Rendon plays nine innings; Nats promo schedule features Zimmerman bobblehead

Second baseman Anthony Rendon, who is on the disabled list battling a strained oblique, went 0-for-3 with a walk and played the entire game during Double-A Harrisburg's 3-2 loss at Bowie.

Tony Renda went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Starting pitcher Austin Voth twirled seven innings with six hits, three runs, one walk and struck out eight.

It's another positive, cautious step forward for Rendon. Harrisburg plays Bowie today at 2 p.m. The Nationals return home Monday night against the Blue Jays.

The Nationals are getting knocked around with injuries the past few weeks to frontline players Jayson Werth (wrist), Stephen Strasburg (neck) and Bryce Harper (back).

The return of Rendon would certainly be the good news this lineup needs, but Michael A. Taylor, Danny Espinosa, Yunel Escobar and even Dan Uggla have done a nice job of maintaining some consistency without the nine players the club had hoped to field April 1.

* Paolo Espino returned to Triple-A Syracuse to pitch 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs in a 4-2 loss to Durham. Emmanuel Burris and Cutter Dykstra each had two hits. Erik Davis took the loss.

* Myrtle Beach dropped high Single-A Potomac 11-1 lowlighted by a five-run seven-walk seventh inning.

Reynaldo Lopez went five innings, surrendering nine hits and five runs to fall to 2-2. Kevin Perez and Cody Davis struggled with control with nine walks in the final four innings.

* Some very good promotional items will be distributed at Nationals Park on the homestand that begins the first week of June. Monday night is dollar hot dog night, Tuesday is a 10-year Tuesday with the first 10,000 fans receiving a commemorative coin. Wednesday night is the third Pups in the Park game. Thursday night features another bobblehead, this time a Ryan Zimmerman walk-off version.

Details are available here.

Also be sure to check out "Nats Insider" today at 11:30 a.m. on 106.7 the Fan. I will take your phone calls, have a live update from Cincinnati and Nationals chief revenue and marketing officer Valerie Camillo will be my guest to go over this week's promotional schedule.