"They play good defense. We don't, and we lose." --Josh Bard, May 31, 2009.

THE RESULT: The Washington Nationals were not charged with any errors in the scorebook in today's 4-2 loss to Jamie Moyer and the Philadelphia Phillies. But three plays where the Nats could not perform simple defensive tasks proved the difference in a close ball game, and the 46-year old Moyer registered his 250th career victory.

Philadelphia scored their first run in the first inning against Nats starter John Lannan (L, 2-5, 4.21). With one out, Lannan gave Shane Victorino a free pass. Three pitches later, Chase Utley hit a ball to the wall in right that Adam Dunn bare-handed on the bounce, hit cut-off man Anderson Hernandez, and the second baseman fired a strike to catcher Josh Bard to nab the speedy Victorino, who was called out by home plate umpire Dana DeMuth.

Unfortunately, Bard dropped the perfect relay, and when DeMuth realized the ball was between Bard's shin protectors and not in his glove, he changed his call to "safe".

Nursing a 2-1 lead, the Phillies got men on first and third with one out in the fourth. Lannan induced the lead-footed third baseman Pedro Feliz to ground into a tailor-made, inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. Alberto Gonzalez lobbed it to Hernandez to get the force at second, but Hernandez could not get the ball out of his glove to make a throw, allowing Raul Ibanez to walk home with the third Philly run.

The Phillies added an insurance run in the seventh inning against reliever Joe Beimel. The veteran lefty walked Chase Utley with two outs, and the next batter, Ryan Howard, belted a ball to straight-away center field. Austin Kearns, playing out of position in center field, took a circuitous route to the catchable ball, and at the last sort of half-heartedly threw up his glove, almost as if to protect himself.

The lumbering first baseman collected his eighth career triple by the time Kearns gathered himself and got the ball back into the infield.

Left fielder Josh Willingham had two of the Nats five hits, both solo home runs.

Lannan actually threw better than the numbers would indicate. He went five innings, and allowed four hits and four walks, giving up three earned runs and struck out seven Phillies.

THE TAKEAWAY: They call these things the "Little Things", but are they really little when they continue to add up to losses, day after day?

If any one of the three plays are made, we might be talking about a different outcome.

And it's not like a little extra infield practice is gonna make it any better. Except for Hernandez, these guys are veterans. They are what they are. Bard has made multiple mistakes in his few games. It seems like every time he starts he makes a critical mistake.

Kearns is simply not a center fielder, but nobody on this roster is. At some point, manager Manny Acta's just going to have to put Willie Harris in center and live with whatever offense he can contribute. He has to find somebody that will catch the ball in center.

Dunn's a different story. Unless he--or Willingham--are traded, everyone's just going to have to live with him kicking balls around in the outfield.

But the infield? That's correctable. Gonzalez and Hernandez both have the physical talent, they just need to prepare and concentrate. Who should be responsible for that? The players? The position coaches? The manager? Someone in that line of command has to step up.

THE GOOD: Josh Willingham. 2-for-4 with two home runs. He's finally seeing enough pitches to get into a groove. He's got his average up to .252, after being below .200 for the first month and a half of the season.

THE BAD: Middle of the order. Nick Johnson, Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn were a combined 0-for-11 with one walk.

THE UGLY: The Nats have lost six in a row, 15 of 17 and 18 of 21. They are now on an even pace to tie the 2003 Detroit Tigers for the worst record in the major leagues since the expansion New York Mets lost 120 games in 1962.

NEXT GAME: The Nats are off until Tuesday, when they start a three-game home series with the San Francisco Giants. They will face Tim Lincecum, Randy Johnson and Matt Cain, in order. Oh goody.

"I don't know if there's a word the English language has for it yet." --Adam Dunn, May 30, 2009

THE RESULT: Ryan Howard hit two home runs, including an estimated 475 foot grand slam off Nats starter Shairon Martis to lead the Philadelphia Phillies past the Washington Nationals 9-6, before 45,121 at Citizen's Bank Park.

The home runs were the headliner, but the more pivotal play happened in the bottom of the sixth, with the Phils up just one run, 7-6. With two outs and the bases loaded with Phillies, Ron Villone got Howard to quietly ground to second baseman Anderson Hernandez, which should have ended the inning.

Instead, Hernandez booted the routine ground ball, and two more runs came in, sealing the Nats fate Saturday night.

Martis (5-1, 5.62) was shaky, lasting just four innings and giving up seven runs on seven hits and two walks. He struck out just one batter. But he was no worse than Philly starter Cole Hamels, who got the win (3-2), simply by allowing just one less run. Hamels gave up six earned on eight hits and one walk in six innings pitched.

Howard finished 2-for-5 with the two home runs and five driven in. Philadelphia also stole five bases, two apiece off relievers Jesus Colome and Kip Wells.

The Nats got a pinch-hit two-run home run by Ronnie Belliard, a two-run double from Wil Nieves and am RBI triple from Alberto Gonzalez, recalled earlier int he day when Justin Maxwell was demoted to Triple-A Syracuse.

Unfortunately, three straight Nationals hitters struck out after the triple, leaving Gonzalez standing at third.

THE TAKEAWAY: The Nats have lost five in a row and 14 of their last 16 games. Ten of the last 11 losses have been by three runs or fewer. For the season, the record stands at 13-35-1.

THE GOOD: Alberto Gonzalez. He gave Cristian Guzman the night off to rest a sore thumb, and he went 2-for-3 with a run scored, and the RBI triple.

THE BAD: Ryan Zimmerman went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts, leaving two runners on.

THE UGLY: Though they didn't contribute negatively to the scorebook except for making his pitcher throw more pitches, Adam Dunn made two more errors in right field.

NEXT GAME: Today at 1:35 pm. John Lannan (2-4, 4.11) squares off against ageless Jamie Moyer (3-5, 7.42).

"There were some balls hit over some guys heads." -Manny Acta, May 29, 2009.

THE RESULT: The Philadelphia Phillies used timely hitting and lousy fielding by Washington to register a 5-4 win over the Nationals before a capacity crowd of 45,202 at Citizen's Bank Park.

The Nats got down 5-1 early, with fly balls bouncing off fielders gloves all over the outfield. Washington bounced back for three in the sixth, but never could find the equalizer.

Ross Detwiler, the Nats starter, was victimized by his defense, and although no errors were awarded, the Washington Nationals had four balls glance off their gloves in the outfield.

And veteran shortstop Cristian Guzman threw a ball in the dirt that led to a run and in one particularly gruesome sequence, had a ball go off his mitt as he tried to get back into position after he and second baseman Anderson Hernandez both broke to cover second on a Philly steal attempt.

There were no fewer that six misplayed balls in the outfield, three by right fielder Adam Dunn, two by left fielder Josh Willingham, and one that went for an RBI triple by third baseman Pedro Feliz off the glove by center fielder Justin Maxwell.

To Willingham's credit, he did make a great diving catch and went two-for-two with a home run and two runs. He was also hit twice by Philly starter J.A. Happ (W, 3-0, 3.00)

Detwiler's final line was not pretty: four innings, five earned runs, 10 hits, one walk and two strikeouts. His ERA jumped from 2.40 to 4.80.

THE TAKEAWAY: It's not the manager's fault the outfielders can't catch the ball. It's not the manager's fault the shortstop fell asleep twice on defense. Both of Guzman's miscues were mental errors--not physical.

Acta has taken a lot of abuse on some blogs and chat rooms lately for his lack of "fire", his calmness while the team continues to lose. Thomas Boswell jumped on the wagon today, asking if Acta is "Too Calm to Manage?"

I certainly understand a passionate fan base that is mad as hell that the team stinks. And I can understand that they want the leader of that team to show that he's mad, too.

But the bottom line is this: Jim Bowden constructed the lousiest fielding team in the major leagues, and completely ignored the bullpen this past off-season.

