On a very busy day in NatsTown, those players assigned for the trip to Kissimmee were beaten by the Houston Astros 11-2.  One day after the "feel good" of sweeping split squad games, the Nats turn right back around and get pasted in every way imaginable.

The pitching was not very good.  The hitting was non-existant save for two solo home runs.  There was another error (by minor leaguer Danny Espinosa, over for the day from minor league camp).

And worst of all, the team gave up on Elijah Dukes, a talented 25-year old under team control for another season after this one.

I'm not going to go into Dukes' stats, cause you can look them up as well as I can.  He has shown tremendous power, a good batting eye, and a strong arm in right field.  On occasion.

It's true he hasn't really put it all together, but it's also true he's never had a full season's worth of at bats to do so.

GM Mike Rizzo and manager Jim Riggleman both went out of their way today to say this was a "baseball decision" and it has nothing to do with Dukes' attitude or any new off-the-field incident.  But Rizzo also said that this move would help clubhouse chemistry.

That's the part I'm stuck on.  If you didn't want the guy in the clubhouse, and it's clear that is Rizzo's motivation here, why bring him to spring training?  Why cut him on the deadline to avoid paying his entire season's salary?

Mike Rizzo, the question to you, were I in Florida to ask it, is why did you ofer him a contract for this season if you feel the clubhouse is a better place without him?

Because if the Nats brass is sticking to the "baseball decision" reasoning, then it's a bad baseball decision.  Especially considering that the in-house replacements are all inferior baseball players to the one you just let walk away for nothing.

WINNERS AND LOSERS:

Winner:  Justin Maxwell, Mike Morse, Willie Harris, Chris Duncan, Roger Bernadina and maybe even Willy Tavares.  Their path to makingth eopening day roster just opened up a bit.  Someone (or someones) will have to play right field this season.

Loser:  Jim Riggleman.  He's put in the inenviable position of now trying to decide on a starter from a pool of a half-dozen two and a half weeks before opening day.

Winner:  Luis Atilano. One inning, no hits, no walks, two strikeouts.  He was the pitching highlight today.

Loser:  Jason Marquis.  In a word:  Terrible.  No, wait:  Embarrassing.  Three and one-third, eight earned on eith hits and four walks.

The Nationals are off Thursday, a chance to regroup and lick their wounds from another spring training loss.  And officially start looking for a new right fielder.

Bon Chance, Elijah Dukes.  Go prove them wrong.

This morning the Washington Nationals granted Elijah Dukes his unconditional release.  The move reduces the spring training roster to 44.

The news spread around NatsTown like wildfire, fueled by speculation of an off-the-field incident.  But according to manager Jim Riggleman, the decision to release Dukes was a "baseball decision" and there was no further incident.

This move opens right field up to a host of candidates, including Willie Harris, Justin Maxwell, Mike Morse and Roger Bernadina.

It's a stunning development for the talented, but enigmatic, Dukes.

It's hard to believe that the Nats would just give up on a player with the talents of Dukes, considering he's just 26 years old and under team control salary-wise.

More details when they become available.  Bu tif the Nats are sticking with the "baseball decision" excuse, Nats fans, you have every right to say "Prove it." 

Demand that Riggleman and Rizzo explicitly state HOW and WHY they are better off without a player of Dukes' ability.

If you didn't want him in the clubhouse, why bring him to spring training?

Puzzling.

Elijah Dukes made his DWL debut Saturday night starting in centerfield. He went 1-for-2 with a walk and a two-run homerun.

Photo Courtesy of http://www.licey.com/

Elijah Dukes crashes into scoreboard in RF after catching David Wright's line drive to end the game.

Photo © 2009 C. Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

 

THE RESULT:  The Washington Nationals turned two errors by the New York Mets middle infield into a run in the bottom of the eighth, pulling out a 4-3 victory before 19,614 at Nationals Park.

With the score tied at three, Mike Morse drew a walk against Sean Green (L, 1-4, 4.72), and interim manager Jim Riggleman sent Justin Maxwell to run for him.  Pinch-hitting for Tyler Clippard (W, 3-2, 2.91), Cristian Guzman grounded to shortstop Anderson Hernandez. 

The former Nat tried to feed second baseman Luis Castillo to turn a double play, but led Castillo too far across the bag, and all hands were safe.

Ian Desmond, who hit a two-run home run earlier, then grounded to short himself.  Hernandez made an excellent diving play, going headlong to his left to snare the sharply hit grounder, and this time made a perfect flip to Castillo.  But the second baseman should have just put the ball in his pocket at that point.

Instead, he tried -- vainly -- to complete a double play, but ended up throwing the ball into the Nationals' dugout.  Maxwell cruised home with the tiebreaking -- and eventual winning -- run.

Starter J.D. Martin had trouble early, giving up three runs in the first two innings.  BU the settled down nicely from there, completing six innings, allowing just those three runs on seven hits and two walks.  He did not strike out a batter.

Clippard pitched two scoreless innings, and Mike MacDougal struck out two in his inning of work for his 18th save of the season.

THE TAKEAWAY:  It's good to see that some players are still really trying to make a difference.  Desmond, Maxwell and Morse are all young guys trying to prove themselves to the Nats and are working hard as the games dwindle away.

THE GOOD:  Elijah Dukes.  He went 2-for-4 in the two-hole, but more importantly, he made an excellent catch, crashing into the fenced scoreboard in right field, for the final out of the game.  Hustle and sacrifice like that is always good to see, but especially good from a team trying to avoid loss 104.

THE BAD:  Adam Dunn.  He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, reducing the number of games he has to hit his 39th and 40th home runs of the season.

THE UGLY:  The Mets middle infield in the eighth.  Nats fans certainly can empathize with their Mets counterparts after watching the debacle unfold in front of them.

NEXT GAME:  The final home game of the season.  Wednesday at 4:35, for the finale with the Mets.  John Lannan (9-23, 3.93) faces golfing buddy Tim Redding (3-6, 5.29).

