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Wire Taps: Anthony Rendon works out in Nationals Park; Denard Span's knee

The Washington Nationals and Toronto Blue Jays have a doubleheader today after Monday's postponement. Jordan Zimmermann vs R.A. Dickey at 1:05 PM and Max Scherzer vs Marco Estrada at 7:05. For now, links to get you through the morning...

By Patrick Reddington
Rob Carr/Getty Images

Matt Williams talked about Washington Nationals' infielder Anthony Rendon on Sunday afternoon, updating reporters on the rehabbing 24-year-old second/third baseman who went 1 for 4 in his third game for the Double-A affiliate of the Nats, the Harrisburg Senators, though he didn't know at the time what Rendon had done that afternoon.

"Out of yesterday he was great," Williams said. "Played nine innings, got four at bats, played the whole game, no issues.

"He still feels like he's a touch off. But he's only had a limited number of at-bats, so the more at-bats he has, he's a fairly quick study in that regard..." -Matt Williams on Anthony Rendon to MLB.com

"Today was a DH day, I don't have a report on that yet, but he was scheduled to DH today as part of his rest after playing two in a row, but yesterday he came out of it great."

With the Nats back in the nation's capital on Monday and the Double-A Senators off, Rendon returned to Nationals Park to work out with the team and Williams talked again about his progress as he recovers from the left oblique injury which shut the rehab of his left MCL strain down after just two games in late April.

After Rendon's workout in D.C., Williams said the 2011 1st Round pick still wasn't all the way there and ready to return to the majors.

"[His timing is] still a little off," Williams said, as quoted by MLB.com's Jacob Emert.

"He still feels like he's a touch off. But he's only had a limited number of at-bats, so the more at-bats he has, he's a fairly quick study in that regard because there aren't a whole lot of moving parts and he's short. It comes quickly for him, but it's important for him to get at-bats and keep going with it, and so he'll get more of those in the days to come."

• "Rendon worked out at Nationals Park on Monday, as the Harrisburg Senators had the day off." - "Rendon works out at Nationals Park" - Jacob Emert, nationals.com

• "Anthony Rendon was back at Nationals Park for a full workout this afternoon after spending the weekend playing for Double-A Harrisburg." - "Nationals Pastime: Rendon continues with rehab assignment; Span's knee still sore (game postponed)" - Chris Johnson, MASNSports.com

• "Manager Matt Williams said Rendon still has some work to do on his timing before he can lock down a return date." - "Nats injury updates: Rendon, Fister, Span and Solis" - Chase Hughes, Nats Insider

Is the reacquire Clippard thing really becoming a thing?:

[ed. note - "Who will be the first one out there to say, 'Mike Rizzo would never do that because it would be like admitting a mistake?"]

• "Other than Storen, who leads the National League with 16 saves and has a 0.84 ERA, there are no defined roles." - "Nationals could solve bullpen problems by reacquiring Tyler Clippard" - Barry Svrluga, The Washington Post

Rivero for Grace in the Nats' bullpen:

• "The Nationals have recalled left-hander Felipe Rivero from Class AAA, optioning Matt Grace to Syracuse to address a bullpen that was overworked and ineffective during this weekend’s sweep in Cincinnati." - "Rivero recalled, Grace optioned to AAA" - Mark Zuckerman, Nats Insider

• "The Nationals recalled left-hander Felipe Rivero this afternoon and optioned lefty Matt Grace to Triple-A Syracuse. Grace was unable to record an out in the..." - "Nationals Pastime: Rivero recalled, Grace optioned; Nats trade for Walters" - Chris Johnson, MASNSports.com

• "'We want [Grace] to just be down in the strike zone,' Nationals Manager Matt Williams said. 'He’s gotten hurt by that ball being up. That’s not his game.'" - "Felipe Rivero recalled, Matt Grace optioned to Syracuse" - James Wagner, The Washington Post

NATS BEAT: Rainout; Janssen vs Jays; 26th man + more

• "Williams would not announce a starter for Wednesday's series finale against the Blue Jays, saying it depends on how the bullpen is used in these first two games of the series." - "Williams on Grace's move to Syracuse and what to do late in games" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com

• "These kinds of dustups are not uncommon over the course of any baseball season, but what’s surprising is that it took the Nationals until Sunday to retaliate." - "Did MASN foreshadow Tanner Roark’s beanball to Joey Votto?" - Clinton Yates, The Washington Post

• "The Nationals will look to call up a 26th man for the first game, but they are not sure whether it will be a pitcher or a position player." - "Updated: Game postponed, day-night doubleheader Tuesday" - Mark Zuckerman and Chase Hughes, Nats Insider

• "Williams indicated that Fister will wait a day or two before ramping it up in his next bullpen session, but he's still a bit away from heading off for a minor league rehab assignment." - "Nationals Pastime: Williams updates Fister; tonight's game postponed, split doubleheader tomorrow" - Chris Johnson, MASNSports.com

• "It was never about Janssen wanting out, but in this case, there just wasn't enough interest from the other side." - "Janssen reflects on end of Blue Jays tenure" - Gregor Chisolm, nationals.com

• "Washington scored more than three runs in just two of the previous 10 games, which included a three-game sweep by the Reds." - "After rainout, Zimmermann throws in twin bill opener vs. Toronto" - Jacob Emert, MLB.com

