Joe Torre talking about tonight's game against Puerto Rico's WBC team. "Well, to think about it," Gonzalez explained, "a small town kid from Hialeah, Florida, pitching for Miami and representing Team USA, that says it all. It's a kid's dream. I grew up watching this man right here leading the Yankees to the World Series, and now to be a part of it and actually be playing for him, don't pinch me, I don't want to wake up."

In order for the Nationals' left-hander to get the opportunity to represent his country in the WBC, the US team had to beat Canada on Sunday night. Gonzalez was sure he'd get the chance. He told reporters yesterday he kept telling Nats' pitching coach Steve McCatty he knew he'd get the chance to pitch in Miami. "I kept telling 'Cat', 'I'm going to Miami, I'm going to Miami. I don't care what you tell me, I know that Team USA is going to pull this and they're going to go get this win and get me down to Miami to play.'"

"In fact, I was so confident that they were going to go out there and win yesterday," Gonzalez said, "that after my bullpen [with the Nationals] I took a trip down to Miami and I was ready to go." Gonzalez sat in a local restaurant in his home town and watched the US team win. "Yeah, I was in Flanagan's in Hialeah watching this game, and I was just going nuts just having some chicken wings and some water. Other than that, I was ready to go."

At 8:00 pm EDT tonight, the Nationals' left-hander will get his chance to start for Team USA against Puerto Rico. Gio Gonzalez will try to follow up on teammate Ross Detwiler's strong outing on Saturday night. In front of his hometown crowd, the Nats' starter will represent Miami, Florida, the nation's capital and the country as a whole. Gio Gonzalez and the U.S. team vs Puerto Rico... Who's watching the WBC?

' Here's Team USA's Lineup vs Puerto Rico:

The #TeamUSA lineup for tonight's @wbcbaseball game against Puerto Rico. @mlb twitter.com/USABaseball/st'

' USABaseball (@USABaseball) March 12, 2013

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Washington Nationals' Gio Gonzalez With Five Scoreless Innings For Team USA vs Puerto Rico In WBC

Gio Gonzalez grew up about twenty minutes away from Miami's Marlins Park in Hialeah, Florida. The Washington Nationals' 27-year-old lefty was back home tonight, pitching for Team USA against Puerto Rico in the first game of the 2nd Round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Gonzalez fired a 92 mph fastball in for a strike to the first batter he faced, San Francisco Giants' outfielder Angel Pagan, but gave up a leadoff single to center on an 83 mph 1-1 change. 29-year-old Puerto Rican second baseman Irving Falu, a Kansas City Royals' '03 21st Round pick, popped up a bunt for out no.1, failing to advance the runner/giving up an out. Pagan advanced himself, stealing second safely ahead of a throw from Minnesota Twins' catcher Joe Mauer. Chicago White Sox' outfielder Alex Rios shattered his bat and popped up to the Philadelphia Phillies' Jimmy Rollins at short for out no.2 and St. Louis Cardinals' outfielder Carlos Beltran flew out to the Baltimore Orioles' Adam Jones in center on an 0-1 fastball that ended a 14-pitch, 11-strike opening frame for Gio Gonzalez.

28-year-old right-hander Mario Santiago, a former Kansas City Royals' prospect currently pitching in the LA Dodgers' organization, retired the first two batters he faced in the U.S. first, but a two-out walk to Ryan Braun came back to haunt Santiago when Joe Mauer's two-out double brought Braun around for an early 1-0 U.S. lead.

Cards' catcher Yadier Molina grounded out to short on the first pitch Gio Gonzalez threw in the top of the second. A 93 mph 2-2 four-seamer got Gonzalez a groundout to second from infielder Mike Aviles and a called strike three on a 94 mph 2-2 four-seamer to first baseman Martin Maldonado ended an 11-pitch, 1-2-3 inning after which the U.S. starter had retired six straight batters. 25 pitches in 2.0 IP. Miami's own Giancarlo Stanton doubled with two down in the second, but U.S. DH Ben Zobrist flew to left to end the inning.

31-year-old, one-time White Sock, Indian and Marlin Andy Gonzalez worked the count full in the first at bat of the third, fouled off one 3-2 pitch, then K'd swinging at a 94 mph heater inside for out no.1 and the seventh straight batter set down by Gio Gonzalez. The Team USA lefty reached down for a swinging bunt that rolled toward first off Puerto Rican left fielder Eddie Rosario's bat, but Gonzalez couldn't make the play and U.S. second baseman Brandon Phillips just held it. Gio Gonzalez got Angel Pagan to chase a high heater for a swinging K and out no.2 of the third, and Irving Falu grounded to third baseman David Wright to end Gonzalez's third scoreless. The 19-pitch inning had the Team USA lefty after 44 pitches overall.

