The 2012 Major League Baseball regualr season is days from beginning, with the Washington Nationals joining their fellow teams by wrapping up exhibition play in the sunny locales of Florida and Arizona. On Sunday, the Nationals and lefty Gio Gonzalez beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1, with Gonzalez looking primed for the season to begin.
Gonzalez allowed just one run in five innings, on three hits. He walked only one batter, while striking out seven Cardinals hitters, raising his spring strikeout total to 26.
Danny Espinosa hit his first home run of the spring, ending a 0-for-12 slump. It was just the thrid extra base hit of the spring for the Nationals second baseman.
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.