Worth noting

• Johnson said he is looking forward to being a National League assistant coach for the All-Star Game. He accepted the invitation extended by Giants skipper Bruce Bochy, who is sitting in the opposite dugout during this three-game series between their two teams.

"Boch and I go way back," Johnson said. "Maybe he can teach me a few things of how to gear up my offense. He's doing a heck of a job over here."

• Nationals southpaw Gio Gonzalez was happy to return to the Bay Area this week for the second time since he was traded by Oakland before the 2012 season. Gonzalez said he caught up with some A's fans near the clubhouse following Monday night's contest and that he's looking forward to Wednesday's matinee start in San Francisco.

"I love being back here," Gonzalez said. "There's a lot of A's fans here and even Giants fans that remember me. Always good memories that I used to have and they bring them back. I still get the same kind of love and support even though I'm in another uniform."

• Before Tuesday's contest, several Nationals players walked around the clubhouse with shirts featuring a picture of pitching coach Steve McCatty, who posed shirtless for a 1984 Playgirl magazine article. The gem was recently unearthed by baseballprospectus.com and was a hot topic of discussion in the clubhouse.

"I could have done without that revelation," Johnson said. "If you'd have asked me who that was, I could not have figured it out. In a hundred years I couldn't figure out who that was. There's been a big change in the last, what is it, 30 years? I was hoping it was more like 50. I didn't know he had that good a body and didn't know he had that much hair."