• Programming Notes: The Nats' second loss with Davey Johnson on the bench was an ugly one. 15 hits and 11 runs allowed, 5 errors on a U2'd infield that had to take some of the blame but not all of it. Jordan Zimmermann takes the mound tonight in Anaheim against Angels' right-hander Dan Haren. The Washington Nationals try to salvage a win on the road before they head home to face the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday. But first one more in LA, and luckily for everyone on the right side of the U.S., it's a 4:00 o'clock start on the left coast, 7:00 pm EDT in D.C. MASN 2 HD, MLB.tv, 106.7 the FAN in D.C., 1500 WFED, Sirius/XM ch. 182...at 7:00 pm EDT, remember. Who's Watching The Nationals?
• LINKS AND LINKS AND...
• NATS BEAT:
• "He could no longer pose. He could sell Mike Morse, but not Mike Rizzo. I don't know whose side to take, but I have a pretty good idea Riggleman could no longer fake it." - "Jim Riggleman quit as manager of Washington Nationals because he was tired of being salesman for team officials who weren't supporting him" - Tim Keown, ESPN.com
• "'His Achilles’ tightened up,' Manager Davey Johnson said. 'I probably won’t play him tomorrow. I can’t afford to hurt him worse.'" - "Laynce Nix leaves again with tight Achilles’ tendon" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post
• "[Doug] Harris was encouraged by Wang’s 49-pitch outing Monday but acknowledged that Wang needs repetition to establish consistency and earn the club’s confidence." - "Through long rehab, Chien-Ming Wang longs to reward Nats' patience" - Rich Campbell, Washington Times
• "I walked out if the ballpark with [Laynce Nix] one night and he was actually carrying a bat over his shoulder, a well-worn piece of lumber. I didn't ask him why..." - "The Layunch Sequence" - Phil Wood, MASNSports.com
• "'I like what I am seeing out of Bernadina and his approach,' [Davey] Johnson said. 'I'm looking for him to play against left-handers.'" - "Johnson consistent with Nationals' lineup" - Quinn Roberts, nationals.com: News
• "Beltway Baseball Live [Wednesday] at 1:30 p.m." - Mark Zuckerman, NatsInsider.com
• "Laynce Nix, who went 4-for-4 and tied a career high in hits, began the run parade on a solo shot to right-center field with one out in the sixth, his 12th of the season..." - "Washington Nationals at Los Angeles Angels: Nationals get overpowered in Anaheim" - Quinn Roberts, MLB.com WSH Recap
• "As expected, Pat Corrales will take over as the Nationals bench starting Friday, when the Nationals return home to play the Pirates." - "Pat Corrales will become the Nationals bench coach" -Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post
• "Their scorching June had served to draw an especially distinct line between this year and previous seasons, but the Nationals blurred it Tuesday night." - "Nationals vs. Angels: Washington commits five errors, gives up three homers in ugly loss" - Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post
• "'I’m an infielder,' Johnson said. 'There are some wicked hops. … It’s hard. The ball, it ain’t slowing down. The good thing is nobody got hurt out there.'" - Davey Johnson on field in LA - "Errors accumulate as Angels beat Nats 11-5 on re-sodded field" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times
• "In six of his 13 seasons as a manager, Johnson's teams have finished above their Pythagorean Win Expectation..." - "Davey Johnson has managed overachieving teams in the past" - Ben Goessling, MASNSports.com
• "Espinosa has certainly made a name for himself via his sparkling glovework, but he's really turning heads around the sport right now for his production at the plate." - "Best second baseman in baseball?" - Mark Zuckerman, NatsInsider.com
• "Zimmermann is seeking his 11th straight quality start, which would establish a Nationals record. He's 3-0 with a 1.04 ERA in his last five starts." - "Washington Nationals at Los Angeles Angels: Haren looks to end Zimmermann's run" - Doug Miller, MLB.com Preview
• Twitter: @aplusk: "happy to be a part of the @sbnation team @Bankoff"
• NATS MINOR LEAGUE UPDATES:
• "The Nationals are continuing to assemble and coordinate their rosters between Florida and Auburn..." - "First-year prospect Manny Rodriguez and others grab attention early in Florida" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com
