Minnesota jumped on starter A.J Cole for four runs in the 2nd and cruised to a 5-2 win over Washington.
Cole faced 10 batters but retired just five of them, giving up four runs on four hits and a walk while striking out two (both looking) over an inning and two-thirds.
Offensively, the Nats were a woeful 0-for-11 with RISP and managed just five hits total. Eleven men were stranded on the basepaths.
Here’s a rundown on how the watchlist players performed:
• Erick Fedde was easily the most effective pitcher of the game, with six and up and six down and two whiffs over two innings (5th & 6th).
• Austin Voth pitched around a leadoff single during a scoreless 8th innings.
• Matt Skole was the starting DH but was 0-for-2 with a K.
• Brian Goodwin started in RF and was also 0-for-2 with a K.
• Andrew Stevenson pinch-hit for CF Michael Taylor and drove in the second DC run with an RBI groundout in the 9th. He was 0-for-3.
• Drew Ward was the second DH and went 0-for-2 with a K.
• Rafael Bautista subbed for Goodwin in RF and scored the second run after a leading off the 9th with a single, taking third on a subsequent safety by Emmmanuel Burriss, and scoring on Stevenson’s groundout. He finished 1-for-2
The Nats complete their three-game road trip to start the 2017 Spring Training with a visit to Jupiter to face the Cardinals. The game will be broadcast on MLB Radio (St. Louis feed).