National League Capsules: SS Manzella gets his chance with Astros

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Tommy Manzella should have an easy time proving to the Houston Astros that he’s a major-league shortstop, considering the personal challenges he’s already overcome.

The 26-year-old rookie arrived at spring training tabbed as the everyday starter at the position after a steady climb through the minors.

The Astros did not re-sign Miguel Tejada in the offseason, creating the opening for Manzella to show what he can do. He’s played in only two major-league games, but he’s confident that he’s got what it takes now to make it in the big leagues.

"This is my opportunity," Manzella said Friday. "At some point, you have to step up and bring your game to the next level, and change from someone who could get it done to someone who does get it done."

Houston has no questions about Manzella’s character or maturity.

He showed how well he could handle adversity as a freshman at Tulane in 2002, when his mother was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Manzella hit his first college home run on the day he found out.

"She got the ball and took it to her chemo treatments and everything," Manzella said. "Just to see what she went through without complaining about everything, that’s something I grasp a lot of strength on."

The Astros drafted him in 2005 and two months later, Hurricane Katrina crashed into the Gulf Coast and destroyed his family’s home in Chalmette, a New Orleans suburb. Manzella was playing a game in Massachusetts for the Astros’ short-season affiliate in upstate New York when he got a text message from his mother, telling him what happened.

"They were in Georgia and they had gotten a text from some of our neighbors who were on top of their roof," Manzella said. "They texted them from their roof and said there was 10 feet of water."

His mother died in June 2008, just after Manzella found out he’d been promoted to the franchise’s Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock. He hit .219 but committed only three errors in 61 games that season, and was back at spring training in 2009.

Manzella soon realized that he thought about his mother more when he struggled than when he succeeded.

"When you get to a situation where your back’s against the wall, a situation where I’m supposed to come through and I don’t come through, that’s the kind of situation when I need her more," he said, "because that’s the kind of situation that reminds me where I came from and who I am as a person and how I want to be known."

Manzella made his major-league debut last September after posting a .977 fielding percentage in 130 games with Round Rock in 2009. He learned all he could, asking Tejada for guidance and watching the work habits of opposing shortstops.

The Astros expect Manzella to be a defensive upgrade from Tejada, who committed 21 errors last season, second in the NL behind San Diego’s Everth Cabrera (23). But the Astros may have to sacrifice some offense to take advantage of Manzella’s glove.

Last year, Tejada led the Astros with a .313 average in 2009, led the NL with 46 doubles and ranked second in hits (199). Manzella hit .289 with nine homers and 56 RBIs at Triple-A Round Rock last season, and bristles at the notion that he’s only here because of his well-regarded fielding skills.

"No one wants to hear that he’s just a defensive player and he’s just trying to get by with his bat," Manzella said. "I take a lot of pride in the work I do offensively, and I put in more work there. I need to keep on it, just to make sure it stays sharp."

But Manzella said everything else is in place for the start of his major-league career, starting with the confidence and the experience.

"It’s something that I prepared for the whole offseason and really, that I’ve prepared for over the last four years," he said. "Just getting different opportunities to play as I continued my progression through the minors, it’s all helped me develop a belief in my abilities and how that would translate to the major-league level."

Francoeur looking forward to full year with Mets

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.— Jeff Francoeur smiled as he bounced through the New York Mets’ clubhouse Friday morning, stopping to joke around with teammates as he prepared for the club’s second full-squad workout.

The good times continued on the field, with Francoeur kidding around with hitting coach Howard Johnson between impressive batting practice sessions.

Yes, the former Atlanta Braves star definitely seems at ease in his first spring camp with New York, and eager to see what he can do in a full season with the Mets.

"I’m ready to start and go through a whole year," Francoeur said. "Not to mention, I’m ready to be on a team that was the Mets of the last three years before last year."

One of the few bright spots during New York’s dismal 2009 season was the play of Francoeur, who found his form at the plate after he was acquired from Atlanta in July. At the very beginning of spring training, he looks as if he’s ready to pick up where he left off last year.

