Wire Taps: Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper's D.C. Debut, Brad Lidge's Successful Surgery.

• 2010 Nats' no.1 overall pick Bryce Harper actually made his debut in the nation's capital yesterday in a softball game on the National Mall joining a game in front of the Washington Monument between (according to the Washington Post's Dan Steinberg's report) the World Wildlife Fund and the Alliance to Save Energy, but the 19-year-old phenom makes his MLB debut tonight in Nationals Park when the Nats take on the Arizona Diamondbacks and D-Backs' right-hander, Trevor Cahill. Jordan Zimmermann's on the mound for the Nationals tonight, making his fifth start of the year and third career start against Arizona. In two starts and 13.1 IP vs the D-Backs thus far in his career, the '07 2nd Round pick is (1-1) with a 2.03 ERA, 3 walks and eight K's. In Zim's one start against Arizona in the nation's capital, the 25-year-old right-hander gave up six hits and just one earned run in 5.0 IP of a 6-1 Nats' win last June. In five starts and 27.0 IP so far this season, Zimmermann's allowed just four earned runs, posting a 1.33 ERA and 2.58 FIP. One pitcher who won't be available tonight, or for the next few weeks is veteran reliever Brad Lidge, who underwent surgery to repair a hernia this morning. That's the big story of the morning, Bryce Harper will be the big story of the night...

• THE BIG STORY!!!:

#Nats RHP Brad Lidge had surgery this morning to repair a hernia. Agent Rex Gary said everything went "very well."

— Amanda Comak (@acomak) May 1, 2012

• NATS BEAT:

• "[Brad] Lidge, who visited a specialist Monday in Philadelphia and decided on the surgery, should be able to begin throwing again in three weeks." - "Nationals’ Brad Lidge to have surgery to repair hernia" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post

• "The Washington Nationals’ extended injury list got longer Monday night. A team source confirmed that right-handed reliever Brad Lidge will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair a hernia." - "Nationals' Lidge to have hernia repaired Tuesday" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times

• "Washington Nationals right-hander Brad Lidge underwent successful surgery to repair a hernia Tuesday morning in Philadelphia." - "Brad Lidge's surgery goes well, expected to begin throwing in three weeks" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times

• "Break out your fauxhawk wigs, your eye black and your No. 34 jerseys, because the fun starts tonight when Harper makes his D.C. debut as the Nationals open a three-game series against the Diamondbacks." - "Harper hits D.C." - Mark Zuckerman, NatsInsider.com

• "But when we examine Harper's contributions since getting called up to the majors Saturday, two games are all we have to look at. And so far, the 19-year-old has shown no signs of being outmatched or overwhelmed." - "Nationals Pastime: Early impressions of Harper sure are favorable" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• AUDIO: "Bryce Harper and Tyler Moore have been called up. Harper makes his home debut Tuesday against Arizona." - "Injuries force changes for Nationals" - Craig Heist, WTOP.com

• "Your name is going to get auto-corrected to 'Bruce' every day..." - "Bryce Harper immortalized by the Batting Stance Guy" - MLB.com: News

• "[Ramos has] always had a minor problem w catching throws to the plate. But you'll trade 2-3-4 of those a yr for a 15-to-20+ homer catcher any day." - "Ask Boswell about the Washington Nationals, spring training, the Capitals, the Redskins and all Washington sports" - Thomas Boswell, The Washington Post

• "'I feel happy here,' [Wilson] Ramos said. 'These guys gave me an opportunity to play every day, and we've got a young team with a lot of talent. It's exciting.'" - "Ex-Twins catcher Ramos puts kidnap ordeal behind him" - Joe Christensen, StarTribune.com

• "But amid the celebratory atmosphere of [Bryce] Harper making his Nationals Park debut Tuesday night, there is short-term angst." - "Collective slump results in skid for Nationals" - Kevin Dunleavy, Washington Examiner

• "[Ryan] Zimmerman should be back on the field within two weeks. [Michael] Morse is expected to rest four more weeks before doing any baseball activities." - "Early struggles at plate could get lift from youth" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News

• "As for the pleasant surprises, I’m most captivated by Washington just because of how good the Nationals’ starting pitching has been and could continue to be." - "Mets among baseball's first-month surpises" - Ken Davidoff, New York Post

• "The Nationals, who are off Monday, will finish April with a 1.78 rotation ERA, becoming the first team to end the month below 2.00 since the 1985 Cubs (1.94)." - "Is it OK for Baltimore Orioles fans to think postseason?" - Ken Rosenthal, MLB News | FOX Sports on MSN

• "The long list of failed attempts in the outfield includes Matthew Cepicky, Brandon Watson, Luis Matos, Terrmel Sledge, Nook Logan, Ryan Church, George Lombard, Mike Vento, Chris Snelling, Michael Restovich, Rob Mackowiak, Kory Casto." - "Thom Loverro: For Nationals, Harper looks like real deal in the outfield" - Thom Loverro, Washington Examiner

• "When the A’s traded Gio Gonzalez to the Washington Nationals this past offseason, I seriously thought about jumping ship." - "One Month Review: The Gio Gonzalez Trade" - Joseph Lopez, Swingin' A's

• "[Danny] Rosenbaum lowered his season ERA to 0.76 and now has gone his last three starts, spanning 23 innings, without allowing a run. In that time, he's given up just 13 hits with two walks and 16 strikeouts." - "Nationals Pastime: Some of this, some of that" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• "Pitching coach Steve McCatty constantly preaches ignoring what you can’t control, and they can’t control their run support." - "The Nationals rotation keeps rolling, and Stephen Strasburg’s velocity may be going up" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post

• Your Daily Message From The Dalai Lama On Twitter (@DalaiLama): "The true hero is one who conquers his own anger and hatred."

