• Programming Note: Friday's game was rained out so the Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates play the finale of their three-game series in PNC Park tonight instead. Nats' lefty John Lannan's on the mound against Pirates' lefty Paul Maholm. The game is on MASN, MLB.tv, 106.7 The Fan in D.C. and 1500 WFED. It's not listed on Sirius/XM yet, but we'll update that later if and when a channel for tonight's game is listed. One more in Pittsburgh and then back to Nationals Park for a three-game visit by the New York Mets. Who's Watching the Nationals?...
• NATS BEAT:
• "McCutcheon, despite his team being down three runs, tagged up and bolted home when the ball fell into Werth’s glove." - "Andrew McCutheon’s odd decision leads to Jayson Werth’s excellent, game-ending throw" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post
• "'Today was a little bit more of a grind for me than my past games, but there's going to be days like that,' Marquis said." - "Morse, LaRoche power Nats past Pirates", George Von Benko, MLB.com WSH Recap
• "'We need to do what we did today, scratch out some wins when we're not at the top of our game,' Riggleman said." - "In win over Pirates, Morse and LaRoche show what they can do for Nationals' lineup" - Ben Goessling, MASNSports.com
• "'That's what we've been waiting for,' Riggleman said. 'When Mike [Morse is] on top of his game, he hits for extra-base hits, and he really got a very timely one there.'" - "Morse leads Nats lineup back to life in win" - Mark Zuckerman, CSN Washington
• "'I saw a pitch and I hit it,' Morse said, simplifying what happened on the 2-2 offering from Pirates starter Kevin Correia..." - "Nationals beat Pirates and end three-game slide" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times
• "On the first pitch he threw to Walker, Marquis unfurled a pitch utterly unique to his career." - "What happened on that pitch Jason Marquis threw 55 miles per hour?" - Jason Marquis, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post
• "'Ian could use a day. He's got a lot on his mind,' Riggleman said. 'He's not an excuse-maker. Believe me, he's not feeling good about his game yesterday.'" - "Ian Desmond gets a day off after two-error night" - Ben Goessling, MASNSports.com
• "'I've been tinkering with my move to the ball,' Werth said on Sunday. 'My timing's been out of sync.'" - "Washington Nationals at Pittsburgh Pirates: Lannan squares off with Maholm in rubber match" - John Schlegel, MLB.com Preview
• "The Nats are getting more concerned about Zimmerman's return." - "White Sox's Jake Peavy, National's Ryan Zimmerman still ailing" - Will Carroll, SI.com
• NatsTown:
• "The Nationals have weathered the storm with their star third baseman out of the lineup. The club has gone 7-6 since April 12..." - "Ryan Zimmerman's Oblique Injury To Be Evaluated Today, Are The Nationals Worried?" - Will Yoder, The Nats Blog
• "Desmond's Defense Still A Problem" - Joe Drugan, Capitol Baseball
• "The Nationals are still a long way from having enough talent to field a contender." - "Slow Starts for Nationals Prospects" - Steven, FJB
• "The Washington Nationals are beginning to get things right. Not only on the field, but off the field, in the D.C. community and beyond" - "Nationals Are Slowly Getting Things Right To Become D.C.'s Baseball Team" - Andrew Kinback, SB Nation DC
• NatsSHARKTown:
"He's gonna turn Scranton/Wilkes-Barre into fish chum, making a mess out of the team." - "SHARK BITES YANKS IN CERTAIN PLACES" - Sharkadina, Street Shark: Roger Bernadina's Unofficial Blog
• Your Daily Message From The Dalai Lama On Twitter (@DalaiLama): "From the first day of our life until our last breath, the very foundation of our existence is affection and human warmth."
• Nats Minor League Updates:
• Class-A Suns: "One might have expected flocks of reporters to descend on Hagerstown every night of the season, as they seemed to do for every appearance of number-one 2009 draftee Stephen Strasburg..." - "I-81 Paradise: Is the media focus on Bryce Harper less intense than it was on Stephen Strasburg?" - Mike Henderson, Hendo's Hutch, Washington Nationals Daily News
• Class-A Suns: "If Randolph Oduber can make it to the big leagues, he will truly be that diamond-in-the-rough that all scouts are looking for every time they sit down to watch a prospect." - "Oduber flying for the Suns in April" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com
• "Starting pitcher Yunesky Maya was perfect through three and 2/3rds, but took his second loss, pitching seven complete innings, allowing three runs on three hits." - "Monday’s News & Notes" - Sue Dinem, NationalsProspects.com
• Triple-A Chiefs: "Despite the loss, Maya set a career high with 9 strikeouts and threw his first game without a walk this season." - "Maya, Chiefs edged by Yankees" - Syracuse Chiefs News
• NL EAST UPDATES:
• Braves: "Even as he approaches the big four-oh, birthdays are almost always happy occasions for Chipper Jones." - "For Braves' Chipper Jones, birthday again a happy occasion" Jorge L. Ortiz, Daily Pitch, USATODAY.com
• Marlins: "Right off the bat," [Marlins' Manager Edwin] Rodriguez said, "everybody in the park knew that was a home run." - "Mike Stanton’s three-run shot sparks Florida Marlins’ victory" - Clark Spencer, Miami Herald.com
• Mets: "When all 5 players are healthy, there may be no better offensive quintet in the league than Reyes, Beltran, Bay, David Wright, and Ike Davis." - "NY Mets' 4-Game Winning Streak Reinforces Jason Bay's Importance In Lineup; Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, Ike Davis, David Wright All Reaping Rewards" - Rich Coutinho, CBS New York
• Phillies: "Should Roy Halladay Have Thrown 130 Pitches?" - Bill Baer, Crashburn Alley