Cedeno opening eyes with prowess vs. lefties

NEW YORK -- Nationals manager Davey Johnson was impressed by what he saw from left-hander Xavier Cedeno in Wednesday's 3-0 victory over the Mets.

Johnson is looking for a lefty who can shut down left-handed hitters. Triple A Syracuse manager Tony Beasley told Johnson that Cedeno could handle lefty hitters better than Ian Krol, who has a 6.00 ERA after the All-Star break. Cedeno struck out Daniel Murphy and was able to get Lucas Duda to fly out to right fielder Jayson Werth.

"It was great. Everything was working for me," Cedeno said.

After the game, Johnson gave the impression the team will see more of Cedeno for the rest of the season.

"[Cedeno] did a great job. I like the way he went after those two guys," Johnson said. "He'll get more work. That was a big thing in the ballgame."

Cedeno is in his fifth Major League stint with the Nationals this season. He said he understood why he had often been sent back to Syracuse.

"They own the team and they decide what they want to do. We just have to keep grinding, make appearances, whatever they want and just keep working hard," Cedeno said. "As a player, I never give up. I love this game. I want to be part of the team. That's what keeps you going every time."