The U.S. loaded the bases in the bottom of the third with Brandon Phillips and Ryan Braun singling in succession in front of Joe Mauer, who walked. David Wright grounded into a force at second on a spectacular diving play and throw from Puerto Rico shortstop Mike Aviles, but Phillips scored to make it 2-0 US after three.

A 94 mph 2-1 fastball got Gio Gonzalez a grounder back to the mound from Alex Rios for out no.1 of the fourth. Carlos Beltran flew out to the track in center on a 1-0 fastball in his first AB, then doubled to center on another 1-0 heater the second time up for a one-out, two-base hit. Beltran took third on a Yadier Molina groundout. Mike Aviles thought he'd walked on a low fastball from Gonzalez, then thought he'd doubled (at least) on a fly to right, but Giancarlo Stanton made a nice running grab to end a 14-pitch fourth for Gio Gonzalez with the score still 2-0 Team USA. 4.0 scoreless on 58 pitches for Gonzalez. Puerto Rico's Mario Santiango was at 63 pitches total after a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning.

A 79 mph 0-2 backdoor bender caught the outside corner for a called strike three on Puerto Rico's first baseman Martin Maldonado. 1 down. 4 Ks for Gio Gonzalez in 4.1 IP. A 1-2 curve to Andy Gonzalez got the U.S. lefty a fly to right for out no.2 and Eddie Rosario chased a 1-2 curve into the dirt for out no.3 and K no.5 in 5.0 scoreless. The 11-pitch inning has Gio Gonzalez at 69 total with the pitcher on an 80-pitch limit in his fourth start of the Spring. Team USA loaded the bases on Mario Santiago and knocked him out of the game in the fifth. A one-out RBI single by David Wright off Puerto Rican reliever Andres Santiago made it a 3-0 U.S. lead after five.

That was all for Gio Gonzalez, who left the game with the U.S. up.

Gio Gonzalez's line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 Ks, 69 P, 48 S.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Atlanta Braves 7-2 Over Washington Nationals: Stephen Strasburg With A Strong Outing In Spite Of Look Of Final Line.

In sunny Viera, Florida's Space Coast Stadium this afternoon, 24-year-old Stephen Strasburg got the first out of his fourth Grapefruit League start with a fastball in an 0-2 count vs Atlanta Braves' leadoff man Tyler Pastornicky that was called strike three by home plate ump Gary Cederstrom. Siddown, Tyler. One pitcher later, a grounder to Ian Desmond at short got the Washington Nationals' starter two outs on four pitches. +Efficiency. + Grounder. Desmond. Out. Two down. Another backwards K, this one from Justin Upton, and the Nats' 24-year-old right-hander had a quick, nine-pitch, 1-2-3 opening frame vs the Nats' NL East rivals.

Nationals' 2010 no.1 overall pick Bryce Harper was 14 for 30 this Spring after his two-out single off the Braves' Paul Maholm in the bottom of the first, but Harper was stranded at second after a balk and a Ryan Zimmerman groundout and '09 Nats' no.1 overall pick Stephen Strasburg was quickly back on the hill. B.J. Upton hit a one-out single off Chad Tracy's glove at third for the Braves' first hit off the Nats' starter, but a 5-4-3 DP off ATL first baseman Ernesto Mejia's bat ended an 11-pitch inning with Strasburg at 20 pitches total after 2.0 scoreless.

Paul Maholm retired the Nationals in order in the bottom of the second, so Strasburg was quickly back out for the third. The Nats' right-hander gave his outfielders some work with Blake DeWitt and 21-year-old Braves' catcher Christian Bethancourt flying out to right and center, respectively, before another groundout to short ended Strasburg's third scoreless. Grounder. Desmond. Out. 3.0 IP, 1 H, 2 Ks, 28 P for Strasburg after an eight-pitch inning vs Atlanta.

Maholm retired the Nationals in order in the bottom of the third inning, and Strasburg got another groundout to start the fourth. Yep, short again. Grounder. Desmond. Out. A backwards K from Jordan Schafer made it three backwards Ks in 3.2 IP. Make that four backwards ones, as Justin Upton stared the same two-strike fastball he got in the first all the way in for a called strike three in his second AB. 4.0 scoreless for Strasburg. 42 pitches total after a 14-pitch fourth. Werth, Harper and Zim went down in order in the bottom of the inning and the Nats' right-handed starter head right back to the hill.

Juan Francisco was the first strikeout victim of the day who went down swinging against Strasburg, who had 5 Ks total in 4.1 IP when he got the Braves' third baseman to start the top of the fifth. A pop to Ian Desmond behind short off B.J. Upton's bat made it 4.2 scoreless for Strasburg, but the right-hander issued the first walk of the game to ATL 1B Ernesto Mejia and then went behind 3-0 against Blake DeWitt before getting a grounder to the mound with a 3-1 pitch for 5.0 scoreless vs Atlanta. 20 pitch inning has Strasburg at 52.

Adam LaRoche took the first walk from Maholm in the bottom of the fifth, and there were two runners on quickly after Ian Desmond grounded back to the mound and off the Braves' lefty's glove. The ball bounced toward third, but Juan Francisco had no play. Francisco fielded a grounder off Espinosa's bat in the next AB, however, and stepped on third before throwing to first for a 5-3 DP. Two down and a Kurt Suzuki groundout ends the fifth.

Strasburg was the first Nationals' pitcher of the Spring to come out for a sixth inning of work this year. A fly to center off Christian Bethancourt's bat had him through 5.1 with no one on before pinch hitter Reed Johnson lined to right and Braves' leadoff man Tyler Pastornicky rolled one by second as both reached on back-to-back one-out singles. A walk to Jordan Schafer loaded the bases with one down and a line drive single through short by Justin Upton brought two runs in and ended Strasburg's day. 2-0 Braves. 24 pitches in the sixth, so that's 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R*, 2 ER*, 2 BB, 5 Ks, 76 pitches, 53 strikes for Strasburg in his fourth start...

... Zach Duke took over for Strasburg, and got Juan Francisco looking for out no.2, but B.J. Upton's two-out single through short brought Schafer in from second ahead of a strong throw home from Bryce Harper. 3-0 Braves. 3 ER for Stras. Ernest Mejia made it 5-0 Atlanta, and 4 ER for Stras, scoring both Upton brothers with a two-out double to right-center and then scoring himself to make it 6-0 on Blake DeWitt's two-out, two-base hit. 6-0 Atlanta after five and a half. Jayson Werth lined to right for a two-out single off Braves' RHP Anthony Varvaro, collecting the Nats' third hit of the game in the bottom of the sixth. Bryce Harper got up 3-0, got the green light, but fouled off the 3-0 and 3-1 pitches from Varvaro and then took a called strike three to strand Werth and end the inning. 6-0 Braves.

(ed. note - " * = 4 R, 4 ER for Strasburg after two inherited runners score w/ Duke on the mound.")

Rafael Soriano took over in the seventh and threw a quick, 1-2-3 inning of work against Atlanta. Braves' right-hander Cory Gearrin gave up a leadoff single to right by Ryan Zimmerman in the home-half of the frame, and Zim was 1 for 3 today after the hit and 7 for 15 so far this Spring when he left the game for a pinch runner, Chris Marrero. Three strikeouts later, Marrero was stranded at first after Adam LaRoche, Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa went down in order, all swinging. 6-0 Braves after seven in Viera, Florida.

Henry "Lightning" Rodriguez gave up a two-out single by Braves' backstop Matt Pagnozzi in the top of the eighth, then hit Matt Pagnozzi to put two runners on before he was lifted. Fernando Abad took over for Rodriguez. Blake DeWitt's two-out single brought Pagnozzi in to make it 7-0 Braves before Abad got Joey Terdaslovich swinging for out no.3. Nats' catcher Carlos Maldonado took a walk from 22-year-old, '09 10th Round pick Aaron Northcraft, a 6'4'' right-hander drafted out of high school in Arizona. After a Steve Lombardozzi groundout moved Maldonado up, Northcraft gave up one-out single by Corey Brown that moved the Nationals' backstop to third, and Maldonado scored on a Carlos Rivero groundout to finally get the Nats on the board. 7-1 Braves after eight.

Tyler Clippard threw a scoreless top of the ninth vs the Braves, striking Jordan Schafer out with a rising heater to end the top of the inning. Tyler Moore made it a five-run game with a solo home run to left off Northcraft in the Nationals' ninth, but 7-2 was as close as the Nats got this afternoon.

7-2 Braves final.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Washington Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo And Manager Davey Johnson Talk Spring Training, Catching And Pitching Depth On MLB Network Radio

"All of my Springs are usually very quiet. This one's no different," 70-year-old skipper Davey Johnson told MLB Network Radio hosts Mike Ferrin and Jim Duquette in an interview from Viera, Florida's Space Coast Stadium this past weekend. "It's a long Spring, that's different," the veteran of 16 seasons on a major league bench said, "With the [World Baseball Classic] going on. It's been a fun Spring. Really, Spring Training is [fun] for a manager, you get to see a lot of the new young talent and with the WBC they're getting a lot of playing time, a lot of ABs down here."

"It's been a good camp," 52-year-old Washington Nationals' GM and Executive VP of Baseball Ops Mike Rizzo added in his own MLB Network Radio interview from the Nationals' Spring home. "The guys are getting their work in," Rizzo continued, "It's a close-knit group of guys, so they know each other, so there's not a lot of feeling-out process. We've added a couple of new faces, they've blended in beautifully with the ballclub. And it's really preparing for Opening Day rather than grinding it out in Spring Training and battling for jobs and that type of thing. It's really preparation for April 1st."