• "After homering once in his first 18 games of the season, the 22-year-old Texas product [Kevin Keyes] has seven longballs in his last eight contests." - "Surging Keyes homers twice for Suns" - John Parker, MiLB.com News
• Class-A Auburn: "...Doubledays' starter Wirkin Estevez was very effective. In his five innings of work, Estevez surrendered just four hits on one earned run, striking out five." - "Third Series Win for Auburn in 6-1 defeat of Williamsport" - Auburn Doubledays News
• Class-A Hagerstown: "The Hagerstown Suns (4-2, 44-32) walked off on the Lakewood BlueClaws (3-3, 36-38) in the bottom of the 14th inning on a solo home run from RF Kevin Keyes..." - "Hagerstown Bests Lakewood in Game Two, Taylor Homers, Keyes Blasts a Pair" - Hagerstown Suns News
• Class-A Potomac: J.P. Ramirez - 3 for 5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R; Adam Olbyrchowski - 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's - Potomac Nationals Scoreboard
• Double-A Senators: "RH Brad Peacock will pitch when the game resumes for the Senators while RH Daryl Maday will pitch for Richmond." - "Senators and Squirrels Suspended Tuesday Night" - Terry Byrom, Harrisburg Senators News
• Triple-A Syracuse: "The Syracuse Chiefs (33-43), the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, tallied 15 hits and starter Craig Stammen dealt nine strikeouts in an 8-5 win over the Indianapolis Indians..." - "Chiefs' bats stay hot against Indians" - Syracuse Chiefs News
• "The bone bruise in Bryce Harper’s left thumb that has plagued him since before the Sally League All Star break, has kept Harper out of the Hagerstown lineup for the third straight night." - "Bone Bruise Keeps Bryce Harper Out Of Action For Third Straight Night" - Harpermania.com
• "Wednesday’s News & Notes" - NationalsProspects.com
• "Peacock's eight wins and 114 strikeouts in 12 starts this season are tops in the league, while his 2.28 ERA is second overall." - "Adjustment to delivery helps Peacock increase strikeout numbers" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com
• Your Daily Message From The Dalai Lama On Twitter (@DalaiLama): "We all have the right to lead happy lives."
• SHARKNATSTOWN:
• "Eno Sarris, who writes for FanGraphs, a fantasy baseball news website referred to Roger Bernadina by his nickname in a recent post on him..." - "FLYING SHARK" - Sharkadina: Roger Bernadina's Unofficial Blog
• NATSTOWN:
• "This is still the exact same team that was nine games below .500 as recently as 20 days ago. There are only four players on the entire team hitting higher than .250." - "Losses put winning streak in perspective" - Nationals Buzz: Dave Nichols, MASNSports.com
• "...the bad news is, the Davey Johnson Era is off to an 0-2 start, Nats back to .500." - "Bring back Riggleman!" - Nats Enquirer
• "...and the Marquis trade value slide begins. On the flip side Nix's value is holding quite nicely." - "Sweetspotting the Nats" - Harper, Nationals Baseball
• "'It's always a bit of a scare when we see one of the team's franchise players goes down with any injury, even if it is one described as a 'bruise.'" - "The Words Bryce Harper And Injury Don't Mix Well" - Will Yoder, The Nats Blog
• NL EAST UPDATES:
• Mets: "'The team is always going to do what is best for the team, and as a player you have to make a decision if the trade makes sense or not,' Beltran said." - "Beltran would OK trade from Mets to contender" - Mike Puma, NYPOST.com
• Braves: "In the month since that was written, Freddie Freeman has done a pretty good healthy Josh Hamilton impression: .302/.345/.528 in 113 PA’s..." - "Freddie Freeman, hot streaks, and sustainability" - Capitol Avenue Club
• Marlins: "Josh Willingham, who played with Nolasco in Florida from 2006-08, is dishing out his own scouting reports." - "Florida Marlins at Oakland Athletics: Former ally may help A's against Nolasco" - Jon Star, MLB.com Preview
• Phillies: "[Cliff Lee] had pitched his third straight shutout, allowing only two hits and extending his scoreless streak to 32 innings." - "Phillies’ Cliff Lee throws another stellar outing for the books" - Paul Hagen, BostonHerald.com