Worth noting

By Bill Ladson and Andrew Simon

May 30, 2013

• The Nationals were saddened to learn about the passing of Larry Doby Johnson, who is the father of Double-A Harrisburg infielder Josh Johnson.

Josh Johnson took a leave of absence, and it's not known when he will return to the team. Larry Doby Johnson had a cup of coffee in the big leagues in the 1970s, playing the Indians, Expos and White Sox.

• Nationals first-base coach Tony Tarasco missed Wednesday's game against the Orioles because of the birth of his second child. Manager Davey Johnson said Tarasco could miss Thursday's game as well.

"I think the baby's all right, but they were just double checking some things and we were concerned about him," Johnson said. "We told him to just hang in there and support his baby and his wife."

Hitting coach Rick Eckstein has been filling in for Tarasco during his absence.

• On Wednesday, second baseman Danny Espinosa played in his first game since May 22 and went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts and a run scored against the Orioles. Espinosa had missed the previous five games because of a bone chip in his right wrist. The Nationals are hoping that rest would ease the pain in the wrist.

Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, All Nats All the time. He also could be found on Twitter @WashingNats. Andrew Simon is a reporter for MLB.com.