Wire Taps: Washington Nationals Post-2012 MLB Trade Deadline Chatter.

• As a public service for Nationals fans (and even one Nats' starter) we've reached out to the folks at Lacuna, Inc., and they've generously offered their services at a discounted rate for anyone who's interested in forgetting about what happened last night in Nationals Park. Stephen Strasburg struggled. Bryce Harper's slump continued as he figuratively seems to have hit the wall in his rookie season and literally ran into one last night chasing down a fly to right by Jimmy Rollins that ended up being an inside the park home run. It was an ugly one, but Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche are expected back tonight. Jayson Werth's coming back sooner rather than later... and the Nationals are still in first place after the 8-0 loss to the Phillies. There were no big moves at the deadline, so the Nats are on a few people's "Losers" list in post-deadline reports, but the fact that they're (as of today at least, no jinx) first-place losers makes it a little easier to take. Edwin Jackson vs the Phillies tonight in the nation's capital. Til then it's links and lots of them... RIGHT NOW!!!

• THE BIG STORY!!!:

• "'He’s a baseball fan,' [Press Secretary Jay] Carney replied. 'What can I tell you. As I think he said, White Sox but also watching the remarkable Washington Nationals.'" - "White House Press Secretary talks Obama and Nats" - Dan Steinberg, DC Sports Bog - The Washington Post

• NATS BEAT:

• "Were the NL East race tighter, perhaps the Nats would've found someone to replace Stephen Strasburg in their rotation sometime late this month." - "Winners, losers and tweeners from trade deadline" - Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports

• "The Losers: "Washington Nationals — 'No Transactions Were Found That Match Your Query'" - "Trade Deadline Winners and Losers" - Dave Cameron, FanGraphs Baseball

• "[Mike] Rizzo ignored outside chatter about the Nationals’ supposed lack of offense and stuck with the group he assembled." - "Nationals GM Mike Rizzo deserves to be executive of the year" - Jason Reid, The Washington Post

• "'All along we said we like who we are, we like where we’re at, and we like the composition of the roster,' general manager Mike Rizzo said." - "Mike Rizzo content to keep Nats roster in current form" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times

• "'I'm not blaming it on having Tommy John,' [Strasburg] said. 'It happens to everybody. I'm just going to forget about it and make the adjustments.'" - "Inconsistent night for Strasburg" - Mark Zuckerman, CSNWashington.com

• "Also on the way is outfielder Jayson Werth (broken left wrist), who will make a few more rehab starts this week and should rejoin the team later in the current homestand." - "Nats stand pat at deadline" - Brian McNally, WashingtonExaminer.com

• "The Phillies are the reigning champions, as they have been in each of the last five seasons. But that streak appears destined to come to an end this year..." - "Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals - August 1, 2012" - AJ Cassavell, MLB.com Preview

• "[Stephen] Strasburg said he only threw one fastball down in the zone the way he wanted to. That was the first pitch of his outing. From there, his stuff was elevated, and the Phillies made him pay for it." - "Nationals Pastime: Strasburg knows his emotions must stay more even-keeled" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• "[Mike] Rizzo was able to browse at the deadline this year, opposed to frantically hawking his wares as usual." - "SNYDER: Nationals relax as other teams buy and sell" - Deron Snyder, Washington Times

• "The Nationals returned home after winning six of seven games on the road, the best record in the major leagues in their back pocket and their ace on the mound." - "Nationals vs. Phillies: Stephen Strasburg, Washington struggle in 8-0 loss" - Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post

• "[Stephen] Strasburg didn't look right from the very beginning, allowing a pair of first-inning singles, and things only got worse as his night progressed." - "Instant analysis: Phillies 8, Nats 0" - Mark Zuckerman, NatsInsider.com

• "But [Mike] Rizzo said he only wanted to pursue a starter under team control for longer than two months rather than go out and acquire a pure rental to make a handful of starts." - "Not seeing the right deal, Nationals stand pat at Trade Deadline" - Adam Berry, nationals.com: News

• "The Phillies are the reigning champions, as they have been in each of the last five seasons. But that streak appears destined to come to an end this year..." - "Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals - August 1, 2012" - AJ Cassavell, MLB.com Preview

• "'It's always a new day so you can't really worry about what you did the last time,' said [Stephen] Strasburg, who gave up just one run in seven innings in his last outing against the New York Mets." - "Strasburg shelled as Nationals lose 8-0 to Phillies" - Brian McNally, WashingtonExaminer.com

• "In Davey Johnson's eyes, it wasn't hard to pinpoint what went wrong for Strasburg tonight in the Nationals' 8-0 loss." - "Nationals Pastime: Johnson discusses 8-0 loss to Phillies" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• "[Jayson] Werth, who has missed the last three months with a broken left wrist, is nearing the end of his rehab assignment." - "Nationals hoping Jayson Werth will return by end of homestand" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times

• "'I’m all over the place right now,' [Bryce] Harper said. 'So I’m trying to find some mellowness at the plate and in the box.'" - "Bryce Harper on his slump: 'I’m trying to find some mellowness'" - James Wagner, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post

• "Tuesday afternoon, Johnson said LaRoche is feeling better and holding him out of the lineup is mainly precautionary. LaRoche leads the Nationals with 19 home runs, 61 RBIs and an .840 OPS." - "Zimmerman, LaRoche rest ailing backs" - Mike Fiammetta and Adam Berry, nationals.com: News

