WASHINGTON -- The Nationals did not worry about being disrupted by the Rays' unorthodox strategy of beginning the game with a reliever. They do not platoon much, so they were not worried about their lineup changing dramatically depending on the pitcher. Besides, if they scored early, as manager Dave Martinez pointed out, they would throw off Tampa Bay's strategy, anyways.
Washington pounced for five runs in the first inning against Rays "opener" left-hander Jonny Venters to cruise to an 11-2 victory Wednesday afternoon at Nationals Park. Anthony Rendon, who turned 28 on Wednesday, collected four hits, and Michael A.