by Anthony Amobi, Staff Writer

Jason Marquis dominated the San Francisco Giants Friday night. (A.Amobi)

WASHINGTON – Last season was one for Jason Marquis to forget with the Washington Nationals.

Marquis was injured for much of 2010 and just downright awful at times. The end result was that he was ineffective most of the time and suffered through one of his worst campaigns in his major league career finishing up with a 2-9 record.

Now in 2011, it seems like the right-handed starter is a man reborn.

Last night at Nationals Park in Southeast D.C., Marquis by far had his best start on the mound for the franchise. He pitched a complete game shutout and the Washington Nationals defeated the San Francisco Giants, 3-0, to kick off their four game weekend series.

Both teams are now 12-13 on the season.

Marquis (3-0) only allowed five hits in his outing and struck out seven batter without walking a batter. This was his seventh complete game and fourth shutout in his major league career.

After the game, Nationals manger Jim Riggleman had nothing but praise for his starting pitcher.

"He was really good. He just made the game feel real comfortable. He was just extremely sharp and had everything working. And we played good behind him."

Once the game ended, what was left of the announced attendance of 21,399 gave Marquis well-deserved applause after a dominant night of work.

Batters for the Washington Nationals had their hands full with two-time National League Cy Young Award winner, the diminitive, but hard-throwing Tim Lincecum. When all was said and done, they produced enough offense to earn their second straight win after a 1-6 skid.

Laynce’s Nix’s two-run homer in the bottom of the second inning provided much of the offense that Washington needed.

Laynce Nix is congratulated by Wilson Ramos on his home run. (A.Amobi)

The Nationals took a 3-0 lead in the fifth inning as Jason Marquis helped out his own cause with an RBI-single to right.

However, the third run for the Nationals didn’t come without controversy.

Ian Desmond – who scored – reached base on a single, and then stole second base. Based on the replays shown on the various televisions at Nationals Park, it looked like Desmond was tagged out by Giants’ shortstop Miguel Tejada, who caught a throw by catcher Buster Poser.

Intitially, it seemed that Desmond might have snuck around the tag, but Tejada nailed him. San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy came out to argue the call, but it was all in vain.

Lincecum pitched well in 3-0 loss to Nats. (A.Amobi)

Tim Lincecum (2-3) took the loss as he went seven innings and gave up three runs – all earned. He struck out seven and didn’t walk anyone. Aside from running into trouble in the second inning, Linecum was very good and earned a quality start; however, whatever he did on the night could not match up with Marquis’ overall brilliance on the mound.

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THE GOOD:  After scuffling at the plate for most of the season so far, Ian Desmond continured to stay hot at the plate and went 3-for-3 on Friday.  Nix was 2-for-3 with the homer.

THE BAD:  The top of the lineup was ice cold on the night as Danny Espinosa, Rick Ankiel, Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche (who whiffed three times at the plate) were 0-for-14.

THE UGLY:  Alex Cora went 0-for-3, dropping his average to an anemic .139.

THE STATS: Seven hits, one walk, seven Ks. 2-for-7 with RISP, 3 LOB, 0 GIDP.

NEXT GAME: Saturday at 4:05 pm vs. San Francisco Giants. John Lannan (2-2, 4.05) faces Jonathan Sanchez (2-1, 3.21)

Giants outfielders converge on fly ball. (A.Amobi)

Maybe a couple days off was all that Ian Desmond needed.

In his first game back from paternity leave and the birth of his first child, the shortstop homered and tripled, scoring two runs, to lead the Washington Nationals over the streaking New York Mets 4-3, before 15,142 at Nationals Park.

The win halts the Nats losing streak at three games and ends the Mets winning streak at six.  The Nationals climb a half-game ahead of New York for fourth place in the N.L. East by virtue of having one less loss at 11-13.

Desmond went 2-for-4 on the evening, with the two extra-base hits.  He tripled to the left center gap and scored on Jerry Hairston's soft fly ball single in the fourth inning, and homered to the visitor's bullpen in the fifth.

"He really played relaxed tonight, had good at bats," manager Jim Riggleman said of his returning shortstop.  "[Desmond] looked relaxed on defense. I'm really proud of him. He's a great competitor and gone through some tough times here in April, but he's had some big games for us too and tonight was a real good ballgame."

"I thought he was very loose tonight," Riggleman said when asked if he thought the time off helped Desmond's game. "A couple days off probably helped him a little bit. Fatherhood exceeds anything we do out here anyway, but I know he's at a special time in his life and I'm just really happy for him -- really glad to see him have a nice, loose ballgame." 

The other offensive hero was also the pitching hero, as Livan Hernandez singled and scored in the third on Jayson Werth's ground rule double that right fielder Carlos Beltran lost in the lights and also drove in Hairston with a sacrifice bunt in the fourth.

Hernandez (W, 3-2, 3.23) was also quite sharp with his arm.  If the news this week that he's the subject of a federal investigation involving money laundering was bothering him, he did not show it on the mound.  He retired the first six batters in order en route to going eight innings with just three runs allowed (two earned) on seven hits and one walk, striking out five.

After Hernandez struggled in his last start, there might have been cause for concern, but Riggleman wouldn't admit to any.  "I don't worry too much about Livo.  Livo's just such a consistant competitor, a good thinker out there."

Drew Storen came in to earn the save in the ninth, punctuating the victory by striking out Mets center fielder Willie Harris on a filthy breaking ball on a 3-2 count.

The win marks just the second time this season the Nationals have won a game scoring fewer than five runs.  "It seems like most of the time we're playing in a real tight ballgame, we don't have too much margin for error really," Riggleman said.

If they are to retain hope of remaining relatively competitive for the next couple of weeks with a daunting 10-day, nine-game road trip looming after a four-game weekend series with the San Francisco Giants, the Nats better find a way to either score a few more runs, or duplicate last night's effort, playing good defensive baseball while getting a solid start and air-tight relief.

It's a tough formula to be successful with, but so far the Nats have kept within hailing distance of .500.  The next two weeks will be a challenge.

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THE GOOD: Desmond.  It was nice to see him have such a good game, offensively and defensively, upon his return.  The impending birth of his child had to have been weighing on him in the week leading up to it and he had one of his finer games all season.

THE BAD: Adam LaRoche went 0-for-4 and left three men on base, lowering his season average to .210.

THE UGLY: Pudge's error could have been huge; as it turned out it was just mildly embarrassing.  Mets starter Chris Capuano tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt and Pudge went out to pick it up, but he bobbled it twice trying to find the handle and all hands were safe, loading the bases.  Jose Reyes hit a sac fly to score one run, but Livo got Daniel Murphy on strikes to end the frame.

THE STATS: 10 hits, one walk, three Ks.  3-for-6 with RISP, 7 LOB, one GIDP.  E: Rodriguez (1).

NEXT GAME: Friday at 7:05 pm against the San Francisco Giants.  Jason Marquis (2-0, 3.55) takes on Tim Lincecum (2-2, 2.70).

