Martinez on Taylor's injury, Roark's effort and Benoit's debut

JUPITER, Fla. - Manager Davey Martinez didn't think twice about scratching Michael A. Taylor from Monday's lineup when the center fielder reported some tightness in his right side before the Nationals boarded the bus in West Palm Beach for the 15-minute drive to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

"He had a little bit of tightness in his right side," Martinez said after the Nats' 2-1 loss to the Cardinals. "I know he had an issue with it last year, so we're not going to take any chances right now. Just take him out, let him heal up and get better."

Martinez said Taylor had taken some swings in the batting cage earlier in the morning before reporting the issue. The manager didn't know whether the problem was related to the right oblique injury that necessitated a stint on the 10-day disabled list last July.

"We'll see where it goes," Martinez said. "I'll know more probably tomorrow. But he came up to us before we left and said he felt a little tightness."

The beneficiary of Taylor's injury was left fielder Andrew Stevenson, who was inserted into the lineup and delivered his first spring homer, an opposite-field shot to left that accounted for the Nats' lone run.

While Tanner Roark's modified delivery continues to make a strong impression - the righty allowed only one hit through four scoreless frames - Martinez said there's something more than the lack of a full windup playing into Roark's strong spring. Roark has yet to allow an earned run through eight Grapefruit League innings.

"I think it's about consistency and throwing strikes," Martinez said. "We preach a lot about getting ahead of hitters and throwing strike one. I think that comes with Derek (Lilliquist, pitching coach) really preaching and talking about it and trying to simplify everything. I think there's less energy involved, as well."

The lack of solid contact by the Cardinals on Monday spoke volumes about what Roark has accomplished. St. Louis hitters were unable to square up many balls against Roark, who kept them guessing and off-balance.

"He's got four really good pitches, works both sides of the plate really well," Martinez said. "He can throw them at any time. That's what's really good about Tanner - he's not afraid to pitch backwards when he needs to and he's not afraid of the plate. He throws strikes."

Reliever Joaquin Benoit took the loss after following Roark to the mound. He yielded two runs on three hits in an inning's work, his first appearance of the spring after signing a one-year, $1 million deal last month. One of the runs charged to Benoit came on the front end of a double steal, with José Martínez swiping home.

Davey Martinez was pleased to see Benoit throwing at 93-94 mph.

"That was good to see," the skipper said.