Pitchers Dominate in Nats’ 2-1 Win Over Marlins
By Pablo Roa
Mar 15, 2014; Jupiter, FL, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher
Stephen Strasburg(37) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Nationals beat the Miami Marlins after an impressive battle between two of the most talented young arms in the game, Stephen Strasburg and Jose Fernandez.
Strasburg looked to be in mid-season form as he threw four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out four. The right-hander will likely get the start on opening day and if today’s game is any indication, he is more than ready.
"“It’s just a natural progression,” Strasburg told MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. “You want to go in the right direction. Obviously you’re going to start out the first couple games of spring kind of feeling for it. I think mechanically I felt a lot more locked in this time.”"
The Nationals scored their first run of the game in the top of the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Zimmerman against Fernandez, giving Washington a 1-0 lead. That was all Fernandez would surrender, however, and his performance was just as impressive as Strasburg’s.
It remained a one-run game until the top of the fifth inning, when Wilson Ramos drove in Danny Espinosa with an RBI single up the middle. The Marlins would score their only run of the game in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI ground out by Alfredo Silverio against Nationals’ right-hander Craig Stammen. But the Nationals bullpen shut the door in the final two innings, securing a 2-1 victory over the Marlins.
The Nationals will be back at it tomorrow afternoon, when they’ll play their final split-squad games of the spring against the Tigers in Viera, and on the road against the Astros. First pitch for both games is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. EST.