Observations and quotes from Sunday's intrasquad game

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals held their first intrasquad game of the spring (actually, their first intrasquad game in years) today. And the final score was ... uh, well ... I don't know. I do know the Nationals won, beating the Nationals. Unless they tied. Which is possible. (Loyal reader Mark Strattner, who was in attendance, reports the final score was 4-1, with Joe Ross' team victorious. I'll take his word for it.)

Suffice it to say, this wasn't exactly a traditional ballgame. Everybody wore the same uniforms. Pitchers only went one inning a piece. After the third out of an inning was recorded, everybody remained on the field for a pre-planned bunt play.

Shoot, Dusty Baker and bench coach Chris Speier didn't even watch the last two innings because they had to make a scheduled rules meeting with Major League Baseball official Joe Torre.

Here are a few details I can share, having actually witnessed these portions of the game myself ...

* Max Scherzer was pretty sharp pitching the top of the first inning. He allowed one man to reach base (Trea Turner on a Tyler Moore error), but struck out both Danny Espinosa and Clint Robinson to complete a scoreless frame.

Scherzer wasn't exactly concerned with results in this one.

"I mean, it's honestly just to get out there and get some feel," the right-hander said. "It feels so awkward getting back out there in a game situation. I really haven't done it in five-six months. So the fact I didn't drill anybody, that's a big plus."

There's plenty of time for Scherzer to build his arm up and get himself into form before his presumed opening day start April 4 in Atlanta. He'll probably make six Grapefruit League starts between now and then, so he knows he can pace himself accordingly (even if it's not in his nature to do that).

"I've never been a guy that paces himself," he said with a laugh. "I'm always very: 'Let's go!' There were times out there today I was trying to throw the ball as hard as I could. But you just kind of know what your arm is capable of. You've got to know if you need to take a day where you don't throw as much as you normally would, to try to give your arm a breather. And once you get a day of light catch, then you know the next day your arm is going to feel good. It's understanding your body, what it needs. So when you do toe the rubber, you're able to give everything you've got."

* Ross started opposite Scherzer, pitching the bottom of the first. Unlike Scherzer, he did drill somebody (Jason Martinson, in the ribs). And he got into a jam: bases loaded, one out thanks to the hit-by-pitch, a walk and a single by Tony Campana. But Ross came through with a big pitch against Moore, inducing a 6-4-3 double play that also included a nice turn by Espinosa and Turner, to end the inning without a run crossing the plate.

"It's the first day actually seeing hitters," the second-year right-hander said. "I mean, we do our live BPs, but it's different once there's no (batting cage) and you're actually in a game situation. They put the ball in play and you kind of freeze because you haven't done anything in a couple days. But it was good to get out there. I didn't feel like I was that great or anything. But just to go throw and get one inning - I guess I had to deal with some runners on - it was a productive day overall."

* Tanner Roark took over for the bottom of the second and tossed a scoreless inning of his own. Reed Johnson doubled off him, but Roark struck out Scott Sizemore and watched as Ben Revere made a nice sliding catch of Jose Lobaton's sinking looper down the left field line.

* Sammy Solis struggled in his inning of relief, serving up a single to Spencer Kieboom, an RBI double to Wilson Ramos and an RBI triple off the center field wall by Turner.

* Sean Burnett pitched in a game situation for the first time in a year and a half, the first time since he underwent the second Tommy John surgery of his career. The lefty, trying to make a comeback as a non-roster invitee, gave up a leadoff double to Chris Heisey in the fourth and ultimately watched him score an unearned run. But Burnett induced four ground balls in the inning and his arm looked fine overall.