"All their pitchers did very well against us this year." -- Jim Riggleman, Sept. 18, 2009.

BOX SCORE AND RECAP

THE RESULT: Washington Nationals starter Ross Detwiler had his best start of the season, but got no support from his struggling offense, as Cole Hamels and the Philadelphia Phillies handed the Nats their 96th loss of the season, 4-2, before 45,210 rabid Philly fans.

Washington was swept in the three-game series and was outscored 15-3. They finished the season 3-15 against Philadelphia and are 4-10 in September.

To make maters worse, catcher Wil Nieves strained a hamstring and had to leave the game. The Nationals picked up catcher Jamie Burke from Seattle for cash, and placed him on the 40-man roster. They transferred Jesus Flores to the 60-day D.L. to make the move.

There was not much to this game except the mastery of Hamels (W, 10-9, 4.07). He retired the first 15 hitters, but then struck out the side. He threw 73 strikes in 109 pitchers and walked only one in eight innings, striking out 10 Nationals hitters.

The Nats finally got to Hamels in the seventh, as three straight singles by Ryan Zimmerman, Josh Willingham and Elijah Dukes resulted in a run. Ian Desmond then walked to give D.C. loaded bases with one out. Hamels coaxed a fly ball out of Mike Morse and struck out Josh Bard to end the threat.

Dukes scored on a Desmond grounder in the ninth, after Dukes had tripled against Brad Lidge, but that's as close as the Nats would get.

Detwiler (L, 0-6, 5.80) went five innings. He gave up one earned run on four hits and one walk, striking out six, in what has to be considered his strongest performance as a National.

THE TAKEAWAY: Where did the bats go? This vaunted offense, which has been lauded all season long, has completely disappeared this month, especially the last three nights in Citizen's Bank Park, a supposed haven for hitters.

THE GOOD: Detwiler. Good to see him have some success heading into the off-season. Hopefully he gets another start and can get his first big league win this season.

THE BAD: Tyler Clippard. Peaches had trouble with the strike zone Thursday night. He walked three and gave up a hit for two earned runs in two-thirds of an inning. Good team can come back from a spot of trouble from a reliever.

THE UGLY: Bad teams can't. The Nats are 4-10 in September, getting outscored 82-51. The .286 winning percentage is above only April (.238) this season.

NEXT GAME: The road trip continues, at Citifield against the New York Mets. This was the site of early abomination, as umpires and the atrocious early bullpen conspired to produced some memorably bad baseball. J.D. Martin (4-4, 4.29) takes on Mike Pelfrey (10-10, 5.09) at 7:10 pm.

"Zim doing what Zim does. Coming through." -- Willie Harris, Sept. 6. 2009.

BOX SCORE AND RECAP

THE RESULT: Ryan Zimmerman's 28th home run of the season, in the bottom of the ninth inning, made winners of the Washington Nationals, defeating their nemesis, the Florida Marlins, 5-4, breaking an eight-game losing streak in the process, before 22,325 Nats fans on Labor Day Sunday.

Zimmerman's no-doubt-about-it shot fell close to the spot where he defeated the Atlanta Braves on the opening night of Nationals Park last season. The blast was two batters after Willie Harris hit a bomb to right to draw the Nats within one.

The Nationals were the beneficiaries of a strong start by J.D. Martin, on of the few "kid pitchers" still standing at the end of the season. He went six and two-thirds innings, and gave up six hits and two walks for two earned runs. He also struck out four, and made two outstanding defensive plays to help his cause.

There wasn't much offense in the game until the late innings. The Marlins held a 1-0 lead until the seventh, courtesy of a Hanley Ramirez solo home run.

But the Marlins scratched out a pair of singles against Martin in the seventh, and interim manager Jim Riggleman went for the lefty-lefty matchup of Ron Villone against rookie Chris Coghlan. Coghlan greeted Villone with a single to right field, plating Cameron Maybin and giving the Marlins what seemed like an insurmountable 2-0 cushion.

The Nats rally started in the eighth, as utilityman Mike Morse lined a single to center with two outs and the bases loaded. His hit scored Elijah Dukes and pinch-runner Jorge Padilla. The ball got away from the catcher, but there was confusion on the basepaths, and Morse was gunned out at second.

But old teammate Nick Johnson made things difficult for the Nats in the ninth inning. He laced a two-out, two-run single to pad the Marlins lead to 4-2 off closer Mike MacDougal (W, 1-0, 3.43).

With the lead, Florida called upon their current closer, Leo Nunez. But Harris took Nunez' first offering, a 94 MPH fastball, and sent it into the upper section above the Nats bullpen in right field, setting the stage for Zimmerman's dramatics.

THE TAKEAWAY: The Z-Man does it again. When this team gets good, it'll be handy to have an all-star with a flair for the dramatic!

THE GOOD: Elijah Dukes. He continued his current decent run by going 2-for-2 with a walk.

THE BAD: Villone. Brought in for the sole purpose of getting a rookie left-handed hitter out, he failed.

THE UGLY: Nothing really ugly in this one. Big Mac was shaky in the ninth, but it was his first rough outing in a while, as he'd only given up one earned run since the start of August.

NEXT GAME: Nats off today. Tuesday they welcome the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies at 7:05 pm. John Lannan (8-10, 4.09) hosts Pedro Martinez (3-0, 3.52).

"The issue is getting picked off, it's not the fact that we got a home run afterwards. We're equally at fault if we get picked off whether we hit the home run next or not." -- Jim Riggleman, on the daily baserunning gaffe that cost the Nats a run, Sept. 1, 2009.

BOX SCORE AND RECAP

THE RESULT: The Washington Nationals managed just four hits off a pitcher that gave up nine hits and six earned runs in his last appearance, as Clayton Richard and the San Diego Padres beat the Nats 4-1, before 15,131 at Petco Park.

The Nationals have lost five in a row, are 2-6 on the road trip, and have lost 12 of their last 15.