It would be ok to have Dunn in left field if the team had a legitimate center fielder, a rightfielder that can throw and a shortstop with range.

But with Elijah Dukes' injury and Lastings Milledge's inability, the Nats are now left to make Dunn flounder around in right field, with Willingham, short of average himself, playing in left because--for some inexplicable reason--he's incapable of playing in right. And Austin Kearns, bless his heart, has forgotten how to hit again after getting hit in the hand three weeks ago.

As for Guzman, it is well documented on this blog just how below-average he is defensively. He gets to fewer balls at short than any other regular shortstop in the league. People get all fawning over his pretty batting average (which, by the way, has plummeted sixty points in three weeks after going seven for his last 43), but tonight, he made two mental errors on plays that should have been outs.

He actually ranged to his left to get to a ball, but then lazily lofted a throw to first that short-hopped Nick Johnson. How the official scorer called it a single was beyond me.

But the fiasco on the stolen base was below rookie-ball level.

With a right handed hitter up, Raul Ibanez started moving to second on a hit-and-run. Both Guzman and Anderson Hernandez broke to cover the bag. The batter, Jayson Werth, then rolled a routine ground ball to short, where Guzman SHOULD HAVE BEEN to make the play.

Embarrassingly bad defense. Ugly to watch.

THE GOOD: The bullpen. Much maligned, five pitchers pitched four innings of shutout ball to hold the Phillies in place.

THE BAD: Justin Maxwell. 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and the misplayed ball in center. Oh, and he argued with home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstadt after the first K, prompting Wendelstadt to expand the strike zone against the rest of the Nats all night long.

THE UGLY: Um, if you're still reading, you've seen the ugly.

NEXT GAME: Saturday at 7:05. Shairon Martis (5-0, 4.86) against Cole Hamels (2-2, 4.68).

NOTES: Jesus Flores, who was supposed to be activated for today's game, was held back and will be re-evaluated by Dr. James Andrews in the next day or two. He had an MRI and will be examined by the Grim Reaper for pitchers. Hold your breath.

The Washington Nationals continue their seven-day, six-game road trip in the City of Brotherly Love, as they face the Phightin' Philadelphia Phillies at 7:05 pm from Citizen's Bank Park.

Hopefully umpire Crew Chief Lanny Vanover and his squad were not assigned to this series as well.

The Phillies own just one home series win this season, courtesy of the Nationals at the end of April.

It should be a slugfest, as statistically (other than wins), these two teams are fairly even so far this season, with the Phillies starters the equivalent of the Nats bullpen.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (13-33-1, 5th in NL East--13 games behind; three-game loss streak)

Guzman - 6
Johnson - 3
Zimmerman - 5
Dunn - 9
Willingham - 7
Bard - 2
Hernandez - 4
Maxwell - 8
Detwiler - 1

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (25-20, 2nd in NL East--.5 game behind; one-game loss streak)

Rollins - 6
Victorino - 8
Utley - 2
Howard - 3
Ibanez - 7
Werth - 9
Feliz - 5
Ruiz - 2
Happ - 1

STARTING PITCHERS

PHI: J.A. Happ (27.2 IP, 2-0, 2.60 ERA, 21 Ks, 9 BBs)
WAS: Ross Detwiler (11.0 IP, 0-0, 2.45 ERA, 10 Ks, 4 BBs)

WEATHER

Scattered clouds and mild. First pitch: 75F

NOTES

The Nats bought the contract of RP Mike MacDougal from Syracuse. MacDougal is a former All-Star closer with Kansas City that has bounced around for a couple of years, most recently with the Chicago White Sox. He's a tall, lanky right-hander that throws hard, strikes out a lot and walks almost as many.

The team returned C Luke Montz to Harrisburg to make room for MacDougal. Montz was active one game and did not make an appearance.

Also, Washington expected to activate Jesus Flores from the 15-day DL for tonight's game, but will not, according to Nats Journal. No explanation has been given thus far.

"I didn't think that there was any way possible that the ball could have been a homer." Adam Dunn, May 27, 2009.

THE RESULT: Another disputed home run call went against the Washington Nationals, and the New York Mets completed a three-game sweep, winning 7-4, before 40,171 replay-loving fans at Citi Field.

The game was tied at three in the bottom of the sixth inning. Nats starter Jordan Zimmermann walked Gary Sheffield on four pitches, which brought up first baseman Daniel Murphy. Murphy launched a 1-2 pitch to deep left field, and what really happened is still undecided.

As the play unfolded, right fielder Adam Dunn turned and watch it sail over his head, reacting much as if it were a sure home run. However, the ball landed on the warning track and bounced toward the fence. Dunn lumbered over, picked it up, and threw to cut-off man Ronnie Belliard, who fired to catcher Wil Nieves to nail Gary Sheffield at the plate for the first out of the inning.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel came out to argue and the umpires convened, then went into their locker room to review the play. As they did Monday night, they emerged and signalled "home run", and awarded the Mets two runs on the play.

New York scored twice more in the seventh to seal the deal.

Zimmermann went five-plus innings, giving up five earned runs on eight hits and two walks. He struck out eight, throwing 66 of his 100 pitches for strikes. He got six ground outs and no fly ball outs on the evening.

Adam Dunn his 16th home run of the season, a mammoth two-run shot off Mets winning pitcher Johan Santana (W, 7-2, 1.77), a blast estimated at 465 feet.

THE TAKEAWAY: There's absolutely NO WAY the replays showed enough evidence to overturn the way the play unfolded on the field. None of the replays shown on MASN or SNY showed conclusively that the ball hit the facing of the upper deck, which overhangs the warning track in right field.

What is clear from watching the play live and the replays, is that once the ball landed on the warning track, it bounced toward the outfield fence. The laws of physics would dictate that if the ball hit the facing of the upper deck, the ball would have travelled toward the infield after hitting the ground.

P.S. It was the same umpire that blew the call Monday that failed to hustle out to the outfield to see the play again.

THE GOOD: Adam Dunn. He seems to be in a groove again. Nick Johnson was 3-for-5.

THE BAD: It wasn't scored an error because he got an out on the play, but Ryan Zimmerman bobbled a tailor-made inning-ending double play ball in the third, regrouping just in time to get only the force at second base. The next batter (Murphy) poked a single to right, scoring the Mets third run.

Also, Ronnie Belliard failed to cover first base on what was supposed to be a sacrifice bunt by Luis Castillo earlier in the inning.

Two plays, no errors scored on the plays. But more evidence of lousy and lackadaisical play on defense.

THE UGLY: Kip Wells. Seen enough of him yet? Two earned runs on a hit and a walk in two-thirds of an inning when the game was still in doubt.

NEXT GAME: Mercifully, off tonight. The Nats resume losing Friday night at 7:05 pm in Philadelphia against Phillies. Ross Detwiler (0-0, 2.45) will face J.A. Happ (2-0, 2.60).

The Washington Nationals get back to baseball, trying to salvage the finale of a three-game series with the New York Mets.

It's a daunting task enough having to face Johan Santana, but the Nats find themselves in the midst of a mini-batting slump. Reverse lock, anyone?

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (13-32-1, 5th in NL East--12.5 games back; two-game loss streak)

Guzman -- 6
Johnson -- 3
Zimmerman -- 5
Dunn -- 9
Willingham -- 7
Belliard -- 4
Maxwell -- 8
Nieves -- 2
Zimmermann -- 1

NEW YORK METS (25-20, 2nd in NL East--.5 games back; to-game win streak)

Pagan -- 8
Castillo -- 4
Wright -- 5
Sheffield -- 7
Murphy -- 3
Castro -- 2
F. Martinez -- 9
R. Martinez -- 6
Santana -- 1

STARTING PITCHERS

WAS: Jordan Zimmermann (41.0 IP, 2-1, 5.71 ERA, 39 Ks, 12 BBs)
NYM: Johan Santana (60.0 IP, 6-2, 1.50 ERA, 75 Ks, 14 BBs)

WEATHER

Light showers and mild. First pitch: 67F.

