Washington Nationals closer Drew Storen has pitched in a game once since Aug. 28.  It showed today as he had trouble controlling his fastball, as he allowed three runs in the top of the ninth inning of a tied game, leading to a 7-4 loss the the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first game of s double-header at Nats Park.

The loss drops the Nats record to 65-76.

Storen hit one batter, came close to taking forner Nat Jamey Carroll's head off with another wild offering, walked Carroll on four pitches, allowed two stolen bases, and gave up three hits, including a two-run double by pinch-hitter Tony Gwynn, Jr. to break a four-all tie in the final frame.  He threw 25 pitches, only 11 of which were strikes.

The offense should shoulder some of the blame in this one as well.  They jumped all over Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley in the third with a single, three doubles and a two-run home run by Jayson Werth, driving the normally reliable starter from the contest.  But the Nats hitters could not take advantage of the Dodgers bullpen, as only three batters reached the rest of the game, all via base on balls.

Dodgers relievers pitched 6 2/3 innings of shut-out, hitless relief, striking out six.

Nationals starter Chien-Ming Wang had another rough first inning, giving up two runs on a double by Juan Rivera, but was the victim of poor defense in the third, as an easily caught line drive by Rivera sailed over left fielder Michael Morse's head for another two-run double.  Morse originally broke in on the ball for what have been the first out of the inning, but misread the liner and turned it into two RBIs for Rivera.

Wang settled in after that and retired 11 of his last 12 batters, eventually lifted after 80 pitches over six innings for a pinch-hitter.  He walked none and struck out three in another decent performance for the Taiwan native trying to resurrect his Major League career.

In the second half of the twin-bill, Ross Detwiler (2-5, 3.83) will try to rebound from his last performance, an ugly affair where he allowed six earned runs in three innings to the New York Mets last Friday.  Detwiler will face the much-travelled Dana Eveland (1-0, 1.13), making his second start for the Dodgers.

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THE GOOD:  It didn't rain.  Much anyway.  Werth's homer was his 19th of the season and he hit two other balls hard.

THE BAD:  The offense.  The Nats had a big inning then put away their bats.  GM Mike Rizzo needs to find a way to address the lack of consistent attack in the off-season.

THE UGLY:  Storen.  No other way to put it, it just wasn't his day.  Whether he was rusty from the lay-off, having trouble with a wet ball, or just running up against his wall for the season, this was one of his worst performances as a big leaguer.

THE STATS:  Five hits, six walks, eight strikeouts.  3-for-8 w/RISP, seven LOB, no GIDP.  No errors.

NATS NOTES:  Steve Lombardozzi went hitless in five attempts, flying out to center to end the game.

Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson threw out the first pitch.  He spoke with reporters in the press box after the ceremony about the experience, upcoming training camp, and the recent tragedies that have affected the international hockey community.

As a follow up to the debacle last night at Nationals Park, I wanted to offer a quick few comments on the difference between the Washington Nationals and another franchise, this time a local one:  The Washington Capitals.

There was a time when folks weren't so enthused with Ted Leonsis and the Washington Capitals.  When Ted first took over, he took the easy way out, chasing free agents and throwing money around like that would solve all the problems the franchise had. 

Many of these problems were the same facing the Nationals today:  underwhelming performance on the field, poor attendance, disenfranchised fans and worse, arenas filled with opposing team's fans.  I remember well the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals, when the building was easily 75 percent Detroit Red Wings fans.  Now, that wasn't on Ted's watch, but it was emblematic of the troubles the Caps would continue to have.

Routinely through the 90's and early 2000's, games against Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Boston and even Buffalo at Verizon Center were filled with rowdy out-of-towners and transplants living in D.C., cheering on the visitors with more gusto than any front-running Phillies fan could even imagine.

But Leonsis finally got the message and in 2004 the team shed the veteran players that were bloating their payroll and playing sluggishly.  And just as important, he went to the fans and told them what his plan was for on the ice, and promised them that several years were going to be rough, but that eventually the young players and draft picks they acquired from trading off Jaromir Jagr, Robert Lang, Sergei Gonchar and Peter Bondra would lead the Capitals to a Stanley Cup of their own.

