"We jumped on Smoltzie pretty good and Jordan went out there and kept getting the first guy out." --Willie Harris, June 25, 2009.

THE RESULT: The Washington Nationals hung four runs on certain Hall-of-Famer John Smoltz in the first inning, and cruised to a 9-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox before 41,985 at Nationals Park.

Nats starter Jordan Zimmermann (W, 3-3, 4.65) was fairly dominant, giving up just one earned run on five hits and one walk, and he struck out six Sox hitters along the way.

Smoltz, making his first start of the year and first appearance for the A.L. East leading Red Sox, gave up five earned on seven hits, one walk and one hit batter, and struck out five. The veteran right-hander was making his first start in over a year after surgery for a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.

"Most of the time when the line score is the way it is, I'm going to be very disappointed, but I really can't at this point," Smoltz said. "I lost a little rhythm there in the first inning ... but very encouraged with how good I can be and the way I felt and the stamina and everything going forward."

Washington's first inning rally was spurred by the middle of the order and completed by the bottom.

With one out, Nick Johnson was hit on the left shin and awarded first base. Ryan Zimmerman doubled down the left field line on the next pitch, and Adam Dunn followed with a walk with first base open.

Josh Willingham delivered with a base hit to left that scored Johnson, and catcher Josh Bard singled in Zimmerman. After Willie Harris struck out, Anderson Hernandez contributed a clutch liner to left, plating Dunn and Willingham. Just like that, the Nats batted around in the first inning.

The Nationals (21-49-1) added a single run in the third, two in the sixth and two in the seventh, the final two coming on Harris' third home run of the season.

THE TAKEAWAY: The Nats certainly took advantage of a pitcher making essentially a rehab start in the big leagues. Smoltz threw strikes last night, but was hardly the pitcher that dominated the National League for so long. If he can regain some of what made him such a great pitcher, Boston will be awfully tough to beat down the stretch.

The bottom of the order really came through, as Willingham, Bard, Harris and Hernandez combined for nine of the Nats 11 hits. Once again, getting regular playing time Willie Harris is proving to be a pretty valuable player for the Nationals.

THE GOOD: Jordan Zimmermann. He completely shut down one of the best hitting teams in the major leagues. He threw 77 of his 109 pitches for strikes, and got nine ground ball outs to go with his six Ks. That's great production.

THE BAD: Ryan Zimmerman. He continues to struggle mightily at the plate, going 1-for-5 and three left on base. He was tremendous in the field though, making several highlight reel plays.

THE UGLY: Nick Johnson's shin. He did not come out to play defense after scoring in the first inning, and TV replays showed a big goose egg on his shin as he was standing at third. The team has him listed day-to-day with a "shin contusion", but that knot looked more like a small planet.

How fast he can recover and get back in the lineup will go a long way in determining if he's going to be a valuable trading commodity as we approach the non-waiver trade deadline.

NEXT GAME: Tonight in Baltimore against the O's, hon. Ross Detwiler (0-3, 4.76) goes against fellow rookie Brad Bergeson (4-2, 3.94) at 7:05 p.m. at Camden Yards.

NOTES: Tyler Clippard make his 2009 debut in relief of Zimmermann. He threw two innings and gave up a two-run home run to Rocco Baldelli in the seventh inning. He gave up three hits, struck out two and did not walk a batter.

Thankfully, tonight is the finale of a three-game interleague series with the Boston Red Sox. Really, they should just be called "America's Red Sox", because every city in the major leagues has a strong, vibrant, and educated Red Sox fan base.

Every team in baseball should get a series with the Sox every year, just so their long-suffering fans (they haven't won the series 2007, don't you know) are able to get a glimpse of the greatness that is Red Sox baseball.

An extra added bonus tonight: Boston pitches John Smoltz, part of the model that Stan Kasten and the rest of the front office uses in constructing the first great Nationals team. Who is Smoltzie on this Nats team then? Zimmermann, maybe? Surprise! That's who's pitching for the Nats tonight! It's Old Smoltz v. New Smoltz.

Man, I'll be glad when interleague play is over and I can get on with my life.

BOSTON RED SOX (44-27, 1st in AL East; four-game winning streak)

Pedroia – 2B
Drew – RF
Bay – LF
Ortiz – 1B
Lowell – 3B
Varitek – C
Ellsbury – CF
Green – SS
Smoltz – P

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (20-49, 5th in NL East--17 games back; three-game losing streak)

Guzman – SS
Johnson – 1B
Zimmerman – 3B
Dunn – LF
Willingham – RF
Bard – C
Harris – CF
Hernandez – 2B
Zimmermann – P

STARTING PITCHERS

WAS: Jordan Zimmermann (62.2 IP, 2-3, 5.03 ERA, 63 Ks, 19 BBs)

BOS: John Smoltz (season debut)

WEATHER

Partly cloudy, warm. Slightest chance of a pop-up t-storm. Game time: 88F. Last out: 80F.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photos 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"It's something that we're used to, but this seemed like a little more than usual." --Boston shortstop Nick Green, June 23, 2009.