• NATS MINORS:

• "[Rick] Hague went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles, scored a run and had two strikeouts in his first game back in Woodbridge, Va., since April 2011." - "Hague finally returns to Potomac Nationals" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com

• Class-A Hagerstown: Greenjackets 7, Suns 1 - Matthew Skole - 1 for 4, 1 RBI; Taylor Hill - 4.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's - Hagerstown Suns Scoreboard

• Class-A Potomac: "Michael Taylor got Potomac back into the game in the sixth inning with a two-out, bases clearing triple that cut the deficit to 5-3. Taylor is second on the team with 12 RBIs." - "Long Ball Dooms Potomac in 10-5 Loss" - Potomac Nationals News

• Double-A Harrisburg: Rock Cats 1, Senators 0 - Tim Pahuta - 1 for 4, 1 3B; Daniel Rosenbaum - 7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's - Harrisburg Senators Scoreboard

• Triple-A Syracuse: "Syracuse (9-15) used two-out offense to put up a crooked number in the bottom of the first. With the bases loaded and two outs, designated hitter Jim Negrych came through in his first at-bat with the Chiefs this season." - "Chiefs score season high, beat Knights" - Syracuse Chiefs News

• Triple-A Syracuse: "With a five-run first and a six-run third, the Syracuse Chiefs scored the most runs they have in a single game this season during a 12-4 win over Charlotte on the final day of April." - "Chiefs offense comes to life as Lannan settles in" - Ben Meyers, The Auburn Citizen

• "Tuesday’s News & Notes" - Luke Erickson, NationalsProspects.com

• NATSTOWN:

• Video: "Ho-hum. And so, on his first off day as a Big Leaguer, and first day as a resident of Washington DC, Bryce Harper played softball on the Mall in front of the Washington Monument." - "Bryce Harper plays softball at the Washington Monument" - Nats Enquirer

• "See, Monday night, there was a pretty killer softball game raging in front of the Washington Monument, involving the World Wildlife Foundation Fighting Pandas and the Alliance to Save Energy Killer Watts." - "Bryce Harper plays softball on the mall" - Dan Steinberg, DC Sports Bog - The Washington Post

• "Everyone's heard how awesome this team's pitching rotation has been, but now it's time to compare them to some other stars that toe the rubber in the bigs." - "Comparing Nationals' starters to some elite competition" - Nationals Buzz: Joe Drugan, MASNSports.com

• "May 1, 1925 - The defending World Champion Senators improve to 10-3 with a 9-4 victory over Philadelphia. The significance of this game? This game marked the debut of a 17 year old kid by the name of Jimmie Foxx." - "This Date in Washington Senators History – Myatt goes 6 for 6" - Art Audley, D.C. Baseball History

• "In this week's episode of Nats Talk On The Go, Joe and Craig talk about the Washington Nationals' April and all of the positives and negatives that came along with it." - "Nats Talk On The Go: Episode 18" - Capitol Baseball

• "Bryce Harper is America. Bryce Harper is the American spirit." - "Bryce Harper Is America" - DangerNat, Nationals Inquisition

• "The Nationals are coming home from the west coast to try to snap a four game losing streak. Hopefully they find the waters of east coast more friendly." - "Little Fish, Big Shark" - Sharkadina

• "Offensively, the Diamondbacks are a team that can score some runs, and currently they could put together a whole lineup of guys hitting well." - "4-2" - Harper, Nationals Baseball

• "When you’re as big a fan of the Washington Nationals as I am, the wait for Bryce Harper to make his major league debut felt like an eternity." - "Fan Perspective: Welcome to The Show Bryce Harper!" - Tova Perlow, Special to District Sports Page

• NL EAST UPDATES:

• Marlins: "The Miami Marlins finished the month of April on a sour note, losing three of four games against the Arizona Diamondbacks and dropping to 8-14 for the month." - "Buy Or Sell Your Miami Marlins: April Edition" - Michael Jong, Fish Stripes

• Mets: "[R.A.] Dickey looked spectacular with a no-hitter through five innings with a knuckleball that was varied from confounding to maddening for the Astros hitters. He lost it in the sixth on [Jordan] Schafer’s single to shallow left." - "NY Mets' R.A. Dickey flirts with no-hitter, then surrenders lead in loss to lowly Houston Astros" - Roger Rubin, NY Daily News

• Phillies: "[Hunter] Pence has a .306 wOBA, the sixth-highest mark on a team of underachievers. With Chase Utley and Ryan Howard absent for at least the first two months and potentially the entire first half..." - "Pence’s Plummeting Production" - Bill Baer, Crashburn Alley

• Braves: "The story Sunday was obviously the return of Tim Hudson. He wasn't 'dominant,' but pitched like the veteran that he is and led the team to a 4-3 victory." - "Pittsburgh Pirates at Atlanta Braves Series Recap" - moorebraves, Talking Chop