The Washington Nationals have traded veteran starter Jason Marquis to the Arizona Diamondbacks this afternoon in exchange for Single-A shortstop Zach Walters, a ninth round pick in the 2010 draft.  The deal has not been announced by the team, but it is official according to multiple sources.

Marquis, 32, went 8-5 with a 3.95 ERA in 20 starts.  He will become a free agent at the end of the year and will not qualify for even Type-B free agency, meaning the Nationals would not have received compensation should he sign with another team.  Reports indicate Arizona was willing to assume the remainder of Marquis' salary this season, saving the Nats over $2.5 million.

Walters, a 21 year old middle infielder, was hitting .302/.377/.485 with Single-A South Bend, playing shortstop primarily, but also appearing at second and third base.  In 166 career minor league games, Walters has hit .302/.360/.465.  This is the second position player today the Nats have picked up with good on-base skills, joining OF Erik Komastu, acquired for Jerry Hairston Jr earlier in the day from the Milwaukee Brewers.

Marquis was due to start for the Nationals in tonight's game with the New York Mets.  His spot will be taken tonight by Yunesky Maya.  Maya went 0-1 with a 6.86 ERA in four starts earlier this season with the Nats.  But manager Davey Johnson indicated in his post-game press conference last night and reiterated today that the team may recall some younger arms from the minors after the trade deadline shakes out, including RHP Brad Peacock and LHP Tom Milone.

Major League sources are still indicating that the Nationals continue to be involved in talks for a Major League center fielder, with Denard Span of the Twins and Michael Bourn of the Astros the most likely targets.  Sources have indicated the Nats have been reluctant to include young, team-controlled closer Drew Storen in a deal for Span, but with Rick Ankiel the only center fielder on the Nats roster, speculation is running rampant at Nats Park and on the Internet.

by Tyler Radecki, Staff Writer

The Washington Nationals had five of their seven hits come from just two players, but they managed to score three runs in the ninth and come back to beat the Houston Astros Monday night, 5-2.

Win win evens the Nats record again at 48-48 and moves them into sole possession of third place for the time being, one half game ahead of the New York Mets and one full game ahead of the surging Florida Marlins.

Michael Morse and Ryan Zimmerman each had home runs and combined for every Nationals hit until the ninth inning, when Roger Bernadina led off the inning with the game tied at two.

A sacrifice bunt by Danny Espinosa advanced Bernadina to second and Zimmerman punched a ball to right field to drive him in one batter later. Astros second baseman Jeff Keppinger had shifted to his right to guard against the hit up the middle, and Zimmerman lined a pitch right where Keppinger usually would play, driving in the leading run.

Morse added another single and Laynce Nix bounced a ball over first baseman Carlos Lee to drive in two runs and give the Nats a three-run cushion. Drew Storen struck out the side in the ninth for his 25th save of the season, and the Nats were back at .500.

It wasn’t pretty, but they had scored five runs and rebounded from yesterday’s crushing 9-8 loss to Atlanta. For much of the game, the Nationals batters looked overmatched by Houston’s Jordan Lyles, who took the loss despite pitching 8 1/3 innings with four earned runs against. They fought, though, and found a way to pull out the win.

Starting pitcher Jason Marquis also threw one of his best starts of the season, going eight strong innings with just six hits and two runs against. He walked one batter and struck out nine to get his eighth win of the season and lower his ERA to 3.92. As the season approaches the trade deadline, appearances like last night's for Marquis will make him very attractive to a contender for the stretch run.

As good as Marquis was, the offense didn’t do much to help him out. Morse hit his 16th home run of the year in the fifth and Zimmerman added his 5th two innings later, but no other National had a hit. Without any support, Marquis continued to pitch well and give the bullpen – which was taxed in yesterday’s game – a much-needed rest.

_____________________________________________

THE GOOD: Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse combined for five hits, two home runs, three RBI and four runs scored. The two corner infielders carried the team offensively, keeping them in the game long enough for the rest of the offense – well, Laynce Nix – to chip in with some big hits of their own.

THE BAD: Two hits from the rest of the offense. Roger Bernadina and Laynce Nix provided the only other hits for the Nats, and both of them came in the top of the 9th inning. Other than Zimmerman and Morse, the Nats’ bats were dead for most of the game on Monday.

THE UGLY: Jayson Werth, who went 0-for-3. He had a walk in the 9th on a very close pitch on a full count and continues to struggle at the plate, failing to make solid contact in any of his at bats. In the 9th inning, Werth was on third base with one out when Wilson Ramos popped to short. Werth stumbled off the base and was tagged out for the final out of the inning.

THE STATS: Seven hits, two walks, six strikeouts.  2-for-3 w/ RISP, two LOB, two GIDP. No errors.

The "second half" of the Major League Baseball season gets underway tonight, but the Washington Nationals get another day off and will get back on the field Friday night against the Atlanta Braves, whom they trail for the N.L. wildcard spot by eight games at the start of play.  Not only do the Nationals face an eight-game deficit, but there are five other teams between themselves and Atlanta.

Is it impossible the Nats can overtake six teams and take the 2011 wildcard?  I suppose it's not impossible.  But if Atlanta continues to win at the pace they are on, that would give them 95 wins. For the WILDCARD spot.  Let's say, for the sake of argument, the Braves have some troubles down the stretch and finish with 88 wins, a seven-game difference for them in the second half. 

At that pace, the Nats would have to go 42-28 in the final 70 games just to catch the Braves and force a one-game playoff, unless one of those other five teams leapfrogged the stumbling Braves.  42-28 is a .600 winning percentage, equivalent to a 97-win pace over the course of an entire season.  Does anyone think the Nats can win on a 97-win pace the rest of this campaign?

So, now that we've put the playoff scenario to bed, let's concentrate on what's really important the rest of the way for the Nats.



(C.Nichols/Nats News Network)



1)  The Healthy Return of Stephen Strasburg.  Strasburg continues to throw bullpen sessions in the heat and humidity of Viera, FL.  Pretty soon, he'll throw live batting practice, facing the first hitters he's seen since Domonic Brown last August.  As long as there are no complications there, he'll get sent out on a minor league rehab assignment, boosting the economy in Hagerstown, Woodbridge or Harpersburg -- I mean, Harrisburg.  At the very best, we could see a start or two in mid-September at Nats Park to whet everyone's appetite for 2012. 

I said it at the beginning of the season and stand by it: Strasburg's rehab and return is the most important aspect of the Nationals season.  If he isn't ready for a big league mound in September, the Nationals are not going to rush him.  Being healthy for spring training in 2012 is much more important that a motivational start or two in September.

