• Programming Note: Washington's Opening Day starter Livan Hernandez and Marlins' right-hander Chris Volstad take the hill tonight in the second of three for D.C. in Florida. What To Look For: Danny Espinosa's going to get a shot in the leadoff spot now. The Nationals made the decision yesterday to use Espi and Ian Desmond (0 for 13 thus far) interchangeably at the top of the order til someone claims the leadoff spot as their own. Tonight's 7:10 pm EDT game is available on MASN HD, it's listed on MLB.com's site as being broadcast on 106.7 the FAN in DC aka WJFK but I understand there was some confusion with other local broadcasts pushing it to 1580 AM last night, be prepared to turn the dial around at 7:00...Sirius/XM subscribers can find the game on Ch. 187...
• LINKS AND LINKS AND...
• NATS BEAT:
• "'That was just a feel play, and not really having a feel with Espinosa, that’s basically what the cause of that was.'" - Jayson Werth on miscue with Danny Espinosa - "Leftovers from a brutal Nationals loss" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post
• "[Bo] Porter said the play at third was "a bad read on my part," and Burnett - who nearly bailed the Nationals out of a bases-loaded jam - said his sinker to Murphy was "the worst pitch I threw all inning." - "The Goessling Game: "Nationals break down in Florida again" - Ben Goessling, MASNSports.com
• Mike Rizzo: "First of all, the criticism of Jayson Werth hitting second has no bearing on my life whatsoever. This is a decision that we made. It was a conscious decision. Jim Riggleman and I sat down and we thought what's best for the ballclub, specifically out of the chute early on in the season, and I like the fact that Jayson Werth gets to bat a lot of times during the game, the second-most of anybody in the lineup. He's a run-producer and a run scorer. This guy's going to drive in runs, he's going to score runs. He's a guy who's going to grind out pitchers, see a lot of pitches per at bat and set the stage not only for the middle of the lineup but for himself as the lineup flips over..." - AUDIO: 106.7 the FAN in DC's Mike Rizzo Show.
• "'I wasn't totally sure that Espi was going to get it,' Werth explained. 'So I called it.'" - "Werth's error leads to another Nats loss" - Mark Zuckerman, CSN Washington
• NatsTown: "I like Mike Rizzo. I root for him. So before anyone starts saying I'm turning this blog into FMR, we should get that out of the way." - "Responding on Rizzo's Bench" - Steven, FJB
• "'There was one game that we really didn't have a chance this year. We have been right there. The thing is, we haven't really played together. That takes some time.'" - Jayson Werth - "Washington Nationals at Florida Marlins" - Recap - Bill Ladson, MLB.com
• "We're already seeing Ryan Zimmerman being pitched around, and it's only the fourth game of the season. He was walked three times sandwiched around his solo home run and in the three walks combined he saw one strike total." - "GAME 4 REVIEW: Costly Error Leads to 3-2 Loss to Marlins" - Dave Nichols, NatsNewsNetwork
• Twitter: Amanda Comak (@acomak) - Washington Times - "Werth took responsibility for error in 10th: 'My fault...I called it, had a chance to catch it & I just didn’t & it really cost us the game'"
• "'I was just trying to pull a Houdini,' Burnett said, and he nearly did." Sean Burnett on 10th Inning - "Nationals vs. Marlins: Florida wins in 10 innings after Washington misses chances" - Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post
• NatsTown: "A few days later, on the same day teammate Jordan Zimmermann made his triumphant return from a similar injury, came the two words every pitcher dreads: Tommy John." - "Rehab, not hitters, is Strasburg's new challenge." - Dave Nichols, Nats News Network's guest post on MASN's Nationals Buzz
• "'Whichever one is getting the job [done], he'll hit first and the other will hit seventh.'" - "Desmond, Espinosa to swap lineup spots" - Mark Zuckerman, CSN Washington
• "'It's definitely a team that I know pretty well, and they know me pretty well. You know what a person is trying to do. ... It's a matter of trying to execute.'" - Chris Volstad on Wednesday start vs Nats - "Washington Nationals at Florida Marlins" - Doug Miller, MLB.com
• NatsTown: "The Nationals lost in extra innings last night by and large due to a 10th inning error by outfielder Jayson Werth." - "Nationals Today: Nats Lose In Extra Innings, Nats Park Gets New Vendor To Replace Five Guys" - Will Yoder, The Nats Blog
• "Since 2003 - when they won the World Series - the Marlins have never won fewer than 71 games, and have won at least 78 games every other year." - "The viability of MLB in Florida" - Phil Wood, MASN
• NatsTown: "It only took 6 days of the regular season for Nats Manager Jim Riggleman to decide he'd seen enough of Ian Desmond in the top spot in the batting order." - "The lead off spot is up for grabs, and we hate it" - Mac, Capitol Baseball
• "'I’m excited about a lot of things that happened in that ballgame,' said Nationals manager Jim Riggleman." - "Despite Marquis' strong start, Nats fall in 10 innings" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times
• NatssharKTown: "4) Bernadina may not be a power hitter YET, but ricK anKiel continuing to striKe out is getting old. (2 today)." - "Nats Starve Without The Shark to Eat Marlins" - TyInDC, Street Shark: Roger Bernadina's Unofficial Blog
• "In 2009, the Syracuse Chiefs’ new union with the Washington Nationals yielded that rarity in these parts -- a winning International League season." - "Here are nine random opinions from the pages of "Central New York Sports Magazine" - Bud Poliquin, syracuse.com
• General Baseball (But Nats-Related):
• "Tyler Clippard is a contemporary master of the art. But who is the greatest vulture ever?" - "Imperative Baseball Debate: Who Is Baseball History's Greatest Vulture?" - Jon Bois, SBN - Baseball Nation
• Your Daily Message from the Dalai Lama on Twitter (@DalaiLama): "The more we truly desire to benefit others, the more strength and confidence we develop and the deeper the peace and happiness we experience."
• General Media: "My experience tells me that Cuban is charging at a strawman. He doesn't think "Internet reporters" belong in his team's locker room, because they're asking questions bent on moving the rumor mill, and taking in page views as a result." - "Mark Cuban might want us out of his locker room" - Ball Don't Lie - NBA Blog - Yahoo! Sports
• NL EAST UPDATES:
• Phillies: "Amaro said an online report that surfaced Tuesday saying Utley could start jogging 'in the next couple of days' was erroneous. " - "Phillies Notes: Utley progressing by 'baby steps'" - Matt Gelb, Philadelphia Inquirer
• Mets: "The Phillies' lefty called the Mets 'choke artists' in a 2008 radio interview and has a 1-6 record against them ever since." - "Mets make Hamels eat words" - Randy Miller, phillyBurbs.com : Phillies
• Braves: Tuesday game report: Brewers vs. Braves - JSOnline
• Marlins: "'It seems like Murphy likes those situations -- two outs, bases loaded. He did it again,' manager Edwin Rodriguez said." - "Donnie Murphy comes through in clutch again, lifts Marlins past Nationals in 10" - Joe Capozzi - The Palm Beach Post