Wire Taps: Washington Nationals And Florida Marlins One More Time In Sun Life Stadium.

• Programming Notes: No Michael Morse? No Ryan Zimmerman? But Stephen Strasburg. Pudge Rodriguez. The Washington Nationals close out Sun Life Stadium and the "Florida" Marlins era this afternoon at 4:10 pm. Strasburg vs Chris Volstad this afternoon in the season finale. After Nats' lefty Doug Slaten gave up a two-out walk-off blast last night, the Nationals can win 80 games if they can take this afternoon's matchup from the Fish, but they won't reach .500 this year after last night's ninth-inning loss. The "Florida" Marlins era and the Washington Nationals' 2011 season both end this afternoon. What are we supposed to do tomorrow? MASN 2 HD, MLB.tv, 1580 WHFS, 1500 WFED, Sirius/XM ch. 189. Who's Watching The Nationals?

• LINKS AND LINKS AND LINKS...

• NATS BEAT: 

• "Still, the final, black-and-white numbers an inescapable. Werth hit 20 home runs, his fewest since 2007. He has 157 strikeouts, a new career high." - "Jayson Werth reflects on his first Nationals season: ‘That expectancy of losing is no longer’" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post

• "[Henry] Rodriguez can throw 100-mph. He can throw harder than that, actually, but harnessing it has been an issue..." - "A relaxed Henry Rodriguez becoming Nationals' 'backup closer'" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times

• "John Lannan, by many metrics, had the finest season in 2011 of a career that's been built on unlikely performances." - "John Lannan ends season stewing about pivotal pitch in loss to Marlins" - Ben Goessling, MASNSports.com

• "[Livan] Hernandez declined to say if he and general manager Mike Rizzo have talked about a new contract for next year." - "Hernandez wants to stay with Nationals" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News

• "So could Stammen be that long reliever that manager Davey Johnson has coveted since he took over for Jim Riggleman?" - "Stammen states case for long relief role in 2012" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com

• "'Nothing has changed,' [Michael] Morse said. 'This game has humbled me 10 times over — but that’s the way I like it.'" - "Nationals' Morse enjoys career year, looks forward to future" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times

• "That was Morse's 30th home runs of the year, a number that in the post-steroids era represents the demarcation between the game's best power hitters and the rest of the bunch. " - "Rare numbers for Morse and the Nats" - Mark Zuckerman, NatsInsider.com

• "Manager Davey Johnson said Henry Rodriguez is being groomed to be a backup closer in case Drew Storen needs a break." - "Rodriguez being groomed as backup closer" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News

• "Nationals manager Davey Johnson said he does not expect to play Morse on Wednesday as the Nationals help close down Sun Life Stadium..." - "Morse caps breakout season with 31st home run, likely to sit in finale" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times

• "'I'm very proud of them,' Johnson said. 'That was a weird event that ended this ballgame. I'm comfortable where we are at, getting a lot of guys in the game and they were doing well." - "Washington Nationals at Florida Marlins: Nats fall to Fish on walk-off home run" - Bill Ladson, MLB.com WSH Recap

• "Ryan Zimmerman could miss this season’s final two games with mild hamstring soreness, Manager Davey Johnson said." - "Ryan Zimmerman may miss Nationals’ final two games with hamstring soreness" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post

• "I'll be posting the usual flurry of season-end awards and grades in the next few days, but in a few areas, I'd like to hear from you." - "Taking nominations for our season-ending poll" - Ben Goessling, MASNSports.com

• "Marlins starter Chris Volstad, who will take the hill opposite Strasburg, will share the honor, too." - "Washington Nationals at Florida Marlins: Marlins look to leave Sun Life Stadium in style" - Jesse Sanchez, MLB.com Preview

• "Seeking questions for Beltway Baseball" - Mark Zuckerman, NatsInsider.com

• "The 2011 season for Lannan was one filled with peaks and valleys sandwiched around a sustained period of dominance unlike any other in his career." - "Ninth-inning loss costs Nats a chance for winning season" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times

• "If the Nationals finish in the top 15 overall, their first-round pick would not be protected if they sign a Type A free agent." - "How the Nationals’ final two games will affect their draft status and offseason" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post

• "'He said he could probably play. I don't want to take the chance,' Johnson said about Zimmerman." - "Zimmerman unlikely to play in final two games" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News

• "Pitching coach Steve McCatty has worked closely with [Pudge] Rodriguez to make his delivery more consistent." - "Nationals’ Henry Rodriguez finishing 2011 strong" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post

• Your Daily Message From The Dalai Lama On Twitter (@DalaiLama): "Actions driven solely by anger are of no use at all; realizing this can help strengthen your determination to resist it." - 

• NATSTOWN: 

• "Most of Washington tends to ignore the Nationals' growth this season. It appears the nation's capital is far from being a baseball town." - "Respect in hand, Nats look to 2012" - MASNSports.com, Nationals Buzz: Rachel Levitin

• "Two Suns Named To BA’s Sally League Top 20" - NationalsProspects.com

• "In the meantime, the Nats found a new, just as productive first baseman, even if it wasn’t the player they had in mind.  The guy who emerged to fill Dunn’s hole was none other than Michael Morse." - "The Tail of Two First Basemen" - Keara Dowd, Win for Teddy

• "Off The Field: Photos: Nats at Marlins 9/27/2011" - Cheryl Nichols (@cnichols14), NatsNewsNetwork

• "Here’s how I would have answered his Baseball/Nats related questions, with the 'questions' edited for clarity here and with me answering prior to reading down to see his answer." - "My Answers to Boswell’s Chat questions 9/26/11 edition" - Nationals Arm Race

• "Even weirder than Jayson Werth's sideburns last night at Sun Life Stadium? The sight of Todd Coffey walking in from the bullpen instead of sprinting in the seventh inning." - "When Todd Coffey walked in from the bullpen" - Nats Enquirer

• NL EAST UPDATES: 

• Marlins: "This is the last day we will see the Florida Marlins take the field." - "Requiem of the Florida Marlins" - Craig, Fish Stripes

• Mets: "'The Mets blocked us to go to Newark,' Yankees general manager Brian Cashman confirmed. 'That’s where it begins and ends on that one.'" - "Report: New York Mets 'Livid' Over Portrayal In Newark's Riverfront Stadium, Yankees' Triple-A Saga" - CBS New York

• Braves: "Perhaps it'll be Tim Hudson, who needs to throw well but may also need to kick in a good swing or two along the way, because Atlanta ranks 28th of 30 teams in runs scored." - "History awaits Rays, Red Sox, Braves and Cardinals" - Buster Olney, ESPN

• Phillies: "The Phillies are typically close-mouthed about their plans, but one league source said he envisioned them trying to keep a Rollins deal to three years." - \"Jimmy Rollins wants five-year deal, isn't afraid to leave Phillies" - Jon Heyman, SI.com