Most Valuable Player
Josh Johnson gave the Marlins their second consecutive strong start and dominated the Nats’ bats from the beginning. His mid- to high- 90s heater and biting slider helped him cruise through 6 2/3 innings, with eight strikeouts.
All-Star Performance
Backup backstop Ronny Paulino has gotten off to a big start for the Marlins as he smacked his first-career triple while driving in two runs on two hits. He also called a solid game for Johnson behind the dish.
Overlooked
Julian Tavarez was a late addition to the Nats’ roster this spring but the veteran righty is proving his worth, recovering from a poor outing Monday (2 ER, 1 inning), to toss three scoreless innings while striking out four.
Oops!
Little League coaches around town will be showing tape of Lastings Milledge in the bottom of the 3rd — for all the wrong reasons. His shallow placement allowed RBI triples by the slow-footed Paulino and speedy Emilio Bonifacio.
From the Dugout
A young, largely inexperienced team is going to make Manny Acta look worse than he really is. After getting regularly burned in the first two games, and a not-so-great 2008, we wonder if Milledge is the answer in CF.
Fredi Gonzalez didn’t have to do a thing with his starter. Lineup that powered 12 runs the previous afternoon continued to show their youthful, but potent, offense.