"You know, it's a game of inches sometimes." -- Nats manager Jim Riggleman

Washington, D.C. -- Sean Burnett has been one of manager Jim Riggleman's most trusted relievers the last two seasons, getting his job done many more nights than not.  In the ninth inning last night, it was a "not."

Burnett gave up three straight singles to start the inning to load the bases and, with Drew Storen warmed up and watching from a crouch on the bullpen mound, proceeded to allow them all to score and then some, with the big blow coming off the bat of Daniel Murphy, a two-run double that finally ended Burnett's night, and the Nats chances to win the game.

The 6-3 loss drops the Nationals to 10-13 and drops them into last place, a half-game behind the streaking Mets (11-13), winners of six in a row. The Nats have lost three in a row and six of their last seven games.

All told, Burnett (L, 0-1, 5.73) faced seven batters, retiring two.  But both outs -- a sacrifice fly to the warning track in right field and a ground out to short that backup utility infielder Brian Bixler couldn't get out of his glove to try a play at the plate -- scored runs for the Mets.

Riggleman defended his reliever in his post-game comments, saying he preferred the matchups with the left-handed Burnett against the Mets scheduled hitters. 

"That was just the manager's decision," Riggleman started.  "They had three out of four lefties coming up in the inning.  My concern was [Jason] Bay leading off and then we had [Ike] Davis, Willie Harris, pinch-hitter [for the pitcher's spot], [catcher Josh] Thole.  So I just felt that my confidence in [Burnett] was that he's been very effective for us; he would get it done there. If I had to go to Drew [Storen] with an out or two, that's what we would do if a possible right-hander came up."

However, that's not what Riggleman actually did.  The Mets did indeed pinch-hit Chin-lung Hu, a right-handed batter, for the pitcher's spot, and Riggleman stayed with Burnett anyway.  Hu's ball to the right field wall scored the first run of the inning from third and both the other runners advanced.  After that, the floodgates opened, all while Storen watched from the bullpen.

Only after Murphy's bases-clearing double did Riggleman summon Storen, who promptly struck out David Wright with a 97 MPH fastball.

"I thought [Burnett] threw okay.  You know, it's a game of inches sometimes," Riggleman said, alluding to Bay's single past the outstretched Danny Espinosa at second and Davis' flare that barely eluded a diving Roger Bernadina in left field.

The Mets comeback spoiled the Nats own piece of clutch hitting the previous inning.  Adam LaRoche led off with a double down the left field line, and took third on a passed ball by catcher Thole.  Riggleman had Bixler pinch-run, and Wilson Ramos delivered the run with a sacrifice fly to center field.

All of this spoiled a terrific performance by starter Tom Gorzelanny.  He allowed just one run on five hits and one walk, striking out four.  He induced nine ground ball outs and took advantage of a free-swinging Mets team.

The loss drops the Nats record in games when they score less than five runs to a woeful 1-12.  With the World Series champion San Francisco Giants coming to town this weekend, then a 10-day, nine-game road trip looming, this loss hurts even more than usual.

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THE GOOD:  Gorzelanny clearly had his best start as a member of the Nationals.  Roger Bernadina, inserted on a double-switch when Gorzy was lifted, went two-for-two with a double.

THE BAD:  Jayson Werth flat-out dropped a ball in right field on Gorzelanny's last batter.  It was originally scored an error, which would have been Werth's fourth of the season, but it was inexplicably changed by the official scorekeeper to a hit.

THE UGLY:  Burnett.  0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K.  U-G-L-Y.

THE STATS: 10 hits, one walk, four Ks.  1-for-9 with RISP, 8 LOB. No errors (officially).

NEXT GAME:  Thursday at 7:05 pm v. New York Mets.  Livan Hernandez (2-2, 3.48) faces Chris Capuano (2-1, 5.95).

In my latest for MASNSports.com, I take a look at the Washington Nationals upcoming schedule, where after they complete the ongoing series with the New York Mets, they host the World Series champion San Francisco Giants before setting out on a 10-day, nine-game road trip against Philly, Florida and Atlanta.

It would be a brutal test regardless, but made even more daunting by the fact the team is still without their best player, Ryan Zimmerman, who just yesterday started light baseball activities.  He'll need a rehab stint once he's comfortable taking batting practice, so he's still at least a week to ten days away.

The Nats really need their best players to start playing well, and that includes free agent signees Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche.  Both were supposed to be "impact players", but neither are hitting higher than .240 right now.  Add the shocking number of outfield errors by Werth (he committed his third last night), and it's been a recipe for disaster.

Please click through at the link above and read the rest of the story.

"We just couldn't put a zero on the board there. That was an important inning." manager Jim Riggleman, on the two-run sixth for the Mets.

Washington, D.C. -- As has been the case all season long, the Washington Nationals got an effort from their starting pitcher that "kept them in the game."  But not enough hits and the failure of two left-handed pitchers to do their jobs resulted in another close loss, this time 6-4 to the now-streaking New York Mets.

It's the fifth loss in six games for the Nats, lowering their record to 10-12, and the Mets fifth straight victory, upping theirs to 10-13.

The Nationals are now 1-11 when scoring fewer than five runs.

The Nats hit three solo home runs, two by Wilson Ramos and one by Jayson Werth, but stranded a leadoff base runner in three separate innings and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Last night's key inning was the top of the sixth.  Jordan Zimmermann, who had given up three runs to that point on seven hits, got leadoff hitter Carlos Beltran to line out to Werth in right, but gave up a soft line drive to Jason Bay and a single to 1B Ike Davis.  It was at that point, after just 73 pitches, manager Jim Riggleman decided to lift his starter in favor of left-handed reliever Doug Slaten.

Slaten could not do his job, giving up a two-run double to left-handed batter Josh Thole, a line drive to left field that tailed away from Michael Morse into the corner.  Slaten has now allowed 8-of-18 inherited runners to score this season, though his personal ERA remains 0.00.

Did Riggleman consider allowing Zimmermann (1-4, 4.55) to pitch out of his own mess?  No, he did not.

"At that point, if anything, I maybe could have brought a left-hander in to face Davis, and I gave [Zimmermann] Davis," Riggleman said.  "Once Davis got the hit I felt like, you know, if we're gonna get beat here at that part of the order its going to have to be with a left-handed pitcher and unfortunately the ball was just out of reach in left field."

Zimmermann's line ended up kind of ugly: five earned runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings.  He only struck out one, but did not walk a batter.

"I thought [Zimmermann] threw the ball good," Riggleman explained. "Jordan's a great competitor and he was just leaving it all out there for us. I don't think he was quite at the top of his game as maybe he has been a couple of times previous, but he threw the ball good."

Considering that two of the runs charged to Zimmermann scored after he left the game, and two more scored as the result of an error in right field by Werth and a safety squeeze by pitcher Chris Young, Zimmermann's performance wasn't nearly as bad as the numbers look.

The Nats got back to within one run on Ramos' single to left in the eighth that plated Rick Ankiel, but Sean Burnett gave it right back in the top of the ninth.  After a leadoff bunt single by OF Jason Pridie against Brian Broderick (1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER), Burnett was called upon, as left-handed pinch-hitter Willie Harris had already been announced into the game, and the Mets had lefty Daniel Murphy in the hole.