"It looks like he’s swinging the bat as well as I’ve seen him swing throughout his career, and that was even early," manager Jerry Manuel said. "I mean he swung the bat very well for us last season toward the end. But he really looks impressive now."

Francoeur looked lost toward the end of his time in his hometown. The affable right fielder slumped badly in 2008 and was demoted to Double-A Mississippi for three games, a move that he found embarrassing. He was benched for a three-game stretch right before the Braves agreed to send him to New York for outfielder Ryan Church.

After consecutive seasons with 100-plus RBIs from 2006-07, Francoeur had to start over — with one of Atlanta’s biggest rivals, no less.

"It was weird," he said. "You know the thing that was nice probably more than anything is I played a couple games at home and then we started on the road for 10 days. It gave me kind of a chance to get acclimated to the guys, the program, so when we got back home I kind of knew what was going on."

Manuel and Johnson went slowly with Francoeur at first, careful not to make any major changes with the notorious free swinger in the middle of the season. He responded quickly to their tutelage and the change of scenery, hitting .311 with 10 homers and 41 RBIs in 75 games with New York after a mediocre start with Atlanta.

"Some new voices sometimes can take you a long way," Francoeur said. "For me, that was a huge deal, being able to come over, kind of get back to where I wanted to be and then really improve. I drove the ball those three months better than I have driven the ball in a long time, so I was very pleased."

That only ramped up Francoeur’s excitement for this season, and his teammates also are anxious to see what the 26-year-old slugger can do now that he’s fully adjusted to his new home.

"Obviously, having Jeff here for a full year is going to help things out," third baseman David Wright said.

Everything has gone well during the first few days of camp. Francoeur’s surgically repaired left thumb is feeling fine, and he continues to work with Johnson on his swing.

"Just trying to get ready, trying to get loaded back a little bit, which will help me see the ball," Francoeur said. "They don’t want to take away my aggressiveness. My aggressiveness is one thing that makes me who I am. But, at the same time, it would be nice to be able to maybe get into some better hitter counts, recognize stuff better."

NOTES: All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez slipped into camp to play catch but stayed away from the team as he recovers from conjunctivitis, also called pink eye. ... RHPs Jack Egbert, Clint Everts, Tobi Stoner, R.A. Dickey and Jenrry Mejia, and LHPs Jonathon Niese and Travis Blackley are expected to pitch during the Mets’ intrasquad game on Monday. RHP Nelson Figueroa is scheduled to start the exhibition opener Tuesday against Atlanta, followed by RHP Fernando Nieve on Wednesday against the Braves.

--Jay Cohen

Lilly returns, weak from virus

MESA, Ariz. — After yet another setback in what has been a rough offseason, Ted Lilly goes into the final year of his contract not knowing exactly when he’ll be ready to pitch for the Chicago Cubs.

Already recovering from shoulder surgery and a knee injury, Lilly missed most of this week with a 103-degree fever and flulike symptoms.

"I haven’t been on my feet much at all in the last five days," the left-hander said Friday, when he returned to camp and did some light throwing. "I was in bed for 18 hours a day."

Manager Lou Piniella and GM Jim Hendry had been saying Lilly would miss the season’s first few weeks. Lilly had hoped to prove them wrong, insisting he could be ready by opening day, but he now realizes that’s unlikely.

"I’m just going to get back as soon as I can. I don’t know what that day is going to be," he said. "I don’t want to start the season on the disabled list. I don’t feel good about that. I don’t like being on that list or associated with it in any way, shape or form."

Lilly, the team’s lone All-Star last season, went on the DL last July with shoulder inflammation and had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee while he was out. He returned to pitch the final six weeks and finished 12-9 with a career-best 3.10 ERA.

He had arthroscopic shoulder surgery Nov. 3. He repeatedly said he was progressing well, but he was set back when he hurt his right knee early in camp. At the time, he said he might have been favoring his left knee.