While the Nationals' veterans prepare for Opening Day, the Nats, as Davey Johnson said, have had a lot of time to look at prospects like 25-year-old, 2012 Minor League Pitcher of the Year Nathan Karns, who's currently dealing with a leg injury; outfielder Eury Perez, 22, before he left for the WBC with the Dominican Republic; first baseman Chris Marrero, 24, who's fighting back from last year's torn hamstring and 26-year-old right-hander Erik Davis, who has impressed in 6.0 scoreless innings in his first major league Spring Training after being added to the 40-Man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft this past winter.

"There's a couple guys that have stood out," Davey Johnson said on Saturday, adding a few names to the list. "I didn't get to see Matt Skole last year. He's a big [guy] from Georgia Tech. Big swinging left-hander. Has got good hands at third base. He can play third and first. Showed me good command of the strike zone and he's got some pop and I like his approach, I like everything about him, make-up all the way down the line." After a .291/.426/.559, 28 double, 27 HR 2012 campaign at Class-A Hagerstown and High-A Potomac which earned him the Nats' Minor League Player of the Year award, the 23-year-old infielder is 5 for 20 with two doubles in 13 games this Spring.

Another player who has impressed? "A guy that was here last Spring that we got in a trade for [Jason Marquis]," Johnson said, "a switch-hitting shortstop named [Zach] Walters. He reminds me a lot of [Ian] Desmond. He's got a big upside. Doesn't really know who he is yet, but he's made some adjustments in the Spring and he looks great. Got a cannon from short. Nice approach from both sides, switch hitting. Those are a couple position players." Walters, a 23-year-old infielder who attended the same school (University of San Diego) as 2010 2nd Round pick Sammy Solis, is 8 for 23 with two home runs in Grapefruit League action.

When the Nationals acquired Walters for Marquis at the trade deadline in 2011, Mike Rizzo told 106.7 the Fan's Danny Rouhier that the infielder could potentially end up being, "... an everyday impact middle infielder that can switch hit," is a, "high on base percentage guy," and is a, "... a good steady defender [that] gives us a chance to increase our depth." Davey Johnson likes what he's seeing from Walters this Spring.

Are any of the pitchers catching Davey Johnson's eye? The Nats' skipper singled out Karns as a pitcher who's impressed in spite of a recent leg injury that's kept him off the mound. "Young [Nathan] Karns, he's had some problems, but he's going to be okay," Johnson said this weekend, "He's probably scheduled to start in Double-A, but he's had a couple of impressive outings."

' LINK: "[Karns] has got to get an x-ray," [Davey] Johnson told reporters this morning, "The specialist wants not only the results from last week's MRI, he also wants an x-ray. We're giving him that as we speak." - Davey Johnson on Nathan Karns, Christian Garcia.

The Nationals' GM talked about Nathan Karns too in this weekend's interview, while discussing the one thing he thinks the organization needs in terms of depth. "We'd like to get a little deeper in major league-ready starting pitchers in the minor league levels," Rizzo told the MLB Network Radio hosts. "A sixth or seventh or eighth starter in our rotation. Right now we think we have some candidates internally for that. Zach Duke has been stretched out. We've got Craig Stammen [who] can be stretched out and those guys have and can start in the big leagues. So, we think we go six or seven deep, [but] you always like to have more depth and quality depth at starting pitcher, because you very rarely, never, go through a season with five and we were very fortunate last year to be healthy all year in the rotation."

That's really where we're at," Rizzo explained, saying that staying healthy and getting some depth were the team's two biggest concerns, "and we're always concentrating on getting that next wave of minor league talent to be big league ready. We feel with Nathan Karns and a couple of our rehabbing starting pitchers, with Sam Solis and [Lucas] Giolito and those type of guys, we'll have a next wave coming up that could help us late '13 and maybe [2014]."

As far as 2013 is concerned, however, the big thing this Spring is making sure that everyone on the major league roster is 100% healthy. "There's always things that you're thinking about and going over in your mind," Rizzo said, "but as far as the roster construction and that type of thing, the decisions are really going to be based on the health of the players coming into Spring. Ryan Zimmerman had the little shoulder cleanup, so we're seeing how he's going to react. [Danny Espinosa] had a little shoulder issue, see how he's going to react. [Wilson] Ramos' knee. So those are really the decisions that we're going to have to make, based on the health of those guys. And all three of those guys, specifically, are coming along and we feel without any setbacks they should be ready for Opening Day."

Davey Johnson's expecting a big season from Danny Espinosa in 2013, in spite of the torn rotator cuff he suffered last September that he intends to play with all season after building up strength in his shoulder all winter and in Spring Training.