Burnett hit both left-handed batters to load the bases, and David Wright's 1-4-3 ground out scored the insurance run right back.

When a team has as much trouble scoring runs as the Nationals do right now, every man has to do his job when called upon.  Last night, that just didn't happen.  It's a very thin line between victory and defeat for the Nationals right now.

They've got two more with the Mets then welcome the defending World Series champs, the San Francisco Giants for four games, before hitting the road against Philadelphia, Florida and Atlanta for nine games.  The next two weeks are going to tell us a lot about who the 2011 Washington Nationals really are.

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THE GOOD: Wilson Ramos.  3-for-4, two home runs, RBI single. Hitting .378 this season.

THE BAD: Slaten and Burnett.  Both lefties allowed inherited runners to score, which ended up being the difference in the game.

THE UGLY: Matt Stairs flew out to left in his pinch-hitting appearance.  He's now 0-for-12 to start the season, and Nats pinch-hitters are 1-for-24 in 2011.

THE STATS: 1-for-9 with RISP, 6 LOB.  Eight hits, two walks, six Ks.  E: Werth (3)

NEXT GAME: Wednesday at 7:05 vs. New York Mets.  Tom Gorzelanny (0-2, 4.96) faces R.A. Dickey (1-3, 4.10).

NATS NOTES:  SS Ian Desmond was placed on the 3-day Paternity List to be with his wife Chelsey for the birth of their first child.  OF Roger Bernadina was recalled from AAA Syracuse to take his spot on the roster.  Bernadina entered the game in a double-switch and lined out to David Wright with two outs in the ninth inning.

Ryan Zimmerman resumed some light activity at the park today, but there is still no timetable for his return to the lineup.  He will probably need a rehabilitation stint in the minors once he's ready to fully participate.  It's highly unlikely he'll make an appearance in a game at Nats Park in this homestand, which ends Sunday against San Francisco.

New York Mets (9-13, 5th NLE) v. Washington Nationals (10-11, 3rd NLE)

Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.

Tues Apr. 26, 7:05 pm: Chris Young (1-0, 1.46) v. Jordan Zimmermann (1-3, 3.70)

Weds Apr. 27, 7:05 pm: R.A. Dickey (1-3, 4.10) v. Tom Gorzelanny (0-2, 4.96)

Thurs Apr. 28, 7:05 pm: Chris Capuano (2-1, 5.95) v. Livan Hernandez (2-2, 3.48)

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The New York Mets come into the Nation's Capital for a three-game mid-week series against the suddenly reeling Nationals, losers of four of their last five games, including two of three to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a swampy series over the weekend.

The Mets are one of the hottest teams in baseball, winning their last four ball games, including a home weekend sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks.  The Mets are succeeding with offense right now, particularly the long-ball.  They are fourth in the N.L. in home runs and sixth in the league in runs scored, despite a batting average that ranks just 10th in the senior circuit.

Carlos Beltran is hitting .391 over his last ten games with a homer and three RBIs, while 1B Ike Davis has three home runs and six ribbies in the same time frame.  The Mets have benefited from the return of Jason Bay from the D.L.  He's 5-for-15 since coming back with a homer and three RBIs.

Chris Young comes off the D.L. for the start tonight.  He dominated the Nats up in New York the first time he faced them, throwing seven shutout innings, before the Nats came back to win against the Mets porous bullpen.

The Nats continue to get good pitching, and their team ERA of 3.67 is good for sixth in the N.L., but with the still struggling defense (20 errors, tied for 15th in the N.L.) they still give up 4.33 runs per game total, right in the middle of the pack.

Where they continue to really have problems is at the plate though.  The Nats are hitting .223/.321/.389 as a team.

The Nats made a player move today, placing SS Ian Desmond on the Paternity Leave list, recalling OF Roger Bernadina from Triple A Syracuse.  Bernadina was hitting .267 with three doubles, one home run and two RBIs in 13 games for the Chiefs.  He has stolen five bases, tying him for ninth in the International League.

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STARTING LINEUPS

METS: Reyes – SS; Murphy – 2B;, Wright – 3B; Beltran – RF; Bay – LF; Davis – 1B; Thole – C; Pridie – CF; Young – P

NATIONALS: Espinosa – 2B; Ankiel – CF; Werth – RF; LaRoche – 1B; Ramos – C; Morse – LF; Hairston – 3B; Cora – SS; Zimmermann – P

There's been a lot of attention paid to the Washington Nationals won-loss record, hovering around .500 the first few weeks at the start of the season.  If they can't find a way to beat teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates they certainly won't end up there.

When the Nats don't score five runs or more runs in a game, they don't win.  And they continued that trend last night in the Steel City, losing 4-2 in a rainy, sloppy affair along the banks of the Allegheny River.

The Nats actually broke out early on Pirates starter Paul Maholm (W, 1-3, 3.90).  Adam LaRoche singled in Ian Desmond and Jayson Werth with one out in the first and things were looking up.  But the offensively challenged squad only put four more runners on base all night long.

Pittsburgh got all the runs they needed in the two halves of the bottom of the fourth inning, a rain-delay bifurcating the Pirates at-bat.  John Lannan was on the hill for D.C. and got two ground ball outs with a walk to Jose Tabata sandwiched in before the rain.  Neil Walker followed with a single to right field, and for some reason Jayson Werth felt like he needed to send the throw home.

The resultant throw ended up missing the cut-off man and skipping away from catcher Wilson Ramos on the wet grass, allowing Tabata -- who had stopped at third -- to trot home with Pittsburgh's first run.  Werth was charged an error on the play.  A torrent came and halted play for 19 minutes and when play resumed, Lannan did not have his control, walking 1B Steve Pearce.  Newly acquired waiver wire pickup Brandon Wood then send a booming shot to the right center alley; both Walker and Pearce scored.

Catcher Chris Snyder followed by sneaking a ground ball past third baseman Brain Bixler to drive in Wood, and that's all she wrote.

Lannan (L, 2-2, 4.05) had his moments of sharpness in this game, but coming back out from the rain delay really seemed to mess with his command, as he had trouble getting the ball down after the rain subsided.  He finished 5 2/3 innings, continuing the Nats streak of being the only team in the league to have every starter complete at least five innings.

But the other side of that is performance, and Lannan ended up allowing four earned runs on five hits and -- the killer -- two walks, both of which scored in that fateful fourth inning.

The Nats actually had the tying runs on base in the top of the ninth against former teammate Joel Hanrahan, courtesy of a Werth walk and Ramos single, but pinch-hitter  Rick Ankiel struck out to strand both runners and end the game.  It was Hanrahan's sixth save of the season.

The Nationals record now stands one game below .500 at 10-11.  If they don't find some hitting soon, it might be the last time they are that close to that magic number for the season.

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THE GOOD:  Sean Burnett, Chad Gaudin and Todd Coffey combined for 2 1/3 scoreless relief.  Jayson Werth went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run.