Then came his illness. Lilly said his wife, Natasha, who is eight months pregnant with their first child, nursed him back to health.

"Flu. Body aches. Head. Stomach. A little bit of everything," he said. "Just standing feels good, being on my feet, being out of bed. It makes you really appreciate your health when it’s taken away.

"We’ll work to get back as soon as possible. I would have liked to have been (ready for opening day), but even just five days makes it tough. Being out is going to cost me more than that."

Lilly, who signed a four-year, $40 million contract before the 2007 season, has a 40-26 record and 3.70 ERA with the Cubs. He and two big-money teammates, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, could become free agents after this season.

Though the Cubs still are trying to fill the rotation spot vacated by Rich Harden, who wasn’t re-signed after 2009, Piniella said he won’t rush Lilly.

"We’re going to take it easy with him," Piniella said. "When we get him on the mound, it’s because he’s ready to go. He’s a hard worker, so we’ll get him going in the program he was on."

Right-handers Jeff Samardzija and Carlos Silva and lefties Sean Marshall and Tom Gorzelanny are vying for the two open rotation spots.

"We’ll have a nice offense," Piniella said. "We’ve got some work to do with our pitching, though, we really do."

NOTE: With veterans Kevin Millar and Chad Tracy available to strengthen the bench, Piniella said he probably won’t have to use pitcher Carlos Zambrano as a pinch-hitter this season. Zambrano, who holds the team record for pitchers with 20 home runs, went 1 for 7 as a pinch-hitter last season.

Burke nursing broken finger at Reds’ training camp

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Chris Burke jokingly blames his father for his broken finger.

The Cincinnati Reds’ utilityman broke a knuckle on his right ring finger during a drill Thursday. He kidded that if his dad hadn’t taught him the proper way to catch a popup, he wouldn’t be sidelined now.

"I told my dad, thanks a lot for teaching me to catch it two-handed. If I’d hot-dogged it, I’d never have broken my finger," Burke said Friday.

The Reds said Burke’s finger will be in a splint for two weeks and he is expected to be able to resume baseball activity in about 3 weeks.

Burke finished the 2009 season in the Braves’ system after parts of six seasons with the Astros, Diamondbacks and Padres. He signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati in December.

"For me, it’s always been a dream to play for the Reds because of where I grew up, in Louisville, Ky., in the shadows of Cincinnati," he said. "When they had an interest, my interest had always been there, so I jumped at the opportunity."

Burke was a first-round pick by Houston in 2001 out of Tennessee. As a rookie in 2005, his solo home run ended the 18-inning NL playoff game against the Braves, leading Houston to the World Series.

In 2006, he hit .276 with nine home runs, 40 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in his second full season. But his production fell off and he hit .229 in 2007. Burke was traded to Arizona before the 2008 season and struggled there, hitting .194 in 86 games.

In 2009, Burke signed a minor league deal with San Diego, was traded to Seattle and then was traded back to San Diego less than a month later. The Padres sent him down in June and he finished the season playing Triple-A for Atlanta.

"He killed us when he was in Houston, he was a pretty good player," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "At the University of Tennessee, he was one of the most highly touted guys around. At 29, he’s certainly not old, he’s interesting to me. I was asking him what happened, because I know he can hit. He said he was hurt. Most of the time if a guy can hit and he doesn’t hit, there’s something wrong psychologically or he’s hurt."

Burke has played every position other than catcher and pitcher in the big leagues, giving the Reds a possible utility player they could plug in anywhere. Although he came up as a middle infielder, when he got to Houston Craig Biggio was there, so he’s played 218 of his total 477 big league games in the outfield.

The Reds’ starting infield is set, but just about every bench spot is up for grabs. For Burke, he could find a way to backup just about anyone on the field.

Now, though, his hopes of making the Reds are in trouble because of a simple popup drill on Thursday. Burke said he was drifting back on the ball and put his top hand up a split-second too soon, it landed on the tip of his finger.

"It’s concern for the stability of the joint. As they were trying to pop it back in place, it was sliding in and out."

