Wire Taps: Washington Nationals win opener in Petco; Nats’ owner Mark Lerner shares news on cancer battle; leg amputation

Washington Post columnist Barry Svrluga wrote last night about Washington Nationals’ Principal Owner Mark Lerner’s battle with cancer, which resulted in the amputation of Mr. Lerner’s left leg.

You can read the letter Mr. Lerner sent to the Washington Post, and a few articles with information on his struggles, which have kept him away from his usual seat in the front row in Nationals Park over the last few months.

Here’s what Dusty Baker had to say about the revelations after last night’s win over the San Diego Padres:

“It came as a shock to all of us when Mike Rizzo came in and told me that he was going to have a team meeting and told me what the meeting was about,” Baker said.

“I remember we saw Mark about a month ago. He just said he was going to be alright. We didn’t have any idea what he was going through, because we just thought that he had had an infection in his knee.

“I’ve had a couple friends go through the same thing, but Mark has a great attitude about life, and we just wish him well, and [wish] the family well, and we’d certainly like to win this for him.”

Here’s the latest news from the left coast...

NATS BEAT:

Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner recovering from cancer
"Lerner had cancer in his left leg, and though he is now cancer-free, complications following surgery and radiation treatment left doctors with little choice but to amputate the leg last week."

Read the letter from Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner to The Post regarding his bout with cancer
"Below is the text of the letter Nationals vice chairman Mark Lerner sent to Washington Post columnist Barry Svrluga on Thursday evening..."

Nats principal owner Mark Lerner reveals cancer, leg amputation
"Whether from his front row seats next to the first base dugout, in the clubhouse or around the batting cage, Lerner, 63, has been a constant presence around the Nationals..."

Ryan Zimmerman lifts Nationals over Padres
"With two outs and the bases empty in the eighth, Padres reliever Kirby Yates grooved a 1-1 fastball that Zimmerman crushed 414 feet, per Statcast™, onto the home-run deck in right field."

Zimmerman's late blast lifts Nationals to 2-1 win over Padres
"The Nats squandered a two-on, no-out rally in the first, left two more men on base in the second and left the bases loaded in the third."

Ryan Zimmerman’s eighth-inning home run lifts Nats past Padres, 2-1
"Zimmerman’s blast — a laser to right field off right-hander Kirby Yates — was his 29th and provided the support Edwin Jackson deserved."

Ryan Zimmerman's comeback story is an enjoyable one
“'When I got called up on Sept. 1, I was a 20-year-old literally in college earlier that year. To walk into a locker room and to go into the manager’s office and see Frank Robinson there was a little intimidating, honestly.'" - Ryan Zimmerman

Take That Haters: Wilmer Difo Riding 11-game Hit streak
"Dig a little deeper and you’ll find a few quirks that are cause for alarm. Difo’s season numbers characterize him as an ideal platoon player."

Eaton running and swinging a bat as knee rehab continues
"Eaton gave a surprising answer to what his large goal would be at this time. It wasn’t the obvious answer that he wanted to come back and play for the Nationals as soon as possible."

The Nats Need a Catcher
"But the Nationals are getting almost unbelievably bad production from their catchers and it’s not looking like it will get better any time soon."