• "The postponement allows the Nats an extra day to rest Denard Span, who was scheduled to miss tonight's game while dealing with a sore right knee." - "Nationals Pastime: Nats throwing Zimmermann and Scherzer at Blue Jays in Tuesday's doubleheader" - Chris Johnson, MASNSports.com

• "Stephen Strasburg seems both physically and mentally broken. This is not, by any means, to suggest that he is beyond repair..." - "Seven semi-serious suggestions for Stephen Strasburg" - Noah Frank, WTOP

• "While an extra day of rest could help players such as Denard Span, who is nursing a sore right knee, Williams said Monday’s postponed game isn’t helpful for the team’s starting rotation." - "Nationals-Blue Jays game postponed; split doubleheader Tuesday (UPDATED)" - James Wagner, The Washington Post

NATIONAL(S) BEAT: Janssen from Jays' side + more

• "Even during the off-season, Janssen, who had been the Jays closer for the better part of three seasons, had held out hope that Toronto might make a competitive offer." - "Former Jay Janssen at home in Washington" - Ken Fidlin, Toronto Sun

• "Seems a little fishy to me. I would not be surprised to see [Strasburg] throwing right away and working a through a few things after his struggles so far this year." - "Mash Report (6/1/15)" - Jeff Zimmermann, FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball

• "But since Difo was promoted, he has appeared as a pinch-hitter only three times. That has been the extent of his playing time over the last two weeks." - "The handling of Wilmer Difo is a swing and miss for the Washington Nationals" - Mick Reinhard, PennLive.com

• "The couple finished their busy day with a baseball game, watching the Washington Nationals play the Toronto Blue Jays." - ]"See how Dutch king and queen spent first day of U.S. trip" - Shandra Martinez, MLive.com

The Mongoose and the Buffalo:

• "I got that nickname by Ian Desmond," Ramos said. "It was one day at the stadium and he said to me, ‘Hey, you get a lot of hits (foul tips, collisions, etc.) every day behind the plate and you never go out of the game. You stay for the whole game. You’re a big man. You’re like a buffalo!'" -  "Wilson Ramos Finally Explains ‘Buffalo’ Nickname" - Brian Tinsman, CBS DC

• "Taylor Hill made it back to the Major Leagues over the weekend – and received a rude welcome." - "Former Vanderbilt pitcher makes it back to Major Leagues" - David Boclair, Nashville Post

• "Max Scherzer is the clear-cut top dog on the Tuesday docket as he and the Washington Nationals entertain the Toronto Blue Jays in an interleague tussle." - "Fantasy baseball daily notes for June 2, 2015 -- pitcher rankings, batter ratings, news, injuries, next level" - Todd Zola, Fantasy Baseball - ESPN

• "That was then, and this is now. Montreal would be the largest market available to MLB with a population of 1.621 million."  - "5 Reasons Why The Tampa Bay Rays Should Play Some 2016 Regular Season Games In Montreal" - Maury Brown, Forbes.com

Bryce Harper saying things:

• "I know what I can do and I just don’t really care what people think or say or anything like that, because at the end of the day it’s what I think, it’s what my teammates think and what my family thinks." - Bryce Harper -  "Nationals’ Bryce Harper doesn’t care about his so-called ‘breakout’" - Brendan Kennedy, Toronto Star

NATS MINORS: Giolito's strong start + more non-rainout action

• "The Hagerstown Suns (25-25) game against the Hickory Crawdads (34-16) scheduled for tonight (June 1) has been postponed due to rain." - "Suns and Crawdads June 1 game postponed" - Eli Pearlstein, Hagerstown Suns News

• "I knew that in the bullpen I had all my pitches working, so I was able to put together a good five innings despite being a little erratic with control." - Lucas Giolito - "Giolito dominates in 5 innings for Potomac" - Alex M. Smith, nationals.com

• "Grace served as a critical setup man for last year's league-best Syracuse team. He sported a 1.30 ERA in 28 games, allowing just 28 hits and 13 walks in 41 and two-thirds innings." - "Chiefs to add pitchers Grace, Walters" - Syracuse Chiefs News

• "The Syracuse Chiefs lost one reliever but gained another on Monday afternoon following a pair of moves by parent club Washington." - "Washington Nationals moves swaps relievers for Syracuse Chiefs" - Lindsay Kramer, syracuse.com

NL EAST UPDATES: Mets' rotation; Sizemore released; + Dee

• Mets: "Now, after months of number-crunching, on-field observation and spirited internal debate, they have arrived at a conclusion." - "Mets May Be Using a Six-Man Rotation, But Their Pitchers Don’t Have to Like It" - Jared Diamond, WSJ

• "Lucas Duda was scratched from the lineup Monday with swollen right knee after taking a pitch off it in Sunday’s win over the Marlins." - "Mets Insider: Lucas Duda sits out with swollen knee" - Kristie Ackert, NY Daily News

• Phillies: "Grady Sizemore's days with the Phillies are over." - "Phillies release outfielder Grady Sizemore" - Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia

• Marlins: "Throughout his career, Gordon has put up a .342 BABIP, and this is in a large enough sample size to say with some confidence that Gordon can sustain a higher-than-average BABIP." - "The Overrated, Underrated Dee Gordon" - Joe Vasile, Beyond the Box Score

• Braves: "Freddie Freeman went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs and Alex Wood pitched eight innings of one-run ball..." - "Freeman backs Wood's gem in desert" - Jake Rill and Jesse Sanchez, braves.com

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