Adam Dunn and Joel Hanrahan back to work with Nationals

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

VIERA, Fla. -- Left fielder Adam Dunn and closer Joel Hanrahan returned to the Nationals' Spring Training facility on Tuesday morning, two days after Team USA was eliminated by Japan in the World Baseball Classic in Los Angeles.

Both players went to work immediately. Dunn took batting practice at Space Coast Stadium, while Hanrahan pitched an inning during a Minor League game at the Nationals' training complex.

Hanrahan acknowledged he was nervous when the Classic began in Toronto, but he calmed down once Padres right-hander Jake Peavy reminded him and his bullpen mates that they were still in Spring Training mode.

"Peavy had come out [of the game] and told the bullpen guys, 'Remember, it's early Spring Training. There are 44,000 Canadians there. We are playing Team Canada,'" Hanrahan remembered. "He said it was a playoff atmosphere. 'Just be careful when you go out there, because when you try to reach back, [the velocity is] not going to be there. It's too early. Try to take a step off [the mound], relax, take a deep breath. Take it all in.' After the first outing, it wasn't too bad."

Adam Dunn and Joel Hanrahan back to work with Nationals....

Martis creating tough choice for Nats

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

VIERA, Fla. -- Richard and Athlym Martis picked a good time to watch their son pitch at Fort Lauderdale Stadium on Tuesday afternoon. Nationals right-hander Shairon Martis had his best outing of the spring, pitching six shutout innings in a 3-1 victory over the Orioles.

At one point during the game, Martis retired 11 out of 12 batters. The fourth inning was the only time he was in serious trouble, but Martis got Matt Wieters to fly out to center field to end the inning after Baltimore had loaded the bases with two outs.

"Today was a good day for me," Martis said. "I was working on the slider. Before [this outing], I didn't have a feeling for them. It was pretty good [today]. I always have to be aggressive on the first pitch, so I try to get first-pitch strikes. As soon as you have that, you can work a little bit on your breaking stuff."

Martis creating tough choice for Nats....

Nationals Plan To Carry Seven Relievers

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

JUPITER, Fla. -- Nationals manager Manny Acta said Monday that he plans to carry seven relievers when the regular season starts against the Marlins on April 6th. It is already known that Joel Hanrahan is the closer, while Joe Beimel and Saul Rivera are the setup men. Here is the list of candidates for the final four spots in the bullpen.

The leading candidates, so far.

Nationals Plan To Carry Seven Relievers....