Adam Dunn's 4 RBI Lead White Sox; Edwin Jackson Hurls Four Scoreless for Nats

Players of the Day for Thursday, March 8, 2012

Grapefruit League

Edwin Jackson

After helping the Cardinals reach the playoffs and eventually win the World Series, Edwin Jackson took the free agency route to Washington, where he will likely be part of a starting rotation that could be one of the best in the National League.

Jackson showed off his stuff Thursday, hurling four scoreless innings in an 8-0 whitewash of Houston, allowing just two hits while fanning three without allowing a walk.

Jackson won a divisional series game for the Cardinals last season and took a loss in the World Series after going 5-2 down the stretch as the Cards surged to the wild card. A journeyman, to say the least, Jackson has bounced around the major in his nine major league seasons, playing with the Angels, Dodgers, Rays, Tigers, Diamondbacks, White Sox, Cardinals and now, finally, the Nationals.

His deal with Washington is for just one year, as Jackson keeps his options open. Blessed with a blazing fastball, n 2010 he fanned 181 batters and followed up with 142 Ks in 2011.

Cactus League

Dunn: HR, 2B, 4 RBI

Adam Dunn had a nightmare of a season in 2011, batting just .159 with 177 strikeouts in 122 games with the White Sox, but the Sox held onto their high-priced DH (probably because nobody wanted him), despite the slugger's career low of 11 home runs for the season.

Hoping to put 2011 behind him, Dunn is off to a better start this Spring. On Thursday he doubled and homered in three at-bats, helping Chicago upend the Rangers, 6-3, with four RBI.

Smacking a three-run homer of Texas closer-turned-starter, Neftali Feliz, in the first inning, Dunn followed up with an RBI double to right-center in the 3rd.

Prior to last season's collapse, Dunn had hit 38 or more homers with 100 or more RBI in six of his prior seven seasons. The White Sox are counting on him to return to that kind of form.