But the idea of the Nats finishing around .500 and Strasburg getting a couple of starts is probably the best case scenario for D.C. right now.

2)  Maximizing Current Assets for Future Value:  Finishing at or near .500 should be a huge motivational factor for the Nats and their fan base.  But equally important is to gain value for players that aren't going to be here next year.  Jason Marquis is the Nats biggest movable asset.  He's shown to be a reliable back-of-the-rotation starter for a pendent contender, and there are half a dozen teams that could really use a starter down the stretch. 

GM Mike Rizzo should sell Marquis to the highest bidder.  I just can't envision the Nats giving Marquis a three-year big money deal, which is what he's going to want on the open market this off-season.  There are plenty of young (and some not-so-young) starters in the minors to fill the rotation and get some good looks in August and September.

Other potential trade pieces:  Todd Coffey, Jerry Hairston, Pudge Rodriguez, maybe even Rick Ankiel.  None of these players are going to net a bona fide prospect, but maybe a tarnished one or a lower-level guy.  You never know.

3)  Evaluating for the Future:  The future isn't too far off.  It's pretty easy to envision a rotation next year of Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann, followed probably by a free agent veteran (unless Chien-Ming Wang proves to be that guy), John Lannan and a combination of Brad Peacock, Tom Milone, Brad Meyers, Yunesky Maya or maybe even Shairon Martis (7-3, 2.70, 9.3 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 for AA-HBG).  I think with Zimmermann getting shut down after another eight starts or so, and the possibility of Marquis being shipped, we'll see a couple of these guys pitch down the stretch to give them a taste of big league hitters.

It's dangerous to hand out roster spots based on the results of starts in September (spring training too, for that matter), but it is part of the evaluation process, and some of these guys look like they are ready for that challenge.

4)  Whither Ian Desmond?   It's as simple as this: now that he's fixed his defensive problems, he has to start hitting.  He has to cut his swing down. He needs to work on using all fields instead of being pull-happy trying to generate power.  He has to get better at working the count.  Not even Ozzie Smith with the glove could get away with a .223/.264/.308 line at the plate.  There's no reason for it, other than he's infatuated with trying to generate power.  This team has plenty of guys that can pop-a-shot.  Desmond needs finally realize this and work on getting on base more often.  Or else he'll find himself watching others that can.

5)  Getting the Big Guys Back on Track.  If someone had told you in spring training that the Nationals would be .500 at the All-Star break, and that Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth would be on a pace for 25 home runs -- combined -- you probably would have asked what they were smoking.  But stats don't lie.  Zimmerman missed 58 games due to the abdominal injury and Werth has fallen off a cliff.  Zim gets a pass for a while until we can be assured he's finally, 100 percent healthy (which I'm not sure he quite is yet), but Werth has been simply atrocious.



(D.Nichols/Nats News Network)



Everyone in the Nats organization has supported Werth publicly, saying they aren't concerned with his struggles and at the end of the season his numbers will be where they should be.  But if Werth gets his average of 560 at bats for the season, he'll have to his .336 over his final 235 at bats to reach his career average of .265 for the season.  The next two and a half months are going to be real interesting watching Werth.  Is he injured?  Is it mental?  Is it something else?  He's got 6 1/2 years to figure it out, or not, I guess.

6)  Continued Excellence of Danny Espinosa.  It's a race between Espi and Atlanta's Craig Kimbrel for the N.L. Rooike of the Year.  Will one falter down the stretch?  It's hard to imagine either one actually picking up his game to another level at this point, with both players posting awesome numbers.  Espinosa's BABiP is approaching league averageness, and if this is what he is (.250/.340/.460 hitter with 25 HR/SB potential), I think the Nats will be happy with that from their gold-glove caliber second baseman (or shortstop, perhaps?)

What are you most interested to watch the rest of the way in 2011?

The Washington Nationals got good starting and relief pitching and some terrific defense, but as has been the case all season, could not muster anything resembling an offensive attack and fell to the Colorado Rockies -- losers of five straight games before hitting Nats Park -- 2-1, before 29,441 disappointed fans.

The Nationals, losers of three consecutive games, fall to 45-46 for the season with one game remaining before the All-Star break.

Last night, Jason Marquis was the starter that did not get any support.  Marquis was battered for six earned runs in 1 1/3 innings in his previous effort against Pittsburgh, but bounced back and went six innings against the Rockies, allowing two earned runs on five hits -- though he walked four.  Ross Detwiler came on to provide two scoreless innings of middle relief and Todd Coffey pitched a perfect ninth inning.  But unfortunately the proficiency on the mound was not enough to carry the Nats to victory. 

With the Nats paltry offense, the two runs the Rockies got off Marquis was all they needed.

Washington managed just five hits and one walk against Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez (W, 4-8, 4.14).  They didn't get their first hit until the the sixth inning, when center fielder Ryan Spilborghs misplayed a sinking liner from Ian Desmond into a triple with no outs.  Desmond scored on Rick Ankiel's ground out, and that was the sum of the Nats offensive production for the evening.

The Nats couldn't get two runners on base in any single inning until the eighth, when two infield singles caused some trouble.  But pinch-hitter Matt Stairs was called out on strikes and Danny Espinosa flied out to end the threat.

In the ninth, Ryan Zimmerman led off with a single to short off Rockies closer Huston Street, and one out later Michael Morse hit a clean liner to center to put runners on the corners.  But Jayson Werth failed to deliver once again, rolling over on a slider and grounding into a 6-4-3 double play that was as predictable as Teddy losing the President's Race.

It's hard to be upset with the Nationals right now.  They played over their heads for three weeks and got the fan base excited about coming to the park.  For the first time since 2005 really, there's an aura of expectation in the stands, for better or worse.  The expectations may be founded on a hot streak, but the Nats record is better than almost anyone could have expected at the start of the season.

But Thursday's devastating loss, losing an 8-0 lead on the way to a 10-9 defeat, has started a snowball effect of a different kind.  The last two nights, this is a team that's looked like they're really looking forward to having three days off.  And right now, they can really use it.

_________________________________________________

THE GOOD:  Michael Morse and Ian Desmond had two hits apiece. Detwiler and Coffey provided three shutout innings of relief.

THE BAD:  Jayson Werth was 0-for-3 with a walk.  He stranded three runners and hit into the game-ending double-play.  He's painful to watch right now.

THE UGLY:  Matt Stairs.  Struck out looking in his lone pinch-hit at bat. Hitting .143 for the season.

THE STATS:  Seven hits, one walk, nine strikeouts.  0-for-4 with RISP, five LOB, two GIDP. No errors.

