"The pitch that is just absolutely going to cost me some sleep tonight." -- Garrett Mock, on the 3-2 pitch that Albert Pujols lined to center for the game-winning RBI.

BOX SCORE AND GAME RECAP.

THE RESULT: Albert Pujols hit a go-ahead single in the sixth inning, making a winner out of Adam Wainright for the 16th time this season, as Garrett Mock and the Washington Nationals fell to the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-1, completing a three-game sweep, before 41,083 at new Busch Stadium.

Mock (L, 3-6, 5.01) was excellent, as he gave up just two earned runs on four hits and one walk over six innings, striking out five. Tyler Clippard, Sean Burnett and Mike MacDougal kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard as well.

But Wainwright (W, 16-7, 2.47) was a little bit better. He allowed one earned run on three hits and three walks, striking out seven. Three relievers threw one-hit ball for three innings to shut down any chance of the Nats tying the game.

After the game, the Nationals traded 2B Ronnie Belliard to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league pitcher Luis Garcia and a player to be named later, expected to be another minor league pitcher. The team then recalled OF Justin Maxwell from Triple-A Syracuse to replace Belliard on the active roster.

Garcia, 22, is a right handed reliever, and was 5-3 with five saves for the Dodgers Single-A affiliate, with a 2.92 ERA and 3.67 K/BB rate in 2009. In 78 career minor league games over four season, Garcia is 13-4 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.353 WHIP.

THE TAKEAWAY: Mock is turning into a pitcher before our very eyes. In his last six starts, he's given up more than two earned runs just once. He's struck out five or more in each of his last five starts.

He is 3-2 in August and his ERA for the month is 3.31 with 33 strikeouts in 32.2 IP.

THE GOOD: Mock. A sac fly and hit-and-run were the only plays that resulted in runs scored for the slugging Cardinals.

THE BAD: Whoa, where was the offense? Wainwright is having a tremendous season, and he completely dominated the Nats on Sunday.

THE UGLY: The loss drops the Nats road record to 19-46, and 14-21 in one-run games.

NEXT GAME: Washington (46-85) ventures to San Diego (56-76) for a three-game set with the Padres. Livan Hernandez (7-8, 5.36) makes his second start for the Nats since being picked up as a free agent against Tim Stuffer (2-6, 4.11) at 10:05 pm ET.

"Something has to change you know. It's unacceptable and I just have to do something about it." -- John Lannan, on his start.

THE RESULT: Nationals rallied after being down 7-0, however, it wasn't enough to pull out a win. Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Washington Nationals 11-9 in a rain delayed game that started at 8:26pm. This game marked the five straight loss.

Nationals starter John Lannan gave up seven runs in only 1 2/3 innings and could not locate his command. "I have to get through it and get ready for my next start," Lannan said. "The ball is just up. A couple of inches down, those balls are not hits. Physically, I feel fine, so I guess it is a mental challenge to get past it. Lannan ended up with a no decision.

Saul Rivera came in for Lannan to finish off the second inning and ended up pitching 3.1 innings, gave up two hits and one run and stuckout three. He also recorded his first major league hit and scored his first run, twice!

THE GOOD: Ronnie Belliard. Player of the game. He went 3-4 with a Grand Slam and 4 RBIs.

THE BAD: Ryan Zimmerman. He went 0-for-4 with a walk and run, along with leaving five on base.

THE UGLY: Umpire calls and Riggleman getting tossed.

NEXT GAME: Milwaukee Brewers tonight at 1:35 pm at Nationals Park. Craig Stammen (3-6, 5.13) hosts Manny Parra (8-9, 6.33).

NOTES:

Jorge Padilla earned his first career start in left field.

It looks like Milkaukee did not send their running sausages so the Nats have created their own to compete with the Nats' Racing Presidents.

Photos 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"I was looking for something middle-away. I knew that I hit it good, but this year, I've hit a lot of balls that stayed in." -- Wil Nieves, on his second career home run, August 14, 2009.

THE RESULTS: Ronnie Belliard and Wil "Who?" Nieves hit solo home runs, and Garrett Mock threw seven solid innings to lead the Washington Nationals over the Cincinnati Reds, 2-0, before 19,606 at Great American Ballpark.

Nieves finished 2-for-4, raising his average to .252 this season. It was the third time this season he's caught a shut out.

Mock (W, 2-4, 5.27) started off a little shaky in the first inning, walking the first batter he faced and throwing 20 pitches in the frame. but he settled down nicely from there, and he scattered six hits and four walks across seven innings. He also struck out six.

Mock threw 59 of his 101 pitches for strikes and recorded two ground ball outs and eight fly ball outs.

Jorge Sosa, Sean Burnett, Jason Bergmann and Mike MacDougal (12th save) finished the blanking of the Red Legs.

There was not much offense to be had, a recurring theme on this road trip that's already seen three losses in a row until last night's achievement. Aaron Harang (L, 6-14, 4.35) kept the Nats at bey most of the night. He gave up six hits and three walks in his seven innings, striking out six.

The two home runs were all the difference in the game.

