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Wire Taps: Nationals get Ryan Zimmerman back, beat Phillies 7-0 in D.C.

The Washington Nationals welcomed Ryan Zimmerman back to the lineup last night and beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-0 in the first game of a three-game set. Jordan Zimmermann bounced back on the mound. HRs flew out of the yard and more...

By Patrick Reddington

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Greg Fiume

Ryan Zimmerman's return to the majors was a success. Speaking of successes, this Wire Taps thing is catching on and why shouldn't it? Sharing content, linking to all the stories on the internet about the Washington Nationals we all follow and talk about every day, and all in one place? What's not to like? Like someone asked in the comments section yesterday, "What took us so long to come up with this?" We don't know. We don't know. But like the first episode of the "The Lester Guy Show" [ed. note - "Hip cultural reference."] we think we have a hit on our hands!!

"We don't know what tomorrow will bring, so for tonight he'll play left and hit fifth and hopefully get four really good ABs and help us win tonight's game. -QOTD: Matt Williams on Zimmerman's return to the lineup

We're going to try it again today, and if anyone missed it yesterday, here's the idea: Every morning-ish, we'll scour the internet and collect all of the Washington Nationals news and links we can find. Beat writers, national writers, local writers, funny images, gifs (pronounced J-if) and more, even videos and tweets and more... all in once place!! Right? Right? This just might work!!!

Last night in Nationals Park, the Nats' '05 1st Round pick returned to the lineup in a new (but temporary?) position. Zim played left field for the first time in his major league career and looked fine out there. He looked more than fine at the plate, going 2 for 4 with two doubles. On the mound, Jordan Zimmermann threw eight scoreless innings against the Phillies and the Nats ran away with a 7-0 win. Oh, did we mention that Ian Desmond hit a home run to left that bounced once and ended up near the concourse? How about that Anthony Rendon kid?

Anyway, we're getting off topic, this post is all about links, not opinions... So why don't we get started!!! Links and lots of them, starting... RIGHT NOW!!!:

• THE BIG STORY!!!:

• "Mark Harris has a way of putting people at ease, a trait which serves him well as first-year hitting coach of the Harrisburg Senators." - "Baseball provides ultimate support system for grieving Harrisburg Senators' coach" - Dave Sottile, PennLive.com

• NATS BEAT:

• "'Realistically, we’re only going to be together for this year and next year. You never know. I want to win, and it might have to be now.'" - "On baseball: Ryan Zimmerman’s embrace of his move to left is all about winning" - Barry Svrluga, The Washington Post

• "Forget about all the discussion of his defensive prowess. Let’s not forget that Zimmerman is a really good hitter, and his presence in this lineup makes a real difference..." - "Left fielder Zimmerman leads Nationals to blowout win over Phillies" - Mark Zuckerman, Nats Insider

• "Playing his first big league game in left field, Zimmerman caught the only two balls hit his way in seven innings, including a nice running catch on a Chase Utley bloop..." - "Nationals Pastime: Williams on Zimmerman's strong return, Zimmermann's strong start in 7-0 win" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• "The Nationals throttled their flagging division rival behind eight scoreless innings from Jordan Zimmermann, who rebounded from a ragged May to allow just five hits in an overpowering first start of June." - "Ryan Zimmerman returns, Jordan Zimmermann stars as Nats roll Phillies, 7-0" - Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post

• "Zimmerman said he was ready for the position switch and reiterated that he would do anything to help the team win. He didn't show any signs of being nervous before Tuesday's game." - "Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman activated, plays left field" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News

• "After a rough stretch last month, Zimmermann pitched like himself Tuesday thanks to better command and a better feel for his slider..." - "Zimmermann opens June with bounce-back start" - James Wagner, Washington Post

• "Seeing Ryan Zimmerman trot out to left field moments before the Nationals took on the Phillies Tuesday night was certainly an odd sight..." - "Zimmerman returns as old self despite new position in Nats’ 7-0 win" - Mark Zuckerman, Nats Insider