NOTES

With Josh Bard away from the team with his wife expecting any minute, the Nats recalled Luke Montz from Double-A Harrisburg to back up Wil Nieves. Montz is batting under .200 with just two home runs and eight RBIs in 33 games this season between Syracuse and Harrisburg.

Stan Kasten (via Nats Journal):

"I have to tell you, I just don't know anything more about this story than what you've read. Truly. I don't have any more information than that. I've spoken to MLB; they didn't have any more details on the story we all read this morning. ... I don't have any particular concerns, because as you've seen in recent times, baseball has the most stringent testing for performance-enhancing drugs. Players run afoul of rules, they're caught, and they're disciplined."

"My reaction," he added, "is limited to the things I hear authoritatively from MLB. That's the only time I would have a reaction."

NHL Statement (via Caps Insider):

"The Washington Capitals have no knowledge of any aspect of this allegation. Capitals players were subjected to no-notice testing three times in each of the past two seasons pursuant to the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and there was no indication of any improper conduct or wrongdoing.

"Even though there are no specifics provided in the story and we have no reason, at this point, to believe the allegations are true, the National Hockey League takes all matters of this nature very seriously and will conduct a prompt investigation."

Capitals President Dick Patrick (again, via Caps Inisider):

"We have no reason to believe there is any merit to this story, but the National Hockey League and the Washington Capitals take all such allegations seriously.

Capitals players have fully participated in the NHL's random drug testing program, and at no point has a Capitals player tested positive. In addition our players have been tested at international events, such as World Championships and Olympics. We welcome and will fully cooperate with the NHL's investigation."

Capitals Owner Ted Leonsis (via Ted's Take):

Trust but Verify

There are now 178 news stories listed in Google News about today’s allegations coming out of Florida.

I am personally very committed to being responsible and cooperating with the league in all of its research regarding this matter.

Here are the official statements from the NHL and from our team which are just now being released.

I hope you all understand that while there is research and investigating going on that we will have to be silent as we cooperate and hope to exonerate our team and players from these allegations. Thank you for understanding.

The disturbing part of all this so far is the local law enforcement division's willingness to release this information last night without corroborating the story or doing any additional investigation.

Then today, to show he didn't make just a simple, one-time misjudgment in announcing the statements, Polk County sheriff Grady Judd called into a radio station in Toronto to repeat the currently unfounded allegations on a live radio program. Judd even went out of his way to mention that Thomas' statements had not been corroborated yet.

Among other things, Sheriff Judd suggests that Richard Thomas was proud of his accomplishments and supposes the suspects motivation in why Thomas named the Nationals and Capitals in his arrest. Seems to me Thomas isn't the only person proud of his accomplishments in this matter.

One of Judd's super-professional comments on the matter:

"I can tell you this, there will be a whole lot of people puckered up after the morning news,'" Judd said.

Here's hoping the Feds get to central Florida and take this investigation over before Sheriff Judd does any real damage.

"I look beyond the contract and look at the execution and performance of the player, and it wasn't up to par. I was tired of watching him." --Mike Rizzo, May 26, 2009.

THE RESULT: Livan Hernandez threw a complete game, leading the New York Mets over the Washington Nationals, 6-1, before 39,376 at Citi Field.

The Nats managed nine hits and a walk off Hernandez (W, 4-1, 4.28), but could not group enough together to push across any runs. The only Nats score was an Adam Dunn solo home run. Dunn added a single for his 1000th career hit.

Washington falls to 13-32-1 for the season.

Craig Stammen (L, 0-1, 5.56) made his second start for Washington, and while he wasn't quite as impressive as his debut, he kept his team in the ball game, allowing just three runs in five innings.

Jason Bergmann allowed a three-run home run Gary Sheffield, the veteran outfielder's second three-run shot in as many games.

After the game, pitcher Daniel Cabrera was designated for assignment. The Nats have 10 days to trade or release the enigmatic hurler. Cabrera (0-5, 5.85, 35 BBs, 16 Ks in 40 IP) indicated after the decision that he would not accept a demotion to the minors, and would opt for free agency if the Nats could not work out a deal to send him elsewhere.

THE TAKEAWAY: The Cabrera move was a long time coming. Those of you that had May 26 in the poll can collect your winnings. By cutting Cabrera, the Nats will eat the remainder of his $2.6-million contract, but it's not about the money anymore.

GM Mike Rizzo sees the young pitching talent the Nats have and knows there's no room for the momentum sucking Cabrera on the squad. As brutal as he was as a starter, Cabrera would be double that in the pen, and they don't need any more negativity out there, right as it seems they might have taken a collective turn for the better.

I really wish today's column was just about Cabrera though. I've been looking forward to writing the words "Cabrera Gone" since the day they signed him.

But a potentially much bigger story has developed in central Florida, and we're just starting to get the facts in.

As reported earlier on NNN, a Lakeland, FL man and his wife were arrested yesterday for possession and intent to sell or deliver anabolic steroids, and the man implicated professional athletes as clients, including players on the Washington Nationals and Washington Capitals.

Richard and Sandra Thomas are each charged with 10 counts of possession of anabolic steroids with intention to sell and deliver; one count of possession of a firearm in commission of a felony; 10 counts of importation of anabolic steroids in Florida; and one count of maintaining a residence for selling drugs.

While the initial report is certainly troubling, from the tone of the initial reports, police seem to be skeptical as to whether Thomas is telling the truth in his claims. In a segment aired on WFLA-TV last night, the sheriff's office made a statement that they have no evidence of specific players involved in this investigation to this point.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said,

"The only thing [Thomas] said specifically was he sold to the Washington Capitals and the Washington Nationals. We asked him, because we knew that would create a firestorm, on two more occasions because we don't want to be quoted as saying that. Richard Thomas told us that he sold steroids to ballplayers on those teams. Now is that one ballplayer? Is that two ballplayers? We don't know."

This may be the case of a roided up musclehead ranting during an arrest that it reportedly took three pairs of handcuffs to restrain him, but it's troubling nonetheless that the two teams he managed to implicate both reside in DC.

Are his claims truthful? Where are his ties to these teams? What players did he provide drugs to? Is he really the "largest anabolic steroids dealer in central Florida", as he proclaimed?

Questions we will no doubt find out the answers to very soon.

Back to the game:

THE GOOD: Adam Dunn. He continues his good work at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a homer and a walk.

THE BAD: Nick Johnson. 0-for-4, with four left on base. Rough night for Nick.

THE UGLY: Jason Bergmann. He got through his first inning unscathed, going 1-2-3. But then he couldn't get an out in his second inning of work. Single, single, homer, hit batter.

NEXT GAME: The Nats close out a three-game series with the Mets. Jordan Zimmermann (2-1, 5.71) faces Johan Santana (6-2, 1.50). Reverse lock, anyone?

NOTES: Ryan Zimmerman's consecutive on-base streak ended at 43 games. Zimm went 0-for-4 with two Ks.

A Lakeland, FL man and his wife were arrested yesterday for possession and intent to sell or deliver anabolic steroids, and the man implicated professional athletes as clients, including players on the Washington Nationals and Washington Capitals.

According to the Lakeland Ledger, Richard Thomas identified himself as "the largest anabolic steroids dealer in Central Florida," upon his arrest, and that he provided steroids to professional baseball, football and hockey players.

The Thomases failed to name any particular athletes during the warrant and seizure, where police collected an estimated $200,000 in illegal steroids and multiple weapons.

Richard and Sandra Thomas are each charged with 10 counts of possession of anabolic steroids with intention to sell and deliver; one count of possession of a firearm in commission of a felony; 10 counts of importation of anabolic steroids in Florida; and one count of maintaining a residence for selling drugs.

