The Washington Nationals played Grapefruit League split squad games on Saturday, with the Nats "A-Team" defeating the New York Mets 8-2 in Viera and the "B-Team" tying the Detroit Tigers 5-5 in Lakeland.
Ryan Zimmerman and Wilson Ramos each drove in two runs against the Mets at Space Coast Stadium. Chien-Ming Wang, possibly Washington's fifth starter when the season begins, pitched just two innings, allowing two runs on three hits, striking out two and walking one. The matchup with the Mets also saw Adam LaRoche take the field for the first time in an exhibition game.
The game in Lakeland was dominated early by Tigers' ace Justin Verlander, who pitched four innings of three hit ball against the Nationals, striking out four Washington batters. John Lannan started for the Nats, throwing 56 pitches in two innings, allowing two earned runs but striking out four Detroit hitters against just one walk.
We'll have much more on Spring Training here at SB Nation DC in the coming weeks. In the meantime, check out SB Nation's Nationals blog, Federal Baseball, for more news and notes. And don't forget to visit Baseball Nation, the MLB hub of SB Nation for information from around the league.