STRASBURG STRIKES OUT 10 IN SIX ONE-HIT INNINGS

In an appropriately fitting way to end the Washington Nationals' second-best season record-wise since the move from Montreal in 2005, the man they expect to lead them even higher, right handed starter Stephen Strasburg, was simply dominant in a 3-1 win over the Florida Marlins, striking out 10 in six innings, limiting the home team to one hit and two walks in their final game at Miami's Sun Life Stadium.  

The Nats won their 80th game, going 17-10 in the month of September, equalling their June record for their hottest months of the season.  The Nats finish in third place in the N.L. East for the first time since the move, 3 1/2 games ahead of the fourth place New York Mets.

Strasburg was simply sensational, using all of his pitches in a masterful performance.  The Marlins got one base hit, a sawed-off bloop single from Gaby Sanchez in the second inning.  In fact, the second inning was the only frame Strasburg allowed any base runners at all.  A lead-off walk by Mike Stanton ended up as the front end of a double play, and center fielder Bryan Peterson walked behind Sanchez' single.  But Strasburg was able to get catcher Brett Hayes to pop up to shortstop Ian Desmond to end the inning.

He did not allow another runner.

According to PitchFX, Strasburg threw more change-ups and curveballs than in any of his previous four starts the season.  He got 15 swinging strikes spread across all four of his pitches, and threw 54 of his 79 pitches for strikes.  He averaged 96-MPH with his four-seam fastball.

Perhaps his most dominant inning was the fourth as he struck out the side, with both Greg Dobbs and Mike Stanton watching strike three on curveballs.

The 23-year old righty accumulated 24 innings in his five 2011 starts, allowing four earned runs on 15 hits and two walks, striking out 24.

Strasburg left to handshakes and back slaps after the sixth, and was followed to the mound by Ryan Mattheus, Sean Burnett, Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen, who earned his 43th save of the season.  Storen was supposedly off-limits today, as he told media before the game he was unavailable, so he must have been feeling better by the time the bottom of the ninth rolled around.

The Nats picked up two runs in the fifth on Ian Desmond's one-out single, driving in Ivan Rodriguez and Steve Lombardozzi, and a solo insurance run in the eighth on Roger Bernadina's RBI single, plating Alex Cora, who had tripled in his at bat.

Wednesday's season-ending win might be little more than window dressing on a campaign that was more successful record-wise than almost anyone would have predicted, especially considering the Nats finished the year 14th in batting average in the N.L., 13th in on-base percentage, and 11th in slugging. 

But crossing the 80-win threshold is a symbolic achievement for an organization, team and fan base that have had more than their fair share of tough times in the past six years, including back-to-back 100-loss seasons, the Smiley Gonzalez affair, countless Philly Phan invasions, and in successive years losing their two best pitchers -- foundations for the franchise -- to the dreaded Tommy John surgery.

Strasburg's re-emergence this September gave the Nats a much-needed boost after slogging through a lousy July (11-15) and August (12-15).  His appearance Wednesday was the exclamation point on the Nats successful season and gives a glimpse to Nats fans of the promise of the future.

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THE GOOD:  Um, Strasburg.  Man is he going to be fun watching next season.

THE BAD:  Chris Marrero went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, hitting clean-up today.  Neither Ryan Zimmerman on Michael Morse played on the last day of the season.

THE UGLY:  Jayson Werth went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, hitting third.  Werth ends the first year of his seven-year, $126 million contract .232/.330/.389 with 20 homers and 58 RBIs.

THE STATS:  5 hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks.  2-for-3 w/RISP, 3 LOB, one GIDP.  No errors.

When they needed him most -- and just like he has all season -- Michael Morse came though.  Trailing 4-3 with two outs in the top of the ninth, Morse jacked his 30th home run of the season, leading the Washington Nationals not only to a 6-4 win over the staggering Florida Marlins, but a clinch of third place for the first time for this franchise since the move in 2005.

The Nats record is 79-80 with two games remaining, keeping their dream alive of an over-.500 record for the first time since the move.  Washington has won 14 of their last 18 games to close the season on a strong, competitive note.

Morse's blast made a winner of Atahualpa Severino, his first win in the big leagues.  Henry Rodriguez, fresh of his "Nintendo"-like appearance the other night, gave up a hit in an otherwise uneventful bottom of the ninth for his second save of the season.

Nats starter Tommy Milone didn't have his best start of the season, allowing seven hits and a walk over 4 1/3 innings.  He departed with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth.  Craig Stammen took over and allowed an inherited run to tie the game at three on a wild pitch, but escaped further damaged, inducing a couple of pop ups to end the inning.

Ian Desmond had another big night out of the leadoff spot, going 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored.  He also stole a base, one of five on the night for the Nationals against Marlins catcher John Buck.

The Nats have made a remarkable run at the end of the season to elevate themselves into third place for the first time in their brief tenure in D.C.  It's difficult to make too many judgments based on September baseball, but the series they took against the Braves, who are fighting for their playoff lives was impressive enough.  And no matter the circumstances, the Nats always have trouble with the Marlins, who own a 10-6 record against the Nats this season.

Still, it's refreshing to see the team playing as hard and as well as they have in September, especially with the troubles this franchise has had in the past playing out the string.  It's a testament to the talent base -- and the club's leadership, primarily the field manager -- that these Nationals aren't settling for the end of the season.

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THE GOOD:  Ian Desmond.  Since being inserted at the top of the Nats lineup on Aug. 17, he's hit .299/.335/.437 with four homers, 12 RBIs and 23 runs.

THE BAD:  Danny Espinosa went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.  But he did walk twice as well, so not all bad.

THE UGLY:  Todd Coffey had a rare bad outing, giving up a hit and walk tot he only two batters he faced.  Sean Burnett was able to bail him out in the seventh.

THE STATS:  10 hits, 6 BBs, 8 Ks.  3-for-11 w/RISP, 10 LOB, 2 GIDP.  E: Werth (8).

NEXT GAME:  Tuesday at 7:10 pm against at the Marlins.  John Lannan (10-13, 3.73) faces Javier Vazquez (12-11, 3.77).

"I think he grew up a little bit today." Davey Johnson, on starter Ross Detwiler.

Detwiler delivers in another impressive performance. (photo by Cheryl Nichols)

In his previous start, left-hander Ross Detwiler held the Philadelphia Phillies down for 7 1/3 innings, giving up no runs and just three hits over that period.  What would he do for an encore?  Taking on an Atlanta Braves team fighting for their playoffs lives, Detwiler threw six more shutout innings leading a surging Washington Nationals team past the Braves 3-0, before an appreciative crowd of 37,638 in the last home game of the season at Nats Park.

The Nationals now stand 2 1/2 games above the New York Mets, with three games remaining, for third place in the N.L. East.  With a record of 78-80, if they can somehow continue the hot streak they've been riding for three weeks and sweep the Florida Marlins this week, the Nats would finish above .500 for the first time since the move in 2005.

The Nats have won 13 of their last 17 games.

Wilson Ramos and Michael Morse provided all the offense, as each homered to support the cause.  Morse's two-run shot in the seventh was his 29th of the season and prompted a curtain call from the enthusiastic Nats fans.

Morse earned a curtain call for his two-run home run, his 29th of the season. (photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Detwiler cruised through the first two innings, retiring six straight Braves batters.  But all of a sudden in the third inning, Detwiler lost it.  Catcher David Ross lined a single to center.  No. 8 hitter Jack Wilson worked an eight-pitch walk.  Then Detwiler issued a four-pitch walk to pitcher Mike Minor, when the opposing hurler was trying to sacrifice.

But the lanky lefty was able to compose himself.  Two lazy fly balls and a grounder to third ended the inning, stranding all three Braves runners.  Detwiler didn't run into any more problems completing his six innings.  Overall, he gave up just four base hits and walked two, striking out four.  It was a composed and impressive performance from a young pitcher that seems to be maturing before our eyes.

After Detwiler departed, Henry Rodriguez (3 Ks), Tyler Clippard (2 Ks) and Drew Storen (1 K) threw three innings of perfect baseball to seal the win.  Storen recorded his 42nd save of the season.

With all the excitement of Brad Peacock and Tom Milone's progress through the minors and brief success in the bigs at the end of the year, Detwiler's been something of a forgotten man in the rotation.  He's quietly gone 4-5 now with an even 3.00 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 15 games and 10 starts.

Manager Davey Johnson said after the game those that are writing off Detwiler for next season are making a big mistake.  "There's a lot of guys hungry for this rotation.  The effort that you're seeing is outstanding.  He's definitely in the picture to be in the starting rotation [in 2012]."

"I've seen [Ron] Darling, Sid Fernandez and [Rick] Aguilara, young pitchers with great promise that took longer [to develop].  I know Det had a number of starts last year, but what he's done this year, from being in the bullpen... to back in the rotation, he's pitching to good hitting ballclubs and done okay, held his head above water.  This was probably the biggest game of the year for him, going against this club.  To hold them down to zilch... was a great effort."

The Nats now take back to the road for the final three games of the season in Miami, to close out Sun Life Stadium as a baseball facility.  The Marlins, who will be rebranded the Miami Marlins as part of the agreement the team has with southern Florida lawmakers for public financing of the new stadium, have always been a thorn in the Nats side, this season winning 10 of the 15 games the teams have played thus far.

Regardless of the outcome in Florida, the Nats have already picked up nine games over what they finished with last year, a remarkable 19-game improvement -- so far -- over the last two seasons.  Anything they pick up in Florida is gravy at this point.  But a sweep would complete an utterly improbable run for the .500 mark that has seen the Nationals go 15-9 so far in September.

Small steps.

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THE GOOD:  Michael Morse's home run was to deep right center and provided cushion in the close game.  He went 2-for-3 with a walk.  Wilson Ramos' homer, his 15th of the year, was a line drive shot into the flower bed just above the wall in left field.

THE BAD:  With the Braves losing two of three to the Nats, and the St. Louis Cardinals win over the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta finds their once eight-game lead over the Cards down to one with three games remaining.

THE UGLY:  Chris Marrero had a tough day, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and six men left on base.

THE STATS:  9 hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks.  0-for-10 w/RISP, 8 LOB, zero GIDP.  No errors.

NEXT GAME:  Monday at the Florida Marlins at 7:10 pm.  Tommy Milone (1-0, 3.32) faces Anibal Sanchez (8-9, 3.67).

Chris Marrero disappears after chaing after foul ball. (photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Zim made Gold Glove caliber spin-and-throw in ninth inning. (photo by Cheryl Nichols)

Pudge giving thumbs up to fans after last home game (photo by Cheryl Nichols)

I'm sure if I've computed this wrong plenty of folks will jump all over me, but the Nats magic number to clinch third place in the division is five with seven games remaining.  Any combination of Nats wins and Mets losses equal to five will allow the Nats to finish in sole possession of third for the first time since the move in 2005.

The Nats currently hold a 2 1/2 game lead over the Mets, and the fact that they'll play one game less this season than the Mets, due to the washed out game with the Dodgers, actually helps the Nats in their quest for sole possession of third place.  The Nats have played 154 games and should have eight remaining, but due to the cancellation of that game, have just seven left.  

The formula for the "Magic Number" is:

(Games Remaining + 1) - Difference in the loss column

The Nats record, after winning four in a row and eight of their last 10 is 75-79.  The Mets (losers of eight out of 10) sit at 73-82.  Therefore, (7+1) - 3 = 5.

I know it's not the most significant thing out there, the Magic Number for third place.  But you might as well have something to play for, right?

Finishing .500 isn't mathematically impossible either, but the Nats will have to go 6-1 in the rest of their games to accomplish that lofty feat.  Should they do so, they will have put together an 18-9 record for the month of September, besting their June record of 17-10 for their best month in franchise history since the move.

By the way, the Nats have already clinched at least an even record against the Phillies this season.  In addition, they went 4-2 against St. Louis, 3-3 against Milwaukee and 7-8 against Atlanta with three games left at home with the Braves.  So it's possible that the Nats will finish with a winning or even record against three of the four teams in the N.L. playoffs.

Small steps.

Nats celebrate their tenth win in their last 11 games. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

Considering the way the Washington Nationals won Tuesday night with two outs in the ninth inning -- capping a five-run comeback -- no one at Nationals Park last night could have been confident until the final out was recorded. 

But when Drew Storen punched out Chone Figgins looking for the last out of the game -- recording his 18th save in 20 chances -- the crowd erupted as they did Tuesday, secure in the knowledge that with a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners, the home team would have an even .500 record at the latest point in a season since they finished the inaugural 2005 season at 81-81.

As recently as 10 days ago this scenario could only be seen in a dream.  At that point, after a 7-3 loss to the San Diego Padres, the Nats record sat at 27-36, nine game under the break-even mark, staring at three more games in baseball's version of Death Valley, Petco Park.  But the Nats found a way to win three consecutive games there, scoring just two runs in each of the three games.

Since then, all they've done is win another seven out of eight games, vaulting their place in the standings from last in the N.L. East to outright possession of third place in the division.  The 11-game run is nothing short of remarkable.

With all these wins coming at home, the Nationals now have the third-best home record in the entire N.L. at 21-13.

In last night's win, they borrowed the script from those three wins against the Padres.  The Nats got terrific starting pitching from John Lannan -- who went 5 2/3 innings and gave up one run on three hits and no walks, shut-down relief pitching from four different relievers, and just enough offense, benefiting from two unearned runs off Mariners hard-luck starter Erik Bedard, who was excellent in his own right, allowing just three hits and striking out 10 in his six innings of work.

Danny Espinosa and Jerry Hariston drove in the Nats runs, but the how really doesn't matter much anymore.  Because just every night save one for the last 11 games the Nats have found a way to win.  It's been a different method with different heroes on each occasion, but the result is the same:  Another Curly W in the books.

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THE GOOD:  Lannan was sublime, and the four relievers were just as good, allowing just two hits and no walks with five strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.  Just five guys doing their jobs.

THE BAD:  Desmond went 0-for-3 in the two-slot, lowering his average to .231.

THE UGLY:  Desmond's throwing error was a serious lack of judgment and one I'm sure he'd like to have back.  There was a long fly to the track in left with a runner on first, and Ichiro went more than half-way to see if the ball would be caught.  Hairston got the ball in quickly, making Ichiro bid a hasty retreat.  Desmond inexplicably wheeled and fired to first, with no chance of a play.  Morse could not field the bad throw and the ball ended up in the camera well, allowing Ichiro to take third on the play. 

Fortunately, the next batter sent a shot to third that Zimmerman scooped up expertly and ran down Ichiro near home plate to avoid another run.

THE STATS:  Five hits, two walks, 10 strikeouts. 2-for-5 with RISP, six LOB, no GIDP.  E: Zimmerman (3), Desmond (9).

NEXT GAME:  Thursday at 1:05 pm against the Mariners at Nationals Park.  Jason Marquis (7-2, 3.86) faces Michael Pineda (7-4, 2.64).



Jerry Hairston beats out infield hit in Nats 2-1 win over Seattle. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)