• Programming Notes: The Washington Nationals managed to hit three home runs and score four runs total off Roy Halladay on Monday, but they still lost to the Philadelphia Phillies. Tonight Jason Marquis and the Nats will have to beat Cliff Lee if Washington wants to avoid losing their fourth straight and ninth of their last ten games. A 7:05 pm EDT start time might help a little bit with the heat in the nation's capital. As for Cliff Lee...MASN HD, MLB.tv, 106.7 the FAN in D.C., 1500 WFED, Sirius/XM ch. 185. The Nationals and the Phillies play the second of three in Washington, D.C.'s Nationals Park. Who's Watching the Nationals?
• LINKS AND LINKS AND...
• NATS BEAT:
• "Pudge would be a big piece for a contending team if they needed a catcher." Mike Rizzo on trading Pudge Rodriguez - "Mike Rizzo won’t trade Ivan Rodriguez for a ‘quick fix’" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post
• "'I feel good, I feel strong, but I’ve been terrible,' Burnett said. 'There is no way to explain it — flat out terrible. It’s [not good] to let another win by Livo go down the drain.'" - Sean Burnett - "Nats’ Burnett takes responsibility for Monday’s loss" - Bill Ladson, All Nats All the Time
• "Score four off Halladay and hit three home runs," the reliever said. "That's a game we should win." - Sean Burnett on Sunday's loss - "Nats get to Halladay but can't beat Phils" - Mark Zuckerman, CSN Washington.com
• "'It’s a loss,' Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said. 'If we got six hits, it’s a loss. If we got 14 hits, it’s a loss. Losses hurt.'" - "Nats solve Halladay, but winning remains a puzzle" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times
• "'I put the team in the hole early on," Marquis said of Milwaukee's two-run first frame. 'I had a stupid game plan at that particular moment, and it came back to bite me.'" - Marquis on last outing - Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals: Lee ready for Phillies' appointment with Nationals" - Evan Dreilich, MLB.com Preview
• "Manager Jim Riggleman will stick with lefty Doug Slaten, who’s allowed the most inherited runners to score in the majors..." - "Doug Slaten struggling with inherited runners" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post
• "'It's tough, because we're playing great and staying in the game. But in the end, it doesn't add up. You just want to win,' said infielder Alex Cora." - "Nationals' offense hits Halladay, but they still lose to Phillies" - Ben Goessling, MASNSports.com
• "'Today on Memorial Day -- a lot of people start thinking about our veterans,' said Yocum, who is 14 months into hiking a 7,800-mile loop around the country. 'What I want them to do is think about them all the time.'" - "Nationals support veterans, Troy Yocum's hike on Memorial Day" - Steven Miller, nationals.com: News
• "There's an old expression: 'It's a very simple game.' The speaker must have been talking about checkers, because this game, which at times may look simple, is anything but." - "Losing is part of the process; just ask the Phillies" - Phil Wood, MASNSports.com
• "So, the solution: Riggleman will play Ankiel, Bernadina and Nix in a loose rotation in center field and left field." - "Rick Ankiel, Roger Bernadina, Laynce Nix will rotate in left and center" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post
• "'We hung in there today. Those are the Phillies -- they're in first place in our division,' said first baseman Michael Morse, who homered in the second." - "Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals: Nationals crack Doc, but bullpen stumbles" - Steven Miller, MLB.com
• "'If you take it literal it's not every day,' Riggleman said of Bernadina's playing time going forward. 'But I think the implication is that he's not going to be a pinch hitter.'" - "Juggling the Nationals outfielders and other pregame notes" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times
• "6) Nationals: Trevor Bauer, RHP, UCLA: No change from last time." - "2011 Baseball Mock Draft, Mark II" - John Sickels, Minor League Ball
• “'I knew it,' said Espinosa before the game. 'It feels like I’ve been hitting it at people all season, but I didn’t know for a fact.'" - "Second baseman Danny Espinosa emerging as a top talent for the Washington Nationals" - Thomas Boswell, The Washington Post
• PRESIDENTS RACE NEWS:
• "Even some of the longer trips, they’re there. We are spoiled and fortunate to have good fans, and it makes a difference." - Roy Halladay on traveling Phillies fans - "Scenes from a Philly invasion of Nats Park" - Dan Steinberg, DC Sports Bog - The Washington
• "In possibly the most disappointing performance in five years, Teddy ran wire to wire in last place, and failed to even finish." - "After high expectations are dashed, even Abe Lincoln implores the Nationals to Let Teddy Win" - Presidents Race Fan, Let Teddy Win!
• Your Daily Message From The Dalai Lama On Twitter (@DalaiLama): "When I speak about love and compassion, I don't do so as a Buddhist, or a Tibetan, or as the Dalai Lama, but as one human being to another."
