• Programming Note: Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler will be broadcasting live from Champion Stadium at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Kissimmee, FL on 106.7 the FAN in DC and MLB.tv will be broadcasting the Atlanta feed as the Washington Nationals and Yunesky Maya visit starter Tim Hudson and the Braves tonight at 6:05 pm EST.
• LINKS AND LINKS AND...
• NATS BEAT:
• "It kind of snowballed on me a little,' Clippard said. 'I wasn’t able to make the pitches when I needed to, and that’s kind of mind my own fault."- "Five-run ninth a ‘wake-up call’ for Tyler Clippard."- Tyler Clippard - Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post
• "'Det' (Ross Detwiler) was struggling, 'Clip' was struggling, and kind of everybody in between was pretty good."- Jim Riggleman - MASN, Ben Goessling, "The Goessling Game: Astros 8, Nationals 7: Postgame thoughts"
• "'I get excited when somebody says: 'You remind me of Jayson Werth.' That makes me feel like I'm doing the right things.'"- Michael Morse - "Like Werth, Morse finally getting his shot" - Mark Zuckerman, CSN Washington
• "'The injury is not bad,' Zimmerman said. 'We want to try and get rid of it before the season starts.'" - "Zimmerman to use caution with groin injury"- Bill Ladson, MLB.com
• Twitter: "Ryan Zimmerman (right hip) could miss up to four or five days, Riggleman said. #Nats" - FOXSports.com's Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi)
• "Before each at-bat, the Suns will announce, 'Now batting, Bryce Harper, brought to you by Miss Utility, reminding you to call 811 before you dig.'" - "Bryce Harper's minor league at-bats sponsored by Miss Utility" - Scott Boeck - Daily Pitch - USATODAY.com
• "Will you just throw the ball?" McCatty said to Kimball. "Stop thinking. Just pitch." - "Reliever Kimball continues to impress" - Bill Ladson, MLB.com
• On Morse: "Is 'every-day left fielder' a stretch? Yeah, it probably is. But Morse is going to have a better career than I would have guessed, just a year ago." - "Three Nats, Just One Center Field - From Our Editors" - Rob Neyer, SBNation.com
• Jayson Werth on saying or not saying he hates Phillies: "In that setting, when that may or may not have been said, if everything I've said inside a batting cage or around a batting cage was reported, there'd be some pretty outlandish statements." - "Washington Nationals' Jayson Werth is no hater" - Jayson Stark, "Three Strikes" - ESPN
• "Connections from Ankiel’s unprecedented career, which has included turns as a teenaged pitching phenom, a cautionary tale and a respected, veteran slugger, helped bring him this winter to the Washington Nationals." - "Rick Ankiel reunites with Jim Riggleman, Rick Eckstein in first year with the Nationals" - Adam Kilgore -The Washington Post
• NATSTOWN:
• "Boone: "(Strasburg) and (Zimmermann) give them two potential aces in the future..." - "Review: BBTN Comes to Viera"- Mac, Capitol Baseball
• "We have 3 guys who already essentially HAVE to stay on the 25-man roster because of a lack of options: Clippard, Burnett, and Henry Rodriguez." - "What to do with Brian Broderick?" - Nationals Arm Race
• "Cole Kimball walked two in his two innings of work, allowed a hit, but struck out three to lower his spring ERA to 1.13 and earn a hold." - "Nats Fall Apart In 9th, Lose 8-7" - Sue Dinem, NationalsProspects.com
• "Morgan has muscled his way back atop the CF depth chart in the eyes of this blog." - "Morgan takes lead in CF competition" - David Lint, For Love of the Nationals
• "SHARK'S COMING OUT" - Sharkadina, Street Shark: Roger Bernadina's Unofficial Blog
• "Of all the candidates for the fifth spot in the rotation, Detwiler still remains the most intriguing."- "Clippard Implodes in Five-Run Ninth; Nats Lose to Astros 8-7" - Dave Nichols, NATIONALS NEWS NETWORK
• Your Daily Message from the Dalai Lama on Twitter: (@Dalailama): "It is necessary to help others, not only in our prayers, but in our daily lives."
• Braves: "'I don't think anybody cares [where they are in the rotation],' Hanson said. "I don't know why anybody would care. Wherever they put me, I'll be happy.'"- Tommy Hanson on Braves' rotation - "Braves tab Derek Lowe as Opening Day starter" - Mark Bowman, MLB.com
• Phillies: "It's a bit hard to imagine given his impressive resume, but at this point in his career John Jay really should be considered a "low-budget" option to spell Victorino in center. At 265 years old, he lacks the range in the field he once had.' - "Phillies reportedly interested in CF/CJ John Jay" - FuquaManuel, The Good Phight
• Phillies: NYY GM Brian Cashman on Cliff Lee: "It doesn't really matter," Cashman said. "It was a marriage that was not meant to be. That's life." - "Lee's comments getting old for Yankees GM Cashman" - Philadelphia Daily News | 03/17/2011
• Mets: "'When you get under the lights, you also get the adrenaline,' the 6-foot-7 Pelfrey said of regular-season starts. 'There's not a whole lot of adrenaline in spring training.'" - "New York Mets' scheduled Opening Day starter Mike Pelfrey struggles in spring start against Twins" - Andy Martino, New York Daily News
• Marlins: "Uninspired baseball,' he said. "Inconsistent and not acceptable. Very few guys have focused on what they're here for. Very few.'" - Jeffrey Loria on Marlins - "Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria criticizes team's play as 'inconsistent and not acceptable'" - Joe Cappozzi, Palm Beach Post