• "Sure, it's nice having a guy who was hitting .364/.405/.636 through the season's first 10 games back in the lineup after more than seven weeks on the disabled list." - "Nationals Pastime: Zimmerman's return impacts Nats' lineup in more ways than one" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• "Zimmerman missed almost two months because of a fractured right thumb, but it looked like he didn't miss a beat as far as swinging the bat." - "Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals - June 3, 2014" - Bill Ladson, MLB.com WSH Recap

• "The Washington Nationals will have to wait 17 picks before they are on the clock at No. 18 in this Thursday’s draft..." - "For MLB draft, Nats do their homework" - Chase Hughes, Nats Insider

• "The Nationals expect Gonzalez to increase his pitch count to 65 and be ready to re-join the Nationals rotation after that if there are no issues." - "Blake Treinen to start Saturday; Gio Gonzalez to make Friday rehab start" - James Wagner, Washington Post

• "Zimmerman said the two catches were routine. Was he surprised he didn't get more work in the outfield?" - "Byron Kerr: Zimmerman and Zimmermann team up to down the Phillies 7-0" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com

• "Strasburg has now gone eight starts without allowing more than three earned runs. Burnett has not had the same fortune recently..." - "Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals - June 4, 2014" - Daniel Popper, MLB.com Preview

• Your Daily Message from the Dalai Lama on Twitter (@DalaiLama):

• NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

• "Following yesterday’s 3-for-5 game, Span has 11 hits in his past five games and is now hitting .281/.324/.386 with eight steals on the year." - "Roto Riteup — Presented By DraftKings: June 4, 2014" - David Fiers, FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball

• "The Nationals are taking it very easy with Giolito, who hadn’t pitched since May 11 despite being healthy." - "Minor League Update: Games of Tuesday, June 3" - Jeff Moore, Baseball Prospectus

• "Speaking of the Nats, Zimmerman still figures to be at first base next season, but what if the team again decides to keep potential free agent Adam LaRoche?" - "Rockies should trade Carlos Gonzalez, break up duo with Troy Tulowitzki and build a winner" - Ken Rosenthal, FOX Sports on MSN

• "I can't stop watching that throw. It reminded me of watching Ashlee Simpson on SNL, but Zimmerman's throw made me cringe more." - "Frequently asked questions about Ryan Zimmerman moving to the outfield" - Grant Brisbee, SBNation.com

• "Ryan Zimmerman is the Washington Nationals left fielder — for now." - "Ryan Zimmerman easily handles left field debut in return" - Paul White, USA TODAY Sports

• "He's moving to left, at least temporarily, because his arthritic right shoulder makes it hard for Zimmerman to make the required throws consistently from third base." - "Ryan Zimmerman set to be activated by Nationals for left-field duty" - David Brown, Big League Stew - Yahoo Sports

• "Perhaps the most worrisome aspect of the Phillies' recent struggles is the terrible fundamental baseball that has plagued this team all season long..." - "Phillies Tuesday: Falling out of the race as series with Nationals looms"- Matt Lombardo, NJ.com

• "The fiery former shortstop who wore his emotions on his sleeve as a player and later as a manager was critical of the Phillies lackadaisical effort and mentality in recent days." - "Larry Bowa rips Phillies: 'That's not big-league baseball'" - Matt Lombardo, NJ.com

• "Baseball America's latest mock draft has Gatewood being drafted No. 18 overall by the Washington Nationals." - "Major League Dreams: Gatewood hoping to be a first-round pick" - Damian Marquez, Visalia Times-Delta

• NATS MINORS:

• Low-A Hagerstown: "Williams said the thought is that Gonzalez will be able to rejoin the Nationals after his one rehab start, but it will depend on how the left-hander feels after his start and how he pitches on Friday." - "Gio set to make rehab start Friday at Class A" - Daniel Popper, nationals.com: News

