"They whipped us three games, and we didn't play real good." Jim Riggleman's post-game comments on the sweep to the Tigers.

THE RESULT:  The Detroit Tigers pounded out 19 hits against five pitchers en route to a second consecutive 8-3 victory over the Washington Nationals, before 33,630 at Comerica Park.

The loss drops the Nats to 31-36, five games below .500, a low point for the Nationals this season.  They were swept in a three-game series for the first time this season, and fall to 13-24 on the road.

Luis Atilano bore the brunt of it for DC, allowing five earned runs on nine hits and a walk in 4 1/3 innings, making the second game in a row the Nats starter could not make it through five innings.  He threw 83 pitches, 53 for strikes.

In the second, Atilano gave up three straight hits which resulted in two runs.  Four hits and an intentional walk turned into three more runs in the fifth.  The big blow was a Miguel Cabrera double with two men on.

Drew Storen came on for Atilano, but gave up an RBI single to Carlos Guillen.  It was the first inherited runner Storen has allowed all season.

Cabrera (2-for-5, 3 RBI) added an RBI single in a two-run sixth off Doug Slaten.

Washington had a chance to make it a game in the eighth.  Dunn's RBI single cut the lead to 7-3, but Josh Willingham popped up to the catcher with runners at second and third to end the inning.

Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman (W, 3-4) kept the Nats down most of the day, giving up just two runs on five hits, striking out seven.  He retired the first 11 Nats hitters, despite some well-hit balls, setting the tone for a long day for the Nats.

"Sounds strange to say it, but I think we hit the ball better than they did today," Riggleman told the MASN audience after the game.  "We hit five or six balls that if we're in our ballpark those balls would have gone out of the stadium and it's a different ball game.  But that's neither here nor there."

Adam Dunn did hit his team-leading 16th home run of the season and added an RBI single, and Cristian Guzman went 2-for-4 with an RBI.  But the rest of the team scattered just four more hits and did not walk once.

The Nationals completed the six-game road trip 1-5, the lone victory coming from Stephen Strasburg last Sunday against Cleveland.  The Nats will ask Strasburg to be the stopper once again Friday, as they come home to host the Chicago White Sox for a three-game series over the weekend.

THE GOOD:  Dunn.  He is on an impressive run right now with homers in six of his last nine games.  Unfortunately, his last three homers have come with the bases empty.  His average up to .288 with 16 homers.  Even his outs were loud today.

THE BAD:  Adam Kennedy went 0-for-4.  Roger Bernadina went 0-for-4.  The team stuck out eight times and did not walk once.

THE UGLY:  Two more errors brings the Nationals' season total to 61, worst in the majors.

NEXT GAME:  Friday at 7:05 at Nats Park against the Chicago White Sox.  Stephen Strasburg (2-0), making his third start since his recall, will try to stop the bleeding.  The White Sox rotation is in a bit of flux right now with Jake Peavy getting scratched today, but we'll probably see Gavin Floyd (2-7).

"I gave him too much rope there.  We had it down to two runs, and I was hoping he could get through that inning, and we could score some more and get him a win, or at least a no-decision. It didn't pay off." --Manager Jim Riggleman, on the decision to allow Livan Hernandez to pitch into the seventh inning.

THE RESULT:  It was another bad day on the hill for the Washington Nationals, as starter Livan Hernandez had his roughest outing of the season, giving up eight earned runs on seven hits and six walks, as the Nats fell to the Detroit Tigers, 8-3, before 24,767 at Comerica Park in Detroit.

The loss drops the Nats four games below .500, at 31-35.

Adam Dunn staked the veteran to a 1-0 lead with a solo shot to center (15) in the first inning.  Hernandez breezed through the bottom of the frame, retiring the side on six pitches.  Roger Bernadina got into the act in the second, pulling a no-doubt-about-it bomb down the line for his fourth home run of the season, giving the Nats a 2-0 lead through two.

It was all downhill from there.

The bottom of the second saw Hernandez (L, 5-4, 2.94) walk three and give up two hits, leading to four runs.  Three times in the frame Hernandez started a batter off 0-2, only to see that batter reach base.  He seemed to abandon his fastball in favor of the slider, only to his detriment.

Detroit added a single run in the third, and three in the seventh, a three-run home run by Brennan Boesch.  The Tigers left fielder finished the day 3-for-4 with four RBIs.

Hernandez allowed more earned runs in a start than any National this year as his ERA rose from 2.28 to 2.94.

Justin Verlander (W, 8-4, 3.54), the Tigers starter, really settled down after allowing two solo homers in the first two innings.  He went eight innings, giving up three earned runs on seven hits.  He did not allow a walk and struck out 11 Nats hitters, including center fielder Nyjer Morgan three times.

THE GOOD:  Other than the solo home runs, Ivan Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Mike Morse continued his hot streak, going 2-for-3.

THE BAD:  Hernandez.  Six walks, three in one inning.  13 base runners in 6 2/3 innings.  There have been some chinks in Livo's armor the last couple of starts, but Wednesday's performance was brutal.  The Nationals hope this appearance is an abberation, not a return to his troubles of the last two seasons, when he compiled ERA's of 5.44 and 6.05. 

THE UGLY:  Willie Harris started in left field, giving Josh Willingham a day off, despite the team having an off day on Monday. He went 0-for-3, lowering his average to .158. Harris has two hits in his last 25 plate appearances (.091).

NEXT GAME:  Thursday matinee against the Tigers at 1:05 pm.  The Nats try to avoid the sweep, sending Luis Atilano (5-3, 4.34) against Jeremy Bonderman (2-4, 4.21).

We rose at 4:00 am, made an 8:00 am flight out of Dulles for Orlando, landed at 10:15 am, took an hour to get the rental car, and made it to historic Space Coast Stadium just in time to hear the National Anthem (a little "pitchy", as Simon Cowell might say). Today's opponent: a bunch of guys wearing Detroit Tigers uniforms. They certainly didn't bring any of the big leaguers with them on the bus today.


Collin Balestar started and looked good in the first (K looking on a slow curve, 4-3, F6 on five pitches), OK in the second (4-3, 5-3, 1B, 1B, F9 on 19 pitches), then lost the strike zone completely. Third inning he threw 34 pitches, walking the bases loaded before getting a ground ball on a full count to end the inning and his day. 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 58 PC.


Gustavo Chacin took over and had much the same experience as Bally. Good first couple of innings, then he walked a couple and eventually gave up two earned when Steven Shell gave up a one-out single, scoring two. Shell's numbers (1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K) look good, but his job was to get a ground ball with the bases loaded and he didn't.

Wil Ledezma showed the power and wildness that have been intriguing pitching coaches since he toiled as a minor leaguer for today's opponent several years ago now.

At the plate, nothing to write home about. Milledge K'd twice, including a three-pitch number with the bases loaded and no outs in the 8th. Nick the Stick went 1-for-3, but took a called third strike. Sadly, Brad Eldred did not homer for us like he has for everyone else this spring, but he did make a very nifty play at first, ranging to his right and going down on a knee to make the grab, and then got to first himself for the out.

We found out about some cuts after the game, but since they aren't public we won't post them yet. I was hoping the press release would come out today, but apparently they'll issue it tomorrow. No real surprises, at least of the few that we found out.
After the game, we went out to our friends' place at the beach and watched the Space Shuttle launch. Very cool experience. Godspeed Discovery.

We checked into our hotel in Ft. Lauderdale a little after midnight. Not bad for a 20-hour day.

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Tomorrow we have a doubleheader scheduled: Nats @ Marlins from Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter at 1:05 pm, and the WBC winner's bracket game, Puerto Rico v. Venezuela from Dolphin Stadium in Miami at 8:00 pm.

We'll be here all week. Tip your waitress. Try the veal.

Oh, sunny and 86 today. You're welcome.

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