Wire Taps: Washington Nationals Play Two With The Philadelphia Phillies Today In Citizens Bank Park.

• Programming Notes: Nats' lefty Tommy Milone credited his ability to, "... [stay] low in the zone with offspeed pitches, really with everything," with helping him earn his first major league curly-W last time out against the New York Mets. The 24-year-old '08 10th Round pick allowed just three hits, three walks and one earned run in 5.2 IP of a 10-1 win over Washington's NL East rivals. "I was able to stay low," Milone said, "and still keep them as strikes. With an aggressive team like [the Mets], they're going to be swinging so as long as I can stay low like that, get some swing and misses and some miss-hits, and luckily I did that today." 

In his fourth major league start tonight in Game Two of the day/night doubleheader with Philadelphia, Milone will have a chance to match up against a highly successful left-hander from whom the rookie could probably learn a lot. According to Davey Johnson, however, the Nationals' lefty has another role model in the Nats' clubhouse, Stephen Strasburg. "He's a good one to model after," Washington's manager told the press this weekend. "I thought Wandy Rodriguez was more of a model for Tommy Milone, because he's left-handed and they both kind of throw it kind of the same, but [Strasburg] is a pretty good example, always has a lot of poise, knows what he wants to do and he goes about his business. I think that's a pretty good role model." 

Milone makes start no.4 for Washington against the Phillies and Cliff Lee at 7:05 pm EDT tonight. Game one with the Phillies takes place at 1:05 pm EDT with another Nats' lefty Ross Detwiler facing off against Philadelphia's Kyle Kendrick. Federal Baseball.com will be in the stands at Citizens Bank reporting live from both games. Check back for updates throughout the day. WDCW-DC 50, MASN HD, MLB.tv, WHFS 1580, 1500 WFED and Sirius/XM ch. 185 for Game one at 1:05. MASN 2 HD, MLB.tv, 106.7 the FAN In D.C., 1500 WFED and Sirius/XM ch.185 for game two tonight. Who's Watching The Nationals?

• LINKS AND LINKS AND...

• NATS BEAT: 

• "'I really feel things have changed [with the Nationals],' Werth said. 'We made progress and have taken the steps. We have gone in the right direction, but we have a long way to go.'" - "No second-guessing for Jayson Werth after hard year" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News

• "It's tempting to make too much of a few at-bats in September, especially for a player like [Chris] Marrero that hasn't had enough time for pitchers to figure him out yet." - "Chris Marrero makes an impression by driving in runs" - Ben Goessling, MASNSports.com

• "'We’re going to face, probably, the best pitchers in the league,' [Chris] Marrero said Sunday afternoon. 'I just want to see what it’s really like.'" - "What the Nationals have to play for against the Phillies" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post

• "Eighty-five days ago, Johnson stepped into a dugout under a Southern California sun and assumed stewardship of the Nationals." - "Johnson too busy building Nationals to worry about his future" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times

• "Nationals pitcher Brad Peacock is a pretty quiet guy. Even his dad admitted on MASN's game coverage last week during his first major league start, 'Brad doesn't get too excited out there.'" - "Peacock was quietly selected in the 41st round, but his game is far from silent" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com

• "The Phillies could reach the 100-win mark during a four-game series against the Washington Nationals that begins with a doubleheader Tuesday..." - "Philadelphia Phillies are rolling into postseason thanks to Hunter Pence, starting pitching" - Dave Sheinin, The Washington Post

• "After grinding his way through the minor leagues one level at a time over parts of six seasons, [Chris] Marrero, 23, has made a nice first impression at the big league level." - "Marrero is enjoying his first opportunity with Nationals" - Brian McNally, Washington Examiner

• "Acquired from the Washington Nationals in exchange for minor-league outfielder Erik Komatsu on July 30, Hairston helped plug a couple of gaping holes in the Brewers' lineup from the moment he arrived." - "Hairston Jr. playing versatile role" - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, JSOnline

• "But [Wang] appears to have regained trust in his armory — that filthy sinker, the improved slider — and, with the exception of perhaps two misguided pitches, he probably never looked better in a Nationals uniform..." - "Nationals vs. Marlins: Chien-Ming Wang leads the way as Washington snaps five-game skid to Florida" - Michael Lee, The Washington Post

• Your Daily Message From The Dalai Lama On Twitter (@DalaiLama): "Anger may bring extra energy, but it eclipses the best part of our brain: its rationality. The energy of anger is almost always unreliable." 

• NATSTOWN: 

• "Now, Zim will be the first Nationals Hall of Famer, maybe even followed by Strasburg and Harper. But if the Nationals start retiring numbers, 61 is the very first one going up on the wall." - "Appreciation Day" - Sean, Capitol Baseball

• "Perhaps when you sign a 7 year, $126 million deal, then suck for an entire season, you've earned the right to tell reporters that there's a silver lining to not making the playoffs..." - "Jayson Werth explains why he sucked in 2011" - Nats Enquirer

• "Of course, Morse hit well while playing in the outfield last season, and this spring training when he earned the starting left field spot, but for some reason this season he just can’t get it going outside of the infield." - "Mike Morse Continues To Struggle When Playing In The Outfield" - WIll Yoder, The Nats Blog

• "63 years ago today, September 20, 1948, Washington won its last pennant. They claimed the pennant by beating Baltimore three games to one in a best-of-five league championship series that was tainted by controversy." - "Washington’s last, forgotten pennant" - Nat Anacostia, Nats Noodles

• "Happy Birthday Desi!" - Cheryl Nichols, NATIONALS NEWS NETWORK: Off The Field

• NL EAST UPDATES: 

• Braves: "If it’s not time for the Braves to panic, it’s at least time to be seriously concerned." - "Infante's walk-off homer stuns Braves" - David O'Brien, ajc.com

• Mets: "Having helped the Cardinals by taking two of three in Atlanta over the weekend, the Mets conclude their regular-season road schedule with three games at Busch." - "Cards-Mets series preview" - St. Louis Today

• Phillies: "You’ve heard it a million times by now: Hunter Pence has given Ryan Howard some much-needed protection in the lineup, that’s why the slugger has posted a .955 OPS in September despite chronic foot problems." - "The Myth of Hunter Pence’s Protection" - Bill Baer, Crashburn Alley

• Marlins: "Marlins reliever Chris Hatcher received a surprise package in the mail Monday at Sun Life Stadium." - "Soldier salutes Florida Marlins’ Chris Hatcher with U.S. flag" - Manny Navarro, MiamiHerald.com