• Low-A Hagerstown: "The Hagerstown Suns (39-19) put up at least one run in five consecutive innings on Tuesday on their way to an 8-5 win over the Delmarva Shorebirds (34-24) at Municipal Stadium." - "Suns clinch series with 8-5 win over Shorebirds" - Eli Pearlstein, Hagerstown Suns News

• High-A Potomac: "Potomac starter, LHP Matthew Spann, was solid through 6.0 stanzas in which the lefty surrendered three runs, two earned, on five hits, while walking three batters and striking out five hitters." - "Almonte Shines in Pitchers' Duel as Blue Rocks Beat Nationals 5-3" - Potomac Nationals News

• Double-A Harrisburg: "Double-A Harrisburg Senators left-hander Sammy Solis is back on the disabled list, this time with elbow discomfort, a club source confirmed to MASNSports.com." - "Solis placed on the disabled list with elbow discomfort" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com

• Double-A Harrisburg: "Sammy Solis, one of the Nationals’ top pitching prospects, has been shut down with left elbow discomfort, according to Mark Scialabba, the Nationals’ director of player development." - "Prospect Sammy Solis shut down with elbow discomfort" - James Wagner, Washington Post

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

• Triple-A Syracuse: "Moore, 27, hit .225 (9-for-40) in this latest stint with the Nationals, including one double, one home run, four walks and eight RBI." - "Syracuse Chiefs won't get Ryan Zimmerman on rehab, but Tyler Moore on his way from Washington" - Lindsay Kramer, syracuse.com

• Triple-A Syracuse: "Second baseman Zach Walters hit a solo home run in his first home game since returning to the Chiefs on May 27th." - "Chiefs beat Indians, win third straight" - Syracuse Chiefs News

• NATSTOWN:

•"The back page of this morning's Philadelphia Daily News is the best..." - "Sweet, sweet, schadenfreude" - Nats Enquirer

• "Scouting the MLB Draft – Introducing The Top Hitting Prospects" - Ryan Sullivan, NatsGM

• "Ryan Zimmerman played in his first game since April 12th today, making his major league debut in left field, but he wasn’t the only Zimmerman(n) who came back tonight." - "Rejuvenated Offense, Zimmermen(n) Demolish Phillies" - Andrew Flax, The Nats Blog

• "Video: Ryan Zimmerman's first putout as a Big League left fielder" - Nats Enquirer

• "If you’re like me, you were watching Tuesday night’s Nats game a bit closer than usual, especially during the top half of innings, and especially peeking toward the home team’s left fielder." - "Ryan Zimmerman’s first play in left field" - Dan Steinberg, D.C. Sports Bog

• "In addition to Zimmerman’s success, Tuesday’s victory brought the Nats back to .500 and turned the page on a sub-par month for Zimmermann, who worked his way through a few less-than-impressive starts in May." - "Washington Nationals Game 56 Review: Zim & Zim Lead Nats to 7-0 Win over Phillies" - Alyssa Wolice, District Sports Page

• NL EAST UPDATES:

• Marlins:

• Braves: "One third of the way through the season, the Atlanta Braves sit in first place in the National League East, albeit with the worst record (31-25) of all the division leaders. Boy, talk about first-world problems." - "Early observations about the Braves" - Guerry Clegg, Columbus Ledger Enquirer

• Phillies: "The meeting, called by Sandberg at 3:45 p.m., was succinct. He deemed it 'necessary,' although the manager did not speak for more than a couple of minutes..." - "Nationals pound the flailing Phillies, 7-0" - Matt Gelb, Philadelphia Inquirer

• Mets: "Knowing an opportunity when it sees one, the White House is recognizing [Daniel] Murphy as someone who could give encouragement to working fathers for the dilemmas they face." - "Mets' Daniel Murphy to speak at White House about being a working dad" - David Brown, Big League Stew - Yahoo Sports

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