Sizzling bats for Moore and Taylor, Fister solid (Nats lose 3-2)

By Josh Land

Nationals

March 08, 2015, 10:10am

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NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Yankees 3, Nationals 2 Recap: Michael A. Taylor led off today's game with his first home run of the exhibition season. The highly regarded outfield prospect also singled and is now 3-for-5 in two exhibition games. Tyler Moore added two more doubles in today's game. Through three games, Moore is 6-for-8 with four doubles, a home run, a triple and six RBIs. Doug Fister put in two solid scoreless innings, allowing a hit and a walk. Need to know: Ian Desmond was the lone Nationals starter to make the trip to Tampa. The shortstop was 1-for-3 with a single today and is 2-for-5 with one RBI overall this exhibition season. Mitch Lively took the loss, giving up a run on three hits in the eighth. Gio Gonzalez is set to make his first start of the spring tomorrow. On deck: Monday vs. Atlanta Braves in Viera, 1:05 p.m. ____________

TAMPA, Fla. - Michael A. Taylor led off today's game with a home run off Yankees starter Adam Warren. He then singled in the third.

Taylor, who swung at the first pitch in both at-bats, is now 3-for-4 over the last two games. He missed the first two exhibition games with a neck issue. After appearing as the designated hitter yesterday, Taylor started in center field today.

Taylor's rare combination of power and speed has led to him being considered one of the top prospects in all of baseball. The 23-year-old made the jump to the majors in August 2014 and hit his first home run in his big league debut at Citi Field in New York.

After the home run, there weren't many highlights for Taylor. He hit just .205 with 17 strikeouts in 39 at-bats in 17 games. He totaled 144 strikeouts between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse last year. He has tweaked his plan at the plate a bit heading into this season.

"I think making contact early in the count is a big thing for me, not getting to as many two-strike counts," Taylor said.

Tyler Moore continues to swing a hot bat. The 28-year-old hit a ball sharply into the right field corner for a double in the first. Moore is now 5-for-7 in with three doubles, a home run, a triple and six RBIs this spring.

Both Taylor and Moore are potentially competing to start in left field on opening day with Jayson Werth still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

Doug Fister looked like Doug Fister in his first start of the Grapefruit League season. Working efficiently as always, Fister needed just 19 pitches to get through two scoreless innings. He routinely recorded four groundball outs while allowing one hit and one walk.

Alex Rodriguez, starting today at third base, reached on a ground-rule double on a ball that should've been caught. Second baseman Wilmer Difo and right fielder Clint Robinson converged on the pop fly but neither made a play on the ball that dropped fair and then skipped into the stands.