Mets Shutout Against Nationals, 12-0
VIERA, Fla. (AP) — Ian Desmond, Jayson Werth and Roger Bernadina teed off on Matt Harvey's in the touted draft pick's first spring training start.
The trio hit first-inning home runs to back Stephen Strasburg, and the Washington Nationals routed the New York Mets 12-0 Sunday to stop an 11-game winless streak.
"There's not that panic that, hey we've got to come out and show people what we can do in spring training," Desmond said. "We're not worried about that. We're ready for April. We want to see what we can do when they start counting."
Desmond homered leading off, Werth hit a two-run drive and Bernadina had a solo homer in a five-run first. Washington had gone 0-10-1 since defeating St. Louis 8-4 in March 12, and the Nationals had been outscored 31-6 in their previous five games.
Werth's drive went over 400 feet and he said the ball may have hit his own car in the parking lot, according to a member of the Nationals grounds crew. Werth wasn't sure because he didn't park his car.
"But that is usually where I park it, over in that direction," Werth said. "It could be just a rumor, folklore. ... I have to go out there and check it out. If it's dented or smashed or cracked or shattered, I kind of foresee it staying that way for a while. I think they are just messing with me, but who knows?"
Harvey, the seventh overall pick in the 2010 amateur draft, gave up five runs and seven hits in one inning.
"I learned a lot more when I got back in the dugout and asked some of the guys what did they see from the side," Harvey said. "(Catcher) Rob Johnson helped me out quite a bit. He said, 'It looked like you were getting up there and throwing and not really thinking about what you were doing.' That's something I kind of picked up, as well, toward the end of my outing. It's something to learn from."
Werth's home run made an impression.
"It almost seemed like I told him what was coming when he it," Harvey said.
Bernadina had three hits and four RBIs, Ryan Zimmerman and Danny Espinosa each had three hits and three runs for Washington, which had 17 hits. The first four batters in the Nationals' batting order combined to go 10 for 22.
Strasburg, preparing to start Washington's April 5 opener at the Chicago Cubs, allowed five hits in five innings with five strikeouts and one walk.
"It's definitely in the rehearsal stage, going out there, trying to execute pitches and not necessarily go out there and work on stuff," Strasburg said. "For me, where I'm at, there are still a couple of things I've got to work on; but when you step on the rubber, it's go time out there right now."
New York's Jason Bay bruised his right forearm when hit by a Strasburg fastball in the third. Bay will not play Monday against St. Louis and said he didn't think he needed X-rays because the ball hit him on the meaty part of his forearm.
After being hit, Bay immediately held his arm against his body and said he was afraid to look to see what the damage was. He stayed in the game to run the bases, but was replaced by Mike Baxter in the bottom of the third.
"My hand was getting so tight, I don't know if I could throw a ball," Bay said. "My forearm was kind of swelling and affecting the hand a little bit there. It wasn't a 75-mile-an-hour fastball, that's for sure. It was going to swell up."
Mets manager Terry Collins said third baseman David Wright could be in the lineup Monday against St. Louis. Wright has not played in any exhibition games because of a strained left abdominal muscle.
NOTES: Nationals manager Davey Johnson said 1B Adam LaRoche (spained ankle) will be able to run with cutting motions. ... Washington OF Michael Morse (strained right lat muscle) will begin throwing on Wednesday and it's not clear whether he will be available for the opener. ... With closer Drew Storen (elbow inflammation) likely to start the season on the DL, Johnson wants to give Brad Lidge and Henry Rodriguez some work in the late innings. ... Collins said the Mets are hoping to get 90-95 pitches from left-hander Johan Santana in Monday's start against St. Louis. ... While pitching against the Miami Marlins' Double-A farm team in a minor league game in Port St. Lucie, Mets LHP Garrett Olson was struck by a batted ball in the palm of his left hand, which left a bruise. X-rays were negative.
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