For Burke, it’s especially disappointing not to be on the field, considering he’s new to the organization and trying to make the team and a good impression.

"The timing couldn’t be worse, but it’s my reality and I’m going to have to deal with it," Burke said. "I’m just going to have to stay in shape and get back as soon as I can."

Pearce could be facing last chance with Pirates

BRADENTON, Fla. — Steve Pearce has gone from being a top prospect with the Pittsburgh Pirates to a slugger down to his last swings in a hurry.

Pearce was a hotshot in 2007 when he went from Class A to the majors in the same season. But he’s had trouble making an impact in the big leagues since then.

Pearce’s main position is first base and the Pirates want lefty-hitting Jeff Clement to play there. Garrett Jones will start in right field, which is Pearce’s second position.

"It’s time for him to move forward," manager John Russell said.

Peace is not afraid of the challenge.

"I’m thriving on it," Pearce said. "It’s a competition and that brings out the best in people. It’s good not having a job handed to you (because) you go out and work that much harder."

Pearce pointed to the position battle in 2008 Pirates camp between outfielders Nate McLouth and Nyjer Morgan. McLouth went on that year to hit 26 homers and earn an All-Star berth.

"McLouth won the battle and turned into a monster," Pearce said.

In 2007, Pearce made a wild run through the farm system — playing at Class A Lynchburg, Double-A Altoona, Triple-A Indianapolis and Pittsburgh — and hit a total of 31 home runs.

"Steve’s shown good power numbers in Triple-A, but it really hasn’t equated at the major league level yet" Russell said.

Blocked by Adam LaRoche and Xavier Nady, Pearce was unable to crack the roster in 2008. Pearce eventually had three stints with the Pirates that season, but the power stroke he showed the year before disappeared.

"I didn’t hit a home run for my first 136 at-bats and that monkey on my back kept getting bigger," Pearce said. "When (Boston’s) David Ortiz went through that kind of stretch last year, I knew exactly how he felt. When the home runs aren’t coming and that’s been your game coming up through the system, it starts to wear on you."

Pearce began last season back in Triple-A, and set career highs in practically every offensive category. In 60 games with the Pirates, Pearce hit .206 with four homers.

"I’ve got to get consistency with my bat, especially if I’m going to be a bench guy," Pearce said. "I’m going to start working on the quality of my at-bats. I’m going up there not just to get a hit, but to work on the pitcher."

NOTES: Closer Octavio Dotel indicated his strained left oblique is feeling better. "I’m going to start throwing next week, I hope," he said. ... Reliever Joel Hanrahan, who has been shut down since the start of spring training because of a sore elbow, will begin a long-toss program Wednesday. He is expected to be back on the mound in two weeks and will be ready for opening day. "I’d love to throw on Monday, but it’s smarter to wait and take my time with it," he said.

Belliard must shed pounds to fulfill weight clause

GLENDALE, Ariz.— The most expensive two pounds in baseball reside in the general vicinity of Ronnie Belliard’s waistline.

A leading candidate to start at second base on opening day for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Belliard must adhere to a weight clause if he wants to activate his $825,000 one-year deal. So far it remains a work in progress.

The Dodgers want Belliard to be at 209 pounds at some point this spring before the contract can become official. That was the weight Belliard was playing at when the Dodgers acquired him late last season from the Washington Nationals.

Belliard reported to spring training this week and said he’s close to the goal weight but could be as heavy as 211 pounds.

"I have never come into spring training at (209)," he said. "I think I feel good and I look good, so we’ll see what happens."

Belliard doesn’t seem too worried about dropping the weight. In fact, he said he doesn’t plan on altering his eating habits other than not eating too late at night. He figures he can lose the required weight by running and using the equipment in the Dodgers’ exercise room.

"(Belliard) can help this ballclub in a lot of ways," manager Joe Torre said. "I talked to him last year when we made the deal and he came over from Washington, and we made no promises that he was even going to play. We just talked about seeing if we could get him enough at-bats. But all of a sudden, he just caught fire, and we really had no choice (but to play him)."