Richard (W, 8-4, 4.61) allowed only one run, on Josh Bard's solo home run in the seventh inning. It should have been a two-run shot, but Elijah Dukes was picked off at first base on the previous pitch.

Dukes has stolen two bases this season and has been caught 10 times.

The offensive performance detracts from another quality start. J.D. Martin (L, 3-4, 4.60) went six innings, and allowed three runs -- two -earned -- on five hits and three walks. He also struck out five. He needed 104 pitches to set through six innings.

THE TAKEAWAY: This makes three consecutive games the Nats have managed just one single run. Last night, Riggleman tried to shake up the lineup, by batting Justin Maxwell at leadoff and Alberto Gonzalez in the two-hole.

Maxwell has a lifetime MLB OBP of .273 and hit .242/.344/.396 in 448 plate appearances in Triple-A this season. Gonzalez has an OBP of .290 this season in 249 PAs.

Needless to say, the pair combined to go 1-for-7 with one walk, a combined OBP of .250.

Not that the veterans in the middle of the order did any better. The 3-4-5 hitters went 1-for-11 with one walk and five strikeouts, four by Josh Willingham alone.

THE GOOD: Martin. He, and the rest of the "kiddie corps" starters, keep plugging away, giving the team a chance to stay in these games. But with no offense, it's tough to be competitive, especially on the road.

THE BAD: Dukes. C'mon big guy. Cut it out. Stay close to the bag.

THE UGLY: Willingham. Hammer struck out four times last night. As good as he was earlier this season, that's how bad he is right now. Since his averaged peaked at .309 on Aug. 9, he's gone 13-for-69 (.188/.278/.362) in a 20-game span. Ugh.

NEXT GAME: The Nats try to avoid getting swept by a fellow last place team this afternoon at 3:35 pm EDT. John Lannan (8-9, 3.95) faces Kevin Correia (9-10, 4.50).

"Elijah is a work in progress. .... When he can start laying off the ones low and away that aren't strikes, he's going to be a real force in this league." -- Jim Riggleman, Aug. 25, 2009.

THE RESULT: For the second straight day, the Washington Nationals participated in a six-run inning. But Tuesday, they were on the proper end of things, as the Nats sent nine men to the plate in the fifth inning, including Elijah Dukes' first career grand slam, in a 15-6 drubbing of the Chicago Cubs, before 37,297 int he friendly confines of Wrigley Field.

Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano certainly helped the Nats' cause in the pivotal frame. He issued two walks and hit a batter during the rally, as the Nats scored six runs on just three hits, including the granny.

After the game, the Nationals announced that they had signed RHP Livan Hernandez, recently waived by the New York Mets, and scheduled him to start Wednesday's game.

The team optioned struggling Collin Balester to Triple-A Syracuse, and transferred Dmitri Young to the 60-day DL, to make room for Hernandez, the Nationals leader in wins since the team moved to D.C., on the active and 40-man rosters.

Dukes was understandably excited about it after the game. "I love scoring those guys that get on base and hitting the ball well. RBIs mean a lot to me," he said. "It's not about the average and the home runs, it's getting those RBIs."

Ryan Zimmerman and Josh Willingham both drove in runs during the inning.

Willingham homered twice in the game, and finished the night 4-for-4 with five runs and six RBIs. Dukes went 2-for-3 with a run and five RBIs. Wil Nieves chipped in with three RBIs, hitting in the eighth slot in the order.

The 14-hit attack made a winner out of Garrett Mock (3-5, 5.23). He went five and tow thirds innings, and surrendered four earned runs, on seven hits and two walks. It was not a stellar performance, but he did strike out six, and kept the Cubs down enough as the Nationals batters kept pounding away.

Tyler Clippard and Saul Rivera each gave up a run in relief, but the outcome was pretty much decided before they entered the game.

Zambrano (L, 7-5, 3.80), making his first start since coming off the DL, was better at the plate than on the hill. He hit his fourth home run of the season to go along with his .245 average, but was beaten up on the mound. He went four and one-third, allowing eight earned runs on seven hits, three walks and hit one batter.

"There was nothing wrong," he said. "I made a lot of mistakes. They came ready today. I didn't do my job."

THE TAKEAWAY: Dukes has struggled a bit since his return from minor league exile, but certainly has had flashes of the immense talent he possesses. He had a week earlier where he drove in 10 runs in four days, and last night's explosion give him 51 RBIs in just 261 at bats.

He was extremely hot down the stretch last season, too. Let's see what he does the next five weeks.

THE GOOD: The return of the offense. Willingham's two, Dukes' granny, even Nieves getting in on the show. Everyone is a hitter when the wind is blowing out to center at Wrigley!

THE BAD: Willie Harris. The only starter without a hit.

THE UGLY: Yet ANOTHER botched suicide squeeze. That's three in three weeks. For the love of the game, Riggs, give it up.

NEXT GAME: Toinght at 8:05 pm ET. Livan Hernandez (7-8, 5.47) makes his 2009 Nats debut against Rich Harden (8-7, 4.04).

J.D. Martin delivers in his first major league win.
Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"We were outplayed. They beat us." -- Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch, August 9, 2009.

THE RESULTS: Adam Dunn hit his 30th home run of the season, Ryan Zimmerman added three hits, and Elijah Dukes drove in three as the Washington Nationals took a tight game and turned it into a laugher, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-2, for their eighth straight victory, the longest such winning streak since June 2005.

The Nats also registered their 40th win of the season, officially terminating my book deal.

On a miserably hot and humid day, J.D. Martin toiled for 86 pitches in five innings, notching his first major league victory, and earning a shaving cream pie in the face by "ace" John Lannan. It was the second consecutive day for such hijinks, as Garrett Mock got his Saturday for his first win as a starter in the bigs.

Martin (W, 1-2, 5.91) allowed just one run, a solo shot by Trent Oeltjen to lead off the game. He gave up five hits and a walk, and struck out just one. Martin got 10 fly ball outs compared to just three ground outs and threw 52 of his 86 pitches for strikes.

