Finally getting to see Fister in action

SAN FRANCISCO - Good morning from the West Coast, where it's been cool and drizzly for most of the last 24 hours.

The Nationals flew here after Wednesday's game in order to give them time to get acclimated to the Bay Area and the time change. It would have been great to get yesterday's off-day back at home, but a day off in San Francisco ain't half bad, either.

Tonight, it's back to business. Doug Fister will take the mound for his Nationals debut, while the Athletics will send former Nats prospect Tommy Milone to the hill. Milone was one of the pieces sent to the A's in the Gio Gonzalez deal in December 2011.

For Fister, it's been a frustrating last two and a half months. He showed up in Viera in mid-February ready to try and get acclimated to a new team and round out a rotation that was being viewed by some as the best in the majors.

Since then, little has gone as planned for the 30-year-old California native.

Fister made a spring training start on March 2, working two innings against the Marlins, then was shut down due to elbow inflammation. The tall right-hander slowly and diligently worked back from that injury scare, and looked like he was out of the woods when he dominated the Marlins over 3 2/3 innings on March 22.

The Nats started making plans for when they would slide Fister into their regular season rotation during the season's first week, but then came another setback. Fister was pulled from a minor league game after just one inning of work due to a strained right lat muscle.

Now, more than six weeks after that lat strain, Fister is back, ready to put the injuries behind him, answer questions from reporters that have nothing to do with his health or rehab process, and help out his new team.

Asked recently how excited he is to finally get to take the mound in a Nats jersey, Fister replied that he more just wants to feel like he's contributing to something. He's spent the last few months getting to know his teammates and being as much of a help as he can on the bench, offering tips to younger players and discussing situations with his fellow starters.

Now he wants to be a part of helping the Nats put up some wins due to his on-field performance.

Control is important for every pitcher, obviously, but for Fister, it's what allows him to be successful. Fister's bread and butter is his sinker down in the zone, leading to ground balls, early contact and quick outs. Many pitchers coming off injuries struggle with their control when they're first back, as they need to develop that feel over time.

With Fister, it will be interesting to see how quickly he's able to settle in and find that pinpoint control after a long injury layoff.

Fister has been waiting for his Nats debut for months. So have Nats fans who are eager to see their prized offseason acquisition in action.

So get the coffee ready for tonight, folks. It'll be a long night for those of you back east, but it should be fun to see Fister in action.