"This is beyond any doubt the largest seizure of anabolic steroids by the Polk County Sheriff's Office," a police spokesman said.

While the initial report is certainly troubling, from the tone of the initial reports, police seem to be skeptical as to whether Thomas is telling the truth in his claims. In a segment aired on WFLA-TV last night, the sheriff's office made a statement that they have no evidence of specific players involved in this investigation to this point.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said, "The only thing [Thomas] said specifically was he sold to the Washington Capitals and the Washington Nationals. We asked him, because we knew that would create a firestorm, on two more occasions because we don't want to be quoted as saying that. Richard Thomas told us that he sold steroids to ballplayers on those teams. Now is that one ballplayer? Is that two ballplayers? We don't know."

We don't know. Yet. But if this guy's claims have any validity, we'll find out soon enough. As if the Nationals don't get enough lousy national press, here's one more thing to throw on top of everything else. Hopefully the investigation will be swift and whatever conclusions are drawn can be handled expiditiously.

I don't think anyone wants this hanging over the team all summer long on top of the losing.

"I knew the fan got a hand on it, and I thought he reached below the orange line. Once they went to check it out, I knew they weren't going to give it to us." --John Lannan, May 25, 2009.

THE RESULT: A controversial home run call made a bad outing worse for Washington Nationals starter John Lannan, as the Nats fell to the New York Mets 5-2 in the first of a seven-day, six-game road trip at CitiField before 41,103 Mets faithful.

Lannan (L, 2-4, 4.11) was not his usual sharp self, giving up five earned runs on eight hits and four walks over five innings. He only threw 53 of his 92 pitches for strikes.

He came out for the sixth but couldn't record an out. Luis Castillo led off with a double for the Mets (24-20) before Carlos Beltran walked setting the stage for the dramatics by Gary Sheffield. He hit a long drive to left field, which hit near the top of the 15-foot, eight and one-half inch wall, but a fan reached over the railing and touched the ball before it had a chance to hit the wall.

Was it a home run? Was it fan interference? The play was ruled a home run on the field, despite the ball never leaving the park. After six minutes of review, umpire crew chief Larry Vanover upheld the ruling on the field, and the home run stood. Lannan walked the next batter, and his night was over.

The replay clearly showed the fan touched the ball before the ball hit, but it was inconclusive whether the ball would have hit the orange line at the top of the fence that indicates a home run.

Regardless, the fan reaching over the railing and into the field of play should have stopped the play right there for a two-base interference call.

Washington (13-31-1) left 13 men on base, including two in the top of the ninth. Austin Kearns struck out swinging and Willie Harris popped out to end any threat of a comeback against Francisco Rodriguez.

Daniel Cabrera made his first appearance since being banished to the bullpen last week, and walked three batters in two-thirds of an inning.

John Maine (4-3, 4.18) got the win and Rodriguez notched his 13th save of the season.

THE TAKEAWAY: Yes, the home run call went against the Nats, but they had plenty of chances in this one and failed to capitalize. They had only six hits, but walked nine times, so there were lots of runners on base all night

They just couldn't come through with the big hit when they needed it.

THE GOOD: Wil Nieves. The backup catcher was the hitting star, going 2-for-3 and a walk, with an RBI and run scored.

THE BAD: Austin Kearns. 0-for-5 with two strikeouts. He looked as lost as he ever has at the plate last night.

THE UGLY: Daniel Cabrera. C'mon, like you didn't expect this? The guy is a train wreck, and when Flores and Dukes come back at the end of the week he better be on the next bus out to Syracuse. Or wherever.

NEXT GAME: Tonight at 7:10 pm. Craig Stammen (0-0, 5.68) makes his second career start against old friend Livan Hernandez (3-1, 4.93).

NOTES: Ryan Zimmerman had a hit and a walk and has safely reached base in 43 consecutive games, topping the franchise's single-season record, set by Tim Raines in 1986. The overall record is 46, held by the estimable Rusty Staub.

"If they're going to walk Zimmerman, good. Let them pitch to Dunn. That's something we haven't had here in the past." --Manny Acta, May 24, 2009.

THE RESULT: Adam Dunn busted two home runs--the second one a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning--and the Washington Nationals held on to an 8-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles before 30,880 at Nationals Park.

Shairon Martis went six innings, allowing five earned runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out two. He departed after allowing Adam Jones' tenth home run of the season in the top of the seventh.

Ron Villone (W, 2-0, 0.00) entered and shut down the O's threat in that inning, and Joe Beimel pitched a perfect eighth. Joel Hanrahan struck out Jones and Nick Markakis, pounding them with 96 MPH fastballs, and got Aubrey Huff to bounce out to second base to end the game for his fifth save.

The decisive inning started with Anderson Hernandez lining a single to right field. Willie Harris followed that with a single of his own to right. Cristian Guzman, hitting .349, then sacrificed the runners over. Orioles Manager Dave Trembley then made the decision to intentionally walk Ryan Zimmerman, to set up the lefty-lefty matchup of Jamie Walker against Dunn.

That decision proved fatal for the Orioles manager on this day.

THE TAKEAWAY: Sometimes you just have to muscle up, and Dunn did that today. The Nats got offense, some great defense and enough pitching to notch win number 13.

Austin Kearns made two fantastic catches today. He chased one down in the alley and made a backhanded catch as he crashed face-first into the screen covering the out-of-town scoreboard wall in right center, and later sprinted full-out to snare one on the foul line before wiping out into the stands in the corner.

Anderson Hernandez made a terrific catch of a sinking liner, lunging to his left, taking a hit away from Brian Roberts int he eighth inning.

THE GOOD: Joel Hanrahan. As good as Dunn was with his two home runs, it's what is expected of him. Hanrahan has had some well-documented trouble this year, but his last couple outings have been good, but today he was dominant.

Facing the middle of the Orioles potent lineup, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Aubrey Huff, he threw nothing but fastballs and simply overpowered Jones and Markakis with strikeouts and got Huff to bounce weakly to second to end it.

Today was the reason the Nats, and Manny Acta, have been sticking with Hanrahan. Hopefully he has fully turned the corner and realized just how potent a weapon his 96 MPH fastball can be.

THE BAD: Ronnie Belliard. He went 0-for-4, lowering his average to .172.

THE UGLY: Cristian Guzman made a throwing error, which was the closest the O's had to ugly on a day where the hitting, fielding and pitching all came through.

NEXT GAME: Memorial Day special in New York City. The Nats travel to Queens to face the Mets. John Lannan (2-3, 3.63) faces John Maine (3-3, 4.53).

NOTES: Nick Johnson was a late scratch with a stomach virus.

"Zimmerman knew all the way that Harris wasn't going to be there. He was playing Markakis to pull and he had already told Zimmerman that on a ball to him, he should go to first base." --Manny Acta, May 23, 2009.

THE RESULT: Five Baltimore Orioles pitchers held the Washington Nationals to one run on seven hits and three walks, as the Birds beat the Nats 2-1, before a robust crowd of 31,833, many of whom made the trip down the B/W Parkway for the festivities.

Nats starter Ross Detwiler pitched well in defeat and should have had a different fate. He went six innings, allowing just one questionable hit, walking four and striking out four.

The run came in the third. Detwiler walked the bases loaded--including a four-pitch walk to O's starter Koji Uehara, making his first ever major league at bat. With two outs, Detwiler got Nick Markakis to ground to Ryan Zimmerman, but Willie Harris failed to cover second on the play, and what should have been a ground ball out to end the inning turned into an RBI single.

The Nats scored their lone run on a Cristian Guzman hone run in the fifth inning, his second of the season.