NEXT GAME:  Sunday at 1:35 against the Rockies.  Jordan Zimmermann (5-7, 2.82) goes for the Nats.  The Rockies have not announced a starter as of this post.

"I don't like to get beat. It wasn't any fun today." Davey Johnson, after a 10-2 loss to the Pirates

Jason Marquis' day lasted just four outs -- and seven runs. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

At a point earlier this season, Washington Nationals starter Jason Marquis was gaining support locally to garner the nod to represent the Nats at this summer's All-Star festivities.  Moments before today's game, however, it was learned that distinction belongs to reliever Tyler Clippard, selected by manager Bruce Bochy to his first All-Star appearance.

Marquis then went out and had a performance that looked more like his miserable, injury-riddled 2010 season than anything he's done so far this year, giving up seven runs before being lifted with one out in the second inning.  The Nationals never recovered and lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-2, splitting a four-game series.

The loss drops the Nats back to one game below .500 at 42-43. They are a game and a half behind the New York Mets for third in the N.L. East.  Though the Nats earned the split with the Bucs, they went just 5-for-34 with runners in scoring position for the series, 0-for-9 in Sunday's game.

Marquis was, in a word, brutal.  Pirates leadoff hitter Alex Presley singled to start the game, and Marquis (L, 7-3, 4.11) got the next batter, shortstop Chase d'Arnaud, to bounce back to hit for a tailor-made double play. But Marquis' throw to Danny Espinosa was low and scooted into center field, allowing Presley to go to third.  Marquis coaxed a pop-up from Garrett Jones, but then allowed three consecutive singles to score three runs.

It got worse in the second inning. Pitcher Kevin Correia smashed a single down the left field line leading off. Presley then hit a grounder to first baseman Matt Stairs, and Stairs -- filling in for Michael Morse, who was hit on the forearm in Satruday night's win -- was able to get the lead runner, but the relay throw was late to complete the double play.  d'Arnaud singled to left, moving Presley to third, then consecutive doubles to Jones and Andrew McCutchen made it 5-0, bringing an end to Marquis' day.

Collin Balester entered, and the first two batters reached against him, raising the Pirates lead to 8-0 after 1 1/2 innings.

Balester would settle down though and ended up giving the Nats four important innings, saving most of Davey Johnson's bullpen for the next game.  Balester was charged with two more runs in the sixth after he departed, as Henry Rodriguez came on with one out and two on in the frame and allowed both inherited runners to score, including walking the Pirates No. 8 hitter to force in a run.  Yup, it was that kind of day for the Nats.

Collin Balester gave the Nats four much-needed innings. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

When asked about his performance, Marquis said, "Obviously, not good.  I left too many balls in the zone. I didn't have the good late action on my ball.  It was just one of those days, you know?"

The only thing to really cheer about at Nats Park today was Wilson Ramos' seventh home run of the season, a two-run shot off Pirates starter Kevin Correia (11-6, 3.74).  Otherwise, it was a long, hot, frustrating day for Nats fans.

The Nats got more injury bad news, as right fielder Jayson Werth was hit by a pitch on the outside of his left wrist area in the sixth inning.  He reacted very angrily when hit, slamming his bat down before taking his base. Manager Davey Johnson lifted him for a pinch-runner and after the game Johnson announced that Werth was day-to-day, but would probably give him the day off Monday against the Cubs.



Jayson Werth heads for the dugout after getting his on his left wrist. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

________________________________________________

THE GOOD:  Ramos went 2-for-4 with the two-run homer. Roger Bernadina went 2-for-5. Ryan Zimmerman went 1-for-2 with two walks.  It's not like the Nats didn't have any base runners Sunday.

THE BAD:  Ian Desmond. He went 0-for-4 with two Ks.

THE UGLY:  Marquis.  He left everything up and just got tattooed.  Hopefully this is just a blip on the radar. If he falls apart in the second half of the season, it'll be damaging not only to the Nats record, but to their ability to trade the pending free agent for anything of real value. Remember, he will not qualify as a Type-A or Type-B free agent, so if he walks at the end of the year the Nats will get no compensation for him.

THE STATS:  Nine hits, two walks, nine strikeouts.  0-for-9 with RISP, 10 LOB, zero GIDP.  E: Marquis (1), Desmond (12).

NEXT GAME:  Monday, July 4 at 1:05 pm against the Chicago Cubs. Jordan Zimmermann (5-7, 2.63) faces Casey Coleman (2-4, 7.78).



The Shark ate up a sinking line drive in left field. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

By Anthony Amobi, Special to Nats News Network

WASHINGTON - The Washington Nationals are on quite the roll. After a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals this week, they played hosts to the struggling Baltimore Orioles on Friday night to start another interleague match-up of the "Battle of the Beltway."

They won their seventh straight game, an remarkable feat considering their struggles since the beginning of the season as they defeated the Orioles, 8-4.

Once again, Washington's offense came through as came through with hits when they needed and got some help from the bullpen.

The second largest home game of season attendance after Opening Day with a crowd of 35,562 - with a healthy mix of orange and black, sprinkled in with red - sat through a rain delay of under an hour before the game on Friday night. When things got started, it was one wacky game.

The Nationals (34-36), who have been getting very strong outings from their starting pitching, saw Jason Marquis push through his five-innings plus on the mound. He gave up 12 hits on the night; however, despite that note, he only gave up four runs. Marquis was constantly on a tight rope, but he managed to avoid allowing his team in go into a hole. He would not factor in the decision.

On the night, it seemed that the Orioles (31-36) - despite pounding 18 hits - handed the game to the Nationals. In a sense, they buried themselves with errors, an alarming pitching performance in the bottom of the sixth inning, and a confounding inability to push runners across home plate. The Nationals would take advantage of it.

With the score tied at four in the sixth inning, Baltimore reliever, Jeremy Accardo, walked Wilson Ramos to start the frame. He would then give up an RBI-double to Wilson Ramos that gave Washington a 5-4 lead.

Accardo would help the Nationals again as he walked reliever Sean Burnett - who was trying square up for a clear sacrifice bunt - on four pitches. The Nationals would take a 6-4 lead, as Jayson Werth plated in Hairston with a single. They would add another run in the frame as Ian Desmond's sacrifice drove in Werth.

Accardo (3-3) would take the loss.

Washington would sail to an easy victory from there as Burnett returned to the mound and did not allow Baltimore to do any damage. He would earn the win and the trio of Henry Rodriguez, Tyler Clippard and Ryan Mattheus, kept the Orioles off the scoreboard.