THE BAD:  Michael Morse.  After looking like he might break out over the weekend -- upping his average over .250 -- he went right back to struggling, going 0-for-4 and stranding four runners.  He did have a nice catch to rob Chris Snyder of a home run at the six foot wall in left field though.

THE UGLY:  Nats pinch-hitters went 0-for-2. For the season, Nats pinch-hitters are now a pathetic 1-for-22. They are the only team in the N.L. that does not have an RBI by a pinch-hitter.

THE STATS:  Five hits, three walks, 10 Ks.  1-for-3 with RISP, 5 LOB, 1 GIDP.  E:  Werth (2), Desmond (7).

NEXT GAME:  Tuesday at 7:05 pm against the New York Mets at Nats Park.  Jordan Zimmermann (1-3, 3.70) v. Chris Young (1-0, 1.46).

The Washington Nationals currently sit in third place in the National League East, four and a half games behind the Philadelphia Phillies with a .500 record of 10-10 after 20 games, roughly one-eighth of the season.  Their Pythagorean W-L (based on run differential) is 9-11, so on that hand the Nats' record isn't really an aberration.

Or is it?

The Nats have heavily loaded their wins with runs.  Naturally, one would assume that a team would score more runs in a win than a loss.  But the Nats are taking this to an extreme.  They've scored five or more runs in a game nine times this season, including Sunday's 6-3 over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  In those nine games the team is a perfect 9-0.

But in games the Nats have scored fewer than five runs, they are a paltry 1-10.  That's right.  Only once this season have the Nats won scoring fewer than five runs, a 4-3 10-inning win over Milwaukee.  That speaks to the ineffectiveness of both the hitting and the pitching.

Just how bad is that?  In four of the Nats 10 losses, the opposition has scored fewer than four runs and in two more losses the other team scored five.  So more than half the Nats' losses have come when the opposition has scored five or fewer runs.

To compare, the San Diego Padres, the lowest scoring team in the majors, earned five of their eight victories scoring five or fewer runs.

Essentially, the idea of the Nats starters "keeping their team in the game" has been meaningless thus far.  The Nats have either won with an offensive explosion (by their measure) of they've lost.  They haven't had any in-between.  They aren't winning low scoring games and they aren't winning close games because they just aren't in many (1-2 in one run games).

Shall we examine the individuals?

Of the starting players (position players that have garnered the most at bats at their position), the Nationals have exactly two players hitting higher than .260: rookie 2B Danny Espinosa (.281/.364/.484) and Ryan Zimmerman, who hasn't played in almost three weeks and currently has no timetable for return.

The outfield of Jayson Werth, Rick Ankiel and Michael Morse is hitting .220 with five home runs combined.  I went through Werth's troubles here, and his proclivity for hitting ground ball outs this year is alarming.  In Sunday's win he grounded out four more times and struck out in his last at bat.  Again, alarming.

But the other two are playing at very predictable levels, if you paid attention to pre-season analytical projections instead of anecdotal evidence from spring training.

In fact, the only hitter you can really state is slumping, with any confidence, is Adam LaRoche, who is one of the most consistent players in the game.  LaRoche is traditionally a slow starter though, with a career .213/.308/.394 in April.

But then, his partially torn rotator cuff may be giving him more problems than he -- or the team -- is letting on.  That's not an injury that heals itself, and any loss of joint stability could be affecting his strength, whether or not the player feels pain in his swing.

The most troublesome slow start belongs to Ian Desmond.  He's supposed to be part of The Plan v2.0.  He looks as lost at the plate right now as he ever has, reaching base just 20 times in 79 plate appearances (.253 OBP).  In fact, he's struck out as many times as he's reached base.  That's just not acceptable for a non-power hitter.

The rest?  They are what they are at this point in their careers.

What can the Nats do to score more runs?

Hope Ryan Zimmerman returns sooner than later.  Hope Jayson Werth figures out what's wrong with his swing and stops grounding out.  Hope something clicks with Ian Desmond.  Hope Adam LaRoche is going through his usual April swoon and not that his swing is being sapped by injury.

That's a lot of things to hope for.

The Nationals game against the Pirates has been postponed due to poor weather in Pittsburgh. The game has been rescheduled for Monday, April 25 as both teams have a scheduled day off. Game will be played at 7:05 p.m. ET and will be aired on MASN-HD.

Series Preview

Washington Nationals (9-9, 3rd NLE) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (8-11, 5th NLC)

PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Fri. Apr. 22, 7:05 pm: Livan Hernandez (2-1, 2.88) v. Jeff Karstens (1-0, 4.50)

Sat. Apr. 23, 7:05 pm: Jason Marquis (1-0, 2.57) v. Kevin Correia (3-1, 2.00)

Sun. Apr. 24, 1:35 pm: John Lannan (2-1, 3.60) v. Paul Maholm (0-3, 14.73)

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The Nationals travel to Pittsburgh licking their wounds after losing two of three to St. Louis this week, hoping to get back on track and looking for their lost offense after getting shut down and shut out by the Cardinals this week.  The Nats managed just seven hits in the two losses to the Cards, and their team slash line is dreadful at .218/.305/.333.

It's not just a couple of spots in the order that's hurting the Nats right now, it's almost everyone.  Adam LaRoche is hitting .211.  Michael Morse is at .196.  Rick Ankiel a robust .221.  But no where are the struggles more evident than in the three-hole, and $126 million dollar man Jayson Werth. 

The slugger, brought in to fill this lineup out, is hitting .209/.293/.358 with two home runs and four RBIs in 75 plate appearances.  He's struck out 16 times, and what's worse, he's hitting ground balls outs at double his historical pace.

The Pirates enter play as the usually do, looking up at the rest of the Central Division.  They've won just three of their last ten games, and were shut out twice by Florida earlier this week.  They aren't hitting much more than the Nats, going .233/.313/.350 as a team.  While the Nats are getting some decent starting pitching , the Pirates are fourth worst in the N.L., giving up 4.89 runs per game.

Pittsburgh has some very good young talented players, such as CF Andrew McCutchen, 3B Pedro Alvarez, LF Jose Tabata and 2B Neil Walker, but all have struggled so far this season at the plate.

The Nats are expexcted to add INF Brian Bixler to the roster before tonight's game unless it's called by rain, and he's with the team in Pittsburgh.  He'll needed to be added to the 40-man roster, so the team will have to remove someone to activate Bixler. Bixler is insurance for when Ian Desmond leaves the team to be with his wife Chelsey, due any day with the couple's first child.

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STARTING LINEUPS

NATIONALS: Espinosa-4, Ankiel-8, Werth-9, LaRoche-3, Ramos-2, Morse-7, Desmond-6, Hairston-5, Hernandez-1

PIRATES:  McCutchen -8, Tabata-7, Overbay-3, Walker-4, Jones-9, Doumit-2, Alvarez-5, Cedeno-6, Karstens-1

When you send out a lineup that features just one hitter above the .250 mark, there's every chance you could get shut out.  For the third time this season, that's exactly what happened to the Washington Nationals.