The bullpen once again got the job done, despite putting a few runners on base. Jorge Sosa notched his second save in as many days, pitching the last two and one-third innings.

D-backs starter Yusmeiro Petit (2-6, 5.87) took the loss.

Five Nats had multi-hit games, totalling 16 hits and four walks in all. The team scored nine runs, but also left 10 men on base. Zimmerman continued his hot streak, going 3-for-5 and scoring three times. He has now hit in 13 straight games and continues his stellar defense.

"You're confident -- no matter what part of the game it is," Zimmerman said. "It's a good feeling. It's contagious just like everything else."

Nyjer Morgan, Cristian Guzman, Elijah Dukes and Alberto Gonzalez each had two hits apiece in the attack.

Dunn's 30th in the first inning captured the lead for the Nats after Oeltjen's leadoff homer. "I knew we were capable of playing like this," Dunn said. "I wish we would have played this loose and had fun early in the year, and we wouldn't be how many games back."

THE TAKEAWAY: Winning eight games in a row certainly breeds confidence.

The big story from Sunday was the potential claiming of Cristian Guzman off waivers by the Boston Red Sox, as reported in Sunday's Boston Globe.

Should the Red Sox be awarded the waiver claim, the two teams would then have 48 hours to work out a deal, allow the Sox to just assume Guzman's contract, or the Nats can withdraw the waivers.

Guzman is owed $8 million next year on his contract, and that money could go a long way this off-season as the Nats look to get younger in their middle infield, or could go toward a veteran starting pitcher to stabilize a ridiculously young starting rotation.

THE GOOD: Elijah Dukes. He went 2-for-5 with three RBIs. Hes really producing out of the six-spot, driving in 10 runs in the three-game weekend series.

THE BAD: Ron Villone. He did not give up a run, but he tried. The 39-year old veteran gave up more hits (3) than outs registered (2).

THE UGLY: Arizona's defense. Second in the league in errors, the D-backs added three more to their total on Sunday. Sound familiar?

NEXT GAME: After playing 25 straight days, the Nationals mercifully get a day off Monday, as they travel to Atlanta for a two-game series. Games Tuesday and Wednesday are both at 7:10 pm.

Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch argues with first base umpire Jerry Crawford after being ejected.

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"When you win a few in a row, you get some confidence. You feel like you can win every single day." -- Ryan Zimmerman, August 7, 2009.

THE RESULT: The "Comeback Nats" did it again Friday night, spotting the Arizona Diamondbacks five runs in the first two innings, before staging yet another multi-run comeback, as the Washington Nationals won their sixth game in a row, a 7-6 decision before 22,674 extremely happy fans at Nationals Park.

As has been the recipe for this hottest of hot streaks this mostly-dismal season, the starter got beat up, Ryan Zimmerman and Josh Willingham powered the offense, and they got just enough defense at the end to seal the deal.

Friday night, they even got the benefit of a call that in June probably would have gone the other way.

After a 1-2-3 first inning, Collin Balester had a rough go of it in the second. He gave up three home runs in the frame for five runs. Mark Reynolds led off the inning with his 34th homer of the season. Balester then actually got two outs. But more trouble was right around the corner.

Josh Whitesell, a player Jim Bowden flat-out cut from the Nationals in 2007, hit his first major league home run, and after singles by Augie Ojeda (.249) and the pitcher, Jon Garland, leadoff man Stephen Drew hit a three-run shot that made things look bleak.

But these Nats, brimming with confidence of a five-game win streak, obviously thought nothing of a mere five-run deficit, as they came back from being down six just Thursday.

Washington started the comeback in the bottom of the second. Willingham singled to center, but the ball avoided center fielder Gerardo Parra and went all the way to the wall. Willingham took two bases on the error, and the next batter, Elijah Dukes, hit a sacrifice to plate Willingham.

The fourth saw Dukes hit a two-run double and later score on a Wil Nieves sacrifice.

The Nats tied the game in the fifth, when Zimmerman hit his 24th home run of the season to right center. The blast also ties his career high in home runs.

In the seventh, Nyjer Morgan got things started with a bunt single and Cristian Guzman followed with a single up the middle, with Morgan going to third. After Zimmerman popped out, and with Adam Dunn with a 1-1 count, Guzman inexplicably took the bat out of Dunn's hands by taking second base -- without a throw.

Arizona obviously just finished the walk intentionally, bringing Willinham up with the bases loaded. The left fielder bailed out the mistake of his teammate by singling down the line in left, scoring both Morgan and Guzman, taking a 7-5 lead into the eighth.

All through the comeback, Nats pitchers just kept putting up zeros. Balester settled down to pitch a scoreless third and fourth innings. Saul Rivera, just recalled from Triple-A Syracuse, threw a perfect one and two-thirds, followed by Sean Burnett and Jason Bergmann (W, 2-1, 4.82).

Ron Villone, the fifth National to take the mound, did not fare as quite as well, but did receive the benefit of a close call at first base. Trent Oeltjen (correct spelling) grounded to Guzman at short, and the play at first was called out by umpire Jerry Crawford.

D-backs manager A.J. Hinch was incensed. He started screaming at Crawford before he was halfway to first base, and was tossed quickly. The two then stood nose-to-nose yelling at each other loud enough to be audible in the box seats.

Villone couldn't capitalize on the good fortune though, as he walked the next batter, rookie Whitesell. Ojeda followed with a single, and "interim" manager Jim Riggleman gave Villone the hook, calling on Mike MacDougal for a five-out save.

Big Mac walked his first batter, then gave up a sacrifice to bring Arizona within one. And had this been early-July, it probably would have resulted in a total melt-down. But not with the August version.

MacDougal coaxed a ground ball to end the eighth, and allowed two base runners in the ninth, but managed to close things out without allowing the tying run, for his 11th, longest, and most difficult save for the Nats to date.

THE TAKEAWAY: Wow. Six in a row. Outstanding. That's all I got tonight. It's the longest winning streak since Aug. 26 - Sept. 1, 2008.