The Nationals took an 8-4 lead as Roger Bernadina hit his third homer of the season - a solo shot - off Oriole reliever Michael Gonzalez in the eighth inning.

Although the record shows that Washington won, they did not have a strong start to the game. Baltimore plated two runs in the fourth inning as Robert Andino had an RBI-single, and pitcher Zach Britton followed up with an RBI-double.

However, Baltimore's lead would be short lived as Washington scored four runs in the fifth inning. Wilson Ramos singled to start the frame, and then Marquis squared up for a bunt. Marquis' offering was fielded by Oriole third baseman Mark Reynolds; however, he threw the ball past first base. Ramos motored around the bases and scored; thereafter, Marquis would come home after a Bernadina groundout.

The Nationals added two more runs in the frame after back-to-back RBI-singles from Ian Desmond and Ryan Zimmerman.

Washington allowed Baltimore to tie the game at four as Vladimir Guerrero plated in a run with an RBI-single and J.J. Hardy followed up with a sacrifice fly.

Reliever Todd Coffey - who came in for Marquis in the sixth inning - gave up the hits that allowed the Orioles to score their third and fourth runs of the game; however, Burnett (3-3) was brought in after that and closed out the frame.

Meanwhile, Baltimore starting starter, rookie Zach Britton, pitched well, as he went five innings and gave up four runs - only one earned. He got killed thanks to a huge error in the fifth inning.

For Washington, Jerry Hairston had a huge night, going 3-for-3, and Ian Desmond had two hits, plus drove in two runs.

Danny Espinosa's two-homer night fueled Nats 10-2 win over Phillies. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

It's nights like last night that make the previous two weeks worth of losses that much tougher to take. It certainly explains manager Jim Riggleman's insistence that the Washington Nationals are a better ball club than they've shown this season.

Behind two home runs by rookie second baseman Danny Espinosa and another quality start by Jason Marquis, the Nats pounded their arch-enemy, the Philadelphia Phillies, 10-2, before 21,017 at sweltering Nats Park.

The win snaps a three-game losing streak and ups the Nats record to 23-31.

Jason Marquis held the Phillies to two solo home runs, earning his sixth win. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

For the second straight night, the Nationals made one of the better pitchers in the N.L. work hard. But unlike Monday's 5-4 loss when they repeatedly allowed Roy Halladay off the hook, the Nats were relentless in bashing Cliff Lee and a parade of relievers.

Lee (L, 4-5, 3.94) had trouble locating his fastball, and when he brought it over the plate, the Nats made good contact, getting to the lefty for six runs on seven hits, including a pair of no-doubt shots by Espinosa (3-for-4, 4 RBIs).  He now has 10 home runs, tied with Los Angeles Angels first baseman Mark Trumbo for the rookie lead in the majors, and his 33 RBIs place him 10th in the N.L. overall.

Espinosa was not the only hitting star though.  Michael Morse went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, upping his average to .301 in the process.  Jayson Werth also drove in two with a sacrifice fly and a double.



Michael Morse is congratulated by his skipper after scoing against the Phillies. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

Marquis (W, 6-2, 4.13) needed to put up a good start after a couple of sub-par outings, and the veteran did just that.  He limited the Phillies to two solo home runs, scattering eight hits in his 6 1/3 innings.  He struck out four and did not walk a batter, key when facing the Phillies sluggers.

But leading 6-2 in the top of the seventh, Marquis allowed a double to Domonic Brown -- who homered earlier -- and pinch-hitter Ross Gload reached on catcher's interference, giving the Phillies a chance to climb back into the game with the top of their order coming up.  Riggleman called upon Tyler Clippard, as he has so many times this season.  Clippard got Jimmy Rollins to line out to Werth in right field and Placido Polanco popped out to short to end the threat.

"Those were probably the two biggest outs of the game for us right there," Riggleman said after the game.

One win doesn't change a whole lot over the course of 162 games.  But at least for a night, the Nationals -- management, coaches, players and fans -- can relish a victory over their biggest rivals, silencing the legions of Phillies fans that have descended on Nats Park this week.  It'll be short-lived, because they go right back at it under the sun on Wednesday, but for a few hours, ain't the beer cold?

_________________________________________________________

THE GOOD:  In the top of the eighth, with a man on first and no outs, Ryan Howard hit a ball on the ground to 1B Michael Morse's right that the big guy deftly picked and made a slinging side-armed throw to 3B Jerry Hairston, covering second in the exaggerated shift. 

Hairston then leaped over the sliding Chase Utley to relay back to pitcher Cole Kimball covering at first.  Just your typical 3-5-1 double play.  Here's the replay, it's a thing of beauty.

Michael Morse starts 3-5-1 double play in the eighth inning. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

THE BAD:  Rick Ankiel entered late in the game, but still managed to go 0-for-2, lowering his average to .210.

THE UGLY:  Phillies reliever Danys Baez pitched one inning, allowing three earned runs on four hits. Yuck.

THE STATS:  13 hits, five walks, seven strikeouts. 6-for-11 with RISP, six LOB, one GIDP.  E: I.Rodriguez (3).

NEXT GAME:  Wednesday at 1:05 pm against the Phillies.  John Lannan (2-5, 4.40) hosts Roy Oswalt (3-2, 2.60).

HARPER WATCH:  Bryce Harper went 2-for-3 with an RBI and three stolen bases in Hagerstown's 3-0 win over Kannapolis. He's hitting .331/.415/.584 with 11 homers, 35 RBIs and 10 stolen bases this season.  Robbie Ray earned his second win for the Suns, going five innings and allowing just one hit (four walks), striking out three. He's 2-0 with a 0.38 ERA in five starts.

There were no bullpen implosions, no late inning heroics.  Not much of anything particularly dramatic happened. No, the Washington Nationals 6-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers today was simply the better team playing better, led by their best player and a former Cy Young winning pitcher.  Who, adding insult to injury, also hit a home run.

The loss drops the Nationals record to 21-28.  It's their fifth straight loss and concludes a road trip where they lost seven out of eight, the lone win being the 17-5 laugher in Baltimore Friday night.  Washington has lost 10 of their last 13 games to fall 8 1/2 games back of the division lead before Memorial Day.

All four Nats pitchers either gave up a run or allowed a hit to drive in a run.  Three of the four Nats runs came on one swing.  When they managed to manufacture a run to cut the lead in the eighth, the Brewers got it right back in the bottom of the inning.

At least the Nats proficiency with runners in scoring position will rise a little bit, as they went 1-for-3 in such situations today, Michael Morse's three-run home run in the fourth inning that tied the game up...for one inning.