The Orioles took the lead against Julian Tavarez and Ron Villone in the seventh inning. Tavarez gave up a one-out double to catcher Gregg Zaun, but he was erased on a fielder's choice by Cesar Izturis. Aubrey Huff then pinch-hit for the pitcher, and Acta went for the lefty. Huff proceeded to triple against Villone, and that's all the Orioles would need.

Goerge Sherrill struck out the side in the bottom fo the ninth for the save.

THE GOOD: Justin Maxwell's catch of Adam Jones' sure-to-be home run ball may be the play of the year.

THE BAD: Josh Bard. 0-for-4, ground into DP, K.

THE UGLY: Manny Acta tried to defend Harris not covering the bag, but that's a play little leaguers know to make. Harris hasn't played second in a while, and the Nats are hamstrung by "using" 13 pitchers right now.

But has anyone seen Daniel Cabrera do anything but play catch with the right fielder between innings yet?

NEXT GAME: Nats hope to avoid a sweep by the O's at 1:35 pm. Sharion Martis (5-0, 4.53) faces Brad Bergesen (1-2, 5.35).

"I got lucky. I made the right contact and the ball went to the right place," --Danys Baez, May 22, 2009.

THE RESULT: Danys Baez, a relief pitcher that hasn't batted in the major leagues since 2003, scratched out an infield single and scored on consecutive doubles by the next two hitters, Brain Roberts and Adam Jones against Kip Wells.

And so, the Washington Nationals fell to 12-29 on the season as a result of a 4-2 loss to their geographic rivals, the Baltimore Orioles.

The loss spoiled a fine performance from four other Nationals pitchers, not the least of which came from rookie starter Jordan Zimmermann. He went seven innings and gave up just two earned runs on six hits and one walk, striking out seven.

Ron Villone, Jason Bergmann, and Joe Beimel all pitched scoreless innings to take the game into extra innings once again, where the Nats are now 0-6 on the season.

Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-run home run for the Nats, extending his consecutive on-base streak to 40 games.

THE TAKEAWAY: Three nights in a row, a reasonably played ball game. I mean, it sucks to lose on a 30-foot squib by a relief pitcher. But things like that happen in baseball.

THE GOOD: The Zimmerman(n)s. Jordan threw his best game to date, and Ryan continued his all-star campaign.

THE BAD: 22,556. The attendance was some 13,000 less than the Friday night game last season against the Orioles.

THE UGLY: Kip Wells. He got through the 11th, but fell apart int he 12th. After Baez' swinging bunt, he was just tossing batting practice.

NEXT GAME: Tonight. Game two against the Orioles. Ross Detwiler makes his second start of the season against Koji Uehara (47.2 IP, 2-3, 4.34 ERA, 35 Ks, 9 BBs).

Tonight kicks off the "Battle of the Beltways" between the Nats and their geographical rivals to the north, the Baltimore Orioles.

So head on doown to the park, hon, and grab yersef a Natty Bowh, if you ain't going downy o-chen dis weekend fer Mem-Oriole day. Gew O-ree-os.

It's funnier if you say it out loud.

This analytical piece about Ryan Zimmerman's success so far this season is an interesting read, though. And it's pretty much in plain English, as far as statistics go.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES (16-25, 5th in AL East--9.5 games back; four-game loss streak)

Roberts - 2B
Jones - CF
Markakis - RF
Huff - 1B
Mora - 3B
Reimold - LF
Moeller - C
Izturis - SS
Hill - P

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (12-28-1, 5th in NL East--10.5 games back; one-game win streak)

Guzman - SS
Johnson - 1B
Zimmerman - 3B
Dunn - RF
Willingham - LF
Belliard - 2B
Bard - C
Maxwell - CF
Zimmermann - P

STARTING PITCHERS

WAS: Jordan Zimmermann (34.0 IP, 2-1, 6.35 ERA, 32 Ks, 11 BBs)
BAL: Rich Hill (5.2 IP, 1-0, 3.18 ERA, 6 Ks, 2 BBs)

WEATHER

Clear and warm with just a touch of humidity. First pitch: 82F; last out: 74F. 0% chance of rain.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIAN TAVAREZ!

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"[Stammen] was impressive. I think he has a chance to be around for a while. He's good." --Adam LaRoche, May 21, 2009.

THE RESULT: Making his major league debut, 25-year old rookie Craig Stammen worked quickly, efficiently and successfully into the seventh inning. Despite giving up three runs in the seventh and trailing 4-3, as he was lifted by manager Manny Acta he received a standing ovation from the 17,816 in attendance.

His teammates rallied to his cause, coming back in the eighth inning to salvage the finale of the four-game series, 5-4.

Stammen, recalled yesterday to replace Daniel Cabrera in the starting rotation, was the antithesis of the pitcher he replaced. He averaged around 11.3 pitches per inning up to the seventh. He walked just one batter in his six and one-third innings, and that wasn't until his last inning of work. He pounded the strike zone with a 92 MPH sinking fastball and induced 11 ground ball outs, opposed to just five fly ball outs.

He even mixed in three swing-and-miss strikeouts.

Stammen retired the first 12 batters he faced. He didn't allow a base runner until Adam LaRoche led of fthe fifth with a double down the right field line. LaRoche later scored on two ground ball outs.

In the seventh inning, it looked like the rookie just ran out of gas a little. He got Freddie Sanchez to hit a grounder to short for the first out, but then walked Nate McLouth. LaRoche then took him deep when he left a ball up in the strike zone. Brandon Moss followed with a double and Andy LaRoche singled Moss home.

That's when Acta went to pull his rookie, one of four now in the starting rotation.

Julian Tavarez entered and did his job, going one and two-thirds innings scoreless, allowing just one walk and no hits.

Washington got Stammen off the hook in eighth. Cristian Guzman hit a one-out single to left, took second on a Nick Johnson single to center, and scored on a Ryan Zimmerman line drive single to right. Adam Dunn followed with the Nats' fourth consecutive single plating Johnson, and the Nats took the lead into the ninth, as they have several times this season only to be rewarded with disappointment.

But that would not be the case on this night. Joel Hanrahan entered and looked like a different pitcher. He faced four batters and allowed one baserunner--a single to Moss on a slider he hung in the middle of the plate. At that point, Hanrahan put the slider in his back pocket and blew away Ramon Vazquez and pinch-hitter Delwyn Young on nothing but 96 and 97 MPH fastballs.

THE TAKEAWAY: Despite losing three-of-four to the Pirates, the Nats have to think things are looking up. The insertion of Stammen (25) and Detwiler (23) to a rotation already featuring youngsters John Lannan (24), Shairon Martis (22) and Jordan Zimmermann (23 tomorrow) is encouraging, especially since it seems that all are ready to start living up to the promise we've heard so much about.

And maybe Hanrahan finally understands that it's hard to hit a 96 MPH fastball, even for major league players.

Sandy Koufax said, "I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to make them hit it."

THE GOOD: In the bottom of the eighth inning, as the Nats were rallying to take the lead, a spontaneous, unprompted "Let's Go Nats" cheer erupted in the upper deck and spread. No one, not the scoreboard, not Clint...NO ONE had to tell these Washington baseball fans when to cheer.

If you build it, they will come.

THE BAD: Anderson Hernandez left the game after grounding out in the bottom of the fourth inning. According to team trainers, he sprained his right pinky finger. According to The Times' Chatter, Anderson actually dislocated a joint and had to pull the finger back into place. Ouch.

THE UGLY: There was nothing really ugly last night. It was a perfect early summer night weather-wise, the bullpen didn't implode, every starter but Hernandez had a hit. The Nats even went a game without an error!

NEXT GAME: Tonight, the start of a three-game series with our neighbors to the north, the Baltimore Orioles. Jordan Zimmermann (2-1, 6.35) takes the hill against Rich Hill (1-0, 3.18), who is fresh off the disabled list, trying to resurrect a once-promising career.

