The Washington Nationals announced they have traded 1B Nick Johnson to the Florida Marlins for minor league left-handed starter Aaron Thompson.

In addition, the team confirmed they sent left-handed reliever Joe Beimel to the Colorado Rockies for two minor league players.

Johnson, a free agent after this season, hit .294/.408/402 with six home runs and 44 RBIs this season for the Nats, in his sixth season with the organization.

He was the last player to wear the tri-colors of the Montreal Expos in the organization.

Thompson, 22, is 5-9 with a 4.11 ERA with Double-A Jacksonville. He was a first-round pick for the Marlins in 2005, out of high school in Texas. He was the 13th-ranked Florida prospect, according to Baseball America.

According to one scouting service, Thompson has a 87-90 MPH fastball and plus slider to go along with pinpoint command.

He posted a .268 batting average against and 1.74/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio with 75 strikeouts and 43 walks in 114.0 innings. Entering this season, he was recognized as having the “Best Changeup” in the Marlins system by Baseball America.

Beimel spends less than one season with the Nats. He was 1-5 with a 3.40 ERA and a save in 45 appearances.

The players recieved for Beimel are right-handed pitcher Ryan Mattheus and right-handed pitcher Robinson Fabian.

Mattheus, 25, was 1-3 with a 3.81 ERA in 19 appearances for Colorado’s top three affiliates this season before having “Tommy John” ligament-replacement surgery performed in early July. In 26.0 innings prior the surgery, Mattheus struck out 27—or 9.3 per 9.0 innings pitched—en route to recording a .250 (24-for-96) batting average against.

Shifted to the bullpen for the first time in 2008, his efforts were rewarded, as he represented the Rockies in both the 2008 Futures Game and the Double-A Texas League All-Star Game. He earned both citations by not only posting a 3.28 ERA in the Texas League, but also by leading Tulsa with 17 saves, striking out 8.7 batters per 9.0 innings and recording a heavy 2.4/1 ground ball-to-fly ball ratio.

Fabian was 3-6 with a 6.24 ERA in 24 games (12 starts) with Asheville of the Single-A South Atlantic League at the time of the trade. In 83.2 innings, he fanned 54 and walked just 21, good for a 2.6/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has been assigned by the Nationals to Hagerstown of the Single-A South Atlantic League.

The 23 year-old is 20-30 with a 5.08 ERA in 101 games (67 starts) in seven professional seasons.

Photos 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

THE RESULT: In a sloppy, unevenly officiated affair, the Washington Nationals lost to the Milwaukee Brewers 7-3, before 39,890 in attendance for the "Businessman's Special" at Miller Park.

Nats "interim" manager Jim Riggleman earned his first ejection of the season early in the game arguing a pitch that appeared to to be a foul ball that home plate umpire "Country" Joe West ruled strike three.

Riggleman probably would have been tossed later anyway. The pivotal play came in the bottom of the seventh. Mike Cameron led off with a double and took third on Casey McGehee's single.

Catcher Jason Kendall followed with a grounder to third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who made a perfect throw to home to nab Cameron, except West ruled that Cameron got in under the tag of Wil Nieves, much to the catcher's disbelief.

The run broke a three-all tie, and apparently the will of the Nationals on the field.

Milwaukee would add another run in the inning when Anderson Hernandez made a poor throw and failed to complete a double play. The Brewers got two more insurance runs in the eighth off Mike MacDougal on a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch.

Starter J.D. Martin (L, 0-2, 7.50) took the loss. He pitched six innings and the first two batters of the seventh, giving up five earned runs on seven hits (two home runs) and no walks. He struck out four.

Ryan Zimmerman had just one hit, but it was a big one. His three-run home run in the fourth inning -- his 19th of the year -- gave the Nats a short-lived 3-2 lead and accounted for all the scoring Washington could muster against Yovanni Gallardo (W, 10-7, 3.13) and two Brewers relievers.

Nyjer Morgan continued his hot hand, going 3-for-4 with a run and his 32 stolen base. But the situational hitting woes popped up again. Morgan led off the sixth with a double and took second on Alberto Gonzalez' sacrifice, but was stranded as Gallardo struck out Nick Johnson and Adam Dunn to end the inning.

Craig Counsel and Prince Fielder hit home runs for the Brew Crew.

THE TAKEAWAY: OK, so he wasn't actually on the bench at the time, but there's no way Riggleman should have sent Martin out for the seventh. He gave the Nats a "quality start" (six innings, three earned runs) at that point, and Burnett was ready to come in.

But he was allowed to start the seventh and the first three batters all reached.

I know he fairly breezed through the sixth and his pitch count was manageable, but the Nats just cannot expect more than six innings out of most of these starters, and especially Martin. Should have pulled him when everyone felt good about the outing.

THE GOOD: Nyjer Morgan. Despite Zimmerman's big homer, gotta go with "Captain" Morgan. Since the trade that brought him to D.C. July 3, he's hitting .389/.416/.484 with 17 runs and 13 stolen bases. Feelin' Sexy, indeed.

There's no way Morgan can sustain this pace, as hit BABIP (Batting Average on Balls In Play) for the season is a ridiculous .439 (N.L. average is .296). His BABIP career-wise is going to be a little high, since he's such a good bunter and obscenely fast, but .439 is unsustainable regardless.

But he certainly is making a difference for this team, both at the plate and certainly in the field.

THE BAD: Andy Hernandez. 0-for 3 with two strikeouts, plus the bad throw. His average is down to .244/.309/.315.

THE UGLY: Mike MacDougal. One inning, two earned runs on two hits, a walk, and two wild pitches.

NEXT GAME: The Nats travel to Pittsburgh to face what's left of the Pirates after GM Neil Huntington's trading frenzy this week. John Lannan (7-7, 3.25) takes the hill against Ross Ohlendorf (8-8, 4.51), if he isn't traded before the deadline. Ohlendorf, not Lannan.

Also, tomorrow at 4:00 pm is the non-waiver trade deadline. Stay tuned for all the latest rumors and news.

BONUS: According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates plan to recall Lastings Milledge in time for Friday's game against the Nats. Should be a good time in the old town tonight.

SPECIAL ADDED BONUS: Representatives from Nats News Network, We've Got Heart, Nats Fanboy Looser and several other car loads of Nats fans are making the trip this weekend for the series.

NNN will have a full report for each game, unless I fall into some sort of food coma from the Primanti Bros. sandwiches!

"I think everybody that had a Nationals jersey on felt like we were in a good spot right there, but I didn't do my job." -- Tyler Clippard, on allowing Casey McGehee's two-run home run in the sixth inning, July 29, 2009.

THE RESULT: Casey McGehee, a utility infielder, hit a pinch-hit two run home run off reliever Tyler Clippard, and the Milwaukee Brewers snapped the Washington Nationals four-game winning streak, dropping the Nats 7-5, before 32,992 at Miller Park.

The Nats are now 32-69 on the season, 27 games behind in the division and seven and one-half games behind San Diego for the worst record in the N.L.

Washington got out early in this one, scoring four times in the first two innings against Brewers starter Manny Parra. Parra (W, 5-8, 6.50) really struggled with his command, walking five batters in the first two innings alone.

But the big lefty settled down, and pitched long enough for his offense to bail him out and earn him the victory. He finished six innings, allowing five earned runs on nine hits and five walks, striking out seven.

His opponent, Garrett Mock, was successful in holding the lead staked to him by his offense -- but just barely. Given a 4-0 lead to work with, Mock gave up two in the third and one in the fourth, and left two batters into the sixth inning.

Mock allowed four earned runs on eight hits, one walk and a wild pitch which scored a run, and struck out four.

Clippard entered in the sixth after Mock allowed the first two hitters to reach. He induced a double-play grounder on his first batter, but a run scored regardless. After the DP, Clippard walked the number eight hitter, backup catcher Mike Rivera, ahead of McGehee's blast.

The Nats offense was really cooking most of the game, but followed a familiar script, leaving more men on base than pushing across home plate. They finished with 11 hits and five walks, scored five and left 11 men on base.

Washington was undone by its six and seven hitters. Ronnie Belliard and Austin Kearns combined to go 0-for-8 and leave six runners stranded.

Nyjer Morgan, Cristian Guzman, Ryan Zimmerman and Nick Johnson all had two hits apiece.

THE TAKEAWAY: The Nats let the Brewers off the hook last night. A 4-0 lead after two innings with a pitcher that couldn't find home plate with a map should have made for an easy night. But nothing is easy with team, regardless of the four-game win streak that will probably keep the team from making any trades here at the deadline.

Case in point: After Parra walked Zimmerman and Johnson with two outs in the second inning, Belliard popped out on the second pitch of the next at bat.

THE GOOD: Ryan Zimmerman. He went 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs.

THE BAD: Austin Kearns. 0-for-3. I've run out of words.

THE UGLY: Ronnie Belliard. 0-for-5 with five popups, six runners left stranded. You want to know the reason the Nats lost last night? Look no further. Sure, the pitching wasn't really sharp, but Belliard was a one-man rally killer last night.

He saw 17 pitches in five at bats. Nick Johnson saw 28.

NEXT GAME: 2:05 pm Matinee today to wrap up the four-game set. J.D. Martin (0-1, 7.50) tries for his first big league win against Milwaukee's best pitcher, Yovanni Gallardo (9-7, 3.09).

"I think we're just feeling that this is what we could have been doing all along." -- Jim Riggleman, July 28, 2009.

THE RESULT: Home runs from Nyjer Morgan, Adam Dunn and Cristian Guzman led the Washington Nationals to a 8-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday night, before 36,502 at Miller Park.

Dunn's blast, estimated at 445 feet, was the first ball in Miller Park history to leave the stadium, escaping through a window on the concourse about right center field.

"That ball was crushed. Once he hit it everyone was screaming in the dugout, I look up and it's going over the truck [advertisement]," Nats starting pitcher Collin Balester said. "That's one of the farthest balls I've seen."

Balester (W, 1-1, 4.00) did his part as well. He went six innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits. He walked no one and struck out three. He allowed a solo home run to all-star Ryan Braun.

Jason Bergmann and Logan Kensing both pitched a scoreless inning in relief, and Ron Villone gave up a single run in the bottom of the ninth but held on.

Morgan led the game off with his third home run of the season, prompting the quote in the headline. He's hitting .389 in 22 games in July. He finished with two hits, three RBIs, a run and an steal, his 31st of the season.

Guzman's shot -- his fifth of the season -- sealed the deal in the top of the eighth inning.

Washington has won six of its last eight, and are 6-7 under "interim" manager Jim Riggleman since he took over for Manny Acta after the all-star break.

THE TAKEAWAY: The Nats are getting it done at the plate here lately, looking much like the offense in April and early May. The team rapped 12 hits and drew eight walks against Milwaukee pitching.

The Brewers have given up 12 homers in the last five games, and eight runs or more in six of the last eight.

THE GOOD: The Offense. Morgan, Guzman and Willingham all had multiple hit games. Dunn had his titanic blast. Even Wil Nieves had an RBI.

THE BAD: Alberto Gonzalez. 0-for-5. Was the only starter, including the pitcher, that did not register a hit.

THE UGLY: Milwaukee's playoff hopes. They entered this series at .500, within hailing distance of the wildcard in the National League. Losing two straight to the Nats will make you re-organize your priorities pretty quickly.

The Brewers are 2-7 in their last nine games.

NEXT GAME: Tonight for the series finale. Garrett Mock (0-4, 7.06) takes on Manny Parra (4-8, 6.42) at 8:05 EDT.

As the non-waiver trade deadline approaches on Friday, there are still rumors of deals floating around for Joe Beimel, but dance partners for the others seem to be dwindling. Shocking, but the market for slugging, defenseless corner outfielders or high-OBP, low-power first basemen seems to be drying up.

The Red Sox traded for Adam LaRoche, an inferior player to Nick Johnson in every way but the ability to hit home runs. The Giants traded for Ryan Garko, a player inferior to Nick Johnson in every way but good looks. The Cardinals traded for Matt Holliday, an overall superior player to anything the Nats have to offer.

For all the talk last week about Willingham to the Phillies, it's a move that makes no sense, as the Phillies have three, ahem, all-star outfielders.

I could sit here and make something up about who might be the most likely trading partners for the Nationals for any of these players, but the truth is, it would be a waste of time. No one can predict what the Nats may or may not do.

Rumors were swirling today that the Nats are leaning toward Jerry DiPoto, Arizona director of scouting and player personnel, as the next GM. Whether this is true or not is immaterial. It effects the way Mike Rizzo does business regardless of the veracity.

If you held a gun to my head, I would guess that the Nats probably find a taker for Beimel (probably the Cubs), but not for any of the others. That would be bad.

What this team simply cannot do is come into spring training with Johnson at first base, Willingham in right, Dunn in left and Guzman at short. The recipe for this season's defensive disaster will be nothing but one year older, with less range and less overall effectiveness.

If the Nats want to resign Johnson for a year, and hope that Chris Marrero is ready in 2011, then they will have to move either Dunn or Willingham over the off-season. The team can't come into the season with defensive liabilities in both corners. One would be acceptable. But not both.

Trading Johnson earlier this season, when he was at his most effective, would have been preferable. At this point, the Nats have convinced themselves Johnson is more valuable to them that to others. They're right, of course, since they have no logical replacement.

Should he be traded, either Dunn or Willingham will be moved to first, and we'll see Dukes or Maxwell called up for the corner slot. And believe me, it's a roll of the dice as to which we would see.

The Nats are reportedly asking for a king's ransom for any of the three players, but are being offered a pauper's penance, at least in their minds.

As for Guzman, he is untradeable, on the hook for another $8 million next year. Not to mention, at .299/.314/.403 with 13 errors, .962 fielding percentage and -6.2 UZR/150 (third worst in the majors among qualifiers), performance-wise he's one of the least valuable players in the majors.

And let's not forget the pressure from ownership to avoid a sub-50 win season.

So with an "acting" GM -- with rumors of his replacement swirling -- peddling faulty players and asking for someones first and second born sons, it's hard to envision anything significant happening in the next three days.

But again, guessing what this team will do is just a waste of time.

THE RESULT: Josh Willingham became the 13th player in major league history to hit two grand slams in the same game as the Washington Nationals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 14-6.

Willingham's eight RBIs ties a Montreal/Washington franchise record for most RBIs in one game.

Washington put up 13 hits and added five walks, beating up the "Brew Crew" with a six-run fifth inning and seven-run sixth.

The Nats right fielder now has 16 home runs and 39 RBIs for the season.

Ryan Zimmerman also homered -- his 18th of the season. Nyjer Morgan went 3-for-5 with two runs, Cristian Guzman had two hits, runs and RBIs, and Adam Dunn did the same.

The only bad news was the poor start from Craig Stammen. He just didn't "have it" tonight. Staked to a 6-2 lead entering the bottom fo the fifth, he gave up three runs in frame and "interim" manager Jim Riggleman went out to get him with two outs -- one out away from qualifying for the win.

Stammen finished only four and two-thirds innings. He gave up five earned runs on nine hits. He did not allow a walk, and struck out just one, surrendering home runs to Corey Hart and Prince Fielder.

Jason Bergmann got the win, going one and one-third innings, giving up a run on two hits and a walk. It's nice when the hitters put up a touchdown for you.

THE TAKEAWAY: Think John Lannan would have liked a couple of these runs?

THE GOOD: The Hammer. He's been one of the N.L.'s hottest hitters for six weeks now. If the Nats are going to move him at the trading deadline, you'd have to imagine his stock just went up a little bit more.

THE BAD: Josh Bard. 0-for-4 in the slugfest.

THE UGLY: Craig Stammen. He couldn't keep the ball down tonight, and he really paid for it.

NEXT GAME: Tuesday at 8:05 EDT. Collin Balester (0-0, 6.00) makes his second start of the season against Tim Dillard, making his first big league start. He went 10-4 with a 3.66 ERA for Triple-A Nashville this season.

"Just trying to get a pitch to hit and not miss it. Don't foul it off or anything, square it up and see what happens." -- Austin Kearns, on Sunday's game-winning hit, July 26, 2009.

THE RESULTS: The Washington Nationals took a pair of games from the San Diego Padres, the next-worst team in the National League, over the weekend. Saturday, the Nats exploded for a 13-1 win after another lengthy rain delay, and Sunday they rode another strong outing by John Lannan -- and late inning heroics from Kearns -- for a 3-2, 10-inning win.

Lannan was once again outstanding, going eight innings and giving up one earned run on five hits and one walk, striking out two. He was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning after just 81 pitches, 59 of which were strikes.

He did not factor in the decision though, as Mike MacDougal gave up a massive home run with two outs in the top of the ninth to Padres outfielder Kyle Blanks, which tied the game at two.

The Nats had just taken the lead in the bottom of the eighth, when Adam Dunn singled in Willie Harris, who had singled and took second on an error.