Nationals starter Jason Marquis wasn't sharp, but he battled.  He gave up four earned runs on five hits and four walks, striking out one in six innings.  With that many base runners in that period, Marquis was fortunate to hold the Brewers to four runs to keep his team in the game. 

But as was the case in all three games in Milwaukee, the Brewers scored multiple runs in the first, putting the Nats behind the eight-ball once again.  Marquis got the leadoff man, but then walked Corey Hart, gave up a single to Ryan Braun, and a two-run double to Prince Fielder.  Just like that, the Nats found themselves with an uphill battle.

The killer might have come in the fifth, though, as Marquis' opposite number, former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke, pulled Marquis' 89-MPH sinker that didn't sink down the left field line for a solo home run that gave the Brewers a lead they would never relinquish.

Greinke, making his fourth start of the season following a stint on the D.L. due to a pulled muscle in his side he sustained while playing basketball during spring training, only made the one mistake, hanging a curveball to Morse that he crushed for his third home run in as many days.  Other than that, Greinke mowed through the Nats batting order, striking out 10 in seven innings, allowing just five hits and a walk.

In the seventh, Milwaukee picked up an insurance run courtesy of Prince Fielder's single off Sean Burnett -- Burnett's only batter of the game.

The Nats manufactured a run in the eighth when Roger Bernadina reached on an error, took third on a single by Jayson Werth, and scored on a Laynce Nix sacrifice fly.  But Washington couldn't benefit from the fortune, giving the run right back in the bottom of the inning, as Todd Coffey gave up a run-scoring double to .232-hitting pinch-hitter Yunesky Betancourt.

If there ever was a team that needed to get off the road and get some home cooking, this team was it.  Today's loss drops their road record to 10-19, one of the worst road records in the National League.  They've happened to play more games on the road than anyone in the N.L. thus far as well, but the schedule doesn't really get any friendlier any time soon.  After a six-game homestand with San Diego and Philadelphia, they head right back out on a 10-game west coast trip to Arizona, San Francisco and San Diego.

_______________________________________________

THE GOOD:  Michael Morse's power stroke.  He's homered in three straight with eight driven in, and in his last ten games is hitting over .400.

THE BAD:  Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa went 0-for-8 combined.

THE UGLY:  Cole Kimball walked two, one of which scored when Sean Burnett couldn't do his job and get the lefty Fielder, in the eighth.  The young power pitchers also struck out two, but he's got as many walks as strikeouts in his six appearances so far.  Walks are the absolute bane of late relievers, and he needs to drastically reduce them to keep his spot in the pen.

THE STATS:  Six hits, one walk, 12 strikeouts.  1-for-3 with RISP, four LOB, no GIDP.  E: Hairston (6)

NEXT GAME:  The Nats are off until Friday, when they host the San Diego Padres at 7:05 at Nats Park.  John Lannan (2-5, 5.03) faces Clayton Richard (2-5, 4.85).

by Tyler Radecki, Staff Writer and Dave Nichols

NATIONALS BATS COME ALIVE, SCORE RECORD 17 RUNS IN WIN OVER ORIOLES

There was a lot of this going on for the Nationals last night. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

Maybe a trip 45 miles north on I-95 to Baltimore was just what the Washington Nationals needed. In their first interleague game of 2011, against their American League "geographic rivals", the team’s ice cold offense broke through in a big way, with a franchise record for runs in a game, beating the the Baltimore Orioles 17-5 Friday before 24,442 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

The team had six home runs, two triples, 19 hits, five walks, and an all-around spectacular night offensively.

The Nats scored runs in every inning but the first and third in the offensive showcase.  But the game was very much in doubt early on as the Orioles were scoring runs of their own, as the Nats led just 6-5 after four innings.  But that's when the Nationals exploded against Orioles reliever Jason Berken for six runs, including home runs by Roger Bernadina (2-for-6, two RBI) and the first of Jayson Werth's two round-trippers (7, 8).

Jayson Werth had a great day overall, going 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs on his 32nd birthday.

After the offensive outburst, things got a little tense in the Nationals dugout.  With a seven-run cushion, manager Jim Riggleman decided he'd seen enough of Nats starter Jason Marquis and changed pitchers for the bottom of the fifth inning, sending Henry Rodriguez to the mound.

Marquis was visibly upset in the dugout and had a little outburst of his own after he was informed by Riggleman he was being relieved, thus disqualifying him from a chance to earn the victory despite Marquis' performance this season as the Nats best pitcher, and the fact that they had a seven-run lead.   

Marquis was indeed struggling, having allowed five earned runs on eight hits and three walks, but it's was a slap in the face to the team's de facto ace not allowing him to at least start the inning.  Sure, if Marquis gives up a homer or a couple base runners, go get him.  But to yank him with a seven-run lead was curious at the very least.

"I was just trying to plead with [Riggleman] to stay in the game," Marquis told reporters after the game.  "Obviously I didn't get my way and just let a little emotion out.  Nothing other than that really, other than being a competitor and wanting to stay in the game."

Just how upset was Marquis in the dugout?  "I'd say about as upset as I've ever seen a ballplayer," Riggleman said.

Jason Marquis had his shortest outing of the season. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

Riggleman explained further, "I thought Jason was struggling through it, and I made the decision to take him out. It was a one-run game. If I'd had known we were going to go out there and score six, maybe I would have let him go back out there."

But after that inning, the difference was that the Nats continued to pour on the offense while the Nats’ bullpen shut the door. Rodriguez pitched three innings of scoreless relief followed by another two by Todd Coffey and Doug Slaten. Rodriguez picked up the win and had three strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 1.00.

It was a night in which the offense finally broke out after getting shut out in both games against New York earlier in the week. Rookies Danny Espinosa and Wilson Ramos paced the team, combining for eight runs scored, two triples, two home runs, six hits, 16 total bases, two walks, and seven runs batted in.

How often do you see two players from the same team have a chance to bat in the ninth inning with an opportunity to hit for the cycle?  Not often, and unfortunately Ramos grounded into a double play to end the ninth, ending both his and Espinosa's shot with the second baseman standing in the on-deck circle.

Outfielders Roger Bernadina and Laynce Nix also homered and contributed two hits to the cause.

Unfortunately, the two players that are perhaps struggling most of all on this team, Adam LaRoche and Matt Stairs, could not participate in the fun.  LaRoche went without a hit in three at bats, though he did reach twice with two walks and scored two runs.  Stairs though went hitless in four at bats, striking out twice and stranding five runners.  The 43-year old veteran, who hit fifth in Riggleman's lineup as the DH, is now hitting .077 (2-for-26) in 2011.