THE RESULT: In their first game in Washington, DC since 1971 -- when Ted Williams was managing the Senators -- the Boston Red Sox took advantage of several fielding errors and mistakes and pounded five relief pitchers for eight runs, defeating the "home team" Washington Nationals 11-3, before a Nationals Park record crowd of 41,517.

The box score shows a big, fat "6" in the column for the eighth inning for the Sox, but more important to the outcome was the single run they pushed across in the seventh.

Starter John Lannan, on a night where he labored but kept his team in the game, struck out J.D. Drew for the third time to lead off the frame. Then, Julian Tavarez entered and Kevin Youkilis hit a routine ground ball to Ryan Zimmerman, who promptly slung a throw into the first at first that Nick Johnson could not scoop, and Youkilis was safe on the error.

That play typified both fielder's erratic defensive play this season.

But the Nats weren't finished yet. The next batter, Jason Bay (4-for-6, HR, 3 RBI), singled through the hole between third and short, and with Adam Dunn lumbering to the ball in left, Youkilis, the hulking first baseman, took off for third.

Inexplicably, and compounding his lack of effort with a lapse in judgment, Dunn threw to third with no chance to get Youkilis, and Bay advanced to second on the ill-conceived throw.

Tavarez (L, 3-5, 3.77) intentionally walked Mike Lowell to set up a force, but Jason Varitek instead lofted a fly ball to medium left field, where Dunn made the catch but also made no effort to even attempt a throw to home to get Youkilis.

Just like that, the Nats surrendered the lead, for the final time of the night.

Sure, the bullpen -- especially Kip Wells and Jesus Colome -- added gasoline to the fire. But the real reason the Nats lost this game had already transpired.

Lannan went six and one-third innings, and allowed three earned runs on nine hits and two walks. He threw 109 pitches, 69 for strikes and, atypically, allowed 10 fly ball outs compared to five grounders.

THE TAKEAWAY: The actions of the late-inning pitchers may carry repercussions for the relievers that authored the unwatchable frame. After the game, manager Manny Acta did not mince words when asked to describe his faltering bullpen once again, "Somebody has to step up out of those three guys," Acta said, referring to Wells, Colome and Hanrahan. "Because I can't pitch the same four guys."

We could very well see the likes of Tyler Clippard, Saul Rivera, Jorge Sosa or even Marco Estrada very soon in a Nationals uniform.

THE GOOD: Ryan Zimmerman. He hit the ball hard, going 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Nice to see the contact again.

THE BAD: Adam Dunn's defense. His lackadaisical approach and lollipop throws to the infield are atrocious, and he even managed to cut in front of his center fielder last night to make a catch. It's painful to watch.

THE UGLY: Ladies and gentlemen, the Nationals Bullpen is back. Tavarez faced four batters and gave up a run on a hit, walk and sacrifice. Ron Villone surrendered a run on a hit and a walk in one-third of an inning. Kip Wells got one out and walked two batters. Both scored. Jesus Colome managed two outs and didn't walk anyone, but gave up four hits and three earned runs.

Not to be outdone, Joel Hanrahan pitched the ninth inning and gave up a run on two hits.

NEXT GAME: Tonight at 7:05 pm, for game two with Red Sox Nation. Craig Stammen (1-2, 4.76) takes one Jon Lester (5-6, 4.69).

Photos 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

Pink hats from all around the eastern seaboard will convene this evening at Nationals Park, there to see their favorite team, the Boston Red Sox. Some of them can even name players not named Ortiz (quack) or Manny (oops, he's not there anymore).

Of course, Pe-droy-er plays second, I think he won some sort of award last year. And Youk plays first, I think. That's his name, right? Youk? Funny name.

And get this: The Boston Herald has officially predicted that the Nats will win two-of-three in the series according to their scouting report. Are they serious? That's just an outrageous statement designed to make an obviously more talented team out to be an underdog to drum up interest in a [crummy], out of division opponent.

Man, do I have the hate in me today, or what? You'd think after my award-winning appearance on internet radio yesterday and Acta-palooza Sunday night I'd be in a better mood.

BOSTON RED SOX (42-27, 1st in AL East; two-game winning streak)

Pedroia – 2B
Drew – RF
Youkilis – 1B (4-for-21 in last seven games)
Bay – LF
Lowell – 3B
Varitek – C
Ellsbury – CF
Green – SS (6-for-17 in last seven games)
Penny – P

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (20-47, 5th in NL East--16 games back; one-game losing streak)

Guzman – SS (12-for-29 in last seven games)
Johnson – 1B
Zimmerman – 3B
Dunn – LF
Willingham – RF
Bard – C
Harris – CF
Hernandez – 2B (3-for-15 in last seven games)
Lannan – P

STARTING PITCHERS

BOS: Brad Penny (71.0 IP, 6-2, 4.94 ERA, 47 Ks, 24 BBs)

WAS: John Lannan (85.1 IP, 4-5, 3.38 ERA, 42 Ks, 32 BBs)

WEATHER

One of the nicest nights of the year to to to a baseball game. Too bad you can't get a ticket since all the Red Sox fans have bought them all up. Game time 80F. Last out 75F.