Harris confident he'll be ready for opener (Nats win 6-2)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Will Harris hasn't pitched in a Grapefruit League game yet, but the veteran reliever is confident he has enough time left to build his body up after suffering an abdominal strain to be part of the Nationals bullpen on opening day.

"As of right now, I'll be there," he said. "I'll have cleats on. I'll be ready."

Harris, the club's key bullpen acquisition over the winter, threw another bullpen session this morning and said he's progressing as he wants from the abdominal strain that first cropped up earlier in camp. He plans to throw off the mound again Friday, then hopes to be ready to face hitters in a live batting practice setting after that before ultimately appearing in a game next week.

"They've gone pretty slow with it, for the right reasons," the 35-year-old said. "It was good. Take a day and do it again on Friday and try and just gradually up the intensity every time until I get into a game."

Harris said the issue goes back to the hernia surgery he had prior to the 2019 season. Though he was still recovering from that procedure last spring, it didn't prevent him from appearing in 68 games for the Astros, plus another 12 in the postseason.

In preparing to pitch this spring, Harris said he may have tweaked his mechanics, which then caused an abdominal strain.

"When you go to throw, you feel that pulling in your abs," he said. "And the harder you try to throw, the worse it gets. That's usually a telltale sign you've got to quit throwing."

Harris has spent the last couple weeks building up his core muscles. He joked that he's now up to a "four-pack" and hopes to eventually have a "six-pack."

He's been able to ramp up his throwing program along the way, prioritizing better mechanics, and he said his body and arm have responded well.

"That's why you go slow, to make sure if you slowly work into it you don't go back into old bad habits," he said. "So far, so good. Take a day tomorrow, do it again Friday, and I plan on not having any hiccups."

Update: Stephen Strasburg made his first start in 12 days this afternoon, but he didn't show any signs of rust. Strasburg cruised for five innings, retiring the first 12 batters he faced before allowing back-to-back singles to open the fifth. One runner wound up scoring on a 1-6-3 double play, but that was hardly a blemish on Strasburg's afternoon. He needed only 46 pitches (36 strikes) to complete those five frames in an impressive showing. Nats trail 1-0 in the sixth.

Update II: After doing vritually nothing at the plate all day, the Nationals exploded for six runs in the top of the ninth. Carter Kieboom and Yadiel Hernandez got it started with back-to-back doubles. Wilmer Difo added an RBI single. There was a run-scoring wild pitch. Kieboom came up to bat again with the bases loaded and drew a walk. At the end of all that, the Nats lead 6-1 in the ninth.

Update III: Hunter Strickland yielded a home run in the ninth, but the Nats won 6-2.