He did another thing that might have been even more critical to the success of the franchise:  he listened to his most loyal customers, the season ticket holders.  He gave them his e-mail address.  He held "town hall" meetings.  He sent out questionnaires and surveys.  He said he would be transparent in the operation of his team.

And what fans told him was that they would stick around through the tough times, but things had to improve at the arena.  They game-day experience had to be better.  They needed to feel part of something -- not visitors in their home arena.

Ted has delivered on the game-day experience in spades. He heard the fans' voices to bring back the Red, White and Blue uniforms, but made it even better, using a simple color to form the basis of his marketing.  "Rock the Red" and "Red is Caps Hockey" are more than slogans at Verizon Center.  It's a way for fans to identify themselves with the team and organization.

From changing the music and entertainment during the game to blocking out-of-town area codes trying to buy tickets, Leonsis has made Verizon Center a destination for Caps fans.

Tonight, for a pre-season game, Verizon Center will be packed to the rafters with crazy Caps fans Rockin' the Red.  The team sold 5,000 tickets two weeks ago at their practice facility to a rookie scrimmage with the Flyers rookies, and I counted exactly three Flyers fans in the group, and they were there with Capitals fans (oh, mixed marriages).

And forget about getting tickets to a regular season or playoff game, without paying through the nose to a few re-sellers that might have a handful of tickets.

Opposing players now count Verizon Center as one of the most difficult places to play in the league, in the ranks of storied franchises like Montreal and Toronto. 

And the hockey side of it is living up to the billing as well, staffed by competent, hard-working executives.

Despite last season's disappointment in the first round of the playoffs, the Caps are poised to contend for the Stanley Cup not just this year and next, but for the foreseeable future.  It's not just one draft they are counting on, or one player, but several years now of drafting, evaluating talent, and supplementing via trade and free agency.

Proof of that?  Both of the Caps minor league affiliates went to the playoffs last season and their top farm club, the Hershey Bears, won their league title for the second season in a row.  The system is stacked.

It's proof that if you put a quality product into the market and value your customers like they are partners in your business, you can build a large, dedicated fan base that not only buys your product, but will promote it within the market until it becomes a self-promoting community in and of itself.

Mark Lerner sits on the board of Leonsis' sports management group, Monumental Sports and Entertainment.  Nats fans can only hope that Mr. Lerner someday learns a thing or two from his business partner about Product, Customer Service and Transparency.

Game three of a four-game set.  I'll be up at the Red Loft most of the night watching the Caps playoff game against Montreal, but keeping track of baseball too.  Come say hi if you're going to the park.

Rockies (7-7, 3rd in NL West):

Gonzalez - LF
Fowler- CF
Giambi - 1B
Tulowitzki - SS
Hawpe - RF
Mora - 3B
Iannetta - C
Barmes - 2B
Hammel - P  (0-1, 11.42)

Nationals (7-7, 4th in NL East):

Morgan - CF
Guzman - SS
Zimmerman - 3B
Dunn - 1B
Willingham - LF
Harris - RF
Kennedy - 2B
Nieves - C
Lannan - P  (1-1, 5.74)

Weather:  Intermittent rain showers. Mostly cloudy with temperatures steady near 58F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 55%.

Stan Kasten (via Nats Journal):

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

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

NHL Statement (via Caps Insider):

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trust but Verify

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was nice to have a day "off." It was such a busy week. Here are a few things that I wanted to share before we get into "Beat the Mets" mode (notebook style).

-Scott Olsen will be the first National to make an appearance at ESPN Zone this season on Monday, May 18th at noon. Sounds like it will be like last year and Charlie Slowes will moderate the Q&A session and Olsen will sign autographs for fans.

-Congratulations to Frank Robinson! Frank was appointed as Special Assistant to the Commissioner, Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. Nice to see him stay involved in the game he loves.

