VIERA, Fla. (AP) -- Josh Johnson struggled through his first spring training start and the Florida Marlins lost to the Washington Nationals 8-4 on Wednesday.
Washington's Roger Bernadina hit a three-run homer off Johnson in the second inning.
Johnson had a 2-2 count on Washington's Ryan Zimmerman with two outs in the bottom of the second inning when he was pulled by manager Edwin Rodriguez after throwing his 58th pitch. The Marlins' expected opening day pitcher was scheduled to throw three innings, but had a pitch limit of 55.
The right-hander was making his first start since Sept. 4 of last season when he was shut down due to back and shoulder issues. He threw 1 2-3 innings Wednesday, giving up five runs, four earned, on five hits.
Received 03/02/11 04:54 pm ET