The Nats are 12-11 since the All-Star break.

THE GOOD: Josh Willingham. 3-for-4, two runs, two RBIs.

THE BAD: Ron Villone. One-third of an inning, one hit, one walk, one run.

THE UGLY: Jordan Zimmermann had a bullpen session cancelled Friday, and will have an MRI on his ailing elbow. The pitcher still maintains that he can pitch through it, but the club is definitely being cautious.

"He just came in and he just feels a little something there," Riggleman said. "He wants to throw, he wants to pitch, but with where we're at, we're just not going to let him throw."

NEXT GAME: Saturday at 7:05 pm against the D-backs. Garrett Mock (0-4, 6.75) faces Dan Haren (11-6, 2.38).

NOTES: OF Austin Kearns met with a hand specialist Thursday to clean out an injured right thumb after being placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday. He will be out while the incision heals and will return to the doctor Monday.

Adam Dunn congratulates Ryan Zimmerman on his fifth inning home run.

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"Winning five in a row -- it feels good." -- Ronnie Belliard, August 6, 2009.

THE RESULTS: Down 6-0 to the Florida Marlins after two innings, the Washington Nationals kept chipping away until they could deliver a knockout punch -- a four run eighth inning -- and beat the Fish 12-8, taking a three-game series sweep from the wild-card contenders.

The loss prompted a 15-minute closed door meeting by Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez. Getting swept by the team with the worst record in baseball will do that to you.

The Nats have won five in a row, nine of 13 and are 11-11 under "interim" manager Jim Riggleman since the all-star break.

Red-hot Ryan Zimmerman was again the story Thursday. He went 4-for-4 with a homer, triple, walk, three RBIs and three runs scored. He was just a double from hitting for the cycle.

Since reaching his season low in batting average of .280 on July 23, the all-star third baseman is on the rampage. In 60 plate appearances, Zimmerman is hitting .449/.533/1.020 with eight home runs and 18 RBIs. He's homered in eight of 13 games.

Elijah Dukes snapped out of the funk that has plagued him since his recall as well. He went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and four RBIs.

Washington got down quickly, as starter Craig Stammen was very hittable for his third straight start. He lasted only one and two-thirds innings, giving up six runs -- five earned -- on six hits and one walk.

Reliever Logan Kensing followed and his first offering was a wild pitch that plated a run. He was not much more effective than Stammen, giving up two earned on three hits in three and one-third innings.

After the pair of runs the Marlins got in the fifth -- to take an 8-3 lead -- they put their bats away and watched the Nats continue to hammer Marlins pitchers.

The Nats got three in the fourth, courtesy of Dukes' RBI single, and Alberto Gonzalez' two-out, two-run double, on a catchable ball that left fielder Chris Coghlan took a circuitous route to before trying to catch with the back of his glove turned to the ball.

Washington scored four more in the fourth inning off Marlins starter Chris Volstad (4.1 IP, seven runs, four earned, on nine hits and two walks). Zim hit his two-run shot, Dukes had a sacrifice, and Josh Bard's single brought the Nats within one.

They got that one in the bottom of the seventh, when Dukes pulled a fastball into the left field bleachers for his seventh home run of the season, his first since his Aug. 1 recall.

The eighth inning brought more fireworks, four runs in all, against former Nationals reliever Luis Ayala (L, 1-4, 4.99), making a winner out of Jorge Sosa (W, 1-0, 1.69), who went one and two-thirds scoreless. Ron Villone, Jason Bergmann, Tyler Clippard and Sean Burnett all did their jobs, getting through the sixth, seventh and eighth unscathed.

THE TAKEAWAY: How 'bout them comeback Nats? Thursday's six-run deficit was the biggest come-from-behind win for this franchise since Jun 17, 2005 against the New York Yankees, one of the infamous Father's Day weekend wins.

When this offense is on, it's a treat to watch and no lead is safe. The team that was in the top third of the N.L. in every category in April/May has shown up again the last two weeks, and is making Riggleman's job a lot easier.

THE GOOD: Z-Man. I was pretty hard on him a couple weeks ago, and he's done nothing since but pound the living hell out of the ball.

THE BAD: Craig Stammen. Flat clobbered again. Stammen's fastball is pretty straight when it isn't sinking, and his last three starts he's gotten no action on the ball whatsoever.

He or Garrett Mock better rediscover pretty quickly what it was that got them up here before Jordan Zimmermann returns and sends one of them back down to whence they came.

THE UGLY: Riggleman would be better off letting his offense do the job for him, instead of calling for the out-making hit-and-runs. Another one was botched yesterday, with Josh Bard, of all people, thrown out on a steal attempt when Alberto Gonzalez failed to even swing on the play.

NEXT GAME: Washington looks for a six-pack of wins tonight against the Justin Upton-less Arizona Diamondbacks. Callin Balester (1-1, 3.68) takes on Jon Garland (6-10, 4.26) at 7:05 pm from Nationals Park.

NOTES: Outfielder Edgardo Baez and shortstop Ofilio Castro of the Washington Nationals Double-A team at Harrisburg have been suspended for 50 games each under baseball's minor league drug program after testing positive for an amphetamine.

The 24-year-old Baez is hitting .254 with nine homers and 28 RBI. Castro who turns 26 on Aug. 18, is batting .296 with four homers and 36 RBI.

Zim's homer sneaks inside the foul pole in the first inning.

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"We definitely wouldn't have won these last two games earlier in the season. Our attitude's changed, and it's a good sign. We're finishing this year strong. We know we can compete." --John Lannan, August 6, 2009.

THE RESULT: Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, Cristian Guzman fell a home run short of a cycle, and John Lannan evened his record as the Washington Nationals built a 5-1 lead over the Florida Marlins and held on for a 5-4 victory before 18,312 at Nationals Park.

Ronnie Belliard added a solo home run for the streaking Nats, winners of four in a row, eight of their last 12, and 10 of their last 16 games., raising their season record to 36-72.

