• Programming Note: The minor league affiliates get started tonight (Bryce Harper with Hagerstown, Yunesky Maya with the Triple-A Chiefs) while the Washington Nationals and Florida Marlins play the third of three in Sun Life Stadium at 7:10 pm EDT. John Lannan vs Josh Johnson on the mound in Florida. Game six of one-sixty-two is on MASN HD in D.C., and Charlie and Dave will be broadcasting live on 106.7 the FAN according to the MLB.com broadcast schedule. Sirius/XM channel 186 if you're a subscriber. After tonight's game the Nats are off to NY where they'll take on the Mets in the first of three at 4:10 pm EDT...But first, beat the Fish...
• LINKS AND LINKS AND...
• NATS BEAT:
• "Storen’s undoing began only with an error on a shallow pop to right. He hit 96 miles per hour with his fastball consistently, locating it where he wanted." - "Drew Storen’s velocity returns" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post
• "I definitely could have come out and thrown more pitches in my last outing, but they kept me at 92. I hope to be able to get to 100 in this start." - Josh Johnson - "Washington Nationals at Florida Marlins: Johnson out to build on Opening Day gem" - Evan Drellich, MLB.com
• "The Nationals don't have a timeline in place, but they do like how pushy Harper has been on the subject." - "Bryce Harper kicks off pro career on Thursday" - Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com
• '"I really have a lot of confidence in [Todd] Coffey. [Chad] Gaudin is throwing the ball free and easy, [with] good velocity; the ball is coming out of his hands good. It has to work itself out.'" - Jim Riggleman on the Nats' bullpen - "Washington Nationals at Florida Marlins: Livan, Nats let lead get away in loss to Fish" - Bill Ladson, MLB.com
• "'As I thought about it coming in today, I thought: 'You know, I'm just going to stick with it the way it is and let it ride out,' Riggleman said." - "Nats can't find combination to drive in runs" - Mark Zuckerman, CSN Washington
• "Prospect Solis doing just fine, still pitching in Viera" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com
• "They all sting the same. They’re obviously harder when you beat yourself." - Adam LaRoche - "Nationals' woes continue in Florida" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times
• "At some point, we’ll find out what Henry Rodriguez and his 100-mph arm can really do, for better or worse. Cole Kimball could arrive. Collin Balester could arrive sooner." - "The Nationals’ bullpen a ‘work in progress’" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post
• "'Whether you're up by a couple of runs or up seven or eight runs, you want to add to that,' said LaRoche, now hitting .158 with one RBI." - "Nats can't deliver knockout blow to Marlins" - Mark Zuckerman, CSN Washington
• "'There's seven of us in the bullpen, last I checked. There's not three,' Coffey said. 'It's going to take every one of us contributing to help us win.'" - "Nationals' bullpen again functioning as two halves" - Ben Goessling, MASNSports.com
• "In a very candid,and entertaing show Dibble speculated that it was an email from Strasburg's father to the Lerner family that got him taken off the air." - "Dibble speaks on being taken off the air in D.C. and being asked to throw at Barry Bonds" - Jim Williams, Beanballs, Washington Examiner
• "'He has deception on his side and does a great job at it, throw slow, slow and slower,'" John Buck on Livan Hernandez - "John Buck fuels rally in Florida Marlins’ win against Nationals" - Adam H. Beasley, MiamiHerald.com
• "'The season is just starting,' [Livan] Hernandez said. 'You don't make the playoffs in four or five games.'" - "Slumping Nats Lose to Marlins 7-4" - AP, NYTimes.com
• "[Coffey] was ejected from the game after he gave home plate umpire Tim Tschida a few unsolicited (and probably unprintable) opinions of his strike zone on his way off the mound. " - "Todd Coffey ejected; things unraveling for Nationals against Marlins" - Ben Goessling, MASNSports.com
• "If it hurt swinging, then I’m not helping the team. Then I would rest it." - Adam LaRoche on injured shoulder - "LaRoche not letting hurt left shoulder sideline him" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times
• Your Daily Message from the Dalai Lama on Twitter (@DalaiLama): "Reflect on the value of inner versus outer wealth; in our world, there is a new awareness of our inner life and its worth."
• NATSTOWN:
• "Time running out for Washington Nationals catcher Ivan Rodriguez?" - Zach Myles, DC Double Play
• "The next level of prospects, including right fielder Bryce Harper, first baseman Chris Marrero and catcher Derek Norris, still need to spend most, if not all, of this season in the minors." - "Rizzo defends remade bench against early criticism" - Dave Nichols, Nationals Buzz, MASNSports.com
• (Like seeing Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster: Ian Desmond on base in 2011.) - The Nationals Enquirer: Jim Riggleman is a Genius
• "In the first weeks of the season, it is easy to panic and decry the performance/statistics you are seeing on the field, just as it is easy to draw positive conclusions about that same performance." - "Real Signs of the Nationals Improvement" Jeff Bergin, Stat Boy | Washington Nationals Daily News
• "The Nationals used small-ball to craft a four-run lead, pushing across three in the second...But they only got one more runner on base before the ninth inning, and that was erased by a double play." - "GAME 5 REVIEW: Another Fish Gets Away; Nats Fall to 1-4" - Dave Nichols, Nats News Network
• NL EAST UPDATES:
• Phillies: "In his early years as a minor-league manager, Manuel occasionally would become so upset with fans during games that he'd actually go into the stands to speak his peace or get physical." - "A more mature Manuel knows booing is part of the game" - Randy Miller, phillyBurbs.com
• Mets: "By the second inning, Mike Pelfrey was back to licking his hand as if it were an ice cream cone." - "Scout who worked with Mets GM Sandy Alderson says Mike Pelfrey could be traded sooner than expected" - John Harper, New York Daily News
• Braves: "Tonight is Opening Night for the Mississippi Braves. Japanese pitcher Kenshin Kawakami, the eldest and by far the most highly paid of the M-Braves, knows he won't play." - "$6.7M-Brave: Japan's Kawakami targets turnaround" - Rick Cleveland, The Clarion-Ledger | clarionledger.com
• Joe Blogs: "There is something about honesty that I think touches us in places few other things reach. Nick Charles is an honest man. He is honest about his death. And his honest about his life too." - "Honesty" - Joe Posnanski, SI.com