• Stephen Strasburg on the mound. [He's the guy who the hamburger's named after in case you didn't know.] Bryce Harper in right field. [And Julio Teheran on the hill for Atlanta!] Barring any changes, the Washington Nationals will have their 2009 and 2010 no.1 overall picks in the lineup when they face the Atlanta Braves tonight at 6:05 pm EDT in Kissimmee, Florida's Champion Stadium at ESPN Wide World of Sports. Stephen Strasburg's third start of the Spring will be broadcast live on the MLB Network and MLB.tv. But the big story of the day? Drew Storen's got a Batmobile?
• THE BIG STORY!!!:
• VIDEO: A Day With Pitcher Drew Storen, Who May Be Baseball's Batman - Amy K. Nelson, SBNation.com
• NATS BEAT:
• "'Probably not,' [Bryce Harper] said in answer to a question about whether he still has a chance to be picked to go north with the team. Then, he added, 'It's all good though.'" - "Calf slows Bryce, and prodigy admits he 'probably' can't make Nats" - Jon Heyman, CBSSports.com
• "The way manager Davey Johnson was talking Tuesday, it's not a guarantee that [Bryce] Harper will play. Johnson said Harper must go through a full workout before Johnson makes it official." - "Harper could return as soon as Wednesday" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News
• "[Jason] Michaels stared. A reporter asked about the sun. He shook his head. 'I just flat-out missed it,' he said." - "Jason Michaels moves on from dropped fly ball" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post
• "[Edwin] Jackson threw 64 pitches Tuesday night but only 36 of them were strikes and he threw 10 of 17 pitches in the fourth inning for balls." - "Edwin Jackson struggles to locate in Nationals' 6-3 loss to Tigers" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times
• "The two obvious candidates get the honors as the Nats' opening day starter are Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez, although I guess Jordan Zimmermann can't entirely be ruled out, either." - "Opening day starter still up in the air" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com
• "If there is a conclusion that can be drawn on March 14, it's this: Lannan isn't going to be part of the Nationals' Opening Day rotation, not unless someone else on the staff gets hurt." - "Inching toward a decision on Lannan?" - Mark Zuckerman, NatsInsider.com
• "[Danny]Espinosa hit .227 in the second half, with just five home runs and 14 RBI. When he struggled, he tried to work himself out of slumps, which only buried him in a deeper hole." - "Nationals’ Danny Espinosa: After overanalyzing his rookie season, second baseman is ready to ease up" - Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post
• "Looking back at last year's defensive statistics, Ankiel saved eight runs in center field, the best in baseball from that position, according to "The Fielding Bible: Volume III", just published by ACTA Sports." - "'The Fielding Bible' lists Nats' Ankiel as best outfield arm" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com
• "If you’re a Nats fans and you don’t desperately crave a Bryce Harper garden gnome, we probably can’t be friends." - "The Hagerstown Suns are giving away a Bryce Harper garden gnome" - Dan Steinberg, DC Sports Bog - The Washington Post
• "It wasn't the sun or the wind or anything outside of his own fundamental play that caused him to drop the ball, he said." - "Jason Michaels despondent over outfield error plus other notes from the Nationals' loss" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times
• "[Davey] Johnson noted how [Bryce] Harper was here at 7:15 this morning, raring to go. Today marks the sixth straight day Harper has sat out due to a left calf injury." - "A rundown of banged-up outfielders" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com
• "'It’s location. [Jackson] was a little up. He knew it,' [Davey] Johnson said. 'And then when he did get down – I thought some of them were strikes.'" - "Only a small step back for Jackson, Detwiler" - Brian McNally, Washington Examiner
• "Davey Johnson remains focused on choosing the final player for his bench, which he said, 'probably won’t be settled until the last day.'" - "Nationals’ bench competition will go down to the wire" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post
• "[Edwin] Jackson had not allowed a run over six innings in his first two starts combined, and -- although this game didn't have the results the previous two did -- he says he is right on schedule." - "Jackson up and down as Tigers down Nats" - Craig Heist, WTOP.com
• "Manager Davey Johnson believes he can find Lombardozzi around 300 plate appearances, but skepticism abounds on that possibility. Lombardozzi believes in his skipper, however." - "Lombardozzi's challenge" - Phil Wood, MASNSports.com
• "[Jason] Michaels didn't make any excuses, stating that he just missed the ball. The error would prove costly." - "Jackson feels good despite results of outing" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News
• "This spring, he got a chance to pick the brain of the man with one of the best sliders in the business, Brad Lidge — whose addition likely squeezed Mattheus out of a locked-in bullpen spot." - "Nationals' Mattheus has right stuff, but roster space is tight" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times
• Twitter: AZCentral.com's Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro): "Kevin Towers says he's had 'no discussions' about a Gerardo Parra trade. 'I still see him as very much a part of this club,' he said."