Belliard had unseated Orlando Hudson at second base in a matter of weeks following his Aug. 30 acquisition. He batted .351 with five home runs and 17 RBIs in 24 games with the Dodgers and was the starting second baseman in all eight of the team’s postseason games. He batted .300 (9-for-30) in the playoffs.

Belliard’s main challenger for the starting second base job this season will be Blake DeWitt, a converted third baseman who was the starter at second base during the Dodgers’ 2008 playoff run. If DeWitt does not earn the starting job he will be sent to Triple-A to make sure he is getting regular at-bats.

Utility man Jamey Carroll also will be given a chance to earn the starting role at second.

But the Dodgers already are concerned about Belliard’s durability so playing more than 130 games seems unlikely.

"We know he can play regularly for a short period of time, because he did that last year," Torre said. "But there were probably some days when we put him out there that we probably should have sat him down."

He wasn’t around very long last year, but he was around long enough to feel heartbroken when the Dodgers lost in the NLCS to the Philadelphia Phillies.

"This is my 12th year in the big leagues, and I have done a lot of things," Belliard said. "I have been to a World Series and an All-Star game. I’m happy with myself. But I will be more happy if we can do what we weren’t able to finish last year."

Look out! Heyward’s drives doing serious damage

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Jason Heyward’s batting practice drives are costing the Atlanta Braves — but local body shops aren’t complaining.

Heyward launched a shot over the right-field wall this week that smashed through the sun roof of assistant general manager Bruce Manno’s car. The bill was $3,400.

Heyward has dented other vehicles, too. So much damage, in fact, the young slugger is turning the parking lot into Jason’s Junkyard.

The daily demolition derby has forced the Braves to take action. Stadium workers are installing protective netting to safeguard the cars and any unsuspecting people walking around.

The Braves spent 12 years at their spring training home without worrying. Heyward, a 20-year-old outfielder and perhaps the top prospect in baseball, forced a change after one week of workouts.

"I guess they just figured it’s time to stop waiting around on that," Heyward said.

Other hitters reached the lot long before Heyward. But the frequency with which the 6-foot-5, 245-pound masher sends line drives over the wall made it necessary to take immediate steps.

"It’s more pronounced this spring with everyone looking at Heyward and he’s the one doing it," Braves manager Bobby Cox said Friday.

The parking lot is behind the bullpen at Champion Stadium on the Disney World property. Behind the parking lot is a wall about 20 feet tall — Cox calls it the Yellow Monster and Heyward has also cleared that wall, sparing some cars broken glass.

Manno wasn’t so fortunate. On Friday, he was still without his car, which was damaged Tuesday.

"Half of the roof was shattered and the track that the glass slides back and forth on was damaged," Manno said. "It was bent. The entire thing had to be replaced."

"I don’t know what happened to the ball. I wish I had the ball. I would have had Jason sign it," he said.

It’s not as if the left-handed hitting Heyward pulls every ball. He’s tries to avoid turning every round of batting practice into a home-run derby. Aiming for all fields, he hit the distant video board behind the wall in right-center on Thursday.

Heyward hit a combined .323 with 17 home runs and 63 RBIs in 99 games at Class A, Double-A and Triple-A last year. Showing a good eye, he drew 51 walks with 51 strikeouts.

Heyward has a chance to earn the Braves’ starting job in right field.

"He’s all he’s made up to be," said veteran Eric Hinske, who joined Heyward’s four-man group during the first week of batting practice. "Everything you read is all there. The body is there. The swing. He’s got a unique sound when the ball comes off his bat, and he can hit the ball really far."

"He’s amazing, he really is, the way he takes batting practice," he said. "He can pull the ball and then he’s playing pepper with that big black board in center field. He’s definitely got long pop, that’s for sure."

Heyward seems to be the only person in the Braves’ camp who is not buzzing about the homers. He just shrugged when asked about similarly impressive shots in his past.