Kearns was inserted for defense -- for Dunn -- in the top of the ninth, but was the hitting hero instead. Nyjer Morgan led off the inning with a bunt single and was sacrificed to second by Harris. The Padres then walked Nick Johnson, and Ryan Zimmerman flied out for the second out.

Kearns laced the second pitch he saw from Padres reliever Greg Burke to the gap in right, plenty of hit to score Morgan from second.

In Saturday's laugher, Dunn hit a grand slam, Zimmerman added shot of his own, and the Nats pounded out 16 hits in the 13-1 win.

Starter J.D. Martin only threw two innings because of the long rain delay. Tyler Clippard (W, 1-0, 1.93) picked him up, going four one-hit shutout innings, striking out seven along the way.

Morgan went 4-for-5 in the leadoff spot and Cristain Guzman added three hits to the parade.

THE TAKEAWAY: After 98 games, the Nats finally reached 30 wins for the season. They took two series this week, against the injury-depleted Mets and talent-depleted Padres. They went 4-7 for the 11-game homestand, the first 11 games of the Jim Riggleman era.

The Nats now will try to take the momentum from the weekend out on the road with them, as they embark on an eight-day, eight game road trip to Milwaukee and Pittsburgh.

THE GOOD: John Lannan. You can't really describe a non-strikeout guy as dominant, but in his last three starts, against the Cubs, Mets and Padres, Lannan has been absolutely baffling hitters. In 23.2 IP, he gave up 19 hits and just two walks, striking out just five batters.

THE BAD: Anderson Hernandez. In his first start since Riggleman took over, he went 0-for-4 on Sunday.

THE UGLY: Dmitri Young. I know he's not on the roster, but he is on the 40-man -- for now. He injured a quad muscle last Sunday in Harrisburg, and an MRI revealed a tear in the muscle. He's probably out for the season.

I personally like Dmitri Young, and if he's played his last game in a Nationals uniform, I will miss him. But the sad reality is for $10 million, be gave the club 150 at bats in the last two years.

Good Luck and Good Health, Meathook.

NEXT GAME: Tonight in Milwaukee. Craig Stammen (3-5, 4.14) faces Jeff Suppan (5-7, 4.71).

"This is the big leagues. You can't give teams four or five outs." -- Josh Bard, who had an error and passed ball, July 24, 2009.

THE RESULT: The Washington Nationals committed four errors and a passed ball, which led to three unearned runs, and a 6-2 loss to the San Diego Padres, the next-worst team in the National League.

San Diego is now 4-17 in July.

The Nats managed just six hits off Mat Latos -- making his second career start -- and three Padres relievers, scoring on solo home runs by Cristian Guzman (4) and Ryan Zimmerman (16).

The Nationals have lost 13 of 16 and have the majors' worst record at 28-68. They now have 94 errors in 96 games, far and away the worst in the major leagues.

Friday night's game is the 10th time this year the Nats have made three or more errors in a game this season.

Interim manager Jim Riggleman was pointed in his post-game comments. "We just cannot play that sloppy and have that many errors through this point in the season and just say, 'Well that's baseball. That's OK. They're trying.' No. That's not fair to the fans who come out here and buy these tickets."

Washington starter Garrett Mock,who made his second start since being recalled last week, gave up five runs, three earned, on nine hits and one walk, striking out five, in five and one-third innings.

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

The Nats made an error and had a passed ball before they recorded an out. Tony Gwynn singled to start the game, took second on a passed ball by Josh Bard that he tried to backhand; instead he whiffed and the ball went to the stone wall, giving Gwynn second base.

Everth Cabrera attempted a sacrifice bunt, but Mock overthrew Nick Johnson at first, and all hands were safe. Gwynn scored on a sacrifice fly and Cabrera later scored on a double to make it 2-0 before most fans were in their seats.

Adam Dunn made an error for the second straight game, misplaying a ball in the corner. Bard later dropped a pop-up up the third baseline, and Jason Bergmann overthrew Johnson in the seventh, which led to another unearned run.

To make matters worse, when the Nats did reach base, they took themselves out of innings. Johnson led off the second with a single, but was gunned down when Riggleman put on a hit-and-run, which turned into a strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play with Josh Willingham providing the strikeout.

THE TAKEAWAY: So much for the extra fielding defense Riggleman is putting the team through before games. Four errors and a passed ball make for a very ugly game.

The Nats actually made good contact off Padres rookie Latos in the first couple of innings, but after the errors and the Willingham/Johnson double play, the team just rolled over.

THE GOOD: Ryan Zimmerman and Cristian Guzman. They both went 2-for-4 with a solo home run.

THE BAD: Willie Harris. He was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in the leadoff position.

THE UGLY: Four errors. F-O-U-R. 4. And a passed ball to boot. It's embarrassing and hard to watch.

NEXT GAME: Saturday night for game two with the Pads. J.D. Martin (0-1, 11.25) makes his second start against Tim Stauffer (0-1, 2.08).

The Swinging Friars come to town to test the theory about irresistible forces and immoveable objects.

San Diego's team hitting is the worst in the N.L., and D.C.'s owns the N.L.'s worst team pitching.

Something's gotta give...

SAN DIEGO PADRES (37-59, 5th in NL West -- 24.5 games back; five-game losing streak)

Gwynn - CF
Cabrera - SS
Gonzalez - 1B (5-for-20 (.250) last seven days)
Kouzmanoff - 3B (5-for-23 (.217) last seven days)
Headley - LF
Blanks - RF
Rodriguez - 2B
Alfonzo - C
Latos - P

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (28-67, 5th in NL East -- 27 games back; one-game losing streak)

Harris - CF (0-for-12 (.000) last seven games)
Guzman - SS (1-for-15 (.067) last seven games)
Zimmerman - 3B (3-for-20 (.150) last seven games)
Dunn - LF (10-for-24 (.417) last seven games)
Johnson - 1B
Willingham - RF
Bard - C
Gonzalez - 2B
Mock - P

STARTING PITCHERS

WAS: Garrett Mock (16.1 IP, 0-3, 7.71 ERA, 9 K, 10 BB)
SDG: Mat Latos (4.0 IP, 0-1, 4.50 ERA, 4 K, 1 BB)

WEATHER

Partly cloudy, touch of humidity. First pitch: 82F. Final out: 74F.

"Easy way to get one [complete game]...They told me if I fly in early, I had to throw a CG and I did it." -- Adam Wainwright, St. Louis winning pitcher, July 23, 2009.

THE RESULT: Adam Wainwright and the St. Louis Cardinals had little trouble securing their 52nd win this season against the Washington Nationals. Regardless, the downpours that struck the D.C. area last night also conspired against the home team, and the Nats dropped a 4-1 decision to the N.L. Central-leading Cardinals.

The game, a makeup of a May 3 contest postponed by rain, was called with one out in the top of the seventh after a 1-hour, 30-minute delay left the field unplayable. There was a 76-minute stoppage in the fourth inning.

It was the 16th Washington game interrupted by rain this season, and delays in those total 30 hours, 31 minutes.

Wainwright (W, 11-6, 2.95) was superb, as he has been all season. He went the distance -- six innings -- and surrendered eight hits and just one walk, striking out seven Nats hitters.

Washington got its only run in the bottom of the sixth, right before the final cloudbursts that ended the game. Adam Dunn led off with a double to right field and after two strikeouts, Alberto Gonzalez knocked him in with a double.

Collin Balester (L, 0-1, 6.00) started for the Nats and pitched three innings with mixed results. He allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and a walk, striking out two. He gave up a solo home run to Rick Ankiel, his first home run since June 19.

And it wouldn't be a Nats game without another error. In the top of the first, Skip Schumaker doubled to lead off. Colby Rasmus then flied out to Dunn in left field, but Dunn dropped the ball after the catch, allowing Schumaker to advance to third.

Of course, he scored on a ground out from the next batter for an unearned run.

THE TAKEAWAY: Albert Pujols did not play. He has been given just two nights off all season by manager Tony LaRussa. Both have been against the Nats.

THE GOOD: Adam Dunn. His dropped ball not withstanding, he went 3-for-3 with a run.

THE BAD: Ryan Zimmerman. Another o-fer. 0-for-3 with four runners stranded. Zim is now hitting just .280. Since his average topped out at .366 in the middle of his 30-game hitting streak on May 16, the Face of the Franchise has hit .220/.297/.344 in 249 plate appearances.

To give you an idea how bad that actually is, Austin Kearns is hitting .198/.333/.311 this season in 201 plate appearances.

