"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)

Watch enough Major League baseball games and you'll eventually see something you've never seen before.  Like a 15-year veteran pitcher, with 627 plate appearances entering the game, hitting the first home run of his career.

Not only did Derek Lowe of the Atlanta Braves hit his first career round-tripper, a line drive over the left field wall on a 3-2 pitch, but he threw six strong innings, allowing just a solo home run and two other harmless singles, beating the Washington Nationals 3-1, before 20,687 at Turner Field in Atlanta.

Lowe simply dominated the Nats hitters last night.  He struck out six and walked just two, giving up Michael Morse's 24th home run to start the seventh inning.  Only once, int he third inning, did the Nats have two men on base, as Jesus Flores walked to lead off and Ian Desmond collected his second single of the night with one out.  But Jayson Werth looked at an 86-MPH cut fastball for strike three and Ryan Zimmerman grounded to third to end the inning.

Things got even tougher for the Nats after they chased Lowe, as Eric O'Flaherty, Johnny Venters and Craig Kimbrel all threw perfect innings in relief.  Kimbrel earned his 41st save of the season, setting the rookie mark for saves in a year.

For once, the Nats didn't have to worry about their season-long struggles with runners in scoring position because they didn't really have the opportunity. Werth and Zimmerman's outs in the third were the only such occasions.

It was another tough-luck loss for John Lannan (8-11, 3.54), who gave up that home run to Lowe and an earlier one to Chipper Jones, someone that is much more practiced in the art.  But overall, Lannan limited the Braves to three runs -- two earned -- on seven hits and one walk in seven innings, striking out six in the process.  Henry Rodriguez was perfect in his inning of work as well, but without an offensive explosion like the one the Nats got Tuesday night, there wasn't much more the pitchers could do.

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THE GOOD:  Ian Desmond. He went 2-for-4 from the leadoff spot and is 16-for-43 (.372) with three walks over his last ten games.

THE BAD:  Jayson Werth was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts hitting in the second spot in the order.

THE UGLY:  The five though eight spots in the order went 0-for-11 with three strikeouts.

THE STATS:  Three hits, two walks, nine strikeouts.  0-for-2 w/RISP, three LOB, zero GIDP. E: Lannan (1).

NEXT GAME:  Thursday at 7:10 pm against the Braves.  Chien-Ming Wang (2-2, 3.82) faces Tim Hudson (13-8, 3.10)

"This was fun today.  Really fun."  Davey Johnson, on his team's 9-3 win over Atlanta.

The Washington Nationals finally had a "Davey Johnson game", pounding out six extra-base hits, including three home runs and two triples, and got another solid pitching performance from John Lannan, to take a second straight game from the Wild Card leading Atlanta Braves, 9-3, before 24,326 at Nationals Park.

The Nats manager has always preferred to play the Earl Weaver style of baseball, getting runners on and driving them home, as opposed to the Whitey Herzog philosophy of bunting runners over and playing "small ball".  He finally got one of those games.

"This was my kind of game," Johnson said happily from his office after the game. "I haven't had any yet. I've been here five weeks, and I've been waiting for one like this."

By the end of the game, Nats fans were so happy about winning the series from the Braves -- and the Nats fourth consecutive win overall -- some were taunting the opponent with their own version of the "Tomahawk Chop", the annoying and droning cheer made popular at Turner Field and occasionally broken out on the road in blowouts.

But the blowout last night was in favor of the home team, with Rick Ankiel blasting a grand slam for his third homer in two games, Ian Desmond's first home run since April, and Michael Morse's titanic blast, reaching the upper deck in center field, a spot previously reached in Nats Park by only the brawniest of left-handed hitters. 

Of the offensive outburst, Johnson said, "It's nice to see it. We haven't seen it all year long."

Lannan, on the other hand, got better as the game went on.  He was a bit shaky in the third and fourth innings, giving up three runs and looking like he might tax Johnson's bullpen.  Tom Gorzelanny even got up to get warm at one point. 

But after the Nats exploded for five runs in the fourth against Braves starter Derek Lowe (L, 6-10, 4.86), Lannan got into a real nice groove, retiring nine of the next ten batters before consecutive two out hits in the seventh had Johnson calling on Henry Rodriguez, who struck out Dan Uggla on a pitch on the outside corner that Uggla thought was a little too outside.

Hot Rod went on to finish the game, allowing just one hit and -- more importantly -- no walks, striking out four in his 2 1/3 innings of work, allowing Johnson to rest an overworked bullpen.  "The big thing today, not only my starter, but Henry Rodriguez," Johnson said without prompting in his post-game press conference. 

"He did a heck of a job, saved my pen.  He came in and was almost unhittable.  That was big.  He's got a great curve ball, and a lot of times he tries to do too much.  He really just stayed within himself.  He really didn't get behind on hitters.  And he's nasty.  His stuff is filthy."

For the night, Lannan (8-7, 3.65) went 6 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on nine hits and one walk.  He struck out eight, a season-high for him.  And for the second outing in his last three, Johnson stuck with him into the seventh inning, allowing Lannan to throw 110 pitches.

The Nationals have now taken consecutive series against division opponents, something that Johnson has said is critical for the Nats to compete.  They've also crept back to within three games of .500.  It's a confidence boost for them to shake off the six game losing streak last week by winning four in a row now. 

"This is what this club is capable of doing," Johnson said.  "When everyone starts getting that fever, that hitting fever, it's fun.  But the talent's been here."

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THE GOOD:  Five Nats had two hits apiece, and Ankiel's grand slam was the big blow.  Ian Desmond added three RBIs.

THE BAD:  There really wasn't anything bad in this one.  Even defensive replacement Brian Bixler got a hit in his only at bat, raising his season's average to .192.

THE UGLY:  Ugly for Atlanta.  Jonny Gomes scored on a Lannan grounder with the bases loaded when first baseman Freddie Freeman threw high to catcher David Ross, pulling him off the bag.  To make sure of his safeness, and to avoid the possibility of a double play, Gomes went out of his way to put a hard tag on Ross, and while Ross was in the air, Gomes swept his legs and Ross crashed to the ground on his back.  Upon the safe call, Ross argued with the ump to no avail.  Ross later told reporters, "I was for sure that I was on the base and I was for sure wrong."

THE STATS:  14 hits, two walks, six strikeouts.  3-for-8 with RISP, eight LOB, zero GIDP.  No errors or DPs.

NEXT GAME:  Wednesday at 1:05 against the Braves.  Chien-Ming Wang (0-1, 9.00) hosts Brandon Beachy (4-2, 3.27).

NATS NOTES:  RHP Collin Balester was recalled from AAA-Syracuse before the game to take the open roster spot when LHP Athualpa Severino was returned to the Chiefs yesterday.  Balester will be used primary as a "long man" in Davey Johnson's bullpen.

With the lightning from passing storms flashing in the skies all around in the distance, the threat of dangerous weather at Nationals Park remained just that.  But the bat of Rick Ankiel provided all the thunder inside the stadium, as he crushed two solo home runs to pace the surging Washington Nationals past Jