WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Twelve up, 12 down. That’s how Stephen Strasburg began his second outing of the spring.

The 2019 World Series Most Valuable Player Award winner was on point as he faced the Astros on Wednesday afternoon at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Following his first start on Feb. 28, in which he threw 35 pitches over 1 1/3 innings, he responded with an efficient five-inning appearance.

Strasburg tossed 46 pitches (36 for strikes), resulting in two hits, one run, no walks and four strikeouts in the Nationals’ 6-2 comeback victory. He didn’t allow a hit until the first batter of the fifth.

“It’s starting to come together,” Strasburg said. “So it’s just about going out there and being able to hit your spots.”

While Strasburg’s pitch count was low in relation to the number of innings, it was more important for him to get up and down rather than reach a specific number of pitches. Manager Dave Martinez noted Strasburg’s breaking ball, velocity and fastball location.

“He’s right where we need him to be,” Martinez said. “I still believe he’s probably a little bit ahead.”

It would be easy for a player like Strasburg -- who has amassed 112 regular-season wins, not counting a perfect 5-0 2019 postseason -- to be tempted to throw at his max velocity. But one thing he has learned over his 10 seasons in the big leagues is to pace himself.

“I think today was a good sign, because I kind of wanted to slow myself down and not really feel like I had to throw harder,” he said. “To me, the stuff was right there, so that’s encouraging. To get into that groove, where it’s I would say 90% effort instead of 100%, you can be more efficient that way over the course of the season.”

The goal is for Strasburg to be at the top of his game the entire year, not just in spurts. His health and durability will be key for the Nationals as they look to defend their title.

“He changed his mechanics quite a bit last year, and it’s helped [him] be more efficient,” Martinez said. “He’s just been really good. He understands what his body needs to do, from head to toe. That’s what I saw today. He was very connected and just very easy. I used to hear that front foot come down super hard. Now it’s not. When he’s like that, he’s good.”

The Nationals had scheduled Strasburg’s debut for late in February to account for the lengthy playoff run. He had been throwing off the mound in between starts and watched video from his first appearance to make adjustments. Strasburg felt like he was rushing himself with runners on base, something he says happens to him every spring, and he worked to slow that down. Even though the Astros’ lineup didn’t include all of its everyday players, he still could learn from the at-bats.

“You’re not really going with the scouting report or a game plan,” Strasburg said. “It’s purely what the hitter’s seeing. Obviously if they’re taking good swings at your pitch, then they must be seeing it pretty good.”

Strasburg will have the opportunity for additional starts with two weeks left in Spring Training -- each one with a goal in mind.

“That’s Stephen,” Martinez said. “He’s getting rared up.”