All in all, though, it was a true record-setting night for the Nationals as they broke their single-game franchise record for runs (17) and home runs (6). It was great to see the team rebound so well after losing Thursday night’s game in part because of a missed call at first base and being three-hit by a relative unknown pitcher.

Last year, the team began to unravel after a missed check swing call in Houston, so to see the team – especially the offense – come out and stay focused after a controversial conclusion Thursday night was a great sight. And really, anytime the team can score 17 runs is a good time.

Nats Happy Homer Time! (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

___________________________________________________



THE GOOD: There were so many great offensive performances, but Danny Espinosa had himself a big day. A double shy of the cycle, he continued to break out of his slump, going 3-for-4 with a walk, single, triple, home run and five runs batted in.

The Nats had seven players with multi-hit games against five Orioles pitchers.  Even both pinch-hitters (Michael Morse and Alex Cora) had base hits.

THE BAD: Jason Marquis was spotted the biggest run support of any Nats pitcher this year, but couldn’t earn the win as he went just four innings and gave up five runs on eight hits and three walks.

THE UGLY: Just about everyone in the lineup got some production Friday night – everyone but Matt Stairs, who started the game as the DH. Stairs' 0-for-4 night just continues his downward spiral this season.  When does it get to the point where the team is forced to make a move? It will be interesting to see what happens when Rick Ankiel returns from the disabled list.

THE STATS: 19 hits, five walks, nine strikeouts. 5-for-11 with RISP, 15 LOB, one GIDP. No errors.

NEXT GAME: Saturday at 4:05 against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. John Lannan (2-4, 4.53) faces Jeremy Guthrie (1-6, 3.91).

HARPER WATCH:  Bryce Harper went 2-for-3 with a double, home run (10) and three RBI's in Hagerstown's 5-4 loss to Greensboro. The 18-year old phenom is hitting .364/.447/.671 overall and is 13-for-39 (.333) in  his last ten games with three homers and 10 RBIs.

________________________________________________

BONUS PHOTOS:  Both center fielders had troubles in the field last night.  The Orioles' Adam Jones couldn't close his glove on a Jayson Werth blast and ended up knocking it over the fence for a home run.  Roger Bernadina flat dropped a routine fly ball after getting his spike caught in the rubberized warning track in straight-away center field.  Neither play really had any outcome on the game all things considered, but these are still two pretty cool pictures.

***Quotes in this post came from published sources, including The Washington Times.

Nationals parade off the field with a Sunday win over Florida. (A.Amobi)

By Anthony Amobi, Special to Nats News Network

WASHINGTON – After a week of offense struggles, the Washington Nationals finally got their act together and hit pay dirt as they emerged victorious over the Florida Marlins, 8-4.

A solid effort by starting pitcher Jason Marquis combined with a six-run first inning by the offense helped the Nationals end a three-game losing streak. In addition, they averted a sweep at the hands of the Florida Marlins.

Ivan Rodriguez drove in three runs and Jason Marquis had a solid outing, going 6 2/3 innings and allowing four runs – two earned – in a fairly easy victory.

Jason Marquis gutted out 6 2/3 innings to earn the win over Florida. (A.Amobi)

The Nats are now 19-21 on the season, and considering the lack offense from the team in the first 40 games, in addition to All-Star third baseman Ryan Zimmerman out due to injury, it’s amazing how they’ve managed stick around the .500 mark.

The Nationals’ offense started early jumping on the Marlins’ Javier Vazquez in the first inning. Laynce Nix added an RBI-single, followed by a Jerry Hairston groundout that gave them a 2-0 lead.

Soon after, Ivan Rodriguez’s two-run single and Jason Marquis – who helped out his own cause – plated in two runs with a double that put Washington up 6-0. Marquis tried to stretch his double into a triple, but was thrown out.

That frame energized the crowd and the Nationals rolled from there.

"Getting runs early was big. It’s been a bit of an issue for us," manager Jim Riggleman quipped in the post-game press conference.

Vazquez (2-4) took the loss for the Marlins and only lasted four innings, giving up six runs.

Ivan Rodriguez drove in his third run of the day with an RBI-double in the fifth inning. The Nationals added their eighth run in the eighth as Roger Bernadina plated in a run with an infield single.

Marquis (5-1) gave up two runs in the second inning as Gaby Sanchez reached base on an error and scored on a sacrifice fly by Mike Stanton. Later on the frame, Brett Hayes plated in a run with an RBI-single.

Florida (23-16) got two more runs in the seventh off an RBI-double from Greg Dobbs and a Chris Coghlan RBI-single.

A strong Washington bullpen muzzled Florida as Tyler Clippard threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief and Cole Kimball pitched a scoreless ninth.

In other news, reliever Todd Coffey got drilled by an Emilio Bonifacio line drive on the elbow and left the game in the seventh inning. Clippard came in with two outs in the frame and ended it.

In the post game press conference, it was announced that X-rays were negative on Coffey and he was bruised.  The Nationals descibe him as day-to-day at this point.

____________________________________________________

THE GOOD: Roger Bernadina was 2-for-4 on the day and is batting .344 in his brief time back in the majors so far. Many contend he should not have started the season at Triple-A, but he was probably a victim of the numbers game and having options for the minors left.

Bernadina's presence has been felt at the top of the lineup and he’s definitely been working on his game. He didn’t get any of his hits out of the infield; however, his athleticism and speed helped him out greatly on Sunday.

Bernadina is congratulated by Pudge Rodriguez after scoring against the Marlins. (A.Amobi)

Let’s not forget Marquis’s effort on the mound – plus with the bat. He looks like a completely different pitcher from last season. He’s a major factor as to why the Nationals have hovered around the .500 mark all season.

Although Ivan Rodriguez is a part-time catcher now, he has shown time and time again in Washington that he can get the job done when possible. He had two hits and three runs driven in on Sunday. I don’t know if he will be in a Nationals uniform at the end of the season, but he’s still definitely a useful player.

THE BAD: Adam LaRoche went 0-for-3 on the day and is batting .188 for the season. We all know that he’s a historically slow starter; however, it’s no longer ‘early’, as we’re at the 40-game mark.

The Nationals are statistically at the bottom of every offensive category, and while I am not trying to solely blame LaRoche, the bottom line is that he hits in the middle of the order. The team needs his bat to heat up sooner rather than later. We all know that, and so does he.

THE UGLY: Danny Espinosa is really scuffling at the plate despite his play in the field. He went 0-for-4 on the day and is batting .193.  The Nats love Espinosa's defense, but if he doesn't straighten himself out at the plate, he could need some time off to make some adjustments.