Kyle Lohse dominated the Nats hitters and delivered a complete-game, two-hit shut out in a 5-0 win for his St. Louis Cardinals.  The loss drops the Nats to 9-9 for the season.

The Nationals never really had a chance in this one.  Jayson Werth and Michael Morse were the only Nats hitters to scratch out singles against the Cards righty.  Lohse (3-1, 2.01) walked two and struck out six in the effort.  He stranded all four batters to reach, and the Nats only had one at bat with a runner in scoring position.

Starter Tom Gorzelanny kept his team in the game, giving up two earned runs on just two hits over his five innings.  A hanging breaking ball to Matt Holliday in the first inning turned into the slugger's second home run of the season.  Despite walking four, Gorzelanny (L, 0-2, 4.96) did not give up another run.

The Cardinals got to reliever Collin Balester in the eighth for three more runs, including Albert Pujols sixth home run of the season.  Balester was pitching on the second consecutive day for the first time this season, a day after being asked for two innings and 34 pitches from manager Jim Riggleman.  Balester was recalled a week ago, but sat until Wednesday to make his 2011 debut.

But the real story was Lohse's command performance, and the Nationals ineffectiveness at the plate, which may be reaching epidemic proportions.

Washington entered the day hitting .226/.312/.347, ranked 28th/22nd/27th in all of Major League Baseball, and those numbers will be worse after today's game.  It's fairly shocking that they rank squarely in the middle of the pack in runs scored with such terrible averages.

Looking at their game logs, however, the Nats have scored 42 of their 73 runs in just six games, all wins.  In each of those wins, the Nats scored six or more runs.

That leaves just 31 runs for the other 12 games, an average of 2.58 runs per game. Not surprisingly, their record in those 12 games is 3-9.

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THE GOOD: Brian Broderick.  The Rule 5 pick threw two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and no walks.

THE BAD: Matt Stairs remains hitless this season, striking out in the eighth inning pinch-hitting for Broderick.

THE UGLY: At the end of the game, Danny Espinosa (.273) was the only National that had more than two at bats for the season with a batting average over .225.

THE STATS: Two hits, two walks.  0-for-1 with RISP, 4 LOB, 1 GIDP. No errors.

NEXT GAME: Friday at 7:05 pm at Pittsburgh Pirates.  Livan Hernandez 92-1, 2.88) v. Jeff Karstens (1-0, 4.50)

GAME ONE BOX    GAME TWO BOX

The Washington Nationals split a day-night doubleheader with the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday, winning the early game 8-6 and dropping the nightcap 5-3.  The Nats are now 9-8 after their first 17 games, good for third place in the N. L. East, two games behind division-leading Philadelphia.

In the early game, the Nationals used a six-run third inning to chase Cards started Jake Westbrook (L, 1-2, 9.82).  Six straight hitters reached base in the frame and the Nats pulled a double-steal, with Ian Desmond recording the first steal of home for the franchise since the relocation.

Laynce Nix homered off deposed Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin in the eighth for insurance.

John Lannan did not pitch particularly well, but he did get through five innings, allowing just two earned runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out two.  Both runs came on solo home runs, one each to Albert Pujols and Colby Rasmus.  But it was enough to get Lannan the win (2-1, 3.43).

Though the bullpen didn't do him any favors.  Chad Gaudin gave up three runs in his two-thirds of an inning, and the normally reliable Sean Burnett gave up a run late on three hits.  But Drew Storen recorded a six out save to finish things off.

In the second game, Jordan Zimmermann (L, 1-3, 3.70) struggled through six innings, surrendering eight hits and two walks, resulting in five runs, all earned, in six innings.  He struck out three in the process.

The righty, still recovering from Tommy John surgery, did not have his good stuff last night and it showed.  But after manager Jim Riggleman used most of his bullpen in the first game, the youngster had to take one for the team and gut it out in the late game.

Cards starter Jaime Garcia limited the Nats to four hits and two walks in five innings, running his record to 3-0. he gave up three runs, just one earned, and struck out four.

Collin Balester made his 2011 debut in relief, pitching the final two scoreless innings.  He gave up one hit, one walk and struck out one.

Jayson Werth, the Washington Nationals $126 million dollar man, has struggled so far this season, to a slash line of .200/.302/.382 before the start of play Wednesday.  He had an RBI in the first game of the double-header against the St. Louis Cardinals, just his third of the season and first that did not come on a solo home run.

In Philadelphia, it was widely acknowledged that Werth transformed himself as a hitter when he lowered his hands and shortened his swing, somewhere around the 2009 season (when he hit 36 HRs, followed by last year's 27 HRs accompanied by the NL lead in doubles).

Notice Werth's hands in this video from 2010.  You'll have to forgive the fact it's a game-winner against the Nats.

So fast forward to this season, and you can notice stance is dramatically different. His hands start very high, with an open stance, but his toe tapping mechanism that triggers the swing brings him into a closed stance.

Click to Werth's MLB.com bio page and click on the video "Werth reaches on error".  It's a routine ground ball to short.  In fact (short sample size warning), so far this season Werth is grounding out at rates that are astronomically higher than his career averages and much higher than N.L. average.

Werth's Ground Ball to Fly Ball ratio is 1.21, DOUBLE his career 0.63 ratio.  His Ground Out to Fly Out ratio is 1.54, again almost double his career 0.84 and his line drive rate is 14 percent, well below his career 20 percent.

He's hitting twice the amount of ground balls, make almost twice as many ground outs, and one-third fewer line drives.

Again, 65 plate appearances isn't much of a sample size.  But if he put these numbers up over the course of a season, people would say that he got really old, really fast.  But what's seems clear is that his mechanics are causing him to hit ground balls at an alarming rate.

Washington Nationals (8-7, 3rd NLE) at St. Louis Cardinals (8-8, 2nd NLC)

Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO

Tues Apr. 19, 8:15 pm: John Lannan (1-1, 3.38) v. Jake Westbrook (1-1, 7.63)

Weds Apr. 20, 8:15 pm:  Jordan Zimmermann (1-2, 2.45) v. Jaime Garcia (2-0, 1.35)

Thurs Apr. 21, 1:45 pm:  Tom Gorzelanny (0-1, 5.59) v. Kyle Lohse (2-1, 2.81)

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I'll be on "Nats News Weekly", live internet radio on PrimeSportsNetwork.com today at 5:30 pm.  We'll talk about the week that was last week, including the three-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers.  We'll also talk about the hitting (or lack thereof), the starting pitching excelling so far, and the how the bullpen is rounding into shape.

We'll also have updates on some of the minor league players in the system.

You can join in the discussion or as ask a question LIVE at 877-244-0585.

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STARTING LINEUPS

NATIONALS: Espinosa - 2B, Ankiel - CF, Werth - RF, LaRoche - 1B, Ramos - C, Morse - LF, Desmond - SS, Hairston - 3B, Lannan - P

CARDINALS: Theriot - SS, Rasmus - CF, Pujols - 1B, Holliday - LF, Berkman - RF, Freese - 3B, Molina - C, Greene - 2B, Westbrook - P

In a lot of ways, Danny Espinosa is not a prototypical leadoff hitter.  He's never hit for a high average (career .270 in minors), is not what one would consider a "speedster" (70 percent SB%), and has always had enough pop for folks to think he could thrive in a production spot lower in the order (career .455 slugging).