"I can't make mistakes," Harang said. "The first pitch to Belliard was p. It was a slider that started outside and came back over the plate, and he recognized it. We've got a history."

Belliard is now 9-for-23 lifetime against Harang.

As for the homer to Nieves? "That was a fastball up and out of the zone, and he just got underneath it."

Nyjer Morgan preserved the shut out in the fifth inning, when he threw out Harang at the plate trying to score on a single from shortstop Paul Janish.

THE TAKEAWAY: Mock seems to be getting a little sharper each time out, which is the progress you want to see from a young pitcher. The rest of this season is dedicated to watching the young staff, what's left of it anyway, prove that they are part of the future and belong in the big leagues.

Mock did allow a bunch of base runners, but he escaped trouble whenever he found it. He punctuated the effort with a strikeout of the final batter he faced, rookie catcher Craig Tatum, with the bases loaded.

And props to the little guys, Belliard and Nieves. There were no bigger smiles on the night that Nieves' heading back to the dugout after hitting home plate.

THE GOOD: Wil Nieves. 2-for-4 with his second career home run.

THE BAD: Willie Harris. 0-for-4, six runners left on base.

THE UGLY: The need for Morgan's nice throw to the plate on Harang was a result of one of the uglier plays you'll see. Harang hit a humpback flare to left center, that any one of Morgan, Harris or Guzman could have caught. Instead, none of the three called for it, and it fell harmlessly not 10 feet from any of the three.

NEXT GAME: Saturday night at the Smallpark. J.D. Martin (1-2, 5.91) faces Johnny Cueto (8-9, 4.23) at 7:10 pm.

THE RESULT: Ronnie Belliard delivered a pinch-hit two-run double, and Adam Dunn capped the six-run inning with a two-run, opposite field homer that gave the Washington Nationals a 6-4 come-from-behind victory over the Florida Marlins.

Washington has won three in a row and seven of its last 11 games.

The Nats got four straight hits to start the eighth inning off, concluding with Belliard's big hit, chasing Marlins starter Josh Johnson. Johnson, the big right-hander, had been dominant until that point, having retired 20 consecutive Nationals batters until the bottom of the eighth.

But Willie Harris, Alberto Gonzalez and Wil Nieves all scratched singles off Johnson, and Belliard lined one into the left field gap, scoring Harris and Gonzalez. Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez summoned lefty Reynel Pinto to face Nyjer Morgan, and Morgan bounced out to second, plating Nieves and pushing Belliard to third.

Kiko Calero then came in to pitch to Cristian Gizman, but the move did not pay off, as Guzman singled to right field to drive in Belliard. Calero (L, 2-1, 2.08) did coax Josh Willingham into popping up, giving the Marlins hope the could get out of the inning tied.

Dunn made sure that would not be the case. Facing left-hander Dan Meyer -- he of the 2.21 ERA -- he took three straight balls, and for a brief moment it looked like Meyer was simply working around Dunn. But his fourth offering was right down Broadway, and he flat fooled Dunn with a breaking pitch for strike two.

But Dunn made solid contact on the sixth pitch of the affair, and lofted a long fly ball that settled into about the 10th row of the left field grandstand, bringing those remaining from the 19,828 that stuck around out of their seats.

Ron Villone (4-5, 3.82) got the win in relief and Mike MacDougal came on in the ninth for his ninth save.

NatsTown had a winner tonight.

Washington starter J.D. Martin had a tough go of it in the beginning. Working in and out of trouble the entirety of his four and one-third innings, he gave up only three earned runs, but had base runners everywhere, giving up six hits and walking four. He struck out two and surrendered two home runs, to Cody Ross and his opposite number, pitcher Johnson.

Johnson was flat out awesome for the first seven innings. His final line was marred by the eighth inning breakdown: 7 IP, 4 ER, 6 hits, 0 walks, 9 Ks. All of the runs and four of the hits came in the deciding inning.

THE TAKEAWAY: The Nats looked like a little league team all night against Johnson. Morgan struck out twice. Dunn K'd three times. Johnson was masterful. But a couple of flares to start the eighth and you could see a difference in Johnson's body language; it was like all the life came out of him.

And give credit to Ronnie Belliard. Reduced this season to pinch-hitter and defensive replacement, he smelled blood in the water and put a very confident swing on the 2-2 pitch, driving the ball to the ball in the left field power alley.

It was the first time the Nats have defeated the Marlins this season, and perhaps a big confidence boost to the entire team.

THE GOOD: Adam Dunn. He only had one hit, but that one was a biggie. It was his 28th home run and 80th RBI of the season.

THE BAD: Nyjer Morgan. He was completely over-matched by Johnson tonight, going 0-for-4 and striking out twice, looking silly in the two Ks.

THE UGLY: J.D. Martin. He really struggled with his command, and frankly, was lucky to get out of this outing giving up just three earned runs. He was the beneficiary of a double play and, to his credit, he pitched out of a couple jams. But he labored all night.

NEXT GAME: Wednesday at 7:05 pm for game two of the three-gamer. John Lannan (7-8, 3.41) takes on Rick VanDenHurk (1-0, 2.65).