THE UGLY: The weather. Tony La Russa said it best, "Mother Nature is always stronger than anybody." Washington is 0-5 in rain shortened games this season.

NEXT GAME: The next worst team in the National League (eight games in the loss column) visits Nationals Park for a three-game set. The San Diego Padres, owners of baseball's worst offense, travel east to face the league's worst pitching staff. Irresistible Force, meet Immovable Object.

Garrett Mock (0-3, 7.71), making his second start since his recall, hosts Mat Latos (0-1, 4.50), one of the Padres most promising youngsters, making his second major league start.

Tonight's game against the Cards is a makeup for a rain postponement back in May. Looks like we'll get this one in, but there's every chance we'll have to sit through a delay at some point tonight as well. Joy.

At least if we have a rain delay it'll be on the heels of a two-game winning streak.

Welcome back to the bigs, Collin Balester. Go get Albert Pujols out. (ed.--Wait! Pujols isn't in the lineup!!! LaRussa thinks the Nats are the j.v. team. C'mon Bally!

P.S. Look at the Cards lineup and tell me two things: 1) how are they a first place team and, b) couldn't they use a player or two?

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (51-46, 1st in NL Central; three-game losing streak)
Shumaker – 2B
Rasmus – CF
DeRosa – 1B
Ludwick – RF
Ankiel – LF
Molina – C
Thurston – 3B
Ryan – SS
Wainwright – P

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (28-66, 5th in NL East -- 26 games back; two-game winning streak)

Morgan - 8 (10-for-27 (.370) last seven days)
Guzman - 6
Zimmerman - 5 (4-for-21 (.190) last seven days)
Dunn - 7
Johnson - 3
Willingham - 9
Gonzalez - 4
Bard - 2 (3-for-16 (.188) last seven days)
Balester - 1

STARTING PITCHERS

WAS: Collin Balester (2009 debut; 7-9 with a 4.35 ERA in 19 starts for Syracuse)

STL: Adam Wainwright (137.1 IP, 10-6, 3.01 ERA, 123 K, 51 BB)

"It's satisfying because I came out and did my job." -- Craig Stammen, July 22, 2009.

THE RESULT: Another strong performance from one of the 'kid starters', and a power display from a veteran outfielder who may -- or may not -- be on the trading block, led the Washington Nationals to their first two-game winning streak since Independence Day, as they defeated the New York Mets 3-1 before 23,583 joyous Nats fans.

Craig Stammen (W, 3-5, 4.24) went seven and one-third innings, giving up just one earned run on four hits and two walks, striking out five. He threw 92 pitches, 52 for strikes. He induced 11 ground ball outs against just six fly balls.

Of those six fly balls, each of the outfielders made at least one nice catch that had the collective fan base holding their breath until the balls were secure in the fielder's mitts. Adam Dunn made perhaps the nicest catch, going hard down the line in the eighth inning to take a hit -- and possible RBI -- away from Daniel Murphy.

Josh Willingham provided the fireworks. The right fielder went 4-for-4 with a two-run home run in the sixth inning, a single and a pair of doubles.

Interim manager Jim Riggleman pulled all the right strings at the end of the game, and each reliever he called upon did his job. After Stammen gave up a double to Jeremy Reed and walked Angel Pagan with one out in the eighth inning, Riggleman went and got his starter.

Stammen was as every bit in control of this game as John Lannan was in his shut out last night until that last walk. The Nats interim skipper called on Jason Bergmann to face Fernando Tatis, and the righty got Tatis to pop out to Nick Johnson just into foul territory.

Riggs then brought in Joe Beimel, who retired Murphy on the line drive to left that Dunn snared before crashing into the short wall in foul territory in the corner.

Mike MacDougal pitched an uneventful 1-2-3 ninth inning for his sixth save of the season.

THE TAKEAWAY: Stammen, who was not really in the Nationals plans at the beginning of the season, is really forcing the Nats' hand and proving that he, too, belongs in the starting rotation in the Major Leagues.

He's following the same game plan of Lannan, the staff "ace": work the corners, keep the ball down, don't let the hitters get square to the ball. His K rate has been as low as Lannan's as well, but he fooled five Mets tonight.

THE GOOD: Josh Willingham. If he's auditioning for a trade to a contender, he's doing a good job of it.

THE BAD: Cristian Guzman was 0-for-4 in the two-hole again, and threw away a relay throw, completely unnecessarily, that allowed the Mets only run of the night. It was his 13th error of the season.

THE UGLY: News after the game that Jordan Zimmermann, who was scheduled to start Thursday's makeup game against the St. Louis Cardinals, will be scratched and placed on the 15-day disabled list with "elbow discomfort".

"We really feel it's a situation we're being ultra-conservative with," Riggleman said in his post-game news conference. "If this were a playoff hunt situation there'd be no question about it, he'd be pitching."

For his part, Zimmermann said, "I could go out there tomorrow and pitch." The team already planned to limit Zimmermann's innings as the season grew into the late part of the season, so this is effectively three weeks off for the young hurler.

Collin Balester, 23, will be recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to start against the Cards. He was 7-9 with a 4.35 ERA at Sryacuse, but had a 3.38 ERA over his last 12 starts and was scheduled to pitch Thursday anyway.

NEXT GAME: Thursday at 7:05 pm, the Nats go for three-in-a-row! Balester faces Adam Wainwright (10-6, 3.01) for St. Louis.

Photos 2009 © David Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

ed. -- You can forget Nick Johnson going to the Red Sox. Pittsburgh just traded Adam LaRoche to the Sawx for two non-descript minor leaguers.

Craig Stammen hopes to follow in John Lannan's footsteps tonight, on the heels of Lannan's seven-hit, no-walk shut out of the Triple-A Mets.

As a side note, the last time the Nats won two games in a row was July 4-5 against the Braves, when Lannan and Olsen went back-to-back.

For what it's worth, Mets starter Mike Pelfrey was hammered last time out (4.1 IP, nine earned runs).

NEW YORK METS (44-49, 4th in NL East -- 10 games back; one-game losing streak)

Pagan – CF
Castillo – 2B
Murphy – 1B
Wright – 3B (4-for-30 (.200) last seven games)
Francoeur – RF
Sullivan – LF
Berroa – SS
Schneider – C
Pelfrey – P

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (27-66, 5th in NL East -- 27 games back; one-game winning streak)

Morgan – CF
Guzman – SS
Zimmerman – 3B
Dunn – LF
Johnson – 1B
Willingham – RF
Belliard – 2B
Bard – C
Stammen – P

STARTING PITCHERS

WAS: Craig Stammen (66.2 IP, 2-5, 4.46 ERA, 29 K, 13 BB)
NYM: Mike Pelfrey (103.0 IP, 7-5, 5.07 ERA, 54 K, 37 BB)

WEATHER

Warm & humid, 25% chance of passing shower. First pitch: 84F. Final out: 76F.

"I can't lie to you, it feels good to win a ballgame." -- Jim Riggleman, July 21, 2009.

THE RESULT: John Lannan was masterful in a complete-game, seven-hit shut out of the New York Mets, breaking the Washington Nationals six-game losing streak, in front of 23,414 enthusiastic Nats fans.

Lannan threw 106 pitches, 80 for strikes. The left-hander coaxed 15 ground ball outs -- with two double plays -- against just nine fly outs, with just one strikeout.

Lannan (7-7) retired 17 of the last 19 Mets hitters.

"I've never considered myself a dominating pitcher," Lannan said. "I don't think the guys over in the Mets clubhouse are like, 'Wow, that guy dominated me.' I just made good pitches, down in the zone."

Washington got all the offense it needed in the fourth inning. Ryan Zimmerman and Austin Kearns drew walks, sandwiching an Adam Dunn single, against Mets starter Oliver Perez (L, 2-3, 7.68) after one out.

Alberto Gonzalez lined out to right fielder Jeff Francoeur -- but Francoeur dropped the ball. Zimmerman scored on the play but Kearns was forced at second. Wil Nieves then delivered a key single to right field, scoring Dunn.

The following inning, Dunn singled in Nyjer Morgan, who was hit by a pitch and stole second and Josh Willingham hit a sacrifice fly to cap the scoring.

But the story was the unassuming left-hander from Long Island.


THE TAKEAWAY: Lannan even gave Riggleman the game ball after the win.

Tonight's performance evens Lannan's record and lowered his ERA to 3.38. It was a truly outstanding performance for a pitcher that is learning how to win.