But he does have a good idea of plate discipline (career .365 OBP in minors), has decent speed, and is a switch-hitter.  So he at least has some of the qualifications.  That he was used in that capacity in the minors is another thing in his favor.

Which is how we ended up with Washington Nationals manager Jim Riggleman inserting the rookie into the leadoff spot last Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers.  Though Espinosa went 0-for-4 in that game, the Nats pulled it out and started a three-game sweep of the Brewers, with Espinosa playing a big part in the Sunday doubleheader.

Espinosa went 1-for-4 in the first game with a three-run home run off Yovanni Gallardo pulled to right field, and 1-for-3 in the second with an opposite-field three-run triple off reliever Kameron Loe, hitting left-handed against the right-handed pitchers.  Espinosa has always been a better hitter right-handed; it's his natural side.  His development as a lefty -- where he'll see more plate appearances against the predominance of right-handed pitchers -- is a key to determining his success as a Major Leaguer and potential leadoff man.

This season, Espinosa is hitting .256, with 11 hits in 56 plate appearances.  But six of those hits are for extra bases (three doubles, one triple and two home runs) and he he walked seven times, giving him a robust .364 OBP, right in line with his career minor league average. 

It's probably just coincidence that the Nats won all three games after Espinosa was installed at the leadoff spot.  Three games isn't much of a sample size.  And it's not like his performance leading off was all that much different than Ian Desmond on-base wise: Espinosa went 2-for-11 with no walks in the three games.

But Riggleman will only remember the two "clutch" hits, the six RBIs and the fact that the Nats won all three contests and will be sure to give Espinosa a long leash to prove that he deserves that spot.  Because there really isn't a better option on the roster.

Milwaukee Brewers (7-5, 2nd NLC) v. Washington Nationals (5-7, 3rd NLE)

Nationals Park, Washington D.C.

Friday, Apr. 15 7:05 pm: Chris Narveson (1-0, 0.00) v. Tom Gorzelanny (0-1, 8.44)

Saturday, Apr. 16, 1:05 pm: Yovanni Gallardo (1-0, 2.70) v. Jason Marquis (0-0, 3.65)

Sunday, Apr. 17, 1:35 pm: Marco Estrada (1-0, 5.14) v. Livan Hernandez (1-1, 3.50)

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After dropping two of three to the Philadelphia Phillies, the Nationals welcome another playoff contender to Nats Park, the Milwaukee Brewers, winners of their last four games.  The Brew Crew bring an impressive pitching staff and that's not even counting off-season addition Zack Greinke, injured during spring training playing pick-up basketball.

Friday's starter, lefty Chris Narveson, hasn't given up an earned run in either of his two starts this season.  Saturday the Nats will face one of the best young pitchers in the N.L., Yovanni Gallardo (2.70ERA in 3 starts), and Sunday features former Nats reliever Marco Estrada filling in for Greinke.

The Brewers are led at the plate once again by 1B Prince Fielder (.372, 3 HR, 15 RBI) and LF Ryan Braun (.325, 4 HR, 8 RBI).  But they are also getting surprising support from OF Nyjer Morgan, traded over at the end of spring training from the Nats for minor league infielder Cutter Dykstra.

In five games and 21 at bats, Morgan is hitting .476 with two doubles and two triples, providing a spark from the bottom of the order, where he's been predominantly used by Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke.

The reception for Morgan at Nats Park this weekend should be as interesting, considering some of the comments he's made about his former teammates and manager since the deal.

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STARTING LINEUPS

BREWERS:  Weeks-4, Gomez-8, Braun-7, Fielder-3, McGehee-5, Betancourt-6, Almonte-9, Nieves-2, Narveson-1.

NATIONALS: Espinosa-4, Ankiel-8, Werth-9, LaRoche-3, Ramos-2, Morse-7, Desmond-6, Hairston-5, Gorzelanny-1

The Washington Nationals committed two errors in both of their last two games, both losses to division boss Philadelphia Phillies.  For the season, the Nats have 11 errors in 12 games, second to last in the majors.  The team fielding percentage is third to last.  They are also third to last in number of double plays turned.  Add it all up, and you get a pretty good idea of just how mediocre this team has been in the field so far in 2011, despite all the emphasis and quotes directed at the defense this past off-season.

After last night's loss, manager Jim Riggleman addressed the fielding issues, specifically talking about Jerry Hairston's throwing error on a ball Hairston admitted he should have put in his pocket and Danny Espinosa's fumbling of a grounder when the defense was put in motion on an expected bunt play and pitcher Cliff Lee swung away instead.  He believes it's just a matter of time before these problems are ironed out.

"Every miscue we have is a miscue of aggression and effort," Riggleman said after the 4-0 loss to Lee and the Phillies.  "Jerry [Hairston] made a very nice backhanded play -- he's trying to get us out of the inning and he's make a tough play and it was a great effort.  They were bunting and they pulled back and swang and Danny [Espinosa] was in position to catch the ball but, you know, whatever, he rushed a little bit but who knows?"

"It's a great effort.  Everybody's trying to do the best they can and the plays weren't made but as long as we get that kind of effort, this ability that we have defensively that I keep talking about hasn't hit it's stride yet.  We haven't played as cleanly as we're gonna play.  But the effort is there and it's gonna show up in wins here before you know it."

If all of that sounds vaguely familiar, it should.  Riggleman said essentially the same thing after Jayson Werth dropped a pop-up to short right field against Florida last week.  "He really came in hard and took charge on the play," Riggleman said. "It's an error of aggression, and we can live with that."

In fact, in his introductory press conference upon being named manager of the team in July 2009, Riggleman used the very same words. 

"When you are in last place [bad defense] sticks out. When you are in first place and they won the game anyway—it’s forgotten and not written about. So we are going to make mistakes. But again, they have got to be mistakes of aggression and not be passive. 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.”

That was almost two years ago now, and the Nationals haven't gotten any better.  Does it matter that the mistakes and errors are those of aggression, passivity or omission?  Does it matter if the errors are physical or mental?  They all lead to losses.

Although this may sound like it's a column bashing Riggleman, that's not my bigger point, really.  It's more that these are the same things we've heard around NatsTown forever with regards to the defense.  That all they need to do is practice more, work harder, be aggressive and everything will work itself out.  Well, it hasn't.  Not to this point in 2011 anyway.

This Nats team may eventually get better defensively in some spots.  Ian Desmond is capable of spectacular play at shortstop, but he still needs to work on his throwing to first.  But so did Ryan Zimmerman his first couple years at third.  Danny Espinosa makes plays at second no one second basemen in the Nats history have been capable of, but he's also showing some rookie bobbles of balls that maybe if he was a little more patient he'd have made plays on.