Nyjer Morgan continued his torrid pace from the leadoff spot. He went 1-for-2, walked twice, stole two bases and scored twice.

Lannan (W, 8-8, 3.39) did not have his best stuff Wednesday night, but was effective nonetheless. He pitched six full innings, and allowed two earned runs on eight hits and two walks. He struck out six and gave up Dan Uggla's solo home run.

Sean Burnett relieved Lannan and had a rough go of it. He did not retire a batter, giving up two earned runs on a hit and a walk. Jorge Sosa came on and threw two innings on one-hit ball, and Mike MacDougal pitched a perfect ninth, striking out Nat-killer Hanley Ramirez to end the game, earning his 10th save of the season.

THE TAKEAWAY: The shreds of decency we've seen the last two weeks have morphed into real quality. Two nights in a row, the Nats have defeated a previously unbeatable foe (3-23 in their last 26 games against Florida) in one-run games that surely would have ended in defeat in May or June.

After Burnett struggled, there was every opportunity for the bullpen to implode, just as it had so many other nights this summer. But Sosa and MacDougal did not suffer the fate of Tavarez and Colome. The new-attitude Nats came through in the clutch. Two nights in a row.

Of the last eight wins, only two (Balester in Milwaukee and Lannan tonight) have come by a starting pitcher.

THE GOOD: Cristian Guzman. He went 3-for-4 with a single, double and triple, and two RBIs. He's 24-for-51 in his last 12 games.

THE BAD: Elijah Dukes. Dude is struggling since his recall. 0-for-3 in the game, 3-for-18 since he was activated 8/1.

THE UGLY: Rick VandenHurk. The Florida started threw batting practice for the Nats. Five earned in four innings on seven hits and a walk, with the three home runs.

NEXT GAME: Matinee on Thursday for the season finale. 12:35 pm game time. Craig Stammen (3-6, 4.96) takes on Chris Volstad (8-9, 4.35) in the sunshine.

Needing to clear roster space for two major league players acquired yesterday, the Washington Nationals demoted OF Elijah Dukes to Triple-A Syracuse this morning.

Dukes, 25, has struggled this season at the plate and in the field, getting shuffled between right field, his natural position, and center field, as the Nats tried to find an in-house solution to their biggest gaping hole in their defense.

Through 211 plate appearances, Dukes is hitting .244/.308/.415 with just six home runs and 30 RBI, all drastic departures from last season's promising .264/.386/.478 line in 334 plate appearances.

Defensively, it was obvious that Dukes was just as challenged in center as the man he replaced, and apparently following out the door, Lastings Milledge.

There are two big questions to consider at this point: 1) How does Dukes take the demotion? and 2) Who plays right field?

As for the first question, only Elijah Dukes can answer that. He has stayed out of trouble -- save for the occasional "Not paying his child support" stories -- since he arrived in DC, but it has been no secret that his general demeanor in the clubhouse makes it an uncomfortable place to be.

Should he accept the move in his head, bear down and get his swing straightened out, he still has all the skills necessary to be a very good major league player.

Should he go down and pout and get in trouble? Well, I don't envy Tim Foli, manager of Triple-A Syracuse.

So we're left with the big league lineup. I imagine to start with we'll see Dunn-Morgan-Willingham left-to-right, with Harris and Kearns off the bench and as defensive replacements. It's still nobody's perfect scenario, and far, far away from what club officials envisioned at the start of the season.

Regardless, The Plan™ is dead. With Dukes sent down and Milledge sent away, it leaves the Nationals with exactly one position player on the current 25-man roster younger than 26: Face of the Franchise Ryan Zimmerman. In fact, come Thursday when Nyjer Morgan celebrates his 29th trip around the sun, the team will have but three position players (Zimm, Gonzalez and Hernandez) younger than 29 on the roster.

The Nats are no longer in a re-building phase, they are at the beginning of another tear-down phase.

With the Mets floundering and the Red Sox losing Mike Lowell to the DL, Nick Johnson should have been traded away last weekend.

Cristian Guzman, with the range of a postage stamp, has to be moved before the deadline, even if the Nats have to send cash with him.

Tavarez, Villone, Beimel? All candidates for expulsion.

There's a new sheriff in town,"acting" or not.

"We're open for business," Mike Rizzo told a gathering of internet writers last weekend. Indeed.

Instead of going to Plan B, it's Plan R.

Photos 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"I got behind some people and then left the ball up a little bit and they got a hold of some pitches." --Craig Stammen, June 7, 2009.

THE RESULT: The New York Mets hitters jumped all over Washington Nationals starter Craig Stammen, roughing the pitcher up for five runs in the first inning. Mets starter Livan Hernandez did the rest, shutting the Nats out over seven innings before leaving with a stomach ache.

Three relievers finished up, and the Mets took the rubber match 7-0 before 31,841 at Nationals Park.

Stammen (L, 0-2, 6.45) was brutal in that first inning, giving up three hits, two walks and two wild pitches, both of which allowed runs to score. The 25-year old rookie, making his fourth career start, settled down well after that, and went five innings, giving up just three more hits and no walks.

But the damage was already done.

As for Hernandez, the veteran right hander easily dispatched Washington's hitters. He gave up four hits and four walks, often pitching around batters he cared not to face. He threw 112 pitches in his seven innings, and when the Nats did put some pressure on, Hernandez managed to find his way out, and got two double-play in support.

THE TAKEAWAY: Manager Manny Acta walked into a little trouble post-game, as he was trying to praise today's opponent.

"He was on today again against us," Acta said. "We have a lot of young hitters, and when he's on, he can just prey on those young guys, just tease them with those pitches just barely off the strike zone..."

The embattled manager set of something of a media firestorm with the comments, referring to his batting order as "young hitters." Today's lineup had five players 29 or older, 24-year old Ryan Zimmerman, 25-year old Elijah Dukes and 26-year old Anderson Hernandez.

