It's too early to read much into the Nationals' decision to hand left-hander John Lannan the ball in their first spring training game on Feb. 25. But the odds might be in favor of Lannan being the team's Opening Day starter anyway, and the way he pitched against the Astros didn't exactly hurt his case.
Lannan threw two scoreless innings in the Nationals' 6-3 loss, retiring all six batters he faced and coming in well under his pitch limit of 35. Manager Manny Acta said he won't make a decision on an Opening Day starter for weeks. The 24-year-old would be the logical pick, however.
Lannan wedged his way into the rotation after starting the year in the minors, recorded 20 quality starts, led the team with a 3.91 ERA and tied Tim Redding for the lead in innings.
Now that Redding is with the Mets, Lannan is the favorite to get the ball April 6 in Miami, both for how he pitched last year and the unflinching mound presence that the Nationals love about him.
"Of course (it would be meaningful to start on Opening Day)," Lannan said Wednesday. "There's only 30 of them. Even being a big-league (starting) pitcher, there's only 150 of them. I'm just grateful for the chances I'm going to get and the chances I've had."
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