Roger Bernadina, Stephen Strasburg Down Mets, 12-0; Brewers' Scooter Gennett Hits for Cycle

Players of the Day for Sunday, March 25, 2012

Grapefruit League

Stephen Strasburg

Fives were wild for Washington phenom Stephen Stasburg, as the Nationals shut out the Mets, 12-0, in exhibition action in Melbourne, Florida.

Roger Bernadina

Strasburg worked five scoreless innings, allowed five hits, but struck out five batters, for his first win after racking up three spring losses with sub-par performances.

The win will serve as an emotional boost for the 23-year-old Strasburg, who will be back in the Washington rotation after missing most of last season due to injury. The righty fire-baller went 1-1 in 2011 in five late-season starts with the Nats after going 5-3 in 12 starts as a rookie in 2010.

While Strasburg and three other Washington hurlers were keeping the Mets off the scoreboard, Nationals' hitters banged out 17 hits, including a 3-for-3 effort from center fielder Roger Bernadina, who singled twice, cracked his first homer of the spring and drove in four runs.

The victory snapped an 11-game losing streak for the Nationals, who are 6-13 in Grapefruit League play.

Cactus League

Minor league prospect Scooter Gennett hit for the cycle as Milwaukee downed Kansas City, 7-3, in Surprise, Arizona, Sunday.

Gennett, a second baseman who will likely start the season with the Brewers' AA affiliate, Huntsville, in the Southern League, capped his feat with a two-run homer in the 8th inning, sealing the win for the Brew Crew.

Gennett got the toughest of the cycle hits, a triple, in the first inning, doubled in the second and singled in the sixth, going 4-for-5 with three RBI and two runs. Gennett, who is not on the Brewers' major league roster, has a .500 batting average (5-for-10) this spring.