If Brian Matusz pitches well tonight at Ed Smith Stadium in his spring training debut maybe he will finally be at a point where the questions he has to answer deal more with the present and future than the past. Few pitchers have ever had such a swing in their performance as this 25-year-old left-hander. He finished the 2010 season going 6-0 with an ERA of 1.57 over his last eight starts and then went 1-9 with an ERA of 10.69 last year. American League batters hit .372 off Matusz last year...

VIERA, Fla. - In Davey Johnson's eyes, Stephen Strasburg had a bit too much adrenaline running through him while out on the mound today, leading to a little bit of wildness. "Stras was too hyped up, amped up," Johnson said. "You could tell from the first pitch he threw he was loaded for bear. But other than that, everybody came through all right." Johnson said he could understand Strasburg's emotions being high for the Nationals' Grapefruit League home opener; after all, as Strasburg...

VIERA, Fla. - It's probably a good thing when a pitcher leaves the mound after his first spring training start feeling like he has a good bit more in the tank. That's how Stephen Strasburg felt after throwing 44 pitches in 2 2/3 innings today against the Astros. "I felt good," Strasburg said. "Arm felt strong. The big thing was going out there trying to pound the zone. Obviously, it's been a while since throwing offspeed to hitters and stuff, and I think the biggest thing I noticed was...

VIERA, Fla. - It's only spring training. It's only spring training. Just repeat after me. And do the "

VIERA, Fla. - Nationals manager Davey Johnson had said that Stephen Strasburg was on a 45-pitch limit today. Strasburg's 44th pitch of the afternoon set down Astros shortstop Marwin Gonzalez swinging, and that marked the end of his day. The right-hander finishes having thrown 2 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and a wild pitch. Strasburg had three strikeouts, two of which were swinging. He allowed a solo home run to catcher Chris Snyder with one out in the second, and was on the...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter said pitcher Zach Britton and reliever Jim Johnson are "right where they need to be." And he didn't mean Sarasota. Also, pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada played catch again today and will throw off flat ground from 120 feet tomorrow and throw off a half mound. Exactly one week ago, he had his left elbow drained and received a cortisone injection. Time flies. "His arm was working uninhibited today," Showalter said. Showalter still isn't ready to name a...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have released pitcher Dennys Reyes for failure to report to camp. That'll do it. Reyes was having visa issues and the club hadn't been in contact with him. At least they've spoken to catcher Ronny Paulino, whose car showed up without him. If you're keeping tabs on the spring training roster, Paulino is a no-show, Reyes has been released, pitcher Ryan Edell retired and catcher Dane Sardinha failed his physical. Reliever Jim Johnson threw another bullpen...

VIERA, Fla. - It might be his first game action this spring, but Stephen Strasburg looked like Stephen Strasburg in his first inning of work this afternoon. Strasburg set the Astros down in order in the top of the first, retiring Jordan Schafer on a fly ball to right, getting Marwin Gonzalez on a first-pitch grounder to first base, and striking out Brian Bogusevic swinging. Strasburg tossed 14 pitches in the first inning, eight of which were for strikes. He threw mostly fastballs, but looked...

Teenagers have attitudes. Senior citizens have attitudes. Yours truly stuck in Beltway rush hour gridlock has an attitude. But Natitude? That's all you, Nationals fans. We're only a few weeks away from the start of the 2012 regular season and the buzz in the nation's capital is fierce. This year's squad is young, they're hungry and they're in prime position to reach the postseason for the first time since coming to D.C. And in honor of the impending rise of Nationals baseball, the...

VIERA, Fla. - Not too long ago, Jesus Flores was viewed as the Nationals' catcher of the future. Now, he's just trying to prove he can stay healthy for a full season and contribute at the big league level. Right shoulder problems - a fractured shoulder blade and a torn labrum - have in many ways wiped out the 27-year-old's last three seasons. He played in just 29 games in 2009 and missed the entire 2010 campaign due to the injury, then struggled in 2011, hitting just .216 in 86 games...