Gonzalez sharp, Arroyo labors in spring debuts (Marlins walk off Nats)

NATIONALS QUICK WRAP

Score: Marlins 5, Nationals 4

Recap: Gio Gonzalez was effective in his spring debut, tossing two scoreless innings while allowing two singles. Bronson Arroyo, on the other hand, looked quite rusty in his first game appearance since June 2014, after which he needed Tommy John surgery. The 39-year-old right-hander gave up two runs on four hits and two walks during his two innings of relief, with a fastball that registered in the low-to-mid 80s. Contrast that with Lucas Giolito, the Nationals' top pitching prospect, who entered for the sixth throwing gas. The young right-hander struck out three of the first four batters he faced and departed with two zeroes on the scoreboard. The Nats got their offensive production from a couple of longballs: Michael A. Taylor homered off lefty Adam Conley in the second, while Wilmer Difo launched a three-run homer onto the second-deck patio in right field in the fifth to give the Nats the lead. But ex-National Justin Maxwell hit a walk-off three run homer off Paolo Espino in the ninth as Washington lost for the first time this spring.

Need to know: Saturday's game against Detroit will feature a couple of familiar faces on the mound: Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann. Zimmermann, though, will be pitching in a wholly unfamiliar uniform after signing a $110 million contract with the Tigers over the winter. "I think it's gonna be weird to see Jordan in different colors," said Gonzalez, a teammate of his the last four seasons. "But I think that as far as seeing him on the mound, it's not gonna be weird. It's Jordan. Guy's a bulldog. He's gonna do what he does best: Go out there and try to compete."

On deck: Saturday vs. Tigers in Viera, 1:05 p.m.
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JUPITER, Fla. - Gio Gonzalez was sharp and efficient in his first official appearance of the spring. Bronson Arroyo was neither in his, an inauspicious opening act to the 39-year-old right-hander's quest to crack the Nationals' opening day rotation.

Gonzalez tossed two scoreless innings against the Marlins this afternoon, allowing only a pair of two-out singles in the second during a solid Grapefruit League debut. The left-hander, whose troubles over the year often have been the result of inefficiency, needed only 27 pitches (17 strikes) to record his requisite six outs and call it a day.

"There's a lot of things I can learn from today's start," Gonzalez said. "It just took two innings to do it. It's a good start right off the bat. I liked what happened today. Little mistakes: 0-2, you gotta execute a pitch. Guy got a hit off that, guy knocks it to right field. That's something I have to learn to pick up, pound the strike zone a little more, be a little more aggressive in the strike zone."

Though his job is secure and he has little to prove, this still is an important spring for Gonzalez, who with the free-agent departures of Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister has moved up to the third slot in the Nationals' projected rotation. The Nats also face a decision next winter on Gonzalez, with a $12 club option for 2017 needing to be picked up or declined.

Gonzalez may have nothing to prove this spring, but the same can't be said of Arroyo, who is trying to mount a comeback as a 39-year-old coming off Tommy John surgery. The right-hander, who last pitched in June 2014, insisted his reconstructed elbow felt fine early this spring, but he knew the real test would come once he began pitching in games on a recurring schedule.

Arroyo's arm may have felt fine today, but the results weren't pleasant. He allowed two runs on four hits and two walks over two innings, serving up three straight rockets to open the fourth. His fastball registered only 82-84 mph.

"I just need stamina," Arroyo said. "That's really what I need is: stamina. The first inning I felt pretty crisp, and then by the middle of the second inning a little bit of fatigue starts setting in and you realize you start losing a little bit of command. And that's due to the fact that I'm just not in shape to go out there and throw 25 pitches in an inning. But that's what we're trying to do here. That's what we're always trying to do this time of year."

Arroyo fully acknowledges his pure stuff isn't going to wow anyone at this stage of his career, but he's confident he can get big league hitters out with command and health. The dilemma the Nationals will face as this spring plays out: Is health alone enough to warrant an opening day rotation spot for Arroyo (who is on a minor league deal and has an opt-out at the end of the month) or do they need to see results at some point?

"I'm looking for what I saw before (he was hurt), said Dusty Baker, who managed Arroyo in Cincinnati. "It's been a couple years since I had him, and a couple years since he pitched. I'll know it when I see it, or if I don't see it. Most of the time, the hitters will let you know. But early in the spring, man, it's too hard to judge guys, especially the older guys. Cause they're not as sharp. And they don't get it as quickly."

Arroyo is most interested to see how his arm responds after this multi-inning appearance.

"I think the next two days will give me a real good indication," he said. "Usually after you throw, the first day and a lot of times even the second day, can be worse. Waiting to see how much damage you've done for yourself ... can you still play long toss? Can you try to turn it back around? If I can do that - play long toss in a couple of days and feel decent in your bullpen - then I think were kind of moving in the right direction. Now, if you're so sore you can't even play catch and get back out on the mound on your start day, then you could be in trouble."