Recap: Yankees 3, Nationals 2

Alex Rodriguez went 1-for-2 in his first start at third base and Adam Warren looked solid again Sunday as the Yankees topped the Nationals, 3-2, in a pitching-dominated matchup at Steinbrenner Field.

A-Rod on Defense: Rodriguez fielded just one ball during his five innings of work -- a sharply-hit grounder off the bat of Tyler Moore in the fourth. He made that play cleanly, and on offense, connected on a bloop double in the second when the Nationals appeared to miscommunicate.

Warren Bounces Back After Rough First Inning: Warren surrendered a solo home run to Washington's Michael Taylor on the first pitch of this contest, but for the most part, still performed well in three innings. He gave up just four hits while striking out one -- retiring five consecutive from the end of the first to the beginning of the third. 

Pirela Shows Off His Speed: Manning second base for most of the afternoon, Jose Pirela contributed to two of the three Yankees runs -- doubling and crossing home in the third before legging out a go-ahead infield hit in the fourth. All in all, Pirela went 2-for-3 on the day -- flying out sharply to right in his final at-bat in the seventh.

Miller, Betances, and Severino Impress: Andrew Miller threw a 1-2-3 fourth inning and Dellin Betances a two-strikeout, one-hit fifth in this one -- the first time this spring the two have pitched in the same game. After they left the mound, youngster Luis Severino took over and fanned three more in 1 1/3 frames -- giving up a run in the seventh after allowing a walk and a single.

Another Late Rally: With two outs and nobody on in their half of the eighth, the Yankees got three straight singles from Kyle Roller, Aaron Judge and Cole Figueroa to take a 3-2 lead -- one they would hang onto for good after Jared Burton pitched a perfect ninth. The hits all came off Nationals' reliever Mitch Lively, and helped Double-A prospect Wilking Rodriguez earn the win.

Notable Starters: Brett Gardner went 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI single -- his first hit in Tampa this spring. As for Brian McCann, he singled in the fourth and later scored on the aforementioned knock by Pirela -- having gone first-to-third on a Kevin Frandsen throwing error. 

Next Up: Michael Pineda will make his preseason debut for the Yankees when they take on the Rays and right-hander Nathan Karns on Monday -- Karns' second outing of the month. Mark Teixeira, Stephen Drew, Didi Gregorius and Chase Headley are all expected to be in the Pinstripes' lineup -- with first pitch set to come at 1:05 p.m. ET.