There are a lot of things you can call the Nationals hitters, but "young" is not really one of them. If the youngest player in your lineup is the Face of the Franchise (TM), it's not young. In fact, for all the emphasis on youth the organization is feeding the fans, the only particularly young aspect of the team is its starting pitchers--and manager.

This space has unabashedly been a Manny Acta supporter, and will remain so. We've maintained that Acta is not the problem, not even close on a long laundry list of problems. We hope this was just an unfortunate slip of the tongue while trying to praise the job his opponent did today.

THE GOOD: Adam Dunn. 2-for-3 with a walk. He left no runners on because there were no runners on ahead of him.

THE BAD: Elijah Dukes. Hitting behind Dunn, he went 0-for-4 and left five runners on. Also, he made two more poor throws from center field, allowing runners to take extra bases.

THE UGLY: Austin Kearns. 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. He looked completely lost out there, and one has to wonder how much longer he's going to be trotted out there. He's hitting .214 for the season. He hit his last home run on April 26, and since that date has hit .200/.326/.263 with four RBIs in 30 games. He does not have na RBI since May 7.

NEXT GAME: Off on Monday. Tuesday the Nats open a three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds. Jordan Zimmermann (2-3, 5.71) hosts Johnny Cueto (5-3, 2.43).

NOTES: LHP Scott Olsen, on the DL with shoulder tendinitis, makes a rehab start for Class-A Potomac on Tuesday.

Photos 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"The last couple of innings I felt really good. I haven't felt that good in a while." --John Lannan, June 6, 2009.


THE RESULT: John Lannan was brilliant, allowing just one unearned run on four hits and three walks, throwing the first complete game of his career, leading the Washington Nationals over the New York Mets, 7-1, before 31,456 at Nationals Park Saturday night.


Lannan (W, 3-5, 3.68) got help from five double-plays, erasing any base runners that did manager to get on. The only time he got in trouble was in the eighth, as David Wright and Fernando Tatis both singled with one out.


With men on first and second, catcher Omir Santos hit a line drive right at Elijah Dukes in right field, which Dukes couldn't find the handle on. The ball fell for an error, and Wright scampered home. Wilson Valdez bounced into a double play to end the damage.


Lannan also got the rare run support he needed on this evening. Adam Dunn hit a two-run home run in the first, Dukes hit a solo shot in the fourth, and Nick Johnson clobbered a three-run shot in the fifth, all against Mets starter John Maine (L, 5-4, 4.52)


THE TAKEAWAY: Manager Manny Acta made a crack in the post-game press conference that showed his sense of gallows humor following his team these days, ""It was unbelievable how smart you can get in one night when you get a pitching performance like that and an offense like that and a defense like that. "


But he's right. On a perfect early-summer night, everything went right for the team, save for Dukes butchering the line drive that lost the shutout.


THE GOOD: John Lannan. Zero earned runs in a complete game. He threw just 93 pitches in the effort, 59 for strikes. He got 14 ground ball outs, compared to just seven fly balls.

THE BAD: The bottom three in the order, Willie Harris, Anderson Hernandez and Wil Nieves. They combined to go 0-for-11 with one walk.

THE UGLY: John Maine. He really struggled yesterday, giving up seven earned on three home runs.

NEXT GAME: Today against these same Mets. Here are the starting lineups:

NEW YORK METS (29-25, 2nd in NL East--3 games back; one-game losing streak)

Cora-4
Martinez-7
Beltran-8
Wright-5
Murphy-3
Church-9
Schneider-2
Valdez-6
Hernandez-1

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (15-39, 5th in NL East--17 games back; one-game winning streak)

Guzman-6
Johnson-3
Zimmerman-5
Dunn-7
Dukes-8
Kearns-9
Bard-2
Hernandez-4
Stammen-1

STARTING PITCHERS

WAS: Craig Stammen (17.1 IP, -01, 5.71, 6 Ks, 4 BBs)
NYM: Livan Hernandez (60.1 IP, 4-1, 4.33, 36 Ks, 16 BBs)

WEATHER

Absolutely beautiful. Scattered clouds and mild, high of 73F. Get out to the park!

The Washington Nationals return home for a nine-game homestand, starting with a series with the San Francisco Giants.

The Nats are scheduled to face Tim Lincecum, last year's Cy Young award winner, Randy Johnson, a five-time Cy winner and pitching for his 300th career victory, and Matt Cain, who is pitching better than either one of them so far this season.

Joy.

Also, the team activated Elijah Dukes, star of multiple MASN "Defining Moment" ads, from the disabled list and put RP Kip Wells on the 15-day DL with a "right adductor strain".

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (25-24, 2nd in NL West--8.5 games back; one-game win streak)

Rowand - CF
Renteria - SS
Winn - RF
Molina - C
Sandoval - 1B
Lewis - LF
Uribe - 3B
Burriss - 2B
Lincecum - P

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (13-36-1, 5th in NL East--15.5 games back; six-game loss streak)

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

STARTING PITCHERS

SF: Tim Lincecum (65.1 IP, 4-1, 3.03 ERA, 84 Ks, 19 BBs, One Cy Young award)
WAS: Craig Stammen (11.1 IP, 0-1, 5.56 ERA, 5 Ks, 3 BBs, Two career starts)

WEATHER

Warm and humid, slight chance of isolated shower or t-storm. First pitch: 82F. Final out: 77F.

NOTES

As you are no doubt aware by now, the Nationals fired pitching coach Randy St. Claire (last night actually, announced today), and replaced him with Steve McCatty, the four-year Triple-A pitching coach.

Posted by Cheryl Nichols

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

Roster changes were announced during press conference following game.

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

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

Other News:

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

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

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

-Nick Johnson being scouted by Red Sox and Mets?

THE RESULT: The Washington Nationals got home runs from Adam Dunn, Josh Willingham, Elijah Dukes and even Alberto Gonzalez en route to an 8-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies before an announced crowd of 20,494 at Nationals Park.

