People are dragging a bit here this morning, especially those who made the 2-hour trip to Winter Haven last night just to play a five-inning, rain-shortened game against the Indians. I was not there -- no reporters were crazy enough to cover that day-night doubleheader -- but it sounds like it was quite a mess. Steady rain throughout, really soggy field. For those who didn't see results, the Indians won, 3-2, and Jason Bergmann allowed three runs (one earned) in four innings.
Meanwhile, back here in Viera, the Nats and Dodgers are preparing for today's 1 p.m. game. Odalis Perez, a former Dodger himself, makes his big-league spring debut for the Nationals after getting his visa issue resolved. I've noted this before and I'll note it again: Perez is currently on a five-day schedule that would have him starting Opening Night at Nationals Park. It's obviously not written in stone yet and things can still change, but it's certainly a distinct possibility, maybe even a probability.
In other news, Kory Casto has been optioned to Class AAA Columbus, not a stunning development. Seems like eons ago, but it was only last spring when Casto was the organization's top prospect and had a realistic shot at winning the starting left field job. He wound up bouncing back and forth between Columbus and D.C. and never got himself going, and has since fallen off the radar. Too bad, Kory's a real nice guy who understands he may never get another shot.
Injury updates: Ryan Zimmerman (hip flexor) will return to the lineup Monday. Lastings Milledge (toe) will play in Fort Lauderdale tomorrow. Elijah Dukes (strained hamstring) should be back Monday. Paul Lo Duca (knee surgery) is playing three innings behind the plate this morning in the minor-league game. Johnny Estrada (elbow) remains in Operation Shutdown and is almost certainly not going to be ready for Opening Night.
And with that, here's today's lineup against L.A.'s Brad Penny:
SS Cristian Guzman
2B Ronnie Belliard
DH Dmitri Young
RF Austin Kearns
LF Alex Escobar
3B Pete Orr
1B Matt Whitney
C Jesus Flores
CF Willie Harris
P Odalis Perez