THE STATS:  11 hits, four walks, five Ks. 6-for-11 with RISP, five LOB, 0 GIDP.  E: Hairston (5)

NEXT GAME:  Monday at 7:05 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates at Nationals Park. John Lannan (2-4, 4.79) faces Paul Maholm (1-5, 3.60).

With Thursday night’s crushing 6-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves, the Washington Nationals record is one game below .500 at 18-19. They've accomplished this despite being dead last in the league in hitting. So how are they doing it? Primarily with decent starting pitching, (mostly) excellent relief pitching from a few key relievers, and improving defense. The team is 14-9 when not committing an error and 4-10 when they do. That's how close their margin of error has been.

But just how good has the pitching been? Well, they are right at  league average in runs allowed per game at 4.19, and the team ERA is slightly better than average at 3.77. The Nats are fifth in fewest walks allowed per nine and have surrendered the fourth fewest home runs overall, but also next to last in strikeouts per nine. Their ERA+ according to Baseball-Reference.com is league average. They are right in the middle of the pack overall.

There are some pretty fancy stats out there if you really want to get involved with that sort of thing. I like to dabble in them myself from time to time. But pitching is pretty elementary: fewer base runners means fewer runs against. You can use all the new-fangled stats you want, but you can still do a pretty good job evaluating a pitcher by a few simple stats. And you can make a reasonably educated prediction on whether a player is going through a streak or slump just as easily.

All it takes is to know what you're looking for. For general performance, you want to look at hit rates, walk rates and home run rates, and for projection you want to look at BABiP. And you need to compare them to the league average and the player's career average.

Batting Average on Balls in Play (BABiP) measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits (minus home runs). For pitchers, obviously, BABiP against is the percentage of batter balls that fall in for hits against. Typically, around 30 percent of all balls in play fall for hits. This is based on decades of MLB data. This season so far, BABiP across Major League Baseball is .299.

Why is this important? Wildly high or low fluctuation from the norm in BABiP signifies a player in -- or out -- of luck: hits are either falling in or not. But it always goes back to the general norm. From Fangraphs:

If a player has a very high or very low BABIP, it means that whatever the reason for the spike (whether it’s defense, luck, or slight skill), that player will regress back to their career BABIP rates. BABIP rates are flaky and prone to vary wildly from year to year, so we should always take any extreme BABIP rates with a grain of salt.

Hitters can have a little bit of control over their BABiP: fast guys that hit the ball on the ground on purpose, for instance, tend to have higher BABiPs (Nyjer Morgan's career BABiP is .339). But pitchers will hover around that .300 mark. There are obvious outliers, as there always are, and for a more detailed look into the subject, click here.

Let's take a look at the underlying numbers for the starting pitchers so far this season.

Livan Hernandez: 3-4, 4.29 ERA, 1.450 WHIP, 10.2 H/9, 2.9 BB/9, 4.5 K/9, 0.5 HR/9, .318 BABiP

Jason Marquis: 4-1, 3.66 ERA, 1.307 WHIP, 10.0 H/9, 1.7 BB/9, 5.6 K/9, 0.6 HR/9, .327 BABiP

Jordan Zimmermann: 2-4, 4.13 ERA, 1.229 WHIP, 9.0 H/9, 2.1 BB/9, 6.6 K/9, 0.4 HR/9, .307 BABiP

John Lannan: 2-4, 4.79 ERA, 1.597 WHIP, 10.5 H/9, 3.9 BB/9, 4.8 K/9, 0.9 HR/9, .324 BABiP

Tom Gorzelanny: 2-2, 2.87 ERA, 0.903 WHIP, 5.0 H/9, 3.1 BB/9, 6.9 K/9, 1.2 HR/9, .168 BABiP

Those are a lot of numbers to digest. Who are the biggest surprises though? Marquis and Gorzelanny obviously. Can we expect them to continue pitching as well as they have?

Marquis' hit rate and K rate are right in line with his career numbers, but where he shows marked improvement is in his walk rate and home run rate. His career BB/9 rate is 3.5, and he's cut that by almost two walks per game this season. That accounts for his lower WHIP. He's also shaved a half a home run per game off his career home run rate, but he has shown a similar rate in previous seasons. Fewer base runners plus fewer home runs equals lower ERA.

So once those numbers look more like his career numbers, will he go back to his normal mid-4.00 ERA? Not so fast. He's also been pitching in bad luck, if you can believe it. His BABiP is 40 points higher than his career average. Maybe his improved control has him living in the strike zone more and hitters are getting more strikes to hit? Even so, even if his now-stellar walk rate climbs a bit, he should give up fewer bases hits as the season goes along, hopefully maintaining or only slightly elevating his ERA. Verdict: BUY.

Gorzelanny's numbers are downright unbelievable. In 37 2/3 innings, he's given up just 21 hits. His 5.0 H/9 is four full hits below his lifetime average (and 3.5 hits below 2011 N.L. average), and that shows up in his unsustainable .168 BABiP. But Gorzelanny hasn’t invented a new, unhittable pitch. Right now, everything put in play is being hit right at somebody. At some point soon, Gorzelanny's not just going to have a regression, he's going to give up hits at almost double his current rate, which obviously will lead to more base runners and more runs scored against.

One place where Gorzelanny has actually improved is his walk rate, reduced by one per nine over his career average, which is a significant improvement. But his K rate, while close to his career average, is down significantly from the last four years, where he averaged 8.4 per nine innings. On top of all of that, despite his BABiP being incredibly low, his home run per nine rate is up from his career numbers.

It's hard to imagine Gorzelanny continuing this run he's been on. Frankly, it's hard to figure out how he's done it at all. He's yet to give up more than five hits in a start, and he's given up more than two earned runs just once this season (his first start), and in that game he only gave up four hits (two of which were home runs).

Nats fans should applaud Gorzelanny for the string of starts he's made thus far but shouldn't expect it to continue. It's just not statistically possible.

The other three starters -- more or less -- are pitching the way we would expect them to and their BABiPs are all pretty much in line with their career norms. Zimmermann's strikeout rate is down overall, but his 11 K performance Thursday provides optimism, especially the way he was able to generate swinging strikes. Livo's K rate is disintegrating and his home run rate is half his career average, but he's doing pretty much what he always has done. Lannan's walk rate is back up to almost four per nine. Starters that don't strike out a lot of hitters just can't afford to give away free bases and Lannan has the least margin for error of anyone on the staff.

