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The Washington Nationals travel to Champion Stadium in ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex in the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL, where they take on the Atlanta Braves in Grapefruit League action for the second time this spring. In this afternoon's 1:05 pm EST game, which is available via MLB.com's Gameday Audio only (and it's the Braves feed), Nats' right-hander Stephen Strasburg will make his 2014 debut.
The 25-year-old, '09 no.1 overall pick finished his fourth major league campaign at +3.2 fWAR with an (8-9) record, a 3.00 ERA, 3.21 FIP, 56 walks (2.75 BB/9) and 191 Ks (9.39 K/9) in 30 starts and 183 IP. After the season, Strasburg, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2010, had surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow. Nationals' manager Matt Williams told reporters yesterday that like every starter in their first outing of the spring, Strasburg will go two innings this afternoon.
"First time out, a couple of innings," Williams said on Monday. "We're not going to push them to three at this point, regardless of pitch count."
• Here's the Nationals' lineup for this afternoon's game with the Braves:
#Nats lineup @ #Braves: McLouth RF, Desmond SS, Harper LF, Zimmerman3B, LaRoche 1B, Ramos C, Rendon 2B, Espinosa DH, Goodwin CF, Strasburg P
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) March 4, 2014
Bryce Harper returns to the lineup after sitting for a couple days with what Matt Williams described as flu-like symptoms.
• Here's the Braves' lineup for today's game:
Today's lineup vs. WSH (1:05, 1230/1340AM): Heyward 9 BUpton 8 Freeman 3 Gattis 2 JUpton DH Johnson 5 Uggla 4 Simmons 6 Schafer 7 Medlen 1
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) March 4, 2014
Game time: 1:05 pm EST from Lake Buena Vista. Again, no tv coverage of today's game, but it is available via MLB.com's Gameday audio. Listen in or follow along in today's GameThread.
Who's listening to the Nationals?