If the Mets and Nationals have their way, youngsters Lucas Duda and Stephen Strasburg will square off plenty of times going forward in National League East play. Duda came away victorious in that battle of power versus power on Tuesday, homering off Strasburg to lead the Mets to a 2-0 victory over the Nationals at Digital Domain Park.

Ryan Vogelson took a big step toward making his Cactus League debut when he faced live hitters in batting practice Tuesday.

Jordan Walden said he felt good, but the Angels closer was roughed up in Tuesday's spring game against the Royals.

The recent past of the Dodgers franchise has been characterized, to put it mildly, by uncertainty at the ownership level. But at the level of the baseball operation itself, there has been persistence in the middle of trials and tribulations. This persistence, in these circumstances, qualifies as admirable.

Andy Pettitte's comeback is taking place because the Yankees believe he can help them win Major League games as soon as May 1, getting back to the form he showed in 2010. Nothing that catcher Russell Martin saw in a bullpen session of about 50 pitches on Tuesday seemed to change that hope.

The Barber was back in business this week, trying to make the Brewers' cut. Martin Maldonado is Milwaukee's best catching prospect, and he's is also the team's resident stylist. He and his clippers camped in the clubhouse bathroom at Maryvale Baseball Park on Monday morning with a line of teammates waiting for their trim.

While it's rare for superstars to take many, if any, bus rides during Spring Training, Albert Pujols continues to rack up mileage — because he wants to play every day.

The Padres agreed to terms with catcher Nick Hundley on a contract through the 2014 season, with a club option for 2015, general manager Josh Byrnes announced Tuesday.

In the Orioles' continuing efforts to stockpile pitching, the club signed lefty Dontrelle Willis to a Minor League deal on Tuesday night.

Cubs pitcher Carlos Marmol was pulled from Tuesday's 6-2 split-squad loss to the Rangers because of a cramp in his right hand and was to undergo an MRI as a precautionary measure.

Jason Esposito had the chance to go down this path once before. Back in 2008, Esposito was a pretty good high school prospect from Connecticut, and the Kansas City Royals made a run at signing him after taking him in the seventh round, but he chose to go to Vanderbilt. Esposito feels the experience he had at Vanderbilt was invaluable.

Veteran right-hander Kevin Millwood bolstered his bid for a starting spot in the Mariners' rotation on Tuesday, while Hisashi Iwakuma pitched three innings of shutout ball in relief in what might foreshadow his immediate future for Seattle.

Red Sox right-hander Josh Beckett, who will pitch the Red Sox's home opener on April 13 against the Rays, is looking forward to the honor. And he's also happy that his good friend Jon Lester will be the man who opens the season on April 5 in Detroit.

Neftali Feliz, who is slotted to be the Rangers' fifth starter, had to leave Tuesday's 6-2 victory over the Cubs after three innings with stiffness in his right shoulder.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a Giant whose fortunes have climbed farther over the past two weeks than outfield candidate Gregor Blanco.

With Joakim Soria facing the possibility of surgery, right-hander Aaron Crow will return to the Royals' bullpen, manager Ned Yost announced on Tuesday morning.

If there's one bright side to Verlander's first relatively rough outing of the spring, at least by his standards, it's that he got the feel for pitching in tight situations. That's how he tried to look at that situation.