Stephen Strasburg tossed four scoreless innings to lead the Nats to a 2-1 win over the Marlins, ending a four-game skid. The 25-y.o. ace gave up two hits, walked one and struck out four in his third spring appearance.
Bullpen stalwarts Tyler Clippard, Craig Stammen, and Jerry Blevins combined for four innings in relief, the lone Marlins run charged against Stammen. Aaron Barrett whiffed the first and last batters in the ninth, shaking off a two-out error by Zach Walters to earn the save.
Ryan Zimmerman (sac fly) and Wilson Ramos (RBI single) accounted for the two runs in the 3rd and 5th innings as the reserves didn’t begin filtering until the 6th.
Steve Souza was given the start in RF and reached base twice with a walk and a single in three PAs. Here’s a rundown of how the rest of the notable minor-leaguers did:
• Walters replaced Danny Espinosa at SS and was 0-for-1 with a strikeout
• Brian Goodwin subbed for Bryce Harper in LF and also went 0-for-1 with a whiff
• Brandon Miller followed Souza in RF and was 0-for-1
• Jeff Kobernus took over CF from Nate McLouth and collected a single and a stolen base
Tomorrow is the third and final split-squad doubleheader with games against Detroit (home) and Houston (away). Jordan Zimmermann gets the ball in Viera while Gio Gonzalez makes the road start in Kissimmee. Both games are at 1:05 p.m. with MASN broadcasting the Tigers game while the Astros game can be heard via MLB Radio.