"Espi, I talked to him last year and he just wants to improve every year and as long as he improves a little bit every year...," Johnson said, "Well, it took [Desmond] probably into his third year where he really started to know who he was and wasn't confused about who he was. He knew what kind of player he was and Espi's been the same way. A lot of times coming through the minor leagues... And really, you get some, a little bit, bad habits if you play with an aluminum bat and the strike zone they have in high school and college. You get a little too oppo-oriented and the college kids don't pitch you inside and you get locked in... and he's stubborn -- I thought I was stubborn. I've always said 'California-stubborn' is a lot worse than 'Florida' or 'Texas-stubborn' you know what I mean? But he's certainly come along. I've really enjoyed his progress. He's been swinging the bat very good from both sides and he still has a very big upside."

The Nationals' GM elaborated on the other injury concerns, third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and catcher Wilson Ramos. Zimmerman is 7 for 15 this Spring after going 1 for 3 on Monday against Atlanta, and he's getting closer to playing the field after serving as the team's DH in his first five Grapefruit League games. "He's not constricted whatsoever with the shoulder and as you know," Rizzo told the MLB Network Radio hosts, "When you're throwing and you're playing 162 games, you're slot is going to come from wherever you can feel comfortable throwing the ball without any pain. So he was finding a slot that worked for him last year because of the shoulder, now it feels good, he's free, he's gone through a lot of throwing drills and now he's high 3/4s with a good finish and strong arm stroke."

' LINK: Ryan Zimmerman talked about his own recovery in a separate MLB Network Radio interview on Saturday.

"[Zimmerman's] feet are as good as I've seen and his hands are as good as I've seen," Rizzo continued, "and previous to the shoulder he had a solid arm too. You know, he made a lot of adjustments, positioning on the field where he'd play closer than he would normally and really relied on his really goalie-like hands and he could pick it and, of course, when he was on the run he was as good as anybody. It was the play where he had to take a step back or backhand and really come over top and let it rip where he was having [a] problem because he had some constriction in the shoulder."

Wilson Ramos is already back behind the plate as he recovers from surgery last summer to repair a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee. While he builds strength, the Nationals have the luxury of starting Kurt Suzuki, who led the Nats down the stretch and into their first postseason experience last September/October. As Davey Johnson's said before, once Ramos is healthy the Nats have two no.1 catchers and as the Nationals' GM explained, there's depth behind Suzuki and Ramos too.

"It's really great to have what we believe are two everyday major league catchers on one roster," Rizzo told MLB Network Radio's Mr. Ferrin and Mr. Duquette. "We do see Ramos as the future behind the plate for us. Zuk is a marvelous handler of the pitching staff. He's got an extremely high baseball IQ. He's an energy guy and an upbeat guy and we think that he's going to get back to the .265-.270, 12-13 HR guy that he was with Oakland. He's a guy that's not afraid to get a big hit in clutch situations and he's just been a great guy to have around."

"And we feel that we have great catching depth,' Rizzo said, "We've got two guys below in [Jhonatan] Solano and [Sandy] Leon below [Ramos and Suzuki] that we feel have a chance to be everyday catchers in the big league someday, so we feel fortified at that position. I think Davey's going to dole out the starting time. It will largely depend on where Wilson is at and what workload can he handle and when can he increase that workload."

Outside of pitching depth, the only other big concern seems to be the bullpen. Or at least it seems to be for the Nats' manager. The Nats' GM didn't sound so sure it was an issue. "I love my starters, I like my bullpen," Davey Johnson said, "We're a little different bullpen this year. We were a little more balanced in the bullpen last year, we lost three left-handers in Mike Gonzalez and Sean Burnett and also my starter-become-very-valuable reliever [Tom] Gorzelanny. But my right-handers are very capable right-handers and they've had success against both right and left."

Johnson explained that Zach Duke would be his left-handed long man, and Christian Garcia, once he's returned from a partially torn tendon in his forearm, could help out as well. Johnson said he thinks the 27-year-old Garcia could still be ready by Opening Day. "I think he'll be able to start the season all right," Johnson said, "He's about to take the wraps off," but Garcia's a right-hander of course. "We're a little short on left-handers this year," the manager said. Johnson also joked with reporters, including the Washington Times' Amanda Comak, about Ross Detwiler maybe be the late-inning lefty he was looking for, though he told MLB.com's Marty Noble that there's no room in his pen for another left-hander.

As the Nationals' GM explained, however, it would have to be a lefty that's better than the right-handers the Nats have. "I certainly would rather have a shutdown right-handed reliever than a mediocre left-handed reliever in my bullpen even if it's left on left," Rizzo said, "And I think it made my job a little easier knowing that we've got four right-handed pitchers that get lefties out as well as most left-handed specialists do. Now, understand that doesn't force the other manager to [use] pinch hitters and that type of thing and roll over lineups, but we feel comfortable with the bullpen we have and to answer your question, if a special type of left-handed reliever became available we would certainly look at it, but it would have to be a long-term-type of guy that we would control. It wouldn't be a guy that we would rent for a year and give up anything of substance for him."