• NATS MINOR LEAGUE UPDATES:
• DSL Giants 4, DSL Nationals 1: MiLB.com Scoreboard
• Class-A Hagerstown: "'My arm feels strong,' Solis said. 'Florida was great. I got my work in that I needed to get done. I am excited to be here and get started.'" - 'Solis pumped for first start of season for Hagerstown" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com
• Class-A Hagerstown: Sammy Solis - 4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K's; Bryce Harper - 2 for 3 w/ a walk - Hagerstown Suns Scoreboard
• Class-A Potomac: "With the loss, Potomac has now lost nine games in a row and falls to 18-32." - "ONE-HIT WONDERS: NATS FALL TO DASH" - Potomac Nationals News
• Double-A Harrisburg: "Tanner Roark started and was roughed up in the first three innings before settling down and retiring the final ten batters he faced for his second win on the season." - "Senators complete five-game sweep of the Baysox with 7-6 win" - Terry Byrom, Harrisburg Senators News
• Double-A Harrisburg: "Starter Tanner Roark was a true Jekyll and Hyde on the mound tonight during his six innings of work." - "Game 48: Senators 7, Baysox 6" - Mick Reinhard, The Sports 'Burger
• Triple-A Syracuse: "Louisville scored four runs in the fourth inning off Chiefs starter Ross Detwiler and put the game away with five seventh inning tallies off relievers Adam Carr and Lee Hyde." - "Chiefs fall 9-4 in first game with Bats" - Syracuse Chiefs News
• "Chris Marrero went 2-for-3 with a walk and solo HR to lead the offense, which was held to seven hits total." - "Monday’s News & Notes" - Sue Dinem, Nationals Prospects.com
• SHARKNATSTOWN:
• START THE SHARK! START THE SHARK! START THE SHARK! - "START THE SHARK!"- Sharkadina: Roger Bernadina's Unofficial Blog
• NATSTOWN:
• "Unfortunately the loss would lie on reliever Sean Burnett’s shoulders. Nats manager Jim Riggleman brought in the lefty with one on and no outs in the seventh, but he let up two runs on a pair of hits, giving the Phillies the 5-4 lead." - "Your Place For Washington Nationals News" - Will Yoder, The Nats Blog
• "The above video pretty much captures Memorial Day 2011 at Nationals Park perfectly..." - "Phillies fan throws back Danny Espinosa's home run ball at Nationals Park" - Nats Enquirer
• "Through three innings on Monday, traditional roles were reversed. Livan Hernandez was working quickly, efficiently and dominantly, shutting down the Philadelphia Phillies prodigious offense." - "GAME 53 REVIEW: Solo Shots Not Enough; Phils Top Nats 5-4" - Dave Nichols, Nats News Network
• "The Nats lost a 5-4 heartbreaking game on Memorial Day to last year’s NL Cy Young winner in front of a near-sellout crowd, mostly fans of the visiting team." - "A Washington Nationals Blog" - Zach Myles, DC Double Play
• "By my count, 33 blogs that cover this team have updated their page in the last week, most multiple times and many in the last 24 hours." - "Natosphere offers something for every taste" - MASN, Nationals Buzz, Dave Nichols
• NL EAST UPDATES:
• Braves: "After one of his best outings of the year Julio Teheran put up his worst minor league outing of the year. Since his debut in Atlanta Julio's control hasn't been quite as sharp and he has had some trouble against lefties this season (1.57 ERA again RHP vs 3.43 against LHP)." - "Teheran, Vizcaino And Perez Get Hammered And The Hillcats Lose In Dramatic Fashion In Tonight's Atlanta Braves Minor League Recap" - yondaime4, Talking Chop
• Mets: "Reyes ($11 million this year) isn't the young Jeter. He's better than Crawford. Who committed highway robbery. He's better than the Jeter who just signed his three-year, $51 million contract." - "Re-signing Reyes must be job one" - Steve Serby, NYPOST.com
• Marlins: "At a time when Florida starters are trying to step up in Josh Johnson's absence, Volstad allowed five runs in 3 1/3 innings, setting the tone for an ugly 15-4 loss." - Chris Volstad struggles, Diamondbacks hit 5 homers to rout Marlins" - Joe Capozzi, Palm Beach Post
• Phillies: "'I don’t know what helps when it’s that hot,' he said with a laugh. 'I hope so. I was fortunate that the offense picked me. [The strikeout on Werth] was a nice way to end it, for sure.'" - "Halladay grinds it out for win over Nationals" - Jim Salisbury, CSNPhilly.com
• ICYMI: CSN Washington.com's Nationals Lunchbox w/ Kelli Johnson, NatsNewsNetwork and FederalBaseball: