Strasburg vs. Harper showdown highlights first live BP session

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - There's not that much to it, and it hardly is a true representation of the pitcher-batter confrontations that will take place nightly not long from now. But at this early stage of the spring, the sight of live batting practice always perks everybody up. If nothing else, it's a reminder that the games themselves are fast approaching.

The Nationals held their first round of live BP this morning, taking advantage of the cloverleaf of four practice fields they have outside The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches to cycle through 16 different pitchers and every position player.

Four pitchers took the mound at a time, each facing three batters during a 10-minute session that included approximately 20 pitches a piece.

And the fans and media that gathered at Field 3 got a particular treat, with Stephen Strasburg facing three big-name regulars: Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth and Adam Eaton.

This wasn't the first time Strasburg and Harper squared off; it happened a couple of springs ago in Viera, to plenty of fanfare. This time, Harper swung only once, sending a sharp grounder through the right side of the infield. (Base hit or groundout? Depends who would've been playing second base.)

This was the first time Strasburg had faced any live hitters since he trudged off the mound at Nationals Park with an injured elbow September 7. Though he progressed to throw in the bullpen during the postseason, the right-hander ran out of time to advance far enough to face a batter before the Nats' season ended.

So count this morning as another important hurdle crossed by Strasburg, who has not appeared to have any discomfort so far this spring and has voiced no concerns.

"No news is good news," manager Dusty Baker said. "If we don't hear something from him, we'll assume everything's good. He'll let us know. The trainers will let us know. And (pitching coach Mike Maddux) will let me know."

Baker is trying to view Strasburg's absence from the Nationals rotation at the end of last season in a positive light.

"He's had all winter to rest, and the last month of the season to rest. It would be different if he had pitched in September or October. It would be a lot different. There's something to rest. There's something to the body healing itself naturally. I mean, his body has healed itself quite a few times."

Another pitcher who took the mound this morning with a notable injury history was Joe Nathan, the 42-year-old former closer trying to come back from his second Tommy John surgery. Nathan, in camp on a minor-league contract, followed Strasburg on Field 3 and faced the same group of big-name hitters. None took a swing against him, but he emerged feeling good about the state of his arm.

"It was actually kind of easy to keep the energy and the adrenaline down," the right-hander said. "Cause I knew they were just tracking balls. So it was kind of like an easier bullpen today, a little (fewer) pitches. Pretty easy day. I just made sure stuff was kind of in the zone when I wanted to. I think for the most part, I threw strikes."

Knowing the batters wouldn't be swinging, how did Nathan get a read on the quality of his pitches?

"That's the tough part," he said. "As pitchers, we do like to see reaction. See how swings are, see the reactions of hitters. But you can do that by talking with them, too. That's probably the biggest thing, afterwards going up and getting feedback from them."

Among the other bigger names to throw today were Gio Gonzalez, Tanner Roark, A.J. Cole, Jeremy Guthrie, Oliver Perez and Erick Fedde. Those who didn't throw today are scheduled to throw Tuesday, with the exception of Max Scherzer (who won't take a mound until the stress fracture in his right ring finger knuckle has fully healed).

Baker liked what he saw overall, even if he personally isn't a fan of live BP.

"It makes it a little tougher throwing to your own hitters, because you're worried about hitting them," the manager said. "So guys tend to be wild away. They don't want to throw the ball inside and hit one of their own guys. Personally, it's for the pitchers. I hated that, cause you're not ready and the pitchers are way ahead. Everybody looks like they're throwing 1,000 mph. But it's good to track some pitches and good to see that velocity. But it's basically for the pitchers."