(Greg Fiume - GETTY IMAGES) Davey Johnson reminisced today about his days as a player/manager for the defunct independent Miami Amigos. He recalled two foremost memories. The Amigos were up 15 games in the standings when the league folded. And the cheerleaders, sponsored by Wendy’s, were called the Hot & Juicys. “It was a treat to watch them dusting the bases,” Johnson said.

As for today’s game, Jordan Zimmermann will try to extend the Nationals’ winning streak to four games and give them a 6-1 record on their road swing through the NL East. Talk about it right here.

(Brian Garfinkel - GETTY IMAGES) Catcher Jesus Flores expects to return from a mild right hamstring strain in a matter of days and remains unworried about a potential stint on the disabled list. “That’s how I feel right now,” Flores said. Flores had become the Nationals’ starter with Wilson Ramos out for the season.

“He was feeling a lot better today, but I’ll monitor that closely because of how many catchers we’ve had go down here,” Manager Davey Johnson said. “I don’t need another one going down, even if I have to hold him out until Friday. So that’ll be played daily.”

The Nationals had planned to rest Flores today, anyway, in favor of sturdy, long-time minor leaguer Carlos Maldonado. He has played 1,184 minor league games over 17 seasons, and today he will make his 19th major league start.

(Henny Ray Abrams - Associated Press) Nearing his 2012 debut, Michael Morse will play his final extended spring training game today in Viera, Fla., and will appear Tuesday in a rehab appearance at Class A Potomac, Manager Davey Johnson said.

Morse has been telling teammates he wants to return soon – even suggesting he had hoped to join the team in Miami for the series that begins today. That won’t happen, but Johnson is pushing for Morse to come back as early as Thursday, when the Nationals begin a homestand at Nationals Park.

At the latest, Morse will return June 8 in Boston, where he can serve as the designated hitter. Morse has missed the first two months of the year with a strained lat muscle, an injury that has made it impossible for him to throw but did affect his ability to swing.

(Al Behrman - AP) The Nationals placed pinch-hitter Chad Tracy on the disabled list with a groin injury and replaced him with Class AAA Syracuse outfielder Corey Brown, the hot-hitting 26-year-old who resurrected his career with a tremendous start to this season.

Tracy will receive an MRI in Philadelphia on Tuesday from the specialist who performed his double sports hernia operation in November. Tracy could miss “a couple months” if more surgery is necessary, Manager Davey Johnson said, but the Nationals are hopeful it will not come to that. The Nationals are calling the injury a right adductor strain.

With Tracy sidelined, Brown will get a second chance at the majors sooner than could have been expected last fall after a disastrous September call-up. Brown went 0 for 3, developed a staph infection and required season-ending surgery. After smashing 12 home runs – tops in the entire organization – and hitting .296 at Syracuse, Brown earned his way back.

The Nationals are making an awfully quick turnaround in Miami today after their Sunday night win over Atlanta. They have a new player, welcoming Corey Brown and placing Chad Tracy on the disabled list with a groin injury. The Nationals moved Jayson Werth to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Brown on the 40-man roster.

The team arrived at their hotel on Biscayne Bay at roughly 3 a.m., and players and coaches started trickling into the architectural fever dream that is Marlins Park before 10 a.m. “I feel like I flew from Beijing to Miami,” Manager Davey Johnson said. “But the guys look good, and that’s all that matters.”

The Nationals are not taking batting practice or fielding practice pregame, which may be difficult because no Nationals have ever played here before.

Nationals

1. Steve Lombardozzi, LF

2. Bryce Harper, RF

3. Ryan Zimmerman, 3B

4. Adam LaRoche, 1B

5. Ian Desmond, SS

6. Danny Espinosa, 2B

7. Rick Ankiel, CF

8. Carlos Maldonado, C

9. Gio Gonzalez, SP