Marlins right-hander Sixto Sánchez made his second start of the spring and looked like he was in midseason form, pitching three perfect innings without striking out a batter in a 7-4 loss to the Nationals on Saturday night.

It didn¡¯t matter that S¨¢nchez didn¡¯t record a strikeout. The Nationals were swinging to weak contact. There was a reason for that: His fastball was twice clocked as high as 101 miles per hour. His other pitches -- changeup, slider and sinker -- were just as deadly.

¡°During this outing, I can say that I was more focused on throwing strikes,¡± S¨¢nchez said. ¡°I saw the results. It was more about control today.¡±

With less than two weeks to go until Opening Day, Sanchez believes he will be ready when it¡¯s time to pitch in a regular-season game.

¡°I¡¯m very happy and grateful to share this rotation with these guys. But I will keep working really hard and ready to do my job at the beginning of the season,¡± he said.

An outing to forget

Marlins left-hander Gio Gonz¨¢lez made his spring debut against the Nationals and it was an outing he would like to forget after he allowed seven runs in one-third of an inning.

Gonz¨¢lez made two appearances in the game. In the sixth inning he faced six batters and didn¡¯t record an out as the Nationals scored four runs. Manager Don Mattingly came to the mound and gave Gonz¨¢lez words of encouragement before taking him out of the game in favor of Jake Fishman.

Gonz¨¢lez came back the following inning and didn¡¯t fare any better, allowing four hits and getting only one out before he was taken out of the game. Gonz¨¢lez didn¡¯t have any excuses for his outing. He said his bullpen sessions and live batting practice sessions worked well before Saturday¡¯s outing.

¡°It was just one of those nights,¡± Gonz¨¢lez said. ¡°Everything was working, as far as no issues with the arm. It took me a while to get to this point. Mechanically, I have to get things back together, work with [pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr.] a little bit and put the pieces together.¡±

Asked if there was enough time to show how good he is on the mound before Opening Day, Gonz¨¢lez said, ¡°I have to make time, somehow. You have to roll with the punches.¡±

The way Mattingly sees it, he is turning the page. Gonz¨¢lez is a veteran who has had a lot of success in the big leagues.

¡°It¡¯s Spring Training. He is a veteran guy. You know what he can do,¡± the skipper said.

Keeping his eye on the ball

Marlins first baseman Jes¨²s Aguilar has only one strikeout in 32 plate appearances this spring, which has impressed Mattingly.

Before this season, Aguilar was known as a power hitter who struck out often. Aguilar averaged 123 strikeouts over 162 games.

¡°He looks great,¡± Mattingly said. ¡°More than not striking out, it has been more about what his at-bats look like. Not striking out is a plus. I always felt he is a guy that always put the ball in play for a big guy. He has a smaller swing. He uses the whole field. He is a guy that could always find contact when he wants to. He has swung the bat really well."

Worth noting

Barring any injuries, Marlins right-hander Pablo L¨®pez will pitch the second regular-season game against the Rays on April 2, according to Mattingly. The skipper already announced that right-hander Sandy Alcantara will be the Opening Day starter.