Wire Taps: Washington Nationals walk off on Houston Astros; plans for Sean Doolittle and Daniel Hudson + more Nats links

It was radio only on Sunday for the Washington Nationals’ split squad action against both the Marlins and Astros, with the defending World Series champions beating Houston on a walk off hit, 2-1, at home in West Palm Beach, FL, and losing to Miami, 5-2, on the road in Jupiter’s Roger Dean Stadium.

This afternoon, the Nats and New York Mets meet up in Grapefruit League action, but there is no radio or TV coverage of the first matchup of the Spring between the NL East divisional rivals. So, we’re wondering if we should bother with a GameThread when there’s no way to watch or even listen to the game? While we think about it, go read your links...

NATS BEAT:

Nationals hope to avoid knee injuries with Sean Doolittle, Daniel Hudson - (WaPost)
"The Nationals will ease relievers Sean Doolittle and Daniel Hudson into action. And this, they believe, is critical."

Voth succeeds, Fedde struggles in Round 1 of competition - (MASN)
"The Nationals need a No. 5 starter, and whoever pitches the best this spring out of that trio most likely will get the nod."

Strasburg, Corbin, Zimmerman not playing yet (Nats win 2-1) - (MASN)
"Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin won’t make a start the first time through the rotation this week, instead throwing live batting practice one more time before debuting in a Grapefruit League game."

Notes: Fedde's new diet; Stras, Corbin plans - (MLB.com)
"This offseason, [Fedde] trained in his hometown of Las Vegas and worked with his friend, Braves pitcher Max Fried, on arm action."

Snyder walks it off for hometown Nats vs. Astros - (MLB.com)
"Brandon Snyder watched the Nationals beat the Astros in Game 7 of the World Series from his couch in Warrenton, Va., about 50 miles outside of Washington, D.C."

NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

Tracking Brevard's stars: Setting the stage for spring training baseball - (Florida Today)
"Taylor Jordan: The former Merritt Island High and Washington Nationals pitcher, who was 4-9 with a 4.65 ERA in his second season for the independent Sioux City (Iowa) Explorers in the Double-A American Association circuit, tweeted: 'Still looking for that spring training opportunity, not giving up yet.'"

NL EAST UPDATES:

Behold, the new Phillie Phanatic - (HardballTalk)
"The Phanatic is an icon, a paragon of mascotdom, the furry green troublemaker we all want to be when we grow up."

Mets are getting best version of Yoenis Cespedes - (NYPost)
"When Yoenis Cespedes was asked Sunday morning on a scale of one to 10 how motivated he was this season to come back from his strange injuries, Cespedes did not wait for the question to be translated. He quickly answered in English '12.’"

Notes: Elieser's spring debut; Anderson's spot - (MLB.com)
"[Elieser] Hernandez is competing for a spot in the back end of the rotation, where he's in the mix with Jordan Yamamoto, Robert Dugger and Nick Neidert."

Riley hopes balanced offseason equals success - (MLB.com)
"Austin Riley spent the offseason making mechanical adjustments aimed toward creating more balance at the plate."