NOTES: Zimmerman's RBI single extended his consecutive on-base streak to 39 games.

All Photos 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

Another rookie starter making his major league debut tonight for the Nationals. Craig Stammen gets the call from Syracuse. The 25-year old right hander is a "pitch-to-contact" guy, meaning he throws strikes, changes speeds, moves the ball around, but does not have a great "out" pitch, something that fools hitters.

Also, he does not strike people out (14 Ks in 40 IP), so he depends on his defense to help him be successful. He has credited his recent success to the development of a two-seam fastball (a sinker), to induce ground balls.

More chances for the infielders. Goody!

PITTSBURGH PIRATES (19-21, 5th in NL Central--6.5 games back; five-game win streak)

Morgan - LF
Sanchez - 2B
McLouth - CF
Adam LaRoche - 1B
Moss - RF
Andy LaRoche - 3B
Jaramillo - C
Wilson - SS
Snell - P

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (11-28-1, 5th in NL East--10.5 games back; seven-game loss streak)

Guzman - SS
Johnson - 1B
Zimmerman - 3B
Dunn - RF
Willingham - LF
Harris - CF
Bard - C
Hernandez – 2B
Stammen - P

STARTING PITCHERS

WAS: Craig Stammen (MLB debut; 4-2, 1.80 ERA, 14 Ks, 8 BBs in 40 IP at Syracuse)

PIT: Ian Snell (42.0 IP, 1-5, 4.93 ERA, 30 Ks, 25 BBs)

WEATHER

Absolutely freaking gorgeous. Sunny, then clear at night. First pitch: 75F, last out: 66F.

"I'm tired of talking about losses, period. You can only say the same thing over and over and over before you get fed up with it, and that's kind of what's going on right now." --Adam Dunn, May 21, 2009

THE RESULT: A 2-2 slider in the dirt from closer Joel Hanrahan got past catcher Wil Nieves, allowing Freddy Sanchez to scramble home from third with the winning run in the top of the ninth inning, as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals for the third straight game last night, before 17,854 at Nationals Park.

Hanrahan (L, 0-2, 6.87), called into the game tied at one, was awful again. He allowed three hits and a walk in one inning, needing 35 pitches to get through the disaster.

The Nats' fates were sealed in the bottom half of the ninth, when Nieves hit into a double play, and Josh Willingham's fly ball came to rest in center fielder Nate McLouth's glove, about a foot from the top of the wall, some 402 feet from home plate.

The end-game gaffe put an ugly stamp on an otherwise tight, entertaining game. Starter John Lannan went seven full innings, and allowed just one earned run on seven hits and two walks. He struck out five and hit one batter. Ron Villone followed him and contributed a scoreless inning with a K.

The Nats got their run in the fifth off Pirates starter Paul Maholm. Cristian Guzman hit a one-out triple and scored on a Nick Johnson line drive single to center. Johnson later stole second base, for his first steal of the season, but was stranded.

Reliever John Grabow (2-0) got the win and Matt Capps recorded his eighth save of the season.

THE TAKEAWAY: Hanrahan has to start throwing his fastball more. He was touching 97 on the stadium gun last night and someone has to tell him that he can't get beaten on his second best pitch. He is pitching afraid of contact, constantly throwing that slider in the dirt, and it's a recipe for continuing disaster--especially with men on base.

Joel: throw the fastball. It's your best pitch.

THE GOOD: Lannan. That's the John Lannan we've come to expect. Not overpowering, hitting his spots. Keeping his team in the game. Unfortunately, as has been the case for the last season and a half, he got no run support.

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

Ryan Zimmerman went 1-for-4, extending his consecutive on-base streak to 38 games.

THE BAD: Dunn, Belliard, Maxwell, Nieves: all hitless. The Nats got nothing out of the bottom of the order.

THE UGLY: Another ninth inning meltdown. The bullpen is now 1-15.

NEXT GAME: One more against the Pirates. Craig Stammen makes his major league debut against Ian Snell (1-5, 4.93) at 7:05 pm.

ROSTER NOTE: Reliever Garrett Mock will be sent down to Triple-A Syracuse to make room for Stammen. Mock was 0-2 with a 6.92 ERA in 13 games. He struck out six and walked eight in 13 innings pitched.

Posted by Cheryl Nichols

ESPN Zone’s second annual Battle of the Birds!

The Orioles and Nationals begin their "Battle of the Beltways" series this weekend with a competition between the teams’ mascots to see which bird is best!

Screech will challenge the Oriole Bird in a series of contests – including arm wrestling, shooting hoops, and more – with hopes of winning bragging rights and the Golden Birdhouse trophy. Both birds will also sign autographs and pose for pictures with fans.

The Orioles Bird is the reigning champion, however, Screech has "grown up" since the last battle so it should be more of an even matchup this time around.

WHO: The mascots from the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles

WHAT: Battle of the Birds at ESPN Zone
WHEN: Friday, May 22, 2009, 4-5 p.m.

WHERE: ESPN Zone, 555 12th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20004, 202-783-3776

Here are photos from the first ever Battle of Birds in Baltmore last season.

Photo courtesy of ESPNZone.

Posted by Cheryl Nichols [Dave will post the GB&U in the morning.]

Garrett Mock was sent back down to AAA Syracuse immediately following the Nationals seventh straight loss. The Pirates squeaked out the winning run when Joel Hanrahan threw a wild pitch in the 9th inning with two outs.

This move was to make room for Craig Stammen who will start tomorrow and Daniel Cabrera moves to the bullpen. See Nationals Journal for Q&As with Rizzo, Acta and Cabrera re move.

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

The Washington Nationals host the Pittsburgh Pirates in game three of a four-game series.

The collective sigh you'll hear from NatsTown(tm) tonight is the impending removal of Daniel Cabrera from the starting rotation, unless the Nats intend to go with six starters [shudder].

(--ed. From the manager himself: Cabrera goes to the pen. Oh man, is that not going to work).

According to the Dayton Daily News, Craig Stammen has been informed by the team that he will be called up tomorrow to start against the Pirates in the last of the four-game series.

Tonight, it's two soft-tossing lefties battling for respect.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES (18-21, 6th in NL Central--6.5 games back; four-game win streak)

Morgan - LF
Sanchez - 2B
McLouth - CF
Monroe - RF
Adam LaRoche - 1B
Diaz - C
Andy LaRoche - 3B
Wilson - SS
Maholm - P


WASHINGTON NATIONALS (11-27-1, 5th in NL East--10.5 games back; six-game loss streak)

Guzman - SS
Johnson - 1B
Zimmerman - 3B
Dunn - LF
Kearns - RF
Belliard - 2B
Maxwell - CF
Nieves - C
Lannan - P

STARTING PITCHERS

WAS: John Lannan (45.0 IP, 2-3, 4.00 ERA, 22 Ks, 16 BBs)
PIT: Paul Maholm (51.1 IP, 3-1, 3.51 ERA, 25 Ks, 15 BBs)

WEATHER

Clear and pleasantly cool, like a breath of fresh air knowing that the Daniel Cabrera experiment is over. First pitch: 74F; last out: 66F.

According to the Dayton Daily News, Craig Stammen has been informed by the Washington Nationals that he will be called up tomorrow to start against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the last of the four-game series.

Stammen's father, Jeff, was interviewed extensively about the promotion, including the details of the family's flight arrangements to D.C.

The 6-foot-3 right-hander is 4-2 with a 1.80 ERA in 40 innings at Triple-A Syracuse this season. He has given up 10 runs--eight earned--on 33 hits and eight walks with 14 strikeouts. He has allowed four home runs.

There has been no official word from the Nationals, or a corresponding roster move. According to the Nats site on MLB.com, Stammen is not listed on the 40-man roster, but should have one open spot for him.