Courtesy of Nationals Journal: "I'm very deceptive. If a guy is mis-hitting an 88-mph fastball, there's something going on. There has to be a little bit of funk. That has to help me trust my stuff is a little bit better."

THE GOOD: Adam Dunn. 2-for-4 with a run and RBI.

THE BAD: Cristian Guzman. 0-for-4. Though he did make a terrific defensive play, robbing Alex Cora of a base hit with a strong throw from the hole.

THE UGLY: Oliver Perez. Four hits and six walks in six innings. Yuck.

NEXT GAME: Wednesday at 7:05 pm in the finale with the Mets. Craig Stammen (2-5, 4.46) faces Mike Pelfrey (7-5, 5.07).

All photos 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

Game two of a three-game series. Nobody making their major league debut tonight. John Lannan tries to play stopper of this six-game losing streak.

NEW YORK METS (44-48, 4th in NL East -- nine games back; one-game winning streak)

Pagan - 8
Castillo - 4
Wright - 5
Francoeur - 9
Tatis - 7
Murphy - 3
Santos - 2
Cora - 6
Perez - 1

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (26-65, 5th in NL East -- 27 games back; five-game losing streak)

Morgan - 8 (9-for-21 (.429) in last seven days)
Guzman - 6
Zimmerman - 5 (2-for-15 (.133) last seven days)
Dunn - 3
Willingham - 7
Kearns - 9
Gonzalez - 4 (3-for-16 (.188) last seven days)
Nieves - 2
Lannan - 1

STARTING PITCHERS

WAS: John Lannan (118.2 IP, 6-7, 3.64 ERA, 52 K, 40 BB)
NYM: Oliver Perez (32.2 IP, 2-2, 7.99 ERA, 28 K, 32 BB)

WEATHER

Mostly cloudy, 30% chance of t-storms late. First pitch: 80F. Final out: 75F.

Seeing a lot of comments around the Natosphere about the Nationals' lack of effort, pride or emotion. Folks are tired of seeing millionaire ballplayers glide around the field, lazily throwing fat pitches to be hammered, or sitting in the dugout on their hands while idly watching loss after excruciating loss.

It's part of the reason that so many called for the head of Manny Acta. They saw Acta as stoic, emotionless; things that couldn't be further from the truth.

But it seems that from the players, these fans want to see them caring. They equate the poor play on the field as a result of lack of emotion, not talent. Of course, most of these fans really have little idea what the emotional investment is in playing a professional sport. So few of us really do.

You think these players don't want to play better? It's all they want. The problem is that they just aren't very good, individually or collectively.

Take yesterday's lineup, for example. You call up a 26-year old Tommy John survivor for his major league debut who has had some pretty good success at the Triple-A level. And what kind of lineup is out there to back him up? Perhaps the worst fielding team assembled in the majors this season, especially in the infield.

Willie Harris at third. Cristian Guzman at short. Ronnie Belliard at second. Nick (seven errors) Johnson at first. Josh (groin strain) Bard catching.

And it cost J.D. Martin, and the entire ball club, a couple of outs and three runs. Which, as it turns out, made a big difference in the game.

The very first batter, Angel Pagan, hit a slow roller up the third baseline that Willie Harris, subbing for Ryan Zimmerman (who may or may not have been being punished for saying the Cubs were a better team than the Nats), let the ball roll until it was too late to make a play. Pretty sure Zimmerman would have been a) playing shallow and b) charging the ball.

No knock on Willie, but third base is probably the worst of six positions you could field him at.

At least Mets manager Jerry Manuel had his No. 2 hitter, Luis Castillo, bunting in the first inning and giving the Nationals an out. Regardless, the run should have been prevented.

In the second inning, Pagan singled slooooooowly up the middle (range at shortstop, anyone?) and Alex Cora came around to score on a play at the plate. The throw from Nyjer Morgan had Cora beat.

But Bard, whose mobility is severely limited right now due to the groin strain that is probably killing whatever is left of the rest of his career, let the ball play him on the bounce instead of the other way around, since he can't move around, and Cora snuck past him for the third run of the game. A run that should have been prevented.

The next batter, Castillo, hit another soft liner to center, and with two outs Pagan was off on contact. Morgan again threw to the plate; this time the throw was off-line and Bard was unable to get to it and it went to the wall where Martin was backing up. Either way, Castillo would have taken second base on the throw.

Morgan's got to know who was running and Pagan has good speed. The ball was hit so softly that there was no way he would have had a chance to get him, and should have just played the ball into second base, keeping Castillo at first.

OF COURSE, the next batter, Daniel Murphy, lofted a soft liner just past Guzman's outstretched glove (a ball 97% of major league shortstops get to) to score Castillo from second. Yet another run that should have been prevented.

Martin "settled down" after that and retired the Mets next seven hitters before being inexplicably lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the fourth after just 74 pitches. But that's a whole 'nuther story.

So, three of the Mets first five runs were completely preventable with a normal amount of defensive aptitude. No one can question the effort, attitude, care, pride, or emotional level of the players involved in those plays. It was just a matter of performance, and the Nats performed poorly, allowing three runs due to poor defensive play.

No errors were scored on any of those plays. But it's the type of defensive indifference that has permeated the Nationals all season long.

When a pitcher throws less than 90 MPH, he depends on his fielders to be able to pick the ball up and make outs. Sometimes the ball gets through the hole. But when it doesn't, it's paramount to make the plays. The Nats just don't. It's not because they don't care.

Nats fans want to believe that's the reason, because emotion, intensity, caring; those are all things that are controllable. What isn't controllable is skill. You have it or you don't.

"It really sucks. But I'm not the only person that has had surgery. We just go back and try to build up for next year now." -- Scott Olsen, referring to his torn labrum, July 20, 2009.

THE RESULT: Livan Hernandez continued his mastery of his former team, limiting the Washington Nationals to two earned runs on five hits and two walks over seven innings, leading the New York Mets to a 6-2 victory before just over 19,000 at Nationals Park.

Jeff Francoeur hit his first home run as a Met, one of his three hits on the evening. Angel Pagan and Daniel Murphy each added two hits for the Mets.

J.D. Martin made his major league debut for the Nats to mixed results. He went four innings and did not walk a batter, but did allow five earned runs on eight hits.

Martin ran into trouble right off the bat. Pagan led off the game with a slow roller down the third base line that Willie Harris hoped would roll foul. It did not. After Luis Castillo bunted Pagan to second, Murphy doubled to right, easily scoring Pagan.

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

Martin struck out David Wright for the second out, but Francoeur laced a double to left that plated Murphy.

The second inning brought more of the same. Alex Cora led off with a single and took second on a Brian Schneider ground out. Hernandez tapped back to the pitcher, and with two outs it looked like Martin might escape damage. He did not.

Pagan, Castillo and Murphy all singled, scoring three more runs, and just like that Martin, who had pitched to an 8-3 record with a 2.63 ERA in Triple-A Syracuse, found himself down 5-0 inside of two innings.

Washington got six hits and three walks, and left six runners on base.

The big news of the night was about Olsen, the left-handed pitcher obtained with Josh Willingham in the off-season trade for Emilio Bonifacio.

Olsen has what's being described as a "small tear" in his labrum, will have surgery Thursday, and will miss the rest of the season. Team doctor Wiemi Douoguih said that there doesn't appear to be any problem with Olsen's rotator cuff and if all goes as expected, Olsen should be competition ready in three months.

THE TAKEAWAY: Olsen's injury only further reinforces the idea that the second half of the season should be spent evaluating the young starting pitching, such as tonight's starter, Martin. Martin is a 26-year old Tommy John survivor trying to live up to his first round draft status.

He performed admirably for Syracuse, but history is full of pitchers that put a half season of excellence at Triple-A that couldn't find the same results in the majors. It will be very interesting to see Martin and evaluate his progress here with the big club.

THE GOOD: Tyler Clippard. The righty went three scoreless relief innings, striking out five of the nine batters he faced. He did not give up a hit or a walk in the appearance, keeping the Nats in the game during the middle innings.

THE BAD: Adam Dunn. He went 1-for-4, but ground into two double plays, killing rallies twice for the Nats.

THE UGLY: Cristian Guzman. He went 0-for-4 in the five spot. There should not be ANY major league batting order with Guzman in the five-hole. Stunning.

NEXT GAME: Tuesday night at 7:05 pm. John Lannan (6-7, 3.64) tries to stop the six-game losing streak against Oliver Perez (2-2, 7.99)

The New York Mets limp into Nationals Park with ten players on the D.L. for a three-game series with the hapless Washington Nationals.

