VIERA, Fla. -- Left fielder Adam Dunn and closer Joel Hanrahan returned to the Nationals' Spring Training facility on Tuesday morning, two days after Team USA was eliminated by Japan in the World Baseball Classic in Los Angeles.

Both players went to work immediately. Dunn took batting practice at Space Coast Stadium, while Hanrahan pitched an inning during a Minor League game at the Nationals' training complex.

Hanrahan acknowledged he was nervous when the Classic began in Toronto, but he calmed down once Padres right-hander Jake Peavy reminded him and his bullpen mates that they were still in Spring Training mode.

"Peavy had come out [of the game] and told the bullpen guys, 'Remember, it's early Spring Training. There are 44,000 Canadians there. We are playing Team Canada,'" Hanrahan remembered. "He said it was a playoff atmosphere. 'Just be careful when you go out there, because when you try to reach back, [the velocity is] not going to be there. It's too early. Try to take a step off [the mound], relax, take a deep breath. Take it all in.' After the first outing, it wasn't too bad."

Dunn was glad he played in meaningful games so early in the spring, and it showed in the stats, as he hit .304 with three home runs and four RBIs in eight games.

"The best thing about it was that you are playing games that actually mean something. It kind of breaks up the monotony of Spring Training," Dunn said. "It was a lot of fun. I'm really glad I was able to do it.

"I'm not really a good Spring Training player. I got a few hits early. I just felt good. I don't know why. I was seeing the ball good. I hope it continues. It wasn't anything special I was doing."

Dunn did have one bad game, however. Last Wednesday, he replaced an injured Kevin Youkilis at first base and it proved costly. Dunn made two errors in a 10-6 loss to Venezuela. In the bottom of the second inning, Dunn threw the ball past catcher Chris Iannetta, which allowed a run to score. Six innings later, Dunn couldn't field a ground ball hit by Carlos Guillen.

"That was a debacle. That's all I could say," Dunn said. "I could tell you a million reasons on what went wrong. The throwing error, that was a split-finger that went bad."

Dunn and Hanrahan didn't hesitate when it came to picking their best moment in the Classic. It came last Tuesday when Mets third baseman David Wright blooped a two-run single, capping a three-run ninth inning that lifted Team USA to a 6-5 win over Puerto Rico in an elimination game in Miami. The victory advanced USA to the semifinals.

"That was pretty awesome," Dunn said. "A lot of things went down that inning. It was really fun to be part of it. I don't know how to put it into words really. It was pretty awesome."

Said Hanrahan: "I talked to a couple of people after the David Wright hit and I asked, 'How would that compare to a playoff celebration?' They were saying it was one notch underneath it. Obviously, the playoff atmosphere is a little bit different. But on March 17, you have a dogpile at Dolphin Stadium. It might look a little weird, but it's a celebration you want to do again."