Thursday would be Daniel Cabrera's regular day to start. Should he be lifted from the rotation, the Nats would have one sophomore (John Lannan) and four rookies (Shairon Martis, Jordan Zimmermann, Ross Detwiler and Stammen) in the starting rotation.

--ed. The Times' Chatter has it now too, with speculation about Cabrera.

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.


"We continue to put runs on the board. This is the 10th game in a row where we score five or more runs -- and we're 1-9. That tells you the story right now." --Manny Acta, May 19, 2009.

THE RESULT: The Pittsburgh Pirates scored three runs in the top of the tenth against Washington Nationals reliever Joe Beimel--working his second inning of relief--and came away with an 8-5 victory, their fifth in a row.

The Nats lost their sixth consecutive contest, and ninth out of ten. Washington became only the fourth team in history to lose six straight when they have scored five or more runs in each contest.

The Nats tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, as Nick Johnson walked home on a wild pitch after his fourth career triple. But the Nats couldn't get Ryan Zimmerman home from second base with one out, and the game went into extra innings, where the Nats haven't won all season (Now 0-5).

Ramon Vazquez led off with a single and took second on a sacrifice to Beimel on a play that looked like Beimel had time to get the lead runner. Beimel then intentionally walked Freddy Sanchez to face Nate McLouth. The move worked as McLouth flied out to center.

But that's where Beimel's luck ended, as Adam LaRoche his the next pitch for a double to score Vazquez and Sanchez, and Brandon Moss capped the scoring with a single, pushing LaRoche home.

Vazquez, LaRoche and Moss all bat left-handed, which is what Beimel (L, 0-3, 5.63) is supposed to specialize in.

This was actually a pretty decent game for much of the night. The Pirates jumped ahead 5-0 early against Nats starter Shairon Martis, but the rookie settled down to hold them there, and went on to retire the last 10 batters he faced after surrendering Adam LaRoche's two-run home run in the third.

LaRoche's shot was really the only hard hit ball against Martis, as the damage in the first inning was the result of a couple of bloop hits and a misplayed ball in center by Willie Harris that inexplicably was ruled a double and not a single and error.

Martis gave up five earned runs on five hits and two walks, with two strikeouts.

The Nats chipped away at the lead in the middle innings. Adam Dunn led off the fourth with his 11th home run of the season, which made his mama proud: she was in attendance last night.

In the sixth, Ryan Zimmerman extended his consecutive games on-base streak to 37 with a bunt single, went to second on Dunn's walk and scored on a Willie Harris single. Anderson Hernandez tripled into the right field corner to score Harris, and Wil Nieves knocked in Hernandez with a single.

THE TAKEAWAY: Martis is turning into a pretty good pitcher right before our eyes. The complete game last week got a lot of attention, but last night he didn't have his best stuff, but still only allowed one hard-hit ball in six innings. With a little luck and better defense, the first inning would never have happened.

He made the one mistake to LaRoche, a guy who can turn a mistake around pretty quickly.

THE GOOD: Ron Villone. He pitched two hitless, scoreless innings in relief of Martis to let the Nats have a hope of coming back, which they did.

THE BAD: Cristian Guzman and Josh Willingham were both 0-for-4. But both also walked once, so they weren't a complete loss.

THE UGLY: Joe Beimel. He hasn't been very effective since returning from his hip injury. Is it still bothering him? He should have been able to fool the left-handed batters he was left in to face last night.

Also, how little confidence does Manny Acta have in Joel Hanrahan right now? Despite being labelled the closer again, in a strikeout, closer-type situation with two outs and men on first and third, Acta left Beimel in to face LaRoche in the tenth.

I know it was a lefty-on-lefty situation, but a strikeout gets you out of the inning, and that's what Hanrahan does.

The bullpen is now 1-14 for the season.

NEXT GAME: Tonight at 7:05 pm against the Buccos. John Lannan (2-3, 4.00) hosts Paul Maholm (3-1, 3.51).

NOTES: As has been widely reported, the Nats placed Elijah Dukes on the 15-day DL after the game, DFA'd Alex Cintron (finally) and recalled Justin Maxwell and Jason Bergmann. The Nats will go with an eight-man bullpen for the first time under Manny Acta.

Also, Ross Detwiler earned another start. He will pitch Saturday against Baltimore.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTIN KEARNS!

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

Posted by Cheryl Nichols

We hadn't even pulled out of the parking lot after the game when we heard Charlie and Dave say the words that we have been waiting to hear for weeks...."Alex Cintron has been designated for assignment." It is about time.

Roster changes were announced during press conference following game.

Elijah Dukes was placed on the 15-day DL with a left hamstring strain, retroactive to May 18th. Maybe someone can explain to me why this could not have been done earlier in the day so that Maxwell could have been in the dugout tonight. Justin Maxwell will be back tomorrow to share time in CF with Willie Harris.

For the first time in Nationals history, the team will carry thirteen pitchers. Jason Bergmann will join the bullpen in middle relief. In Syracuse Bergy is 1-0 with a 1.10 ERA and one save in 12 games. He has walked five and struck out 11 in 16 1/3 innings. This is Bergmann's second stint with the Nationals this season. The first time around he had a 3.60 ERA in three games while holding opponents to a .167 batting average.

Other News:

-Ross Detwiler earned another start. Detwiler will be on the mound on Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles instead of heading north to Syracuse. Congratulations Ross. We are happy to have you.

-Joel Hanrahan declared closer again. The closer by committee idea was not working. Now we just need Joel to be "mean" and throw strikes and make batters nervous to face him.

-Nats think they will draft Stephen Strasburg. This is what we all want and hopefully it will actually happen.

-Nick Johnson being scouted by Red Sox and Mets?

The Nationals, losers of five straight and eight of their last ten, host the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second of a four-game series.

Nick Johnson is hitting .478 the past week with two homers and 12 RBIs. He's getting hot just when the Mets need a first baseman with Carlos Delgado going down to hip surgery. I'm just sayin'.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES (17-21, 6th in NL Central--6.5 games back; three-game win streak)

Morgan - LF
Sanchez - 2B
McLouth - CF
Adam LaRoche - 1B
Moss - RF
Andy LaRoche - 3B
Jaramillo - C
Wilson - SS
Karstens - P

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (11-26-1, 5th in NL East--10 games back; five-game loss streak)

Guzman - SS
Johnson - 1B
Zimmerman - 3B
Dunn - RF
Willingham - LF
Harris - CF
Hernandez - 2B
Nieves - C
Martis - P

STARTING PITCHERS

PIT: Jeff Karstens (32.0 IP, 1-2, 5.06 ERA, 14 Ks, 13 BBs)

WAS: Shairon Martis (41.2 IP, 5-0, 4.10 ERA, 21 Ks, 17 BBs)

WEATHER

Excellent evening weather, but temperatures may dip fast after sundown. Still very comfortable for late May. First pitch--68F; Last out--61F. 0% chance of rain.

"If I have to keep a Double-A guy out there because I don't want to go to my big league bullpen, then that's really scary." --Manny Acta, May 19, 2009

THE RESULT: Ross Detwiler, making his second career appearance and first major league start, pitched well enough to win, and his offense scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth to give him a chance to win.

Unfortunately, that left four innings up to the bullpen. And as they have all season long, the bullpen provided no relief whatsoever, giving up a total of nine runs, and the Washington Nationals lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-7 before an announced crowd of 14,549.

Detwiler, 23, the Nationals first round pick in the 2007 amateur draft, went five innings and gave up four hits and no walks, striking out six. He gave up three runs on a single, hit-by-pitch and three-run home run by veteran outfielder Craig Monroe.

The youngster threw 84 pitches, 61 for strikes. The story of the game should revolve around him.


What will linger on sports radio and in blog comments sections will be how bad the bullpen was once again.

Garrett Mock relieved Detwiler in the sixth and promptly walked the first batter he faced--ON FOUR PITCHES. That batter, Adamn LaRoche, took second on a wild pitch, and Mock hit catcher Robinzon Diaz with his next offering.

After a successful sacrifice, Mock gave up a two-run double to light-hitting Jack Wilson. Wilson would be Mock's last batter.

Jesus Colome entered, but he would be no better. He was hit hard for two doubles and a single, and three more runs.

Just like that, a rookie's first win turned into another miserable night at the ballpark for anyone wearing a Nats hat.

Adding insult to injury, newly re-appointed closer Joel Hanrahan was torched int he ninth for three runs on two hits and two walks, further fouling the moods of the few that stuck around to the end.

THE TAKEAWAY: This sucks. I'm sick of writing about it. You can't take seven guys in a bullpen and ASK THEM to be this bad on purpose.

THE GOOD: Ross Detwiler. Threw strikes. Kept his head down when ridiculous errors were being made behind him. Showed poise by striking out the next batter after giving up the home run.

He probably won't be in the bigs long, as the team plans to sent him back out to Syracuse. But he showed enough tonight to show he'll belong here when he gets back.

THE BAD: Take your pick. Mock. Colome. Wells. Hanrahan. They're all a mess.

THE UGLY: For the love of god, where the hell was Cristian Guzman's head in the top of the first? Two completely indefensible errors behind a pitcher making his first major league start. I could have made either play.

They were both slow hit rollers that Guz barely had to more his feet on, and he kicked them both. Probably cost Detwiler an inning because of all the extra pitches he had to throw.

Hernandez/Bard turned an out at home into another error, and Nick Johnson let a pick-off throw hit him in the chest.

Just shoot me.

NEXT GAME: We get to do it all again tomorrow! Shairon Martis (5-0, 4.10) takes on Jeff Karstens (1-2, 5.06).

NOTES: Guzman had two hits to raise his average to .385. He finally drew his first walk of the season, getting a fifth-inning pass in his 122nd plate appearance.

Ryan Zimmerman continued a 36-game on base streak with a monster solo home run.

Photo (c) C. Nichols 2009. All Rights Reserved.

The Washington Nationals host the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first of a four-games series from Nationals Park at 7:05 pm. Bring a sweatshirt, it'll be cool at the park tonight.

Tonight is Ross Detwiler's first major league start. The 2007 first round (sixth overall) draft pick started six contests and logged a team-best 28 strikeouts with a 2.96 ERA this season at Harrisburg. Detwiler posted a 1.20 ERA (2 ER) and 4.5/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (18 K/4 BB) in 15.0 innings pitched during his last three starts.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES (16-21; 6th in NL Central-6.5 back; two-game win streak):

Morgan - LF
Sanchez - 2B
McLouth - CF
Monroe - RF
Adam LaRoche - 1B
Diaz - C
Andy LaRoche - 3B
Wilson - SS
Ohlendorf - P

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (11-25; 5th in NL East-10 games back; four-game loss streak):

Guzman - SS
Johnson - 1B
Zimmerman - 3B
Dunn - RF
Willingham - LF
Harris - CF
Hernandez - 2B
Bard - C
Detwiler - P

STARTING PITCHERS:

PIT: Ross Olhendorf (43.0 IP, 4-3, 3.77 ERA, 22 Ks, 9 BBs)
WAS: Ross Detwiler (2009 debut, first major league start)

WEATHER:

Clear. Calm. Chilly. First pitch: 58F. Last out: 53F. No chance of rain. WOO HOO!!!

NOTES

Nats starter Jordan Zimmermann appeared at ESPNZone today at lunchtime for a fan Q&A, moderated by Charlie Slowes, play-by-play voice of the Nationals. He took fan questions, answered some canned questions from Charlie, and fans answered trivia for free tickets.

THE RESULTS: Nats lost all three games over the weekend to complete a four-game sweep to the Phillies. In all four games the team scored five or more runs. The Nats are now 11-25 on the season.

SUNDAY: Leading entering the eighth inning, the Nats fell 8-6 when Anderson Hernandez lost the ball on a throw from Jesus Colome, fielding a sacrifice bunt. Two runs scored on the play, and the Phils would add another to escape with the win.

Jordan Zimmermann was again roughed up in the first inning, giving up three runs early. he finished five innings, allowing five earned on seven hits and three walks. He struck out six.

Adam Dunn drove in two runs with a double, and Cristian Guzman went 3-for-5 with three runs, raising his average to .381. He still has not walked this season. Nick Johnson reached base four times, with two hits and two walks and scored twice.

SATURDAY, GAME TWO: In the bottom half of the double-header, Daniel Cabrera stunk again. He allowed three in the third and four in the fifth, losing to the Phillies 7-5 in a rain-shortened five-plus innings.

Cabrera's bottom line: 5 IP, 7 ERs, 8 hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks, 2 HRs. He is 0-5 with a 5.95 ERA on the season, with 32 BBs and just 16 Ks in 39.1 IP.

Raul Ibanez and Ryan Howard homered for the Phils. Josh Willingham and Ronnie Belliard had two hits apiece, and Willie Harris drove in two runs with a triple.

SATURDAY, GAME ONE: Stop me if you've heard this one before: Philadelphia scored two runs in the eighth inning and beat the Nats 8-5 in the "day" part of the "day-night" double-header.

Nats-killer Raul Ibanez homered twice off fellow lefty Scott Olsen and went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and three runs scored. Olsen, who left the game injured and was placed on the 15-day DL with tendinitis, went five innings and gave up five earned runs on nine hits and two walks. He struck out only three and allowed three home runs.

Ryan Zimmerman hit his ninth home run of the season, a solo shot off Brett Myers, and added another RBI later in the game. He went 2-for-4 with one run and two RBIs.

THE TAKEAWAY: 22 runs in three-and-a-half games and four losses to show for it. One of the starters goes on the DL with another rookie inserted into the rotation. Three rookies, a second year man, and Daniel Cabrera. That's the rotation.

The much-maligned bullpen continues to be atrocious. It's stunning to me, and most long-time baseball fans, just how poorly this bullpen performs. But is it any wonder? Tavarez, Wells, Villone, heck, even Beimel; none of them had a major league contract at the beginning of spring training. Read that again: NONE OF THEM were wanted by any other franchise in Major League baseball.

What started this season as one of the youngest pens in the bigs now is one of the oldest. It's so bad, when Steven Shell and Mike Hinckley were DFA'd, they both opted for free agency rather than stay with the organization in Triple-A.

THE GOOD: The team is still hitting. Guzman leads the NL in average; Zim is sixth. Dunn is ninth in OBP and slugging and eighth in OPS. Zim is sixth in slugging and ninth in OPS. It's just a shame it's all going to waste.

THE BAD: Jordan Zimmermann's first innings. After three first inning runs Sunday, J-Zimm's first inning ERA is 19.50. After that, it falls to 3.54. The team needs to figure out what's wrong with his pre-game warm-ups and fix it.

THE UGLY: "I just feel really bad. I feel the worst I've ever been in my life." Daniel Cabrera, May 16, 2009. We feel much the same way, Daniel.

NEXT GAME: The Nats start a four-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who enter play in sixth place in the NL Central at 16-21, tonight at 7:05 at Nationals Park. Ross Detwiler makes his first ML start against Ross Ohlendorf (4-3, 3.77).

Posted by Cheryl Nichols

Nationals Farm Authority is reporting that RHP Ryan Wagner has retired. This news surprised me since he looked pretty sharp the day that we saw him at spring training.

Wagner was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 2003 and acquired by the Nationals in the trade with Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez for Bill Bray, Royce Clayton, Brendan Harris, Gary Majewski and Daryl Thompson. Ryan's major league debut was July 19, 2003 and has been playing in AAA Syracuse in 2009. Wagner ends his career with an 11-9 record and 4.79 ERA.

Best of luck to Ryan!

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.