Improvement can come there as both players are still young Major Leaguers.  But they are the only two "young" players the Nats put on the field these days.  The rest are veterans and they are what they are.  Hairston and Alex Cora have the hardest job, replacing Gold Glove Ryan Zimmerman at third.  Neither are third basemen by trade, and Cora described playing third as being "in a cage" the other day.

Maybe Riggleman is right.  Maybe this team will "hit it's stride" soon and play better overall defense.  I thought there was an old baseball axiom that said "Defense doesn't slump."  I could be the one that's wrong though.

Jordan Zimmermann heads to the dugout after seven-plus innings. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

Washington, D.C. -- Jordan Zimmermann had a perfect game through five innings and ended up allowing just one earned run in his seven-plus innings.  Most nights, that's good for a dominating win.

But not last night.

As good as Zimmermann was, his opponent was even better.

Cliff Lee threw a complete game three-hitter, striking out 12, and his Philadelphia Phillies shut out the Washington Nationals 4-0, before 24,875 at Nationals Park.  The Nats record falls to 5-7, while the Phillies move to 9-3, best in the N.L. East.

As things turned out, the three unearned runs that came at Zimmermann's expense weren't even needed by the Phillies.  The only run required came in the top of the sixth, when catcher Carlos Ruiz slammed a  curveball into the first row of the left field bleachers for his second home run of the season.  The rest of the runs were just gravy.

Cliff Lee delivers against Nats. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

Lee was masterful, walking one batter and fooling the Nats on a variety of pitches, including a fastball he ran inside to right-handed hitter on countless occasions for called strikes.  Lee struck out leadoff hitter Ian Desmond three times, and got Jayson Werth and Michael Morse twice each.  In fact, the only Nationals batter to not strike out was Jerry Hairston hitting in the eighth spot in the order.

Zimmermann deserved a better fate, but his offense just couldn't muster an attack on Lee.  His final line of five hits with no walks, four runs -- just one earned -- and four strikeouts should have had him in line for a win, but the took the loss instead and his record fell to 1-2.

Only twice did the Nats even threaten against Lee, and both times the Nats ran into outs on the base paths, erasing any chance of scoring.  In the third inning, Danny Espinosa (1-for-3, .281) lead off with a double and smartly took third on a fly to center by Hairston.  Manager Jim Riggleman put on the contact play with Zimmermann hitting, and the pitcher bounced a routine ball to shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who calmly threw home to nab Espinosa by several feet.

"We wanted him going there, yeah," Riggleman explained.  "You know the infield's in and with nobody out we would make it go through but with one out we want him going on contact, kinda hoping that the ball's a little left or a little right of somebody, or maybe it's a high chopper or something hard to handle but that one was you know...if you wait for all that then you're never going so we're just kinda taking a chance there." 

"If we stay there we got two outs and we're standing on third and your percentages are getting pretty bad then."

In the fifth inning, Wilson Ramos (1-for-2, BB) led off with a single against Lee, bringing up the struggling Michael Morse.  Morse worked the count full, and on the 3-2 pitch Riggleman called for the hit-and-run.  Morse swung through for strike three and Ramos was caught stealing easily.

"I kinda wanted Ramos running on the pitch when Morse was hitting. I just felt that Mike, deep in the count, has seen enough pitches that he'll put the bat on the ball and we'll maybe find a hole out there."

Morse didn't find a hole.  He struck out for the 13th time in 34 at bats this season.

When you're struggling to score runs and facing one of the best pitchers in the game when he's on top of his game, you've got to maximize your opportunities.  Instead, the Nats ran themselves out of two innings.

THE GOOD: Jordan Zimmermann.  He got a few more swing-and-misses last night and walked no one, signs that his command and control are improving as he continues his recover from Tommy John surgery.

THE BAD: Six of the eight Nats hitters finished the night with their year's batting average below .217.  That's just bad anyway you slice it.

THE UGLY: Other than Ruiz' solo home run, all the rest of the Phillies runs were unearned, courtesy of errors in the field.  Jerry Hairston threw a ball away from third that he should have eaten, and Espinosa couldn't field a grounder from Lee when the infield was in motion for a bunt defense and Lee swung away.

THE STATS: Three htis, one walk.  0-for-2 with RISP, 3 LOB.  E: Hairston (2), Espinosa (2)

NEXT GAME: Friday v. Milwaukee Brewers at 7:05 pm.  Tom Gorzelanny (0-1, 8.44) v. Chris Narveson (1-0, 0.00)

NATS NOTES:  Jesus Flores had a pinch-hit single in the ninth inning, his first MLB hit since May 2009.  The catcher missed most of the last two seasons rehabbing from two shoulder surgeries.

Brian Broderick, the Rule 5 pitcher selected from the St. Louis Cardinals, had a 1-2-3 inning in the ninth, lowering his ERA to 12.46.

Jesus Flores' first MLB base hit in almost two years. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

"Nats Weekly", our Internet radio show on PrimeSportsNetwork.com, will air LIVE at 5:30 pm today.  We'll discuss the past week's games, the injuries that are causing lineup concerns for manager Jim Riggleman, minor league updates and anything else Nats.

You can join in the discussion by calling 877-244-0585 -- LIVE -- from 5:30-6:00 pm.

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TONIGHT'S STARTING LINEUPS

PHILLIES:  Victorino-8, Polanco-5, Rollins-6, Howard-3, Francisco-9, Ibanez-7, Ruiz-2, Valdez-4, C.Lee (1-1, 7.84)

NATIONALS:  Desmond-6, Ankiel-8, Werth-9, LaRoche-3, Ramos-2, Morse-7, Espinosa-4, Hairston-5, Zimmermann (1-1, 3.18)

Washington, D.C. -- Sometimes you look at the lineup card and wonder why you bother playing the game.  Well, in baseball sometimes the numbers take a night off -- the good ones and the bad ones.

Last night, before a smallish crowd under threatening skies at Nationals Park, Jim Riggleman and his band of journeymen, backups and age-defying starting pitcher, defended the home turf against their arch-nemesis and a band of marauding Phillies Phans.  The final was 7-4, but it seemed much closer due to some shaky pitching in the eighth and ninth innings by two usually trusty relievers.

The win evens the Nats record at 5-5, drawing them within two of division-leading Philly.

"It's one game, but I was really pleased with the way we played in general," manager Jim Riggleman said afterward.  "I thought there were a couple times there toward the end we could have tightened it up a little bit.  But overall really pleased that we got a great performance from Livo, and starting pitching is what it's all about.  And when your starting pitcher pitches like that you've got a chance.

"We've got a long way to close that gap [with the Phillies].  One game is not what we're talking about."

But when it's against the Philadelphia Phillies, one game is a start.  Especially when injuries forced bench players Laynce Nix, Jerry Hairston and 43-year old Matt Stairs into the starting lineup.

Jayson Werth went 2-for-3 with a home run to lead his new mates over his old ones, and Wilson Ramos drove in two with two hits.

But the big story was the job Washington Nationals starter Livan Hernandez turned in.  The seemingly ageless one hasn't let the statheads get him down just yet, as he once again defied the projections of regression for the crafty vet. 

