Bryce Harper on Wednesday. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg have both been in the Nationals’ organization for the past five years. And each spring, pitchers throw batting practice to their own teammates just before spring training games begin. The dream matchup has long been Harper vs. Strasburg. Finally, for the first time, it happened on Wednesday.

Harper stepped into the batting cage against Strasburg on the backfields of Space Coast Stadium, two No. 1 overall draft picks facing off. Pitchers are two weeks into spring training — further along than hitters — but hitters are allowed to swing. Strasburg fired hard fastballs and sharp breaking balls to Harper. Strasburg blew a fastball past Harper but the outfielder later made contact on another pitch, hitting the ball toward right-center.

“He looked good,” Harper said. “I’m thankful he’s on my team. He looked really good. We’re excited for him. Fastball looked good. Curveball looked good, changeup. Same thing with [Drew] Storen, fastball looked great, he’s got his slider going. It’s just nice to be able to face some live pitching and get it going a bit.”

Harper, Denard Span and right-handed-hitting Danny Espinosa all faced Strasburg and Storen. “The big boy wanted to see [Strasburg],” Manager Matt Williams said. Both pitchers asked for another chance to face hitters so this was their second live BP session, a lighter one. Harper didn’t put much stock into his performance against Strasburg.

“I’m just up there to face live pitching and see some pitches, nothing else really,” he said. “If I get a hit or if I strike out, I don’t even know. I mean, going up there, that [stuff] don’t really matter. It’s not a big deal to me.”

>>> For the first time since arthroscopic shoulder surgery on Jan. 9, Jayson Werth swang a bat. He was set to test his shoulder at the eight-week mark on Friday, but he was eager so to give it a try. He took about 20 “light” swings, mostly dry swings but about five off a tee, which he admitted may have been pushing it.

“We’ll see how I react to it,” he said. “I’ve been doing a lot. You push it as far as you can without setting yourself really setting yourself back. It’s just a tedious process but stuff we got to go through. … It’s a start.”

Werth had been doing conditioning drills and running, but not throwing or swinging. He will check his progress on Thursday and consider the next step. He may be able to begin a throwing program next week.

“[If] you do too much then you [tick] it off and you set yourself back and you know then that’s a problem,” he said. “So we have to stay out of that situation but at the same time we have to push the envelope as much as we can because I want to be back as soon as possible.”

Werth knows he is still has far to go before he is ready to play in spring training games. If he wants to reach his goal of playing on opening day on April 6, he will have to play in spring training games. “We’ll see how many I get in,” he said.

>>> Jordan Zimmermann is scheduled to start Friday’s game — the Nationals’ first spring training road game — against the Braves in Lake Buena Vista. He will be followed by Taylor Jordan, Craig Stammen, Matt Grace, Manny Delcarmen, Evan Meek, Mitch Lively and Taylor Hill. Gio Gonzalez is slated to stay back in Viera and throw a bullpen session. Matt Thornton will throw a live bullpen session on Thursday.

>>> Tony Gwynn Jr., signed to a minor league deal, reported to the Nationals clubhouse Wedneday afternoon. Because the clubhouse is almost full, the only available locker was one among the starting pitchers.