Cards and Nats meet again, Strasburg makes second start

The Cardinals and Nationals meet again today in a highly anticipated matchup on the mound. Adam Wainwright will look to regain his form and focus in his second start of the spring. Stephen Strasburg makes his second appearance and looks to impress the Nationals brass to earn a spot on the big league roster. The buzz surrounding Strasburg is building as the Nationals must make a decision: keep him in the majors to start the year or send him to the minors.

It is a tough decision for a struggling organization that has put everything on the 21-year-old’s right arm. The Nats don’t want to burn him out, but he looks like he’s ready to handle Major League competition. He will get a chance to show his stuff today against proven pros Yadier Molina, Skip Schumaker, Felipe Lopez, and Colby Rasmus. Molina and Rasmus have been consistent at the plate this spring and make for a good challenge for the phenom. Allen Craig has also shown some promise with the bat and will bat third for St. Louis.

Adam Wainwright sets out to improve on a dismal spring debut. He said he lost focus throughout his first start and was unhappy with his performance. He should show a variety of pitches after a week of workouts.

Here are the lineups the two pitchers will face:

Cardinals

1. Skip Schumaker – 2B
2. Felipe Lopez – DH
3. Allen Craig – 1B
4. Colby Rasmus – CF
5. David Freese – 3B
6. Nick Stavinoha – RF
7. Yadier Molina – C
8. Joe Mather – LF
9. Tyler Greene – SS

Nationals

1. Niger Morgan – CF
2. Adam Kennedy – 2B
3. Ryan Zimmerman – 3B
4. Adam Dunn – 1B
5. Josh Willingham – LF
6. Elijah Dukes – RF
7. Mike Morse – DH
8. Will Nieves – C
9. Alberto Gonzalez – SS

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