The good news is that the Nats appear to be in midseason form. The bad news is that season appears to be 2008.
Like Jordan Zimmermann yesterday, Jason Marquis came into the game on a string of good outings and had it cut sharply with a four-run first inning. He would be chased with two outs in the fourth, charged with six runs on nine hits and three walks. But also like yesterday, the bullpen was mostly effective after Tyler Clippard teetered out of the fourth with a walk-triple-strikeout sequence.
In terms of prospects…
- Brian Broderick pitched another solid inning of relief, a 1-2-3 inning with three infield groundouts.
- Danny Espinosa returned to the starting lineup and went 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Derek Norris followed Pudge Rodriguez behind the plate and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
- Matt Antonelli went 0-for-1 in the ninth as a pinch hitter, flying out to center.
The loss drops the Nats to 10-11 for the spring. They return to Viera for a MASN-televised game against the Tigers tomorrow afternoon.