Wins and losses in Spring Training don’t mean a whole lot. Some managers wish they didn’t keep track at all. But they do, and for baseball obsessed fans waiting for the real thing next month, glimmers of the game they’ve missed over the winter have to suffice.
Saturday afternoon, under beautiful Florida skies, the Washington Nationals got their Grapefruit League schedule underway, dropping a 3-1 game to the Houston Astros at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee.
Edwin Jackson drew the first assignment for the Nats, and he pitched two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks without a strikeout. Jackson was opposed by long-time Nats hurler Livan Hernandez, making his Astros debut. Livo allowed three hits, walking none, and struck out two in his two innings.
Jackson was followed by lefty Ross Detwiler, competing for the fifth spot in the Nats rotation. Detwiler struck out three in his two innings, but allowed two runs, both earned, on two hits and a walk. He gave up a two-run homer to Houston third baseman Chris Johnson that barely cleared the wall.
Non-roster invitee Chad Durbin pitched two scoreless, with a hit allowed and two Ks. Atahualpa Severino’s defense let him down in the seventh, with third baseman Carlos Rivero misplaying a ground ball that scored a runner from third, and Sean Burnett cleaned up in the eighth, striking out two and walking one, getting help from first baseman Tyler Moore on a nice play on a ground ball down the line for an out at first.
The Nationals got their run in the fifth on back-to-back doubles by Roger Bernadina and Jesus Flores. Both players had two hits in the game, pacing the Nats offense.
Bryce Harper started in right field and went 1-for-3 with a single.
The Nats face the Astros again Sunday at 1:05 at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, FL. Stephen Strasburg takes the hill in his 2012 debut.