• "Submit questions for Beltway Baseball" - NatsInsider.com

• "Over the past week, [Chad] Tracy rehabbed with Jayson Werth, who should return soon." - "Chad Tracy ready after two months away" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post

• "His pitches were elevated, his control was lacking. His body language did nothing to hide the way he felt when a ball fell in or a play behind him wasn’t completed." - "Stephen Strasburg blasted in 8-0 loss to depleted Phillies" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times

• "There have been plenty of positives. But after a hot start to his major league career, even the rookie can admit that he's been struggling at the plate lately." - "Nationals Pastime: Recent slump has Harper a bit out of whack" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• "Stephen Strasburg had perhaps the worst start of his young career, giving up eight hits and six runs in only four innings." - "Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals - July 31, 2012" - Adam Berry, MLB.com WSH Recap

• "[Ryan] Zimmerman sat in a whirlpool and received treatment all afternoon, and he should play Wednesday. 'That’s the plan,' he said." - "Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche expected to return Wednesday" - Adam Kilgore, Nationals Journal - The Washington Post

• "'I thought I had a play on it,' [Bryce] Harper said. 'I thought I could catch it. Didn't catch it.'" - "Bryce Harper 'all over the place right now' at the plate" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times

• Your Daily Message From The Dalai Lama On Twitter (@DalaiLama): "Who is there among us who does not prefer tolerance, respect and forgiveness of our failings to bigotry, disrespect, and resentment?"

• NATS MINORS:

• Class-A Hagerstown: Suns 2, Power 4 - J.R. Highley - 1 for 4, 1 HR, 2 RBI; Taylor Jordan - 5.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's - Hagerstown Suns Scoreboard

• Class-A Potomac: "According to Washington manager Davey Johnson, Jayson Werth is expected to play with the Potomac Nationals tonight against the Salem Red Sox." - "Jayson Werth Expected in Potomac Tonight" - Potomac Nationals News

• Class-A Potomac: P-Nats 4, Red Sox 5 - Rick Hague - 3 for 5, 1 2B, 2 RBI; Matthew Grace - 5.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's - Potomac Nationals Scoreboard

• Double-A Harrisburg: "Danny Rosenbaum started for the Sens and looked like the pitcher that dominated the Eastern League for the first two months, going six innings and allowing just two earned runs on six hits and tossing two double-plays." - "B-Mets Slip by the Senators 3-2" - Terry Byrom, Harrisburg Senators News

• Triple-A Syracuse: "The Syracuse Chiefs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, fell to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 8-6, Tuesday afternoon in Syracuse." - "Chiefs out-slugged in loss to IronPigs" - Syracuse Chiefs News

• "[Doug] Harris said [Lucas] Giolito is 'building strength in his arm. He is making progress. Hopefully, he will be mound-ready soon.'" - "Rendon at third base Wednesday; updates on Purke, Giolito and Solis" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com

• "Last Night In Woodbridge" - Luke Erickson, NationalsProspects.com

• NATSTOWN:

• "Most importantly, attendance through 48 home games is up 28 percent over last season, an increase of 6,650 fans per game." - "Morning pixels: Nats set July attendance mark" - Dan Steinberg, DC Sports Bog - The Washington Post

• "Long story short: I started to fantasize about who would end up being the first few Nats to be added to their home park's very own Ring of Honor." - "Which Nationals player is worthy of Ring?" - Nationals Buzz: Rachel Levitin, MASNSports.com

• "August 1, 1902 - The umpire must have had a tight strike zone. Washington right hander John 'Happy' Townsend is all frowns as he walks 12 batters in a 13-0 loss at Detroit." - "This Date in Washington Senators History" - Art Audley, D.C. Baseball History

• "Look out! Henry Rodriguez scares the crap out of a guy behind home plate with pitch to the backstop" - Nats Enquirer

• "The following are a few of our photos from the July 31, 2012 game." - "PHOTOS: Washington Nationals Game 102, July 31" - Cheryl Nichols, District Sports Page

• "Stephen Strasburg simply didn’t do his part, giving up six runs on eight hits in just four innings." - "Reverse Locks Abound In Nats Loss To Phillies" - Joe Drugan, The Nats Blog

• NL EAST UPDATES:

• Mets: "Matt Harvey couldn’t wait to get to the major leagues, but this wasn’t exactly what he had in mind." - "Matt Harvey solid in second start, but NY Mets offense can't touch Tim Lincecum in 4-1 loss to San Francisco Giants" - Andy Martino, NY Daily News

• Braves: "For those who’ve asked – and even those who haven’t – I like Monday’s trade for Paul Maholm and Reed Johnson. A lot. And here’s why." - "Braves’ trade for Maholm and Johnson was strong" - David O'Brien, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

• Phillies: "The idea that Cliff Lee against Stephen Strasburg could be a mere footnote on any night is preposterous." - "Phillies rout Washington Nationals, 8-0" - Bob Brookover, Philadelphia Inquirer

• Marlins: "Historically, Ricky Nolasco hasn’t performed well against the Braves. Yet his odds of beating them Tuesday were considerably better than usual..." - "Miami Marlins lose rain-delayed game against Braves at Turner Field" - Juan C. Rodriguez, South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com