• Programming Note: The Washington Nationals and Houston Astros have no real animosity toward one another, so there's likely to be less excitement generated by this afternoon's 1:05 pm EDT Spring tilt than yestersday's Nats/Cards game. This one, however, will be broadcast live via Houston's radio feed. So that means it's MLB Gameday Radio, the audio from MLB.com's At Bat 11 app or Sirius/XM ch. 183 if you plan on following along this afternoon as Nats' lefty John Lannan meets up with 'Stros lefty Wandy Rodriguez.
• Tuesday Nats' Starting Lineup via @NationalsPR: "Lineup vs. HOU - Hairston 8, Desmond 6, Werth 9, Morse 7, Ramos 2, Espinosa 4, Bixler 5, Gonzalez 3, Lannan 1"
• LINKS AND LINKS AND...
• NATSBEAT:
"'From the little information I got, he’s fine,' Riggleman said. 'He just rolled his ankle a little, and he’s fine.'" - Jim Riggleman on Bryce Harper - Nationals Journal - Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post
• And now a note from Bryce Harper on Twitter:
• Twitter: A Word From Bryce Harper (@BHarp34): "Everybody thank you for all the kind words and thoughts about me getting better! I feel good and I expect to be out there asap! :)
• Today's Must Read:
"Chad Cordero tries to hold life, career together after losing daughter to SIDS" - Barry Svrluga, The Washington Post
• Nats vs Cards:
• "'If something happen to your teammates, you got to go and step up and do something. This is what I do. Take care of my teammates. Always.'" - Livan Hernandez on near-brawl - "Near basebrawl as Nats' losing streak ends at seven games" - MASN, Pete Kerzel
• Twitter: NatsInsider/CSN Washington's Mark Zuckerman (@Mark Zuckerman): Livo was upset Cards hit Desmond after each team got one shot earlier: "You don't continue hitting people and hitting people."
• "I fully expect MLB to discipline Hernandez in the coming days. He'll definitely be fined, and it's entirely possible he'll be suspended for some minimum length of time." - Mark Zuckerman - "Wrapping up a manic Monday" - NatsInsider.com, Mark Zuckerman on Livan Hernandez Admitting To Intentional HBP
• "JUPITER, Fla. • The Cardinals and Washington Nationals picked at an old scab Monday afternoon." - Tensions flare between Cards, Nationals" - St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Joe Strauss
• Twitter: Batista on hitting Desmond: "You let that kid get extended, Desmond, he can turn on it. So if you go in, you go in." - Twitter /MLB.com's Bill Ladson (@washingnats)
• Twitter: "Mr. Iowa thrown out." - Washington Post, Adam Kilgore @AdamKilgoreWP
• Ian Desmond: "We were really trying to keep the fans around. Once (Albert) Pujols came out of the game and (Chris) Carpenter came out of the game we knew they were going to leave so we decided to add a little entertainment." - "Benches clear during Cards game with Nats; managers have to be separated" - Associated Press, bnd.com
• "I hit the guy because he hit somebody," [Livan] Hernandez said. "That's it. That's baseball." - "Benches empty in Nats-Cards spring game" - CSN Washington Mark Zuckerman
• Non-Near-Brawl-News:
• "Riggleman said he would consider Gaudin as a long man and a late-innings pitcher. The skipper already indicated that Tom Gorzelanny will be the fifth starter." - "Gaudin could be ticketed for Nats' bullpen." - MLB.com, Bill Ladson
• NATSSHARKTOWN:
• Relax, it's just two kids with a styrofoam fin in the outfield...Sharkadina, Street Shark: Roger Bernadina's Unofficial Blog: LAWN SHARK
?: Natstown is suspiciously quiet this morning...
• NL EAST:
• Mets: People want the Wilpons to stop defending themselves. I want to fly. Neither of these things will happen - "The Real Fred Wilpon Can't Shut Up" - Matthew Callan, Amazin' Avenue
• Phillies: "Luis Castillo Isn't Very Good at Baseball, But He's Going to Play For the Phillies, and That's OK" - WholeCamels, The Good Phight
• Marlins: "'My focus stays the same whether on the biggest stage or the lowest,' Stanton said while autographing baseballs in the clubhouse under the awed gaze of teammate Wes Helms’ son." - "Florida Marlins' Mike Stanton takes the right approach" - MiamiHerald.com, David J. Neal
• Braves: Kenshin Kawakami is still attempting to ignore the fact the Braves are looking to trade him." - Kawakami tries to shake off trade talk" - MLB.com, Mark Bowman
• General Baseball:
• Taking a quick look through some of the current MLB Spring Training statistics. - "A Romp Through The World Of Spring Training Statistics" -Jeff Sullivan, SBNation.com
• "I have seen it written in numerous places that this trial will help us 'get to the bottom' of the Selig Era in baseball. But, one thing that seems absolutely certain to me is that this won’t help us get to the bottom of anything." - "The Bonds Trial" - SI.com, Joe Posnanski