Doesn't sound like a deal for a LOOGY is coming any time soon. The Nationals open the season on April 1st against Miami. Until then it's all preparation for the defense of their NL East crown.

' Nats' GM Mike Rizzo Talks To MLB Network Radio's Mike Ferrin and Jim Duquette:

' Nats' skipper Davey Johnson talks to MLB Network Radio's Mike Ferrin and Jim Duquette:

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Washington Nationals' Gio Gonzalez Ready For WBC Start Against Puerto Rico On Tuesday Night

Gio Gonzalez cleared up a long-standing mystery this morning when he met with reporters in the lead-up to his World Baseball Classic start for Team USA against Puerto Rico Tuesday night in Miami, Florida's Marlins Stadium. The 27-year-old Hialeah, Florida-born left-hander reportedly bought 600 tickets for friends and family last year when he made his first start back home against the Miami Marlins. Did he really pay for 600 tickets? "No, I didn't," Gonzalez said, "There was a ticket stub where you go on line and you look for the tickets and you buy them online. If I would have had to pay for that, I think I would be broke right now. It would be a pretty big dent in my pocket."

This time around he bought six tickets. "I was like, six tickets, that's it," Gonzalez said, "Everyone else, go buy your own tickets. These things are expensive."

Joe Torre & @giogonzalez47 talk at @wbcbaseball Media Day twitter.com/Nationals/stat'

' Washington Nationals (@Nationals) March 11, 2013

The former Oakland A's starter acquired by the Nats in December of 2011, will start for Team USA in the first game of Round 2 of the WBC. After a 21-win, +5.4 fWAR season in 2012 in which he had a 2.89 ERA, 2.82 FIP, 3.43 BB/9 and 9.35 K/9 over 32 starts and 199.1 IP, Gonzalez is three starts into his second Spring Training with the defending NL East Champs, having given up eight hits, two walks and three earned runs so far in Grapefruit League action. Gonzalez will be pitching on a much bigger stage when he takes the mound for the fourth time this season in a USA jersey, with former New York Yankees' manager Joe Torre in charge instead of Nats' skipper Davey Johnson.

"Well, to think about it, a small town kid from Hialea, Florida, pitching for Miami and representing Team USA, that says it all," Gonzalez told reporters today. "It's a kid's dream. I grew up watching this man right here leading the Yankees to the World Series, and now to be a part of it and actually be playing for him, don't pinch me, I don't want to wake up." The left-hander said much the same after winning his 20th game last September, when it was clear that he and the Nationals were postseason bound.

Team USA ''!!! #HIALEAHKID #MIAMI,every kids dream to do' instagr.am/p/WuvBKGNJtE/

' Gio Gonzalez (@GioGonzalez47) March 11, 2013

"It's almost like a dream and I feel like I'm still sleeping in it," Gonzalez told reporters at the time. In his two NLDS starts against St. Louis, the left-hander's first postseason outings in a five-year career, Gonzalez gave up six hits, 11 walks and five earned runs in 10.0 IP in which he struck out 10 batters. Fellow lefty and Nats and Team USA teammate Ross Detwiler said Sunday, in an MLB Network Radio interview, that the experience of pitching in the playoffs prepared him for his first WBC appearance this past Saturday.

Gonzalez said he was watching closely all weekend and was impressed with what he saw from Detwiler, who greeted him warmly when Gonzalez joined Team USA today in Miami. "Yeah, the first thing Ross did to me was a big ol' hug, big pat on the back," Gonzalez said, "I was quick to tell him, oh, your two seamer is looking really good, everybody looks really good, you look like you're in control, and you could see it, he looked like he was right on point, and this is, what, his third start for'' it's supposed to be in Spring Training, but the way he went out there and performed, I think he set the tone and he kind of looked really good."

Now it's Gonzalez's turn. And as he explained today, he's thankful (as always) that his Team USA teammates were able to get to Round 2 of the WBC so he can make his start. "I've been dying to come home and pitch in front of the home crowd," Gonzalez told reporters, "so it was a good thing that they had three great starters before, [R.A.] Dickie, [Ryan] Vogelsong and Derek Holland, they all did a great job, especially the bullpen. They came in and shut it down. But again, the offense looked alive. You've got to give them credit, and the only reason we're here is because of the way they were playing. They played as a team."

Gonzalez gets his chance to take the mound and do his part at 8:00 pm EDT on the MLB Network.

