• Programming Notes: On the 23rd anniversary of the day the Cubs tried to play the first night game in Wrigley Field only to have it rained out, Washington and Chicago had last night's game rained out, and now they'll play the first of their three game series tonight instead on the 23rd anniversary of the night they actually ended up playing the first night game in the 98-year-old park's history. Chien-Ming Wang vs Matt Garza tonight at 8:05 pm EDT. MASN HD, MLB.tv, 106.7 the FAN in DC, 1500 WFED and Sirius/XM ch. 187. Who's Watching The Nationals?
• LINKS AND LINKS AND...
• NATS BEAT:
• "The Nationals, out of contention at 10 ½ games behind wild-card leading Atlanta, want to use the rest of the season to evaluate their best major-league ready pitching prospects." - "Arrival of Tom Milone, Brad Peacock not imminent. Yet." - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post
• "The man with the third-best batting average in the National League got off to a .211 start to the season and hasn’t looked back since." - "Batting title possible for Nationals' Morse" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times
• "I'd expect Strasburg to aim for something like three innings and 45 pitches on Friday..." - "News on Strasburg's next step could come today" - Ben Goessling, MASNSports.com
• "Catcher: Wilson Ramos is firmly entrenched as the starter. The only question is who will back him up next season." - "Is next year's lineup already set?" - Mark Zuckerman, NatsInsider.com
• "'I've gone through so much in my career,' Morse said. 'At no point will I be satisfied with what I'm doing.'" - "Morse thriving at the dish in everyday role" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News
• "For much of the first half, until Michael Morse began his Albert Pujols impersonation, the Nationals had no hitters whom the other team needed to worry about." - "Under Davey Johnson, the Nationals’ offense is coming around" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post
• "Strasburg will most likely be built up to about five innings and 80 pitches by the end of his rehab assignment." - "Strasburg to pitch again Friday and other pregame notes from a wet Wrigley Field" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times
• "An extra day of rest could be a good thing for Wang as he is still working himself back into form after missing over two years of major league time." - "Nationals - Cubs rained out, moved to 2:20 p.m. EDT Thursday" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times
• "'He showed me progress in the second outing over the first. And I expect he's getting stronger.'" - Davey Johnson on Chien-Ming Wang - "Rain postpones Nationals at Cubs" - Mark Zuckerman, CSNWashington.com
• "Wang settled down for a while. At one point, he retired nine out of 10 hitters. But in the fifth inning, the Braves scored four runs off Wang..." - "Nats washed out of opener at Wrigley" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News
• Your Daily Message From The Dalai Lama On Twitter (@DalaiLama): "A calm and peaceful mind is something very essential." -
• NATS MINOR LEAGUE UPDATES:
• "Auburn got on the board first, scoring a run in the third on an RBI groundout by Bryce Ortega, scoring Jeremy Mayo who had doubled earlier in the inning." - "Series Split Leaves Auburn in First-Place Tie" - Auburn Doubledays News
• "Four Doubledays Named To New York-Penn League All-Star Game" - NationalsProspects.com
• Class-A Hagerstown: Michael Taylor - 1 for 4, 1 R; Ryan Demmin - 6.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 4 K's - Hagerstown Suns Scoreboard
• "While Nationals bench coach Pat Corrales predicted that [Michael] Taylor will be in the big leagues in 2 1/2 years, the opposing scout believes Taylor will make it to the Majors sooner than that." - "Prospect Taylor receiving high marks" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News
• "So how is Stephen Strasburg feeling after his first rehab start?" - "Here's Stephen Strasburg surrounded by autograph hounds in Hagerstown" - Nats Enquirer
• Class-A Potomac: Zach Walters - 1 for 4, 1 R; Paul Demny - 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 1 K - Potomac Nationals Scoreboard
• "Friday at Myrtle Beach, [Adam] Olbrychowski went a career-high eight innings, allowing three hits, one run, three walks and had six strikeouts for his fourth win of the season, a 6-1 victory." - "Potomac's Olbrychowski records best outing of summer, won two of last three" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com
• Double-A Harrisburg: "The Senators face a crucial series against the Richmond Flying Squirrels as both teams are vying for a spot in the playoffs." - "Senators Kick-Off Six-Game Homestand on Tuesday" - Harrisburg Senators News
• Triple-A Syracuse: "With two outs in the fourth and Jhonatan Solano on first, Steve Lombardozzi crushed a home run into the family park beyond the right field fence to put the Chiefs up 4-2." - "August slugfest continues in Chiefs' 8-2 win" - Syracuse Chiefs News
• "But Syracuse manager Randy Knorr said Lombardozzi's value to the team comes from more than just his statistics." - "IL notes: Lombardozzi learning fast" - John Wagner, MiLB.com News
• "Ray struggled on Thursday as he gave up four runs on seven hits in four innings. He’s walked two or more in nine of the last ten starts, which is concerning..." - "Nats Farm Report for Week Ending August 7" - Tyler Radecki, NatsNewsNetwork
• NATSSHARKTOWN:
• "I wish I had better news to report, but you'll just have to look at this picure of a sad shark instead..." - "All Quiet on the Shark Front" - Sharkadina
• NATSTOWN:
• "If Morse does win the batting crown he will become the first Washington player to win a batting title since Mickey Vernon (.337) edged out, Al Rosen (.336) for the 1953 American League batting title." - "Can Morse stay in "Beast Mode" long enough to win batting title?" - MASNSports.com, Mark Hornbaker, Nationals Buzz
• "With Nix’s recent injury and illness, the Gomes acquisition has really worked out in the Nationals’ favor." - "Nix and Gomes Dance in Left Field" - Keara Dowd, Win For Teddy
• "Tonight Chien Ming Wang goes for his third (and last?) start. He's hasn't been terrible, but he hasn't been good either." - "I paid 3 million dollars for this?"- Harper, Nationals Baseball
• NL EAST UPDATES:
• Phillies: "With the Phillies’ starting third baseman likely out a month, Ruben Amaro could initiate another trade." - "Does Polanco’s Injury Mean Another Trade?" - Corey Seidman, Phillies Nation
• Braves/Marlins: "Dan Uggla often wins praise for his hustle, and a short sprint helped him extend his hitting streak to 29 games Monday night." - "Uggla's Streak at 29 as Braves Beat Marlins 8-5" - AP/NYTimes.com
• Marlins/Braves: "Sun Life Stadium remains a house of horrors for the Marlins, who can’t seem to win there and can’t wait to escape their old haunt for their new ballpark." - "Home remains a dismal scene for Florida Marlins after loss to Braves" - Clark Spencer, MiamiHerald.com
• Mets: "It really is a shame that the Atlanta Braves grabbed such a big lead in the wild-card race, essentially dictating the Mets' (smart) decisions to trade away their major pieces (non-Reyes division) and play out the string." - "You’ll Miss the Mets When This Season Is Over" - Will Leitch, New York Magazine