-Lastings Milledge was finally removed from the home page on team's website. Not sure why they removed Flores, but now there are just two: Adam Dunn and Ryan Zimmerman. This seems to be often overlooked. Last year, Paul LoDuca was gone for almost a month and was about to return to Nats Park as a Marlin, but our home page still had him pictured as a National with Dmitri Young and Chad Cordero. After multiple requests it was changed to Zim, Flores and Milledge. Those little details just get under my skin.

-Thankfully, it sounds like the Nats are not interested in Pedro Martinez.

-What happened to Nick Johnson's beard? I thought maybe he was growing his hockey playoff beard, however, at the Tuesday game he was clean shaven.
Do you like NJ furry or smooth?


Photos 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

-Speaking of playoff beards, Dave is still working on his and hopefully (can't believe I just said that) won't have to shave it quite yet if the Caps can pull out a win on Friday night. Help him Rock the Red Beard and donate to Caps Care for growing a playoff beard.

-Slapshot and hockey sticks were part of the Presidents' Race on Tuesday night. Was this the Nats way of making up for the Monday night rain delay issues? Very interesting considering Mark Lerner owns a piece of the Caps. Anyone watch the Caps game at Nats Park on Wednesday night at Red Loft? Just curious.

-Just in case you have not heard, we have our first scheduled day-night weekend doubleheader at Nationals Park on Saturday, May 16! The rain-out game from Wednesday, April 15 against the Phillies has been rescheduled for a 1:05pm game time and the regular scheduled game is at 7:05pm. Jackie Robinson Day will now be celebrated on May 16 and both the Nats and Phils will wear the No. 42 jerseys. See website for ticket information.

MORE TOMORROW.......

For those of you interested in what The Hockey News recently described as "The Most Exciting Team in Hockey", I have started a Washington Capitals blog, cleverly titled Capitals News Network.

I have been a fan of the Caps since their inception, and wrote a couple of game stories last year for DC Sports Box, so I figured that made me qualified enough to start a blog. It's pretty 'nuts and bolts' right now, but I'll be doing game previews/reviews, features and community news.

So if you Rock the Red, click on the link and check it out.

And don't worry, it won't interfere with the content in this space.


Photo (c) C. Nichols 2008.

What a disappointment. Not because the Caps lost, because they made an incredible run to get where they were. Although that is disappointing enough. But the WAY they lost is just unfathomable.

The Flyers second goal, if you haven't seen it, should have been disallowed by the referees for goaltender interference. Flyers winger Patrick Thoresen checked Caps Defenseman Shaone Morrisonn into goalie Christobal Huet and the three slid out of the goal crease, leaving a wide open net for Sami Kapanen to deposit the puck in.

The game winner came later though, as the refs allowed the Flyers an OVERTIME POWER PLAY on a ticky-tacky tripping penalty to Caps D Tom Poti. Granted, during a regular season game this call would be legit. Poti tried to play the puck but swung and missed and got enough of R.J. Umberger to put him to the ice. But in the context of this game, when the refs stopped calling penalties midway through the second period, it was clearly a case of the refs injecting themselves into the game where they didn't need to be.

Congrats to the Flyers for capitalizing on the advantages they were given. Congrats to Flyers goalie Martin Biron for playing his best game of the series in the final game. And congrats to the Caps for putting themselves in a position to even play a game seven when this series looked lost a couple of different times. And congrats to Coach Bruce Boudreau, who earned himself a new, undisclosed contract.

But it didn't have to end this way.

And I'm not going to get caught up in the media-hype about how the Caps have a bright future, etc. Sure the Caps have a bright future, as their roster is stocked with young, talented players and savvy veterans. But, the Caps had the league's second best record since Boudreau took over. It's the playoffs. You gotta expect to win. I don't think anyone in red last night (on the ice or in the stands) was "happy to be there" or thinking of future playoff games. It was all about last night and how this one was taken away.