Overall -- barring injury -- I think we can expect most of the staff to continue their performance so far, with the exception of Gorzelanny, as his ERA will rise as the hits start to fall in more. The true test for him is to keep his walk rate down. Hernandez and Lannan should continue to eat innings and keep the team comepetitive when they can limit their walks and Marquis should enjoy his renaissance, hopefully to be flipped for assets as the summer wears on. And all Nats fans should hope Zimmermann continues to regain the command and control necessary to increase his strikeout rate and drop his ERA a little.

___________________________________________________________

One more interesting number to note is "Bequeathed Runners", that is, the number of runners on base when the starter leaves the game.  The Nats far and away lead the league in bequethed runners.  A rough translation means that Nats pitchers wear down in their final inning of work, and manager Jim Riggleman to this point generally hasn't allowed his starters to work out of jams in the middle innings. Not surprisingly, the Nats also lead the league far and away in most bequeathed runners scored.

We saw that in Thursday night's loss, as Jordan Zimmermann was cruising into the seventh, but gave up a walk and a soft line drive single and was pulled in favor of Sean Burnett, who threw gasoline on the fire.  The Nats have the second most "starters wins lost" in the N.L.; when a starting pitcher leaves the game in line for a win and the bullpen gives up the lead.  That speaks to the quality of the middle relief, a topic that seems to be on everybody's minds these days.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson usually owns the Washington Nationals.  Entering play last night, Hudson had a career record of 11-2 against the franchise.  But last night the veteran starter fell victim to some shoddy defense by his normally reliable teammates in the middle innings, then a couple of bad pitches resulted in pair of two-out, three-run home runs by Laynce Nix and Jayson Werth, and the Nats managed to hold on to a 7-6 win before 16,143 at Turner Field.

It didn't come easy though, as the Braves rallied for five runs in the eighth against three different Washington pitchers.  But pinch-hitter Brooks Conrad's long fly ball off closer Drew Storen died on the warning track, as did Atlanta's hopes for a comeback victory in the ninth.

The Nats record sits at 17-18 after the win, and 3-4 on the nine-game road trip with two games to play.

The Nats were error-frees again and are 13-8 in games when they keep a clean sheet in the error column, compared to a 4-10 mark when they commit as least one error.

Nationals starter Jason Marquis earned his 100th career victory, pitching into the eighth inning.  He gave up seven hits and three walks, striking out three in 7 2/3 innings. But two of the three runs against scored after Marquis (4-1, 3.66) left the game, as Sean Burnett gave up a hit and a walk to his only two batters, then Tyler Clippard surrendered Dan Uggla's three-run home run to bring the Braves to within one.

After a visit from pitching coach Steve McCatty, Clippard settled down and got out of the inning.  Storen threw a 1-2-3 inning for his eighth save of the season. Storen has allowed just one earned run all season in 19 2/3 innings.  He owns a 0.46 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and .157 batting average against.

The Nats managed just five hits in the game, but scored seven runs thanks to a pair of errors in the fourth inning.  Braves 1B Freddie Freeman couldn't handle an Adam LaRoche sharp ground ball and center fielder Nate McLouth flat-out dropped Wilson Ramos' fly ball as he and right fielder Jason Heyward both tracked the ball. McLouth admitted after the game he took his eye off the ball to find the linebacker-sized Heyward running toward him.

The next batter, Nix, drilled a three-run shot into the right field stands.

The next inning, Werth hit a changeup that Hudson described to as a "brutal pitch selection" on a line to left field, and the Nats built a seemingly insurmountable 7-1 lead.  In the end, it was just enough to secure the victory.

______________________________________________________

THE GOOD: Drew Storen.  Threw seven of his 10 pitches for strikes, getting two fly ball outs and a comebacker from Martin Prado to end the game.

THE BAD: Wilson Ramos went 0-for-4, stranding three runners.  His average slips to .301.

THE UGLY: Danny Espinosa went 0-for-4, lowering his average to .214. The rookie is 5-for-32 (.156) in his last ten games.

THE STATS: Five hits, three walks, six Ks.  3-for-7 with RISP, 2 LOB, 1 GIDP. No errors.

NEXT GAME: Today at 7:10 pm against Atlanta.  John Lannan (2-4, 5.09) vs. Tommy Hanson (4-3, 2.62)

by Tyler Radecki, Staff Writer

Up until the fifth inning Wednesday night, the Nationals were looking good against the Philadelphia Phillies. While they weren’t generating much offense, Jason Marquis had kept the Phillies off the board. But in that fifth inning, everything the Nats had accomplished to that point unraveled, leading to seven runs and another loss to the division bullies.

The 7-4 final drops the Nationals record to 14-16 in 2011.

After the Nationals took a 1-0 lead in the top of inning off an Adam LaRoche RBI double, Marquis (L, 3-1, 3.66) surrendered three runs on a homer, three singles and a walk, but escaped without further damage.

He then started the sixth inning, but was pulled after 4 batters, one run, and no outs. By the end of the inning, the Phillies were up 7-1 and cruising to a win.

The Phillies’ starter, Vance Worley, may not be one of the “Big Four” in Philadelphia, but he did a fine job replacing Roy Oswalt on Wednesday, notching a career-high seven strikeouts in six innings of four-hit, one-run ball. It's indicative of the Nats struggle on offense right now that they couldn't even generate an attack against a completely unknown pitcher such as Worley. 

The offense made a little noise when Danys Baez came in relief for the Phillies in the ninth inning, as Laynce Nix and Matt Stairs singled (Stairs’ first hit as a National) before Danny Espinosa delivered a three-run shot to make the game 7-4. But it was too little, too late for the Nats as they fell again to the team they consider their biggest measuring stick.

Two losses, and the prospect of meeting Roy Halladay tonight is not a good way to start this 10-day, nine-game road trip.

_______________________________________________

THE GOOD: Alex Cora had a great night offensively, going 3-4 from the 8-spot in the order. His average is up to .227 on the year.

THE BAD: Jason Marquis was cruising through the first four innings, but his final two innings did him in. Three runs in the fifth and four in the sixth blew the game wide open, and the Nats could never recover. His ERA on the year is still just 3.66.

THE UGLY: Ian Desmond had his eighth error of the year, overthrowing LaRoche in the sixth. The throwing error would lead to the final two runs for the Phillies.

THE STATS: 9 hits, 1 walk, 11 strikeouts, 1 error, 2-7 with RISP, and 14 LOB.

by Anthony Amobi, Staff Writer

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

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

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

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

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

Both teams are now 12-13 on the season.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

___________________________________________________

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

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

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

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

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

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