"I just try to hit the ball hard," he said. "I’ve got a big frame and I guess that’s what does it."

He said line drives that previously hit in front of the outfield walls are now sailing over the walls.

"Nothing has changed," he said. "Same workouts. I’m just growing. I’ll be growing into that grown-man strength soon, hopefully."

Henry County High School coach Jason Shadden, who was an assistant when Heyward played at the school south of Atlanta, said the star did similar damage years ago.

"I saw him in batting practice knocking down the top of trees," Shadden said Friday. "There was a big oak tree in center field. You would see the limbs falling down. The tree is not there now."

Atlanta-area hitting instructor C.J. Stewart, a former Cubs minor leaguer who has worked with Rockies outfielder Dexter Fowler and Andruw Jones, said Heyward is impressive even while hitting in a cage.

"I’ll never forget last year he hit a ball and it was one of the best swings I’d ever seen," Stewart said. "Something told me to go get the ball. He hit the ball on the trademark of the Louisville Slugger bat. The part that says ‘Genuine’ was embossed on the ball. I’ve never seen anything like that. That’s just how hard he hit it."

Stewart said the ball disappeared from his desk.

"If he does it again, I’m putting it in a vault," he said.

NOTES: LHP Billy Wagner was ill and held out on Friday. "We don’t want them to come if they’re sick, they’ll spread it around," Cox said. ... RHP Jair Jurrjens is eager to throw off the mound as he continues to feel better after feeling tightness in his right shoulder before spring training.

--Charles Odum

Yadier Molina a big key for Cards’ success

JUPITER, Fla.— The St. Louis Cardinals know they’re fortunate to have one of the best catchers in the league in Yadier Molina.

Outside of Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins, it would be tough to find a better catcher the past two seasons after Molina’s consecutive Gold Gloves and a batting average that has hovered around .300.

"I’ve played with Joe. They’re very similar," Cardinals pitcher Kyle Lohse said. "When you’ve got Yadi back there you don’t have to worry about a whole lot. That’s a great comfort to have as a pitcher."

What sets Molina apart are his defense and his arm. He has thrown out at least 40 percent of potential base stealers in four of his five full seasons in the majors and many runners just don’t bother to test his strong arm.

Just 32 base runners successfully stole against Molina last season in 54 attempts. Of the five catchers who played at least 130 games (Molina was second with 138), the next closest was Detroit’s Gerald Laird, who allowed 59 steals.

Molina has picked off 34 runners in the past five years, which leads the majors.

"I get real special pleasure by watching a great defensive player," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "Yadi, everyday that you watch, you watch him catch a bullpen, it’s artful with his hands. He had that skill early and he’s gotten more experience so he’s better. He really is a great, I mean a great player. Without exaggerating he’s a great player."

La Russa knows he has a good thing and wants to keep it that way. He has talked this spring about Molina trying to limit his collisions, something he watched Carlton Fisk do later in his career.

"I don’t know if you can coach a little bit of this but I remember Carlton Fisk, after he hurt his knee, he started being more careful," La Russa said. "You’ve got to keep him in the lineup so that violent collision is, although unavoidable some times, but other times he’s important enough to maybe make the tag and not take the big hit. Give the runner a piece of the plate."

Although he escaped serious injury a year ago, two seasons ago Molina was carted off the field after a collision with the Phillies’ Eric Bruntlett. He suffered a concussion but was not placed on the disabled list.

Still, he has missed several games and also spent time on the disabled list for a variety of injuries, among them a fractured wrist, broken bone in his hand, bruised thigh and knee surgery.

Molina, though, does not plan on stepping aside, for anybody, at any time.

"Early in the season you think about it more because you want to be healthy and you don’t want to take a risk," Molina said. "But at the same time that’s part of my game. I have to do it. That’s part of my job. If I have to do it right now in spring training, I would do it."

Marquis ready for new Nats role of mentor

VIERA, Fla. — Good luck getting Jason Marquis, the new anchor of the Washington Nationals’ rotation, to lay out any personal expectations — much less reasonable ones — for 2010.