Livo went 6 2/3 innings and gave up just one run, on Ryan Howard's opposite field home run.  He allowed seven hits without walking a batter, striking out six including the last batter he faced, pinch-hitter John Mayberry Jr., with the bases loaded on a 61 MPH curveball.

Tyler Clippard then came in and got perhaps the biggest out of the game, striking out Shane Victorino, leaving all three runners on base.

Clippard wasn't as sharp in the eighth, allowing a single and two walks, prompting Riggleman to call on Sean Burnett for a five out save.  Burnett eventually got the job done, but not before allowing two of Clippard's runners -- and one of his own -- to score to make things tight in the final frames.

The earned run in the ninth off Burnett halts his scoreless innings streak at 22 2/3, the longest in club history since the move to D.C. in 2005.

No matter, as Burnett was still credited with his third save of the young season and Hernandez evened his record at 1-1.

The Nats big inning was the third, where they got three runs off Phillies starter Joe Blanton (L, 0-1, 10.45).  Wilson Ramos doubled in Werth, who doubled a batter previously, Jerry Hairston delivered a one-out single with the bases loaded to plate Ramos, and Livo placed prefect sacrifice bunt to push Laynce Nix across with the third run of the frame.

The collection of position players the Nats put on the field last night, along with their starting pitcher, might not have been sabermetrically approved.  But in a small sample size, and one game is about as small as it gets, even the numbers can get fooled.  Let's just hope the Nats don't have to rely on this lineup for very long.

The bigger you make the sample size, the more the underlying data is proven reliable.

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THE GOOD: Werth, Ramos and Nix all had two hits apiece.  Hernandez was masterful.  Espinosa drew two walks, once to load the bases.

THE BAD: Matt Stairs.  Hitting in the cleanup spot, the lefty went 0-for-3, struck out twice, and was lifted for pinch-hitter Michael Morse. 

THE UGLY: Ian Desmond.  0-for-5 drops his average down to .209.  Something has to give at some point.

THE STATS: Nine hits, five walks.  4-for-9 with RISP, 7 LOB, 0 GIDP. No errors.

NEXT GAME: Wednesday v. Philadelphia at 7:05 pm.  John Lannan (1-0, 3.60) v. Roy Halladay (1-0, 0.69).

NATS NOTES:  Before the game, the team officially placed 3B Ryan Zimmerman on the 15-day D.L. and recalled catcher Jesus Flores from Triple-A Syracuse.  Flores has missed most of the last two seasons with two different shoulder surgeries.

Philadelphia Phillies (7-2, 1st NLE) at Washington Nationals (4-5, 3rd NLE)

Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.

Tuesday 7:05 pm.: Joe Blanton (0-0, 14.54) v. Livan Hernandez (0-1, 4.76)

Wednesday 7:05 pm.:  Roy Halladay (1-0, 0.00) v. John Lannan (1-0, 5.40)

Thursday 7:05 pm:  Cliff Lee (1-1, 16.20) v. Jordan Zimmermann (1-1, 3.38)

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This series should be about Jayson Werth facing his former team for the first time, and while that is dominating the Philly papers, the bigger issue in D.C. is the injury bug, which has bitter their best player, Ryan Zimmerman, to the tune of three-to-four weeks with an abdominal strain.  He was placed on the D.L. today and the team recalled catcher Jesus Flores to take his place on the roster.

Also, 1B Adam LaRoche is still suffering from either the groin strain he suffered in New York Saturday OR the tear in his left rotator cuff, which flared up on him, requiring him to sit during Saturday's game.  Then today we find out left fielder Michael Morse, he of the 3-for-18 start of the season, has the flu and will be unable to play tonight, leaving a patchwork lineup that will feature Laynce Nix in left, Jerry Hairston at third, and 43-year old Matt Stairs playing first and batting cleanup.

Oh, and it's supposed to rain all night tonight.  Stay dry, Nats fans.

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STARTING LINEUPS

PHILLIES:  Victorino-8, Polanco-5, Rollins-6, Howard-3, Francisco-9, Ibanez-7, Ruiz-2, Valdez-4, Blanton-1

NATIONALS:  Desmond-6, Ankiel-8, Werth-9, Stairs-3, Ramos-2, Nix-7,  Espinosa-4, Hairston-5, Livo-1

Multiple reports earlier today indicated catcher Jesus Flores will be recalled to take Ryan Zimmerman's place on the roster when the Washington Nationals move the third baseman to the disabled later today with an abdominal strain, originally sustained during spring training and re-aggravated in Saturday's 8-4 loss to the New York Mets, when he slid headfirst into second on a play that didn't even draw a throw.

It's great for Flores, finally making his way back onto the big league roster after missing much of the last two seasons dealing with two different shoulder injuries that eventually needed corrective surgery.  The Nats really needed a right-handed bat off the bench, and this move addresses that more than the need to carry a third catcher.

But it's telling that the Nats have to handcuff themselves defensively when their first move to recall a right-handed bat from the minors is to summon a third catcher.  Usually when a player gets hurt, the team will recall a player at that position to take his place. 

Currently at AAA-Syracuse, the only 3B listed on the roster is Alex Valdez.  I dare you to tell me who he is without clicking on the link.  Brian Bixler is capable of playing the position, but he's a middle infielder by nature and hits like one when he's in the big leagues.  So you can see where the Nats hands are tied on this thing.

The other complicating factor is Adam LaRoche's various injuries.  Already hampered by a partially torn rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder for which he missed Saturday's game, he sustained a leg injury in Sunday's game and was lifted for a pinch-runner, forcing Pudge Rodriguez to finish the game at first. 

Flores is insurance should that circumstance happen again, but LaRoche's injury situation is not going to go away.  Even slightly torn rotator cuffs don't just get better, especially while playing with it -- they need surgery.  Its just a question of whether he can get through the season playing with the discomfort.  LaRoche has maintained that it hurts when he throws but it's not affecting his swing.  But loss of joint stability is going to affect strength, whether it hurts him or not.  Pain is the symptom, not the injury.

If LaRoche needs to be disabled at some point, the Nats will have to go to a deeper option (hopefully) than making Pudge the full-time 1B, but again, the options aren't enticing.  The organization wants Chris Marrero to see a full season of AAA pitching, and the other option is journeyman Michael Aubrey.  Either one would be a serious drop-off from the league average production they expect to get out of LaRoche.

All this leaves the Nats in a very precarious position.  Jerry Hairston and Alex Cora, two players much more suited for backup roles at this point in their careers, become the starting third baseman for three-to-four weeks while Zimmerman convalesces.  Jayson Werth slides into the No. 3 slot.  Most likely, Jim Riggleman moves Rick Ankiel, of the .312 lifetime OBP, into the two-hole and rookie Wilson Ramos into the fifth or sixth spot, depending on the progression of Michael Morse.

And look out if Morse doesn't start hitting.  He doesn't have to hit like he did in spring training, but it would be nice if he could start hitting like he did last season.  But we've been through all that exhaustively.

Not ideal, with six games at home this week with playoff contending Philadelphia and Milwaukee.  Hold on to your hats and pray for good pitching, NatsTown.