The Nats have lost five in a row, ten of their last 12, and 14 of their last 18 games.

Called up to stop the bleeding is J.D. Martin, a 26-year old rookie who has dominated Triple-A hitters this summer, going 8-3 with a 2.66 ERA.

Unfortunately, manager Jim Riggleman will field one of the worst defensive lineups in the history of the Nationals today -- especially in the infield -- so Martin better be next to unhittable to be successful tonight.

NEW YORK METS (43-48, 4th in NL East -- nine games back; one-game losing streak)

Pagan - 8
Castillo - 4
Murphy - 3
Wright - 5
Francoeur - 9
Reed - 7
Cora - 6
Schneider - 2
Hernandez - 1

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (26-65, 5th in NL East -- 26 games back; five-game losing streak)

Morgan - 8
Belliard - 4
Johnson - 3
Dunn - 7
Guzman - 6
Kearns - 9
Harris - 5
Bard - 2
Martin - 1

STARTING PITCHERS

WAS: J.D. Martin (major league debut; 8-3, 2.66 ERA at Triple-A Syracuse)
NYM: Livan Hernandez (100.2 IP, 5-5, 5.10 ERA, 53 K, 38 BB)

WEATHER

Comfortable temps, but humid with a 30% chance of showers. First pitch: 79F. Last out: 74.

"Today was a step backward. It was a breakdown all the way around." -- Jim Riggleman, July 19, 2009.

THE RESULTS: The Washington Nationals were handed two more defeats by the Chicago Cubs, who completed a four-game sweep of the worst team in baseball.

Saturday, Washington's defensive indifference led to a three-run inning against rookie pitcher Jordan Zimmermann and the Nats eventually fell 6-5, despite having two on and one out in each of the final two innings.

Zimmermann (L, 3-5, 4.63) was cruising until the sixth. Derrek Lee led off with a ball to left that would have been caught by a man faster than Adam Dunn; instead it went for a ground rule double. The next batter, Aramis Ramirez, bounced one off of second baseman Willie Harris for an error.

So instead of two outs, it's first and third with no outs. After striking out Milton Bradley on three pitches, Zimmermann hung a slider to Alfonso Soriano, who deposited the mistake into the right field bleachers, turning a 4-2 lead into a 5-4 deficit that the Nats would never erase.

Zimmermann finished with five and one-third innings, five runs (four earned) on six hits and one walk. Eight of his 16 outs for the night were via strikeout.

The Nats left 12 men on base.

Sunday afternoon, the Nats were pasted every which way by the Cubs, losing 11-3. Cubs rookie starter Kevin Hart gave up five hits AND five walks in five innings, but the Nats could only push two across the plate.

Washington left nine men on base. Adam Dunn hit his 24th home run of the season in the seventh inning, after the competitive portion of the game had long since finished.

Nats starter Garrett Mock seemed rattled after Alberto Gonzalez let a ball go through him in the top of the fourth inning, and the Northsiders put up seven in the frame, in front of 34,574 mostly Cubs fans.

Mock (L, 0-3, 7.71) went three and one-third innings, surrendering seven runs (four earned) on eight hits and two walks, striking out three. He gave up a massive two-run shot to Alfonso Soriano.

D.C. or Wrigley??? Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.


THE TAKEAWAY: Another lost weekend for the Nationals. Washington actually held the lead in each of the four games. It's time people realized that this offense actually gets WORSE when runners are on base.

The Nats left a stunning 21 runners on base in the two weekend games. Stunning.

THE GOOD: Nyjer Morgan. The leadoff hitter went 5-for-9 with three runs, an RBI and two stolen bases over the weekend.

THE BAD: Alberto Gonzalez. 0-for-8 for the weekend, with a big error Sunday. All those folks that wanted to see more of the Attorney General the rest of the season are going to get their wish. Be careful what you wish for.

THE UGLY: The record now stands at 26-65, on pace for a 46-116 season record.

NEXT GAME: Tonight. The Mets come to town, oh boy. J.D. Martin makes his major league debut against venerable right hander Livan Hernandez (5-5, 5.10), who has dominated the Nats in two starts this season.

NOTES: After the game, the Nats designated RHP Julian Tavarez for assignment and selected the contract of RHP Logan Kensing from Triple-A Syracuse.

Tavarez went 3-7 with one save and a 4.89 ERA this season for the Nats. Recently, however, he had trouble getting anyone out, and his walk rate the last 15 appearances was almost one walk per inning.

Kensing posted 12 saves in 13 opportunities and a 3.91 ERA in 23 appearances during a nearly two-month stint with Syracuse. While with the Chiefs, Kensing walked just five and struck out 24 in 25.1 innings.

LHP Scott Olsen went on the 15-day Disabled List to make room for Martin. Olsen is scheduled to meet with Dr. James Andrews this week about his ailing left shoulder.

Washington looks to break a two-game losing streak to the Cubs on a beautiful Saturday night for baseball.

The Nats have scored a grand total of three runs so far in the homestand, with last night's run pushed in on a walk by Cubs righty Carlos Zambrano. Combined with Zambrano's two-RBI double later, that made him responsible for most of the scoring in last night's ball game.

CHICAGO CUBS (45-43, 3rd in NL Central -- 2.5 games back; two-game winning streak)

Cubs lineup unavailable at post time.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (26-63, 5th in NL Central -- 24 games back; three-game losing streak)

1. Morgan, CF
2. Johnson, 1B
3. Zimmerman, 3B
4. Dunn, LF
5. Willingham, RF
6. Harris, 2B
7. Gonzalez, SS
8. Nieves, C
9. Zimmermann, P

STARTING PITCHERS

WAS: Jordan Zimmermann (86.0 IP, 3-4, 4.50 ERA, 84 K, 28 BB)
CHC: Randy Wells (76.0 IP, 4-4, 2.72 ERA, 53 K, 17 BB)

WEATHER

Sunny and warm, high 84 F. Slight chance of evening thunderstorm. Enjoy the night.

Stammen gets the start in place of Olsen, scratched due to soreness in his left lat muscle.

CHICAGO CUBS (44-43, 3rd in NL Central--three games back; one-game winning streak)

Fukudome – CF
Theriot – SS
Lee – 1B
Ramirez – 3B
Bradley – RF
Hoffpauir – LF
Fontenot – 2B
Hill – C
Zambrano – P

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (26-62, 5th in NL Central--23.5 games back; two-game losing streak)

Morgan – CF
Johnson – 1B
Zimmerman – 3B
Dunn – LF
Willingham – RF
Harris – 2B
Bard – C
Gonzalez – SS
Stammen – P

STARTING PITCHERS

WAS: Craig Stammen (60.2 IP, 2-4, 4.45, 27 K, 12 BB)
CHC: Carlos Zambrano (102.0 IP, 5-4, 3.53, 82 K, 43 BB)

WEATHER

Warm and humid, 50% chance of thunderstorms. Game time: 83F. Last out: 75F.

That's a quote I read and hear a lot in NatsTown. But is it the truth?

Incoming manager Jim Riggleman professed to thinking so. In his introductory press conference, he made some very similar statements.

"...sooner or later this talent that we have is going to surface and we will get the results that we want to produce."

"We just have to just keep hitting ground balls and take fly balls—eventually that work is going to pay off."

"We just have got to continue to work and I don’t think there is a—'what if we don’t.' I just know that we will.”

Mike Rizzo, in his statements to the press after the firing of Manny Acta said as much as well. "...we kept thinking that this was going to turn around. We were going to start playing better. And we have always continued to underachieve in my opinion."

But is this team underachieving? The stats say no. The stats say this team is just bad.

Most runs allowed per game at 5.62. There's only one other team (the Padres) over 5.00, and the Nats are over five and a half runs per game.

Last in the NL in overall ERA. Last in walks per nine innings. Next to last in strikeouts per nine innings.

Should we talk about the bullpen? Last in saves. Most blown saves. Twelfth in holds. Most in inherited runners. Second highest percentage of inherited runners scored. Fewest wins in relief with eight. Most losses in relief with 30. Second has just 17.

The offense is eighth in the league in runs per game, second in on-base percentage, and sixth in slugging percentage, but the slugging drops 30 points with men on base. They have grounded into the fourth highest number of double plays, and are 14th in sacrifice hits and 15th in sacrifice flies.

The batters also are getting "lucky". The collective batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is .313, second highest in the league. This is a measure of how often batted balls go for hits. League average is .296, and though that doesn't sound like much, as the Nats regress to the mean, they'll be collecting fewer hits and the on-base percentage -- and RBIs -- will drop.

