Two scoreless innings in the books for Taylor Jordan

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Taylor Jordan has gotten the Nationals' slate of spring training games off to a good start. The 25-year-old right-hander has completed two scoreless innings against the Mets, allowing just a first-inning leadoff single to left by Chris Young. Jordan struck out the left-handed-hitting Ike Davis looking to end the first inning on what looked like a good changeup on the inner half of the plate, and he then got Wilmer Flores swinging to end the second. Flores tried to check his swing, but home plate umpire Mark Rippeerger rung him up. Center fielder Eury Perez gave Jordan a big assist in the second inning when he laid out in the gap in left-center to rob Lucas Duda of extra bases. Perez gets the first Nats Web Gem of 2014. Perez ranged deep into the gap and dove to his backhand side, coming up with the ball just before it hit the Tradition Field turf. It snow-coned in Perez's glove, but after a few seconds looking things over, second base umpire Chris Conroy put his right fist up in the air, signaling that Duda was out. The pro-Mets crowd here in Port St. Lucie gave Perez a nice round of applause for that sharp grab. This will likely be it for Jordan, with right-hander A.J. Cole loose in the Nats' bullpen. Jordan threw 21 pitches, 16 for strikes. Offensively, the Nats have gone nine up, nine down so far. Four Nationals have struck out - Ryan Zimmerman (looking), Adam LaRoche (looking), Tyler Moore (swinging) and Scott Hairston (swinging) - and Ian Desmond has really been the only National to hit the ball hard so far. Desmond lined out to center in the second inning. Rafael Montero went two innings for the Mets, and Jacob deGrom worked the third.