• "The question is asked every year of whoever starts the spring hot if they are worried that they are hitting their stride too soon. Zimmerman dismissed that notion..." - "The Red Hot Corner" - Curly W Live
• "Jason Michaels sat at his locker, and right as the cluster of reporters slowly made its way over to the veteran outfielder, his first inning error flashed up on the TV." - "Emptying the notebook after the Nats' 6-3 loss" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com
• "[Davey] Johnson confirmed Bryce Harper will play Wednesday. During Tuesday night’s game, he hovered around Johnson in the dugout..." - "Michael Morse will take at-bats in a minor league game Wednesday, and more from tonight" - Davey Johnson, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post
• '"If it was the regular season, he would play, but there is really no need,' [Davey] Johnson said about [Rick] Ankiel." - "Ankiel a couple of days away from returning" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News
• "Walks aren't bad luck. A home run is a home run," Jackson said in the Nats' clubhouse a bit ago. "Errors happen, mistakes happen. That's part of the game." - "Despite results, Jackson pleased with his outing (Nats lose 6-3)" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com
• "His night ended there, at 64 pitches and five outs shy of his five-inning target. [Edwin] Jackson allowed four runs, two earned, on five hits and those two walks..." - "Edwin Jackson allows four runs, two earned, against Tigers" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post
• O's/Nats: "The Orioles' new sinkerballing reliever has had to deal with an inordinate number of curveballs — in baseball and in life." - "Orioles spring training: Being held captive at gunpoint just one obstacle Orioles pitcher Luis Ayala has overcome" - Dan Connolly, baltimoresun.com
• "Ryan Raburn's hot spring continued with a homer and three RBIs as the Tigers defeated the Nationals, 6-3, at Space Coast Stadium on Tuesday night." - "Werth goes deep in Nationals' loss to Tigers" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News
• NATSTOWN:
• "Is it just us, or is Stras just a thousand times more comfortable doing the media thing now than he was two years ago?..." - "Video: Gammons interviews Stephen Strasburg" - Nats Enquirer
• "Is it healthy? Of course not. Is it awesome? Of course yes." - "It’s Big, It’s Bad, It’s…THE STRASBURGER" - Keara Dowd, Win For Teddy
• "Washington Nationals Spring Training Postcards: Photos of Minor League Camp" - Cheryl Nichols, District Sports Page
• "Nats Drop 6-3 Decision To Detroit" - NationalsProspects.com
• "Bryce Harper spent most of Tuesday night's Nats-Tigers game watching from the top step of the dugout." - "Bryce Harper to return today, says he probably won't make the team now..." - NatsEnquirer.com
• "It was common in the early years for players or teams to adopt persons or youngsters to ride the bench and bring the team good luck. Perhaps the most famous was Charlie Faust." - "Mascots and Ladies" - Karen and Kevin Flynn, D.C. Baseball History
• NL EAST UPDATES:
• Marlins: "[Logan] Morrison, who had surgery on his right knee Dec. 5, said he was originally supposed to take his usual place in left field Tuesday." - "Marlins' Logan Morrison returns to lineup; Stanton and Dobbs are still out" - Joe Capozzi, Palm Beach Post
• Phillies: "Domonic Brown showed again why the Phillies remain high on him, and why they remain frustrated." - "Brown's best and worst on display" - Tampa Bay Times
• Braves: "Braves starter Mike Minor continued his strong bid for a rotation spot with four scoreless innings in Tuesday’s 2-2, 10-inning tie against the Miami Marlins..." - "Braves lefty Minor has another good day" - David O'Brien, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
• Mets: "'We’ve got three weeks from Wednesday (until breaking camp). We’ve got a lot of time. I’m just getting tired of going in the training room, where I’ve got to sweat to see who can walk out of there.'" - Terry Collins - "Mounting NY Mets injuries are getting to frustrated manager Terry Collins" - Andy Martino, NY Daily News