And since they already do a poor job of converting base runners into runs, fewer runners will mean fewer runs. Which means, possibly, fewer wins, if the pitching doesn't miraculously get better.

And what can we say about the defense that hasn't already been said? Most errors in the league by four over Arizona...but the team in third has 23 fewer errors. Dead last in fielding percentage. Dead last in percentage of balls in play turned into outs. Twelfth in double plays.

To listen to some folks, it's just a matter of "attitude." The players need some motivation, they weren't getting it from Acta, and Riggleman will give them some discipline and things will turn around.

Other than Ryan Zimmerman's comments, can anyone point me to any evidence that this is even remotely true?

Ryan talks about "accountability," apparently because he, and a couple others, thought Lastings Milledge should have been benched because he skipped out on the team meeting the day before the season started.

OK, Ryan. You want accountability?

How about you take a couple days off to think about your throwing problems, which cost the team another run last night. Your 14 errors are tied for second in the N.L. Not just for third basemen, for everybody. Your fielding percentage for third basemen is third worst of anyone with 50 or more games played.

People like to think of you as a Gold Glove caliber third baseman "if he could solve his throwing problem." You know what? You haven't. You make the spectacular look easy, and the easy look horrific.

Maybe you need to clear your head to solve your hitting woes, D.C.'s dark little secret right now.

Your all-star appearance might have persuaded some to look the other way, but since May 17, the day your averages were the highest all season at .364/.418/.623, you've been hitting a robust .228/.303/.365. In 221 plate appearances, you've been far, far below replacement value, especially considering you've been hitting in the third spot in the lineup every day.

In fact, you are the only batter on the team that hasn't been slotted in a different spot in the lineup so far.

There's your accountability, Ryan.

You want to talk about players "underachieving"? Let's start with the Face of the Franchise.

"I thought we played real well, the first seven innings." Jim Riggleman, July 16, 2009.

THE RESULT: The Washington Nationals followed a now-familiar script tonight against the Chicago Cubs. They received a solid performance from their starting pitcher, but committed two recorded errors, made several other mental errors, then the bullpen collapsed, turning a close game into a laugher.

The Nats fell to the Cubs 6-2, before a crowd of 26,000-plus at Nationals Park. The only thing different about this game from countless others in the first half of the season was the field manager.

Jim Riggleman fielded a lineup that was essentially the same as the lineup they have been using since they acquired Nyjer Morgan, with the speedster leading off and Cristian Guzman hitting sixth.

It wouldn't matter.

In the third inning, All-Star Ryan Zimmerman threw another ball away on a very easy play, and the runner came around to score later in the inning on a two-out hit.

The team's traded runs in the sixth. Derek Lee homered off starter John Lannan in the top, then Morgan bunted for a base hit, stole second and took third on the overthrow. He scored on a groundout by Nick Johnson two pitches later.

The Cubs scratched out one more in the seventh, and Lannan (L, 6-7, 3.64) left giving up three runs -- two earned -- on seven hits and one walk in six and two-thirds innings, striking out just two.

Julian Tavarez entered in the eighth and faced three batters. All three reached, and all three scored.

Zimmerman hit an opposite-field, solo home run in the bottom of the ninth, his 15th of the season, after the result was assured.

THE TAKEAWAY: Hmm. Not very impressive in Jim Riggleman's debut. In fact, everything that was wrong in the first half was still wrong tonight.

In the bottom of the third, after giving up a two-out run in the top of the inning, Alberto Gonzalez tripled with one out. And there he stood when the inning was over.

Washington got four hits on the night, made two errors, had a runner get picked off, and gave up three runs in relief.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

THE GOOD: John Lannan. Another quality start. Another loss.

THE BAD: Adam Dunn. 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and a walk.

THE UGLY: Ryan Zimmerman. Discard the home run, for now. It's absolutely inexcusable for Zimmerman to be throwing balls away on gimme outs. In-ex-cusable.

He should be embarrassed by it. And he better figure it out quickly, or else people are going to start mentioning his name in the same breath as Steve Sax and Chuck Knoblauch.

Maybe he just needs someone to get in his face.

NEXT GAME: Friday night against the Cubbies. Craig Stammen (2-4, 4.45) takes on Carlos Zambrano (5-4, 3.53).

NOTES: Scott Olsen was scratched from Friday's scheduled start after complaining of tightness in his left lat muscle. The team has not released any more information at this time.

The Jim Riggleman era begins tonight at Nationals Park, as the Chicago Cubs come rolling into town. The Cubs sit third in their division with a .500 record at the all-star break, and I'm sure that's a huge disappointment to North Side fans, as this team was billed as s strong contender.

But with Milton Bradley and Carlos Zambrano on the team, you never know when you might see a water cooler destroyed, so at least they have that going for them. Which is nice.

The Nats return home after a 1-6 road trip for an 11-game homestand against the Cubs, Mets, Cardinals and Padres. Anyone want to guess wins on the homestand in the comments section?

CHICAGO CUBS (43-43, 3rd in NL Central--3.5 games back; one-game losing streak)

CF Johnson
SS Theriot (11-for-26 (.423) over last seven)
RF Bradley
1B Lee (5-for-22 (.227) over last seven)
3B Ramirez
LF Soriano
2B Baker
CA Hill
SP Harden

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (26-61, 5th in NL Central--22.5 games back; one-game losing streak)

CF Morgan
1B Johnson (11-for-25 (.440) over last seven)
3B Zimmerman
LF Dunn
RF Willingham (10-for-25 (.400) over last seven)
SS Guzman
CA Bard
2B Gonzalez (8-for-13 (.471) over last seven)
SP Lannan

STARTING PITCHERS

WAS: John Lannan (112.0 IP, 6-6, 3.70 ERA, 50 K, 39 BB)
CHC: Rich Harden (74.0 IP, 5-6, 5.47 ERA, 83 K, 36 BB)

WEATHER

Fairly miserable. Hot and humid, 25% chance of passing t-storm. First pitch: 87F; last out: 81.

Posted by Cheryl Nichols, Contributor and Photographer for Nats News Network

There are several fun events scheduled for this weekend for the four game series showdown with the Chicago Cubs. If you cannot make it to the park, take advantage of the free activities in town to meet some of the Nationals players.

"Get Your Red On" this weekend - During this series the Nats will be wearing the alternate red uniforms to help celebrate the renewed spirit of the Get Your Red On campaign. The club is also encouraging fans to wear red for these games in order to show continued support and allegiance to the team.

The Washington Nationals will host the Fourth Annual Christmas in July Toy Drive Friday, July 17 through Sunday, July 19, benefiting the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. Volunteers from the U.S. Marines and the Nationals will be present at the Nationals Park Center Field Gates to accept donations of new, unwrapped toys from gate opening through the end of the fourth inning. The toys collected will be distributed to needy families in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Region. Nationals fans donated more than 2,000 toys and $19,000 in 2008.

Washington Nationals Pitcher John Lannan will visit with fans and pet-lovers at the Alexandria Petco on Saturday, July 18 from 10:00am – noon. John will sign autographs and pose for photos with fans and their pets during the appearance. Drafted by the Nationals in 2005, John is in his second full season in the team’s Starting Rotation and holds a 6-6 record at the halfway point of 2009 with an ERA of 3.70. John grew up surrounded by rescued animals and is currently the owner of a French bulldog-beagle mix named Bailey. The Washington Humane Society will also be in attendance with their mobile adoption unit for those looking for a new pet in their life. Petco is located at 6612 Richmond Highway in Alexandria, VA.

The Washington Nationals will participate in Baseball Family Day at the National Portrait Gallery for the third consecutive year on Saturday, July 18. Nationals Catcher Josh Bard and Outfielder Josh Willingham will answer questions and pose for pictures with the children in attendance from 11:30am – 1:00pm. The event will feature baseball-themed games, arts and crafts, and music. Guests may also enter to win autographed baseballs from Bard and Willingham. Also meet author Fred Bowen and have him sign a copy of one of his books about baseball. The National Portrait Gallery is located at 9th and G Streets, NW, Washington, DC.

Are you a fan of cooking shows? The Nats and Levy Restaurants team up with Food Network to bring the first-ever Grill-Off to Nationals Park on Sunday, July 19. Phil Bucco, Levy Restaurant's chef at Nationals Park, will compete with Teddy Folkman, Executive Chef and co-owner of Granville Moore's Gastropub. Folkman was a Next Food Network Star finalist this season. He will be joined by fellow finalist Eddie Gilbert, who will emcee the event. You can catch the Grill Off at the Nats Family Fun Area prior to Sunday's game against the Cubs. Get there early and you may be selected to be a guest judge! The competition begins at noon with plates to be judged at 1:00 p.m. First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. Click here for more information.

