Fresh from pitching against solid Atlanta hitters, Jake Westbrook faced a far trickier test: Guess how much fans paid for box seats to watch the exhibition game.
Strasburg is the unquestioned ace of a Nationals staff filled with talent, but Davey Johnson was reluctant to make it official with still more than two weeks to go before Opening Day because of how well-known it already seemed to be.
How quickly we forget the spring training sensation is just 22 years old with 133 professional at-bats to his credit, thanks to last season's serious ankle injury.
The last save will be the toughest of them all for Mariano Rivera.
Caution over rules for the World Baseball Classic limited Gio Gonzalez to 42 pitches Thursday afternoon in his final Washington Nationals start before joining Team USA.
Extra work, even a few pitches Tuesday against the Houston Astros, means more to Haren this spring with twice-daily visits to the training room and a routine designed to avoid repeating his injury-riddled 2012 campaign.
Soriano's first outing progressed with the same efficiency that prompted the Nationals to hand him a two-year, $28 million contract to bolster the back end of an already-strong bullpen.
Monday morning, while the rest of his Washington teammates enjoy their first off-day of the spring, Detwiler will board a plane for Phoenix and begin his transition from Nationals camp to Team USA.
President Obama has a very carefully crafted public image, and he's willing to shut out his friends in the press to maintain it.