Team #USA starter @giogonzalez47 getting ready to face #PuertoRico here in his hometown of Miami. #HIALEAH #WBC twitter.com/HeidiWatney/st'

' Heidi Watney (@HeidiWatney) March 11, 2013

Watch Gio Gonzalez and Joe Torre's press conference below and note that not even Torre can resist smiling when Gio's around:

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

WBC GameThread: USA vs Canada From Phoenix, Arizona's Chase Field

Thanks, at least in part, to Washington Nationals' lefty Ross Detwiler's strong outing in the US Team's victory over Italy last night (and yeah, yeah, the Mets' David Wright hit a grand slam, we saw it...), Team USA has a chance to advance to Round 2 of the World Baseball Classic if they can beat their neighbors to the north this afternoon when they face Canada in a win-or-go-home WBC battle live from Phoenix, Arizona's Chase Field. On the mound this afternoon for the United States will be Texas Rangers' left-hander Derek Holland. The Canadians throw 21-year-old, 2010 1st Round pick Jameson Taillon, the Pittsburgh Pirates' prospect taken with the second overall pick behind only the Nats' Bryce Harper in the 2010 Draft. Should be an interesting matchup on the mound...

Taillon sounded excited about the opportunity when he spoke to reporters including MLB.com's Doug Miller about this afternoon's start, telling them that, "Going into it, [I've] just got an attitude that we got nothing to lose, go out there, give it everything and it's in our hands now. We've got to do what we can do." Team Canada opened the WBC with a loss to the upstart team from Italy, but bounced back to beat Mexico in Saturday afternoon's brawl-filled affair.

Should the U.S. win and move on to Round 2 in Miami, Florida, Washington Nationals fans will likely get an opportunity to see left-handed, 21-game winner Gio Gonzalez take the mound as he's scheduled to throw on March 12th if Team USA advances.

Derek Holland's a 26-year-old, five-year veteran who's pitched postseason games for the Rangers. Taillon's a 21-year-old prospect who's never pitched above Double-A. In 2012, the Pirates' right-hander had a (6-8) record with a 3.82 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 37 walks (2.66 BB/9) and 98 Ks (7.06 K/9) in 23 games and 125.0 IP at Class-A Bradenton in Pittsburgh's system. In his first three starts with the Altoona Curve at Double-A, Taillon was (3-0) with a 1.59 ERA, 1.26 FIP, one walk (0.53 BB/9) and 18 Ks (9.53 K/9) in 17.0 IP.

USA manager Joe Torre was asked today what the US hitters would have to do to beat Taillon and what he knew about the young right-hander. "You know he was a number one pick and you know he throws hard," Torre told reporters, "and you just'' again, you have to do what you do and look for a pitch to hit and make sure you're disciplined and yet you stay aggressive. So what I'm saying is you want to be aggressive in the strike zone and just make sure he throws strikes." Can the US put pressure on the young Canadian starter?

Team Canada is going heavy left against Derek Holland, who has a .241/.307/.342 line against left-handers in his career, as FOXSports.com's Jon Morosi noted on Twitter:

US lefty Derek Holland will face *7* LHH in Canadian lineup: Gillies, Green, Votto, Morneau, Saunders, Robinson-R, Loewen, Orr, Iorg-R.

' Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) March 10, 2013

' Here are Team USA and Canada's Starting Lineups for their WBC matchup with Canada:

Side-by-side lineups for today's game. #TeamUSA will be the visiting team. twitter.com/USABaseball/st'

' USABaseball (@USABaseball) March 10, 2013

' Game time 4:00 pm EDT on the MLB Network. Can the US stay alive in the WBC or can Canada knock Team USA out? Who's Watching the WBC?

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Washington Nationals Drop 2-1 Decision To Detroit Tigers; Dan Haren Goes 4.0 In 3rd Spring Start

Washington Nationals' 20-year-old left fielder, Bryce Harper, took a 1-0 fastball from Detroit Tigers' 24-year-old right-hander, Rick Porcello, back up the middle for a two-out single to center in the top of the first of this afternoon's Grapefruit league game in Lakeland, Florida's Joker Marchant Stadium. Harper stole second with Wilson Ramos at the plate, but was stranded when the Nats' catcher grounded out to end the opening frame. The two-out single for Harper left the second-year major leaguer 13 for 27 so far this Spring, with two doubles, a triple, two home runs and now one stole base one at bat into his 11th Spring Training game. Nats' starter Dan Haren needed just eight pitches to retire the Tigers in order in the bottom of the inning. 0-0 after one.

Tyler Moore stood still in left field and let a pop fly off Prince Fielder's bat drop in for a hit when the Nats' outfieder lost it in the sun or maybe the so-called "high sky" in Lakeland, FL. One out later, Fielder took second on a Jhonny Peralta single, and then scored when an Alex Avila grounder got under first baseman Chris Marrero's glove. No E3 apparently. Ruled a hit. Fielder scored on the should-have-been-an-E and it was 1-0 Detroit early. A double to left by Don Kelly brought Jhonny Peralta in from third to make it 2-0 Tigers. 23-pitch inning for Haren according to the Twitter. 31 through 2.0. Matt Skole started the Nats' second with a broken-bat single to center off Rick Porcello. Skole moved up on a groundout by Anthony Rendon, but the Tigers' starter got a swinging K from Corey Brown and a pop to short left from Steve Lombardozzi to end his third scoreless inning in Detroit's Spring home.

Dan Haren had much better luck in the third, with Bryce Harper showing off his range while catching the first two outs of the frame before a grounder back to the mound by Prince Fielder ended a quick, 1-2-3 inning. 2-0 Tigers after three. Haren, according to Twitter, threw 11 pitches in the third, which left him at 42 pitches total after three innings vs Detroit.

Tyler Moore hit a two-out single to center in the Nationals' fourth, but a nice sliding play by Jhonny Peralta robbed Chad Tracy of a potential bloop hit in the next at bat. 4.0 scoreless for Porcello. Tigers' outfielder Andy Dirks doubled to start the Tigers' fourth with the fifth hit off Haren today. Three quick outs later Dirks was still standing on second, however, with a sliding catch by Corey Brown in right robbing Don Kelly of a two-out potential-RBI hit. 2-0 Tigers after four. 61 pitches for Haren (according to Twitter) after a 19-pitch inning in the fourth.

Anthony Rendon grounded out to third to end Rick Porcello's fifth scoreless inning against the Nats. The groundout left Rendon 0 for 2 today and 8 for 26 so far this Spring. 25-year-old Nats' reliever Drew Storen took over on the mound in the bottom against the Tigers in the bottom of the fifth. Storen struck both second baseman Kevin Russo and center fielder Austin Jackson out for the first two outs of the inning, and the right-hander got help from third baseman Anthony Rendon, who fielded a short-hop expertly, and Matt Skole, who went up for Rendon's high throw, on a groundout by Torii Hunter that ended a scoreless bottom of the inning for the Nats' 25-year-old late-inning reliever/set-up man/B-pen closer. Still 2-0 Detroit.

The Nationals came up empty against Tigers' right-hander Joaquin Benoit in the top of the sixth. Nats' right-hander Yunkesky Maya gave up a one-out walk by Prince Fielder and a single by Andy Dirks, but two outs later both runners were left on base when the 31-year-old, Cuban-born Nationals' pitcher completed his seventh inning of work this Spring.

27-year-old Tigers' lefty Duane Below loaded the bases in the Nationals' seventh, walking Carlos Rivero and Zach Walters around a one-out single by Chad Tracy. The Nats scored their first run of the game when Matt Skole hit a sac fly to center to bring Rivero in from third, 2-1, but Anthony Rendon K'd swinging to end the rally there. 2-1 Tigers after six and a half. Ryan Mattheus gave up a two-out single by Quintin Berry in the bottom of the seventh, but a Brennan Boesch groundout ended a scoreless inning of relief work by the Nats' right-handed reliever.

25-year-old Venezuelan-born Tigers' right-hander Brayan Villareal struck out the side in a quick, 1-2-3 top of the eighth. Nats' right-hander Cole Kimball threw a quick, 1-2-3 bottom of the inning by the Nationals' 27-year-old right-hander, who's still recovering from surgery for a torn rotator cuff that ended his 2011 season not long after his MLB debut. The Tigers turned to right-hander Luis Marte in the top of the ninth and he retired Sandy Leon for out no.1 before Carlos Rivero reached on an error by Detroit third baseman Argenis Diaz. A grounder to second by Chad Tracy started a double play, however, and the 4-6-3 DP ended today's game.

2-1 Tigers final.

' [ed. note - "FBb regular Jeff550 pointed us toward the Twitter account of former major league scout Bernie Pleskoff (@BerniePleskoff) who tweeted the following observations on the Nats from today's game..."):

#Nationals Haren looks like Haren of old. Strong, healthy and very deceptive. Mixing pitches very well. Fastball at 90 and all the off-speed

' Bernie Pleskoff (@BerniePleskoff) March 10, 2013

#Nationals Haren can hang his breaking ball at times. Peralta gets the first real hit on one of those type pitches. Haren 86-90 tops.

' Bernie Pleskoff (@BerniePleskoff) March 10, 2013

#Nationals Haren still using split-finger and cutter along with his normal curve ball. Fastball sits at 86ish. HIts 90. Sink is the key.

' Bernie Pleskoff (@BerniePleskoff) March 10, 2013

#Nationals Haren done today. He is very dependent upon a solid defense-maybe more than many pitchers because of sink. Didn't get that. today

' Bernie Pleskoff (@BerniePleskoff) March 10, 2013