Winning pitcher Shairon Martis went 6.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits and two walks with one strikeout. Martis, the 22-year old rookie, delivered a solid performance, keeping the Phillies off-balance with an assortment of off-speed pitches.

Michael Hinckley, Joe Beimel and Joel Hanrahan went 2.2 hitless innings with no walks and two strikeouts.

Anderson Hernandez, Nick Johnson and Ryan Zimmerman all had multi-hit games at the top of the order for the Nats.

THE TAKEAWAY: This team is going to score some runs, but Alberto Gonzalez? That was the shortest home run we'll see all year.

All is takes is a little pitching. Don't things look much better now?

THE GOOD: Shairon Martis. He had the longest outing of any starter so far. Just five hits and two walks in six and a third.


THE BAD: Just about the only non-contributor to the offense was Jesus Flores, who went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

THE UGLY: Phillies pitcher Jack Taschner. Called upon to keep things close, he instead poured gas on the fire. One inning, four earned on four hits and two walks with two homers. More please!

NEXT GAME: Friday night at 7:05 p.m. against the Florida Marlins. John Lannan (0-2, 10.00) faces Ricky Nolasco (1-1, 7.36).

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

THE RESULT: The Washington Nationals allowed 10 hits, committed three errors, hit two batters, and lost their home opener to the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies 9-8.

Cristian Guzman went five-for-five before leaving in the ninth with a tweaked hamstring and the Nats got three homers, one each from Adam Dunn, Elijah Dukes and Ryan Zimmerman. And they pounded out 12 hits. But Daniel Cabrera couldn't benefit from early support, Saul Rivera hit two straight batters then gave up two home runs, and Anderson Hernandez, usually sure-handed, booted two easy ground balls as the Nats start the season off 0-7.

THE TAKEAWAY: If you were to guess which Nats pitcher were to hit two consecutive batters, you probably would have guessed it was Cabrera, not the normally reliable Saul Rivera. Yet, there it was in the seventh. Rivera plunks Victorino and Utley ahead of Ryan Howard, and Howard did was he does best. He punished a mistake into a three-run home run.

And the calls for Manager Manny Acta's head will continue, as he left Rivera in the game to face Howard instead of bringing in a left-hander reliever. And were I the manager, I probably would have called for Beimel at that point in the seventh. But Rivera's career splits are just as good against lefties, and there was a lot of baseball to play. Sometimes it's up to the player.

But the Nats gave away six runs in this contest, and maybe some of the concentration lapse can be attributed to the home opener, or the passing of Kalas before the game, but the only things that have been consistent so far this young season has been poor defense and worse pitching. And they were both evident again today.

THE GOOD: Power! Dunn, Dukes and Zimmerman all crushed their homers, and Dukes' might have been the most impressive. He hit a slider on the outside corner--one-handed--into the Phillies bullpen.

And Guz lashed singles all over the ballpark and was the player of the game. He's hitting at an unsustainable rate, but let's hope he's not really injured, cause he's fun to watch when he's in a zone like this.

THE BAD: Daniel Cabrera. Four runs--one earned--on six hits and two walks with just two strikeouts in five innings. Cabrera barely hit 90 on the stadium gun today, and that was sparingly. He walked in a run, then allowed 46-year old Jamie Moyer to lift a sac fly deep enough to score another run.

THE UGLY: The defense. This is getting repetitive. Anderson Hernandez booted two easy ground balls, one leading to a run. Adam Dunn had an error and misplayed another ball, both leading to runs. As bad as the pitching is, this team can't give their opponents extra outs, but it's happening every night.

NEXT GAME: Off on Tuesday, the Nats get back at it Wednesday night, with Shairon Martis (0-0, 9.00) hosting Joe Blanton (0-0, 15.75) at 7:05 p.m.

R.I.P. Harry Kalas, longtime Phillies broadcaster and the voice of NFL Films, passed away in the broadcast booth before the start of today's game. There was a moment when the game might have been postponed, but the Phillies insisted the game be played. Kalas was 73. There was also a moment of silence for young Angels' pitcher Nick Adenhart who was killed last Thursday. Adenhart grew up in Maryland.

Also, Mark "The Bird" Fydrich was found dead at his home earlier today working on his truck. Fydrich was best know as a rookie pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, talking to the baseball and manicuring the mound on his hands and knees between pitches.

The game lost two of its more colorful characters today, and the feeling permeated the ballpark. Rest in peace, Harry and The Bird.

Additional photos will be posted tomorrow so check back.

Photo (c) C. Nichols 2009. All rights reserved.

THE RESULT: The Washington Nationals lost their sixth straight game to start the 2009 season, falling to the Atlanta Braves 8-5. Nats starter Scott Olsen started strong, but gave up five earned runs in the fourth and fifth innings on six hits and three walks, striking out three.

The Nats did pound out ten hits, with Cristian Guzman and Elijah Dukes both having a two-hit game. Dukes had a double and three RBIs.

Atlanta took advantage of a rough day by catcher Josh Bard. Bard had two passed balls allowing runners to advance and dropped a throw to home from left fielder Josh Willingham letting another run score.

THE TAKEAWAY: Manager Manny Acta wishes that tomorrow's home opener was the real opening day and that the past week never happened. Losers of six in a row to start the season, the Nats biggest weaknesses (pitching and defense) have been evident and exploited.

It's evident that the silly road trip at the end of spring training and starting the season with a six-game road trip has taken its toll on the team.

THE GOOD: Elijah Dukes. He went two-for-five with three RBIs.

THE BAD: Steven Shell. 1.1 IP, 2 hits, 2 earned runs. If the starters are only going five, you can't have the next guy in give up two more.

THE UGLY: Josh Bard. He had a real bad day. Passed balls. The opposing catcher steals a base. Dropped a good throw to home. Went one-for-four with a strikeout.

NEXT GAME: The Home Opener!!! Daniel Cabrera (0-1, 7.50) hosts the Philadelphia Phillies ageless Jamie Moyer (0-1, 7.20) at 3:05 from Nationals Park