The Washington Nationals will continue their monthly health initiatives campaign with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/Lou Gehrig's Disease) and MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Month. The team has partnered with the ALS Association and MS Society for the month of July to raise awareness and funds for research, and ultimately a cure. Click here for more information.

The Washington Nationals held a press conference this afternoon to introduce their third manager since moving from Montreal in 2005, former bench coach and three-time major league manager Jim Riggleman.

Riggleman made some preliminary opening comments about his appreciation for former manager Manny Acta, saying that the players and coaches felt they "let Manny down," but that things were "gonna get better."

The opening question asked directly: What changes are in store for the second half of the season? Riggleman again defended the outgoing manager, saying that everything Acta tried and said were the correct things.

"There's not a lot of change to make, we just gotta get some results."

Riggleman indicated that he is confident that the "talent is gonna surface." He also said that he doesn't expect to overhaul the lineup or the batting order. "You manage the ones you have."

When asked about his managerial style, a pertinent question as Acta took major damage from media and fans alike for not being more aggressive with umpires or his players, Riggleman replied, "I'm a bit of a softie."

But he also said that he expects his players to be professionals and he would find it a problem if players lost respect for the game, the fans or him personally.

"If they aren't playing hard, that irks me. If they aren't respectful of the game, respectful of the uniform, respectful of the fans or the organization; if they do that then there's a problem."

"Play hard. I got no problem if you miss a ball, but if you don't chase it after you miss it, I got a problem."

The new manager also indicated that his voice will not be that much different from Acta's, but that he will stress to the team that "losing should hurt." He thinks the current players are better than they have performed to this point.

"We'll just keep hitting them balls and finally they will catch them...Eventually that work is gonna pay off. And if it doesn't, it wasn't meant to be."

Asked if the current players don't show improvement on defense if there was a "Plan B", Riggleman said, "Our lineup is what it is...I don't think there is a 'what if we don't', I know that we will."

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

You have all, no doubt, read the Nationals' open letter to their fans from yesterday. If you haven't, feel free to venture here, and I'll wait until you get back.

Good, so we're on the same page now.

The theme of the letter, and yesterday's press conference naming Jim Riggleman as "interim" field manager (but not introducing him, since he was nowhere to be found at Nationals Park yesterday), was "underachievement".

Here's "acting" General Manager Mike Rizzo's answer to the first question posed during the presser:

"We feel that the team has underachieved. We feel we have a better ballclub than shown on the field. Twenty-six and sixty-one is unacceptable to not only the Lerner family, but also Stan Kasten and myself and the ballclub.

So we feel with a different voice and a possible different feel in the clubhouse that we can have a more successful second half of the season. We think we have pieces in place here to have some type of success.

We also acknowledge our flaws as a ballclub. And we are working hard before the trade deadline to address those flaws and to make prudent baseball deals to improve the ballclub for the long term also.”

And here's the opening statement from the letter:

"No one is more dissatisfied in the first half of the 2009 Washington Nationals season than we are. Like you, we had hoped that some of our younger players would have matured faster, and that the addition of some of our new veterans would have significantly improved our record from a season ago.

Our hope was that a solid club leadership would emerge on and off the field, and that some intangible combinations would begin to click, resulting in many winning streaks."

So the message is pretty consistent here: The 26-61 record compiled by the team in the first half of the season was Manny Acta's fault. At least that's what they are implying. "Underachieved", "different voice", and "leadership" all falls on the manager.

Rizzo even had the temerity, in answering what the difference between Acta and Riggleman is, to suggest that "a different way of presenting possibly the same material could have an effect."

I get it. When you decide to fire the field manager, you want to distance yourself from him as quickly as possible. But the organization must think that Nats fans don't pay attention. Or aren't sophisticated enough baseball fans. Or, just really stupid.

Because anyone with an ounce of baseball acumen could see at the end of spring training that the team constructed by Jim Bowden during the winter, then hurriedly edited by Mike Rizzo during spring training after Bowden resigned (remember: Bowden RESIGNED, was not fired), was a recipe for disaster. Maybe not near-historical disaster like we're seeing, but disaster nonetheless.

Let me get out front in saying I wholly supported signing Adam Dunn. With a quality center fielder and at least average right fielder, Dunn's defensive liabilities would be a lot easier to take. But the team opened up the season trying to cram Lasting Milledge into center field. Most casual fans blame Acta for this, but it was an organizational decision.

Milledge admitted to a group of fans last summer, during a public relations appearance Q&A at ESPNZone, that he had trouble picking the ball up off the bat, and had a difficult time locating the ball until it rises above the upper deck behind home plate and gets into the sky. This was in May 2008.

So, with the trade that brought Josh Willingham and Scott Olsen, that gave the team five outfielders (Dunn, Willingham, Milledge, Dukes and Kearns), all suited for corner positions and none for center field. Tell me where else Acta was supposed to play Milledge?

In the infield, the team was "set" with Nick Johnson returning from injury and Ryan Zimmerman at the corners, "all-star" Cristian Guzman at short and 26-year olds Andy Hernandez and Alberto Gonzalez to play second and utility, with everybody's favorite Willie Harris and Ronnie Belliard as spare back-ups.

So tell us, Washignton Nationals Baseball Club (the signers of the letter to Nats fans), which "younger players" would you like to have seen mature faster, presumably under the tutelage of Acta? Milledge and Dukes? You shipped Milledge out after seven games (SEVEN GAMES) and marginalized Dukes by forcing HIM into center after you unceremoniously dumped Milledge.

How about Hernandez and Gonzalez? Both 26 at the start of the season, does that even qualify as "young" in baseball parlance? Sure, both lack major league experience, but that doesn't mean they are "young".

But they feel that they have a "better ball club than shown on the field." Really? What's your evidence?

This club is last in fielding in the majors, and it's not just one position. Take your pick: Johnson, Zimmerman, Guzman, Dunn...they all lead their positions for total recorded errors, and that doesn't take into consideration the mental errors, and pure lack of fundamentals -- cutting ball off before they get to the corner, hitting the cut-off man, covering second on a come-backer, etc.

This team is last in team ERA, and it's not all Daniel Cabrera's fault. After acknowledging that failed off-season signing (thanks JimBow!), the team went all "young" on us with the starters. Olsen and Stammen are 25. Lannan is 24. Detwiler and Zimmerman are 23 and Martis is 22. Good work.

You know who else is that young?

Tim Lincecum (25, 10-2). Zach Greinke (25, 10-5). Matt Cain (24, 10-2). Kevin Slowey (25, 10-3).

Felix Hernandez (23, 9-3), Chad Billingsley (24, 9-4), Jon Lester (25, 8-6), Rick Porcello (20, 8-6).

Josh Johnson (25, 8-2), Yovani Gallardo (23, 8-7), Johnny Cueto (23, 8-6), Ricky Romero (24, 7-3).

Shall I continue?

And what intangibles, exactly, are you referring to that you hope might have clicked, apparently not clicking due to Acta, or so your letter would imply? Where were the team's beat reporters to ask the tough follow up questions to the open-ended and inane patter presented?

Oh, that's right. The team deliberately scheduled the press conference for a time that they knew all the beat reporters would still either be in Houston (from the previous series), in St. Louis covering the all-star game, or in transit.

Not that it mattered, because the ones that should be answering the tough questions, the Lerner family, were nowhere to be seen yesterday. Not a single representative from the family was at the press conference. They didn't even have enough respect for the fans of the team to sign the letter, signing it "Washington Nationals Baseball Club".

There are some pretty hurt feelings here among die-hard Nationals fans, and the simple letter that the club sent out, hoping to appease those fans, only served to fan the flames of discontent. You think the full-season ticket numbers took a tumble this year? Wait, they never announced the numbers!

The "Washington Nationals Baseball Club" has a long way to go to repairing those hurt feelings. They could start with some honest transparency. Mark Lerner simply standing up and saying "I listened to Jim Bowden for too long, and we as an organization still have a long way to go to clean up his mess," would be a great place to start.

Forgive me if I don't stand in line waiting for it, though.

Rather, the team with the "acting" GM, "interim" field manager, immature Face of the Franchise, and apparently, still full of questionable personalities will continue deflecting blame, avoiding the tough questions, and pocketing your money.

Because if you think this team is signing Stephen Strasburg, think again.