"I don’t come into the season saying I want to be 16-9 with a 3.70 (ERA) in 218 innings because then you limit yourself," Marquis said. "Why not come in and be 34-0 and throw 370 innings and throw a complete game every day?"

There’s nothing like setting the bar high, right?

"Has it ever been done? No," Marquis said. "But that’s the mindset I have, because if you do reach those numbers, what do you do? Just rest on them?"

Marquis’ history and the Nationals’ need for a steadying influence atop their starting five intersected neatly this winter, and the right-hander signed a two-year, $15 million contract to both solidify the rotation and tutor the young pitchers trying to crack Washington’s staff.

"I’ve been in young guys’ shoes before," Marquis said. "Sometimes to have a veteran guy around, or a few veteran guys around, it really helps — not just with on-the-field stuff but with off-the-field stuff, too. If there’s some questions they might want answered but maybe they’re a little tentative to go to the front office or coaches and ask, I’m here."

The Nationals, who lost 103 games last year, also need production and innings from the 31-year-old Marquis. The 10-year-veteran went 15-13 with a 4.04 ERA in 33 starts for Colorado last year, the sixth straight season he’s reached double digits in victories. He’s never started fewer than 29 games in that span, and has exceeded 200 innings three times.

He got started with Atlanta, learning from Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. He has pitched in the playoffs five times, reaching the World Series with St. Louis in 2006. The only question surrounding Marquis’ arrival in Washington was how he would function being a No. 1 starter, a role he’s never held before.

"His No. 1 priority is to just pitch, go out there and pitch like he can and other guys can feed off of that and watch what he does," Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said. "He’s a very knowledgeable guy and we’re really going to use him a lot in game-planning how to pitch to some of the opposing hitters."

If you think Marquis will put a pitcher’s spin on how hitters approach batting leadoff — that he only leads off once a game — think again.

"The day you pitch is the day you’re the No. 1 starter. ... Here, when I’m pitching, I’m the No. 1 that day," he said. "When John Lannan is pitching, he’s the No. 1 that day. When you take that mentality, you take the ball when you step on the mound and you’re the No. 1 guy because there is no other guy."

Riggleman is counting on Marquis to share his knowledge with Lannan, a 25-year-old who was the staff ace last year. General manager Mike Rizzo hopes the other young pitchers at spring training pay attention, too — guys from guys such as top prospect Stephen Strasburg to rotation competitors J.D. Martin and Craig Stammen to Jordan Zimmermann, who is recovering from ligament-replacement surgery.

"My hope, the club’s hope and Jason’s hope is that some day we can say he’s the third-best pitcher on the team or the fourth-best pitcher on the team. If he’s your third starter or your fourth starter, you’ve got one heck of a starting rotation," Rizzo said.

Being a teacher is a role Marquis thinks he will relish.

"Whether I do it verbally or quietly, they can see maybe how I go about my business, see maybe the little things I do. If they have questions, I’m here to answer them also. I try to bring a positive attitude — no negativity," he said. "I’m a big believer in trying to prove the believers right instead of trying to prove the doubters wrong. I (don’t) try to waste negative energy on people who never believed you in the first place. Why? I just try to bring a positive attitude."

Notes: Riggleman, Rizzo and team president Stan Kasten spoke to the Nationals before Friday’s first full-squad workout of the spring. "Our expectation is to win. The players need to focus to win, prepare to win and expect to win. ... We’re all tired of losing, we’re all tired of talking about 100-loss seasons and No. 1 picks," Rizzo said. ... RHP Livan Hernandez threw a bullpen session on his first day in camp. "The arm, the shoulder feel great. The mechanics are not 100 percent yet," said Hernandez, who is competing for one of the final rotation spots. ... The Nationals signed RHP Rafael Martin, who pitched last year for Saltillo of the Mexican League, where he was 6-3 with a 4.12 ERA in 54 games. The 25-year-old Martin reported to Washington’s minor league camp Friday.