NOTES: Nick Johnson received a small, but warm, ovation from a late-arriving crowd for his first at bat. He went 2-for-4 with a walk, run and RBI in his first appearance as a visitor at Nationals Park.

Austin Kearns will be placed on the DL tomorrow with a right thumb injury, according to MLB.com. Kearns is expected to see a thumb specialist in Baltimore on Wednesday. The team expects to recall Jorge Padilla from Triple-A Syracuse to take Kearns' place on the roster.

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"I've never been booed before. It kind of pumped me up. It's not that emotion you wanted, but it got my adrenaline pumping." -- Sean Burnett, on the Pirates' fans reaction to his comments about the Pirates being the "laughingstock of baseball," August 2, 2009.

THE RESULT: Josh Willingham continued his hot streak, hitting a two-run home run and a run-scoring double, to lead the Washington Nationals over the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-3, before 21,894 at beautiful PNC Park.

The win halts the Nats losing streak at four, and pushes their season record to 33-72.

Burnett (W, 2-2, 2.42), booed lustily by Pirates fans when he entered the game, recorded one out and was the beneficiary of Willingham's work with the bat as the pitcher of record at the time of the blast.

Willingham is hitting .331 with 16 homers and 40 RBI in his past 66 games.

Nats starter Collin Balester had a decent performance, working ahead in the count most of the day. He left with two outs in the sixth inning, allowing two earned runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out three, and gave up Ronnie Cedeno's sixth home run of the season.

The middle of the Nats lineup did all the damage necessary backing Balester and the other pitchers. Ryan Zimmerman got on base, going 2-for-3 with a walk, and Willingham drove him in.

Ronnie Belliard, starting at first, also had two hits and a stolen base, and Alberto Gonzalez had two RBIs at the bottom of the order, scoring runs with a ground out and ground-rule double.

Pirates starter Paul Maholm (L, 6-6, 4.75) gave up four earned runs on seven hits and two walks to take the loss.

The day was also full of bad base running, as both teams had two runners thrown out stealing. And the Pirates Andy LaRoche was picked off at first base by Wil Nieves. Nieves had trouble coming up with a slider down and away, and LaRoche broke for second, but stopped and tried to retreat.

Nieves made a perfect throw and Belliard applied the tag, according to first base umpire Tim Timmons. Replays were inconclusive at best whether Belliard actually tagged LaRoche. Belliard stood on first base stroking his chin whiskers as Pittsburgh manager John Russell argued, to no avail.

THE TAKEAWAY: Willingham is just unconscious at the plate right now. His season averages of .305/.417/.598 all eclipse any previous career high or average. The truly interesting part of his hot stretch is that his BABIP (Batting Average on Balls In Play) is not remarkably high at .330.

Sure, that's a touch above average, so a couple balls are falling in here or there for him. But mostly, he's just really putting good wood on the ball right now and "earning" his hits.

THE GOOD: Collin Balester. He threw 54 of his 84 pitches for strikes, including first pitch strikes to 12 of the 21 batters he faced.

THE BAD: Nyjer Morgan. He was 0-for4 and a caught stealing.

THE UGLY: Jorge Sosa. In his Nationals' debut, he gave up a home run to the first batter he faced. Welcome to the Nats, Jorge.

NEXT GAME: The finale of the four-game wraparound series with the Buccos. The 7:05 pm game features Garrett Mock (0-4, 7.09) gunning for his first 2009 win against Charlie Morton (2-3, 3.72), acquired from Atlanta in the Nate McLouth deal.

NOTES: Austin Kearns, scheduled to start, was scratched due to a contusion on his right thumb. Belliard was inserted at first and Willingham pushed back into left field. It would have been Willingham's first career start at first base.

All photos 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"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).

"Slider, down and away. I was able to make a quality pitch." --Jason Marquis, on a 1-2 slider to Ronnie Belliard, who ground into a bases loaded 6-4-3 double play to end the seventh inning.

THE RESULT: Colorado Rockies pitcher Jason Marquis became the Major League leader in wins, notching his eleventh of the season, as he combined with closer Huston Street on a seven-hit, 1-0 shut out of the Washington Nationals, before 25,205 at Coors Field.

The Nats record stands at 24-56-1.

It was the eighth 1-0 game in the history of Coors Field, all since the incorporation of a humidor to store game balls.

Marquis, named to his first all-star game on Sunday, was sharp all evening, but the Nats did have their chances. But every time Washington had an opportunity, Marquis, one of his fielders, or the Nats themselves did something to erase the chance.

The Nats shot themselves in the foot -- twice -- in the seventh inning. Adam Dunn led off with a double and Josh Willingham followed with a single, moving Dunn up 90 feet. Cristian Guzman hit a high chopper to Marquis, who stabbed it and caught Dunn straying from third base for the first out.

Dunn angrily tossed his batting helmet aside once he reached the bench.

Josh Bard, still hobbled by a strained groin, singled to right field, but third base coach Pat Listach held Willingham at third, respecting right fielder Brad Hawpe's powerful left arm. It was a good thing too, as Hawpe fired a perfect one-hop throw to catcher Chris Iannetta which surely would have nailed Willingham by several steps.

Belliard then ground peacefully into the rally-killing DP.

Nats starter Craig Stammen was maybe even more impressive than Marquis, save for the lone run he allowed in the first inning on a single by second baseman Clint Barmes and double by Todd Helton.

Stammen (L, 1-4, 4.88) went seven innings and allowed just that one earned run on five hits and one walk, and struck out three in the process. He induced two double plays, and got nine ground ball outs.

THE TAKEAWAY: "[Stammen] made pitches all day," Nationals manager Manny Acta said. "He kept his sinker down and wasn't intimidated by the altitude here."

Indeed, it was Stammen's best performance to date, marred only by the offense's inability to scratch one out against Marquis. The Nats left eight men on base, failing to come up with the big hit time and again.

This road trip in Colorado and Houston is going to tell us a lot about this young pitching staff, and Stammen passed his first test with flying colors.

THE GOOD: Craig Stammen. He threw 62 of his 98 pitches for strikes, including 16 out of 25 first-pitch strikes.

THE BAD: Cristian Guzman. 0-for-4 in the sixth spot in the order.

THE UGLY: Ronnie Belliard. 0-for-4, with the rally killing DP. One day after looking like he might break out of his funk, Acta gave Belliard another start, and he failed to capitalize on the opportunity.

NEXT GAME: Tonight at 8:40 EDT in Colorado. Jordan Zimmermann (3-3, 4.52) takes on Jason Hammel (5-4, 3.90).

"It gave me confidence that he had confidence in me." --Scott Olsen, on Manager Manny Acta leaving him in to pitch in the ninth, July 5, 2009.

THE RESULT: Scott Olsen fell just one out from his first career complete game as the Washington Nationals defeated the Atlanta Braves for the second straight day by the score of 5-3, before 22,677 at Nationals Park.

The team's record stands at 24-55-1 after taking two of three from the Braves.

Olsen (2-4, 6.04) allowed three runs and eight hits over eight and two-thirds innings, winning for the first time since returning June 28 from the 15-day disabled list after a bout with left shoulder tendinitis. He walked five and struck out five.

Olsen cruised through seven, then ran into a spot of trouble in the eighth. Manager Manny Acta came out to talk to Olsen with runners on base, and the crowd had already stood to greet Olsen warmly, expecting his manager to give him the hook at that point. When Acta turned to go back to the dugout without taking the ball from his starter, the assembled Nats fans erupted with approval.

Olsen escaped that jam and left to thunderous applause. And when the pitcher executed a perfect sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the inning, there was another standing ovation.

But with two outs, the left-hander surrendered a two-run home run to Nate McLouth, and Acta finally relieved his starter after 116 pitches, 75 of which were strikes.

Despite allowing a hit and a walk, Mike MacDougal eventually got the last out for his fifth save, and the Nats could get on the plane to Colorado with a two-game winning streak.

Nyler Morgan again proved the catalyst for the Nationals. Washington took a 1-0 lead in the first when Morgan hit a leadoff single, stole second and scored on Ryan Zimmerman's single to right.

Morgan went 3-for-5 with a run, RBI and stolen base, and made several outstanding defensive plays, including nailing Martin Prado at second on a play where Morgan dove for a sinking liner but could not come up with it, rolled and retrieved the ball, and threw a strike to Ronnie Belliard covering for the out.

Belliard went 2-for-3 with a walk, three runs scored and an RBI in the eighth spot in the order. Olsen also had two hits and an RBI.

THE TAKEAWAY: What a difference once player makes on an entire team. We saw Morgan at his disruptive best yesterday, making plays in the outfield no Nationals player comes close to. He was all over the basepaths, creating havoc for Braves starter Derek Lowe (L, 7-7, 4.56) all day.

And you can't say enough about Olsen's performance. He threw strikes, kept his head down and really controlled the game until he started to tire in the eighth. He was economical with his pitches despite striking out five and walking five.

"I did OK," Olsen said after the game. "I threw the ball down in the zone pretty well for the most part. I kept them off-balance with the offspeed pitches. Too many walks for my liking there, but we did pretty good."

THE GOOD: Olsen. This makes two straight very good performances since returning from his bout with shoulder tendinitis. If he can continue to be effective, the Nats might find themselves turning a corner as we head into the second half of the season.

THE BAD: Every starter had a hit, so we'll have to go with Josh Bard. He went 1-for-4 with five runners left on base, and really struggled with his running due to the sore groin he's been nursing for the better part of two weeks now.

THE UGLY: Nationals Pyrotechnics. With two outs and two strikes on Chipper Jones in the top of the ninth, Jones fouled a pitch off, but the pyrotechnician on top of the stadium thought it was a swinging strike three. BANG-ZOOM went the fireworks, for a two-strike foul ball!

Thankfully MacDougal eventually finished off the save, or it would have been one more piece of negative vibe that the national press could have on our account.

NEXT GAME: The Nats ride their two-game win streak into Colorado to face the Rockies tonight at 8:40 pm EDT. Craig Stammen (1-3, 5.44) takes on all-star Jason Marquis (10-5, 3.87).

NOTES: Ryan Zimmerman was named as a reserve to the National League All-Star team. Cristian Guzman was named as one of the five finalists in the fan vote for the "Last Man".

Photos 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"Our bullpen gets in and they just beat up on them." --Manny Acta, July 1, 2009.

THE RESULT: The worst bullpen in the league did what they do best (worst?) yesterday, coughing up another late inning lead, as the Florida Marlins extended their record over the Washington Nationals to 9-0 this season with a 5-3 win before 27,032 at Land Shark Stadium.

Washington is now 22-54-1 for the season.

The Nats actually took the lead in the seventh inning with a two-spot, courtesy of Josh Willingham's bases-loaded single that drove in Cristian Guzman and Nick Johnson. With runners at first and third and just one out, Marlins manager called for former Nat Brian Sanches, who struck out Anderson Hernandez and coaxed a long fly ball from Wil Nieves to end the rally.

Manager Manny Acta then summoned Sean Burnett, acquired Tuesday with outfielder Nyjer Morgan, who had flown in from Pittsburgh just that morning. The first batter Burnett faced as a Nats was center fielder Cody Ross, who popped a 3-2 pitch over the wall in left center field to tie the game.

Julien Tavarez (L. 3-6, 4.31) took over in the eighth, and allowed two of the three batters he faced to reach. Mike MacDougal came in and walked his first batter to load the bases. The next batter, Wes Helms, hit what should have been a double-play ball, but instead the ball hit the mound and it went for a fielder's choice, with a run scoring and all hands safe.

Ross then stepped up and singled, giving Florida an insurance run, and the Nats went down in order in the ninth.

Nats starter Jordan Zimmerman had another good start spoiled. He went six innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits and one walk, striking out six.

THE TAKEAWAY: I've have run out of ways to say it. Tavarez, Beimel, Villone, MacDougal. There's a reason why none of these guys had jobs coming into spring training.

THE GOOD: Jordan Zimmermann. Just keep concentrating on each quality start. It's the only way to keep from going crazy as the bullpen implodes each day. He also went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

THE BAD: Ryan Zimmerman. 0-for-5 hitting cleanup. Yuck.

THE UGLY: Ronnie Belliard. Weak ground ball in his pinch-hitting opportunity. Now hitting .159.

NEXT GAME: Off today. The holiday weekend starts Friday with a series against the Atlanta Braves. Ross Detwiler (0-4, 5.24) hosts Kenshin Kawakami (4-6, 4.25) at 6:35 p.m.

"That was a pretty big mental mistake. I have to be able to shake that pitch off and throw what I wanted to throw." --Craig Stammen, June 24, 2009.

THE RESULT: David Ortiz, as he's done so many times in the past, hit a three-run home run to lead the Boston Red Sox over the Washington Nationals, 6-4, in the second of a three-game series, before 41,530. It was the second straight night for a record crowd at Nationals Park.

With two men on and two outs, Nationals starter Craig Stammen pounded Ortiz with fastballs to get to a 3-2 count. "Big Papi" was late on both fastballs he took cuts at. But on the deciding pitch, Stammen left an 83 MPH change-up over the heart of the plate, and Ortiz did not miss it, clobbering the pitch into the service tunnel in straight-away center field.

Catcher Wil Nieves set up low and away against the big slugger, even motioning with his glove with the palm down for Stammen (L, 1-3, 5.49) to keep the pitch down, but the 25-year old rookie could not keep the change-up down, and it turned into batting practice for Ortiz, who was mired in a prolonged slump at the start of the season.

"The whole game was based on that 3-2 pitch to David," manager Manny Acta said. "I think next time he'll know he has to go to his best pitch in that situation."

"I had good stuff, but I made a couple of mistakes with it," Stammen said. "It's very frustrating. They capitalized on the mistakes. I'm not really worried what team I'm facing. I've got to throw my pitches with what I've got today."

After Jason Varitek homered in the top of the sixth to make the score 6-1, the Nats tried to claw their way back into it. Josh Willingham hit a two-run single in the bottom of the inning, and Cristian Guzman scored Josh Bard with a triple in the seventh.

But Ryan Zimmerman's long fly ball to left center died at the wall, where Jacoby Ellsbury hauled in the Nats best chance to tie the game up in the late innings.

THE TAKEAWAY: You live and learn. Stammen and Nieves had to be on the same page on that pitch, and whether it was the pitch -- or location -- the decision cost the Nats the game. Stammen's a very bright guy, and you can be sure that he will learn from the experience.

The good part of the bullpen pitched very well last night. Ron Villone, Julian Tavarez, Joe Beimel and Mike MacDougal were all very strong, and the four combined for no hits, just one walk and three Ks in three and one-third innings. Shame the Nats bats couldn't make any magic in the eighth and ninth innings.

THE GOOD: Cristian Guzman. He went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI. He now has had a multi-hit game in seven consecutive games, lifting his average to .337, second in the National League.

THE BAD: Nick Johnson. He went 0-for-4 with four runners left on base. Not a good night in the clean-up spot for Nick.

THE UGLY: Left with only Ronnie Belliard to pinch-hit in the eighth inning, Acta sent him up to face Hideki Okajima. Belliard fouled off five consecutive pitches before striking out with men on first and second.

NEXT GAME: Tonight at 7:05 p.m. for the finale with the Sox. John Smoltz makes his Boston debut after recovering from shoulder surgery. Jordan Zimmermann (2-3, 5.03) will face the future Hall-of-Famer.

NOTES: A broken bat from Elijah Dukes hit Red Sox shortstop Nick Green as the bat and ball arrived at the same time at the fielder. Green was not injured, but the potential for devastating injury was certainly present.

Adam Dunn was not in the starting lineup for the first time all season. He tweaked his wrist in a swing Tuesday night, and even had an MRI early Wednesday, but was cleared. He made a pinch-hitting appearance, and walked in front of Belliard's strikeout.

Boston hitting coach Dave Magadan was ejected by home plate umpire Bob Davidson in the top of the fourth inning after disputing a low-and-away strike to Kevin Youkilis. It was Magadan's fifth career ejection, his second as a coach.

LHP Scott Olsen pitched six innings, allowing eight hits, two runs, one walk and five strikeouts in a rehab assignment for Triple-A Syracuse against Scranton-Wilkes Barre.

Washington recalled RHP Tyler Clippard from Syracuse and designated RHP Kip Wells for assignment. Clippard was tremendously effective in relief this season, going 4-1 with one save and a .92 ERA this season. He had worked 19 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run at the time of his promotion. Wells was 0-2 with two saves and a 6.49 ERA in 23 relief appearances with the Nationals this season.

Photos 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

THE RESULTS: Ryan Zimmerman's consecutive games hitting streak ended at 30, but Shairon Martis' win streak continued, as he gave up just one run in seven innings, as the Washington Nationals defeated the San Francisco Giants, 6-3, before 30,120 sun-kissed fans at AT&T Park.

Zimmerman fell just one short of the franchise-rec0rd of 31 games, set by Vladimir Guerrero in 1999. He finished 0-for-3, with two walks and a run. He was intentionally walked in the seventh when first base opened up as a result of a passed ball, and grounded into a fielder's choice in the ninth inning.

The Nats got big days from several hitters. Cristian Guzman went 3-for-5 with two runs, Nick Johnson was 4-for-5 with a run and two RBIs, and Elijah Dukes went 2-for-5 with three RBIs.

Martis fought his command most of the afternoon, but was effectively wild. He gave up just two hits, but walked four and struck out two. He threw 109 pitches--only 59 for strikes. He didn't give up a run until the seventh inning, the result of two walks, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly.

As per usual, the bullpen made things more interesting than it needed to be. Joe Beimel and Kip Wells both gave up single runs in the eighth and ninth innings respectively, after allowing the lead-off batters to hit for extra bases. But they kept the damage down and ultimately did their jobs, albeit nervously.

THE TAKEAWAY: Martis has to be the least likely 5-0 pitcher in the majors, but we'll take it at this point. His ERA after yesterday is 4.10, and his K/BB rate is 21/17 for the season.

Not Cy Young numbers, but he's a testament to the fact that if the starter can keep the team in it, the Nats have a chance out out-hit the other team for the win.

THE GOOD: Nick Johnson. Four hits in five trips. Two driven in. He likes hitting in the two-spot.

THE BAD: Ronnie Belliard. He started at second and went 0-for-4, lowering his averages to .163/.200/.233.

THE UGLY: Joe Beimel. Faced three batters, all right handed (well, Winn and Sandoval switch), gave up two hits and a run.

NEXT GAME: Off today, then a four game series with the Phillies starting Friday. John Lannan (2-3, 3.89) hosts Joe Blanton (1-3, 6.82) in the opener at 7:00 p.m. from Nationals Park.

HAPPY 34TH BIRTHDAY RONNIE!

Photo (c) C. Nichols 2008. All rights reserved.

RESULT: Nats shut out by Braves debut pitcher 2-0.

GOOD: Ronnie Belliard. If indeed his groin injury shelves him for the rest of the season, he went out on a good note, going 3-for-3. For the season he is hitting .287/.372/.473 with 11 homers, 46 RBIs and 3 SBs. Shairon Martis. It may be his only start of the season, but it went pretty well, despite walking the bases loaded in the fourth. His line was 5 IP, 2 ERs, 4 hits, 5 BBs and 2 Ks. The bullpen. Mock, Manning, Shell and (gasp) Speigner combined for three innings of one-hit baseball.

BAD: Cristian Guzman. Even in a great year, you'll have a stinker. Guz went 0-3 with 3 Ks.

UGLY: Belliard's Injury. He's been very dependable this season, and a real trooper playing wherever Manny tells him. He may be the only player in the bigs this year to have player every infield position. Unfortunate his season has to end this way.

INJURY UPDATE: GM Jim Bowden announced 1B Dmitri Young will rejoin the team Sunday and be in uniform Tuesday against the Mets, primarily as a pinch-hitter. He said that before Belliard's injury though. Still, expect to see a lot of Kory Casto down the stretch.

NEXT GAME: Tonight at 7:35 versus the Braves in game two. Jason Bergmann (2-10, 4.83) takes on Jair Jurrjens (11-9, 3.59) from Turner Field.

Atlanta -- Atlanta Braves rookie James Parr, making his Major League debut, threw six innings of two-hit baseball, and three Atlanta relievers did equally well against the suddenly anemic again Washington offense to defeat the Nationals 2-0 before an announced crowd of 18,708 at Turner Field. It was the 21st time the Nationals have been shut out this season -- leading the majors by a fair margin -- and most in the majors since the 1978 Atlanta Braves team matched the feat.

Parr did an excellent job in his big league debut, walking three and striking out three in addition to the two base hits, both by 1B Ronnie Belliard. Belliard doubled in the second inning with one out, but was stranded there as Elijah Dukes fouled out to first and Anderson Hernandez flied out on a well hit ball to center. In the fourth inning, Belliard reached on an infield single but was erased on a double-play grounder by Dukes. Belliard had another hit in the seventh inning, legging out another infield hit, but this one might have cost him the rest of his 2008 season. Belliard came up lame on the play and was replaced by pinch-runner Kory Casto. After the game, it was revealed Belliard strained his right groin, and was scheduled for an MRI Friday morning.

"I hurt it right then, as I was running to first base," he said. "It hurts." There was no timetable for his return. "He may be down for the year," manager Manny Acta said.

Nationals starter Shairon Martis also made his Major League debut, and was impressive in his own right. He went five innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits and five walks, striking out two. The walks hurt Martis in the fourth inning, as he walked the bases loaded -- including the pitcher -- before allowing an RBI ground out to make the score 2-0. Martis, 21, pitched for the Netherlands in the Olympics and went 4-4 at Double-A Harrisburg this season with a 3.98 ERA in 14 starts, striking out 57 and walking 28 in 74.2 innings.

Besides Belliard's three hits, the only other Nats to reach via hit were Ryan Zimmerman, who doubled leading off the ninth inning and pinch-hitter Roger Bernadina in the eighth.

Mike Gonzales, despite allowing Zimmerman's lead-off double, recorded the next three outs for his ninth save of the season.

Washington faces Atlanta in the second of the three-game series Friday night at 7:35 pm. Jason Bergmann (2-10, 4.83) takes on Jair Jurrjens (11-9, 3.59) from Turner Field.

NATS NOTES: The loss moves the Nats record to 54-87, 25.5 games behind division-leading New York. The Mets have a three-game lead over second place Philadelphia and start a three-game series with the Phillies Friday at Shea Stadium.

C Luke Montz, recalled after Jesus Flores was injured earlier in the week, made his Major League debut as well, going 0-for-3 at the plate and throwing out pinch-runner Josh Anderson at second base.

RHP Shawn Hill was scheduled for arthroscopic surgery Friday morning on his troublesome right elbow by the renowned Dr. James Andrews. No details had been released when this article was published.

GM Jim Bowden issued a statement that 1B Dmitri Young would rejoin the team Sunday night and would be in uniform for Tuesday's game in New York.

RESULT: Nats beat Cubbies 13-5. Two wins in a row.

GOOD: Big Willie! Two homers, six RBIs. Nuf said. Ronnie Belliard, hitting in the five hole, went 4-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs. Lead-off hitter Emilio! Bonifacio went 2-for-5 with two runs, Jesus Flores went 2-for-2 after pinch-hitting.

BAD: John Lannan. He earned the win, but was not sharp. He pitched six and one-third innings, allowed five earned runs on seven hits and three walks, and struck out just three. He's had plenty go the other way though, so he gets a pass for today.

UGLY: Zim. 0-for-4.

NEXT GAME: Little late getting this posted, so the next game is the current game. Nats currently losing 9-1 in the eighth. Ugh.

Chicago -- The Cubs intentionally walked Willie Harris, for good reason. In a career day, Harris went 2-for-4 with two home runs, six RBIs and three runs scored, and the aforementioned intentional walk, the second of his eight big league seasons. Harris' big day carried the Washington Nationals over the Chicago Cubs, owners of the best record in Major League Baseball,13-3 before 40,513 sun-drenched Cubs fans at Wrigley Field.

The Nationals had a field day against four different Cubs pitchers. 1B Ronnie Belliard, hitting in the five hole, went 4-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs, lead-off hitter Emilio Bonifacio went 2-for-5 with two runs, Jesus Flores went 2-for-2 after pinch-hitting, and Aaron Boone had abases-clearing 3-run double pinch-hitting in the eighth inning.

The Nats fun on the base paths didn't start until the sixth inning, after the Cubs got up to a 4-0 lead. Cubs starter Jason Marquis lost control of the strike zone, walking Cristian Guzman and Ryan Zimmerman after allowing an infield single to Bonifacio. Lastings Milledge drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly, followed by a two-run double by Belliard. Austin Kearns walked and Harris hit his first homer of the day.

In the seventh, Bonifacio reached via infield hit again, stole second and scored on Guzman's base hit.

In the eighth inning against reliever Chad Gaudin, Belliard hit his second double of the day, Harris earned his intentional pass, and Flores muscled a single out to left field, loading the bases. Boone pinch-hit for reliever Steven Shell and delivered a double to deep center field, clearing the bases. The ninth inning provided some fireworks as well, with Belliard and Harris both going deep with the wind blowing out to left field.

John Lannan (7-12, 3.95) earned the win despite having rough patches of his own, but he's had plenty go the other way this year. He pitched six and one-third innings, allowing five earned runs on seven hits and three walks,striking out three. Shell, Saul Rivera and Jesus Colome kept the Cubs off the scoreboard the rest of the way.

Neal Cotts (0-2) took the loss for the Cubs. Game two of the three-game series is today at 1:05 pm. Odalis Perez (5-9,4.06) faces all-star Ryan Dempster (14-5, 2.92) for the Cubs.

NATS NOTES: The Nats meager two-game winning streak pushes their record to46-83, 26 games behind the division-leading New York Mets.

RESULT: Nats lose to Philies 4-0, loss number 12 in a row, shutout for the league-leading 19th time this season.

GOOD: Ronnie Belliard. He went 2-for-4. New bullpen fodder Marco Estrada pitched two scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and get this: NO WALKS! Keep it up, kid! EMILIO! 2-for-4 with a stolen base. Anderson Hernandez, making his first appearance as a National, went 3-for-4 hitting in the 8 hole.

BAD: No power! Nine hits, but only one extra base hit. Hard to go score when you need to string three singles together in one inning.

UGLY: Austin Kearns is almost an automatic out these days. Since his season high batting average mark of .231 (!) on August 5, he's gone 6-for-47 with one home run and 3 RBIs (both on that HR). His season numbers: 302 ABs, .215/.306/.305 with 6 HRs and 30 RBIs.

NEXT GAME: Another one today against the Phils. Tim Redding (8-8, 4.66) faces ageless Jamie Moyer (11-7, 3.64) at 7:05 pm from Citizen's Bank Park.

RESULT: Nats beaten by Phillies 5-4, losing streak at eleven games.

GOOD: Ronnie Belliard. The Nats "slugging" 1B went 4-for-4 (with zero runs scored). Wee Willie Harris went 2-for-5 with his 10th home run. Jesus Flores. He played!

BAD: Emilio! 0-for-5, .216 for the season. Demonstrating the old axiom that you can't steal first base.

UGLY: Nothing particularly ugly, unless you count the awkward steal of third by 30-something journeyman 3B Greg Dobbs off Bergmann/Flores.

INJURY/ROSTER: Guz didn't play but the team assures us he's only a "day or two" away. Casto sent down to Columbus to make room for the "Man With two Last Names" Anderson Hernandez.

NEXT GAME: The misery continues tomorrow against the Phillies. Collin Balestar (2-5, 5.06) faces Brett "The Boxer" Myers (5-10, 5.02) at 7:05 pm from Citizen's Bank Park.

RESULT: Nats lost to Rockies 13-6, ninth consecutive defeat.

GOOD: Ronnie Belliard. He went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and played SS/1B. Lastings Milledge. Despite another error in CF, he went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

BAD: John Lannan. For what it's worth, that was his worst outing as a big leaguer. We sat real close to home plate, and he had nothing. From the first pitch of the game you could tell. He had no location, no movement, nothing. Final line: 4 IP, 8 ERs, 7 hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks. Throw this one out.

UGLY: Tim Tolman. Sending Jesus Flores home in the sixth inning was unconscionable. He's arguably the slowest guy on the team, there's only one out, you've got the opposing pitcher on the ropes. Hold him and you've got second and third with one out. It's smart baseball. Tolman made a very poor decision, and now Flores -- the team leader in RBIs -- is day-to-day with a strained calf. It just keeps getting worse.

100-LOSS WATCH: 20 to go with 38 games remaining.

NEXT GAME: Today to close out the series with Colorado. Odalis Perez (5-8, 4.12) versus all-star Aaron Cook (14-8, 3.87).

Photo (c) C. Nichols 2008.

RESULT: Nats fall to Brewers 5-4 in 13 innings.

GOOD: John Lannan. Six innings of one-hit ball. This guy can't buy a break.

Lastings Milledge. He's been on a tear this week. Sunday he went 3-for-6 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Ryan Zimmerman went 3-for6, Ronnie Belliard went 2-for-5 and Cristian Guzman went 2-for-6. Austin Kearns hit his monthly home run.

BAD: Emilio! Bonifacio went 0-for-6 and is hitless in his last 17 at bats. Also, our pinch-hitters went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

UGLY: Luis Ayala. Now that Wily Mo is gone, do we need to re-name the "Ugly" award? One batter faced. One home run allowed. One Loss. ERA stands at 6.04. This is what his manager had to say about him after the game:

"We can't even hide him now," Washington manager Manny Acta said. "He comes into situations like this and he's just not making pitches."

That ain't good.

NEXT GAME: Nats try to avoid the 4-game sweep at 2:05 eastern, Garrett Mock makes the start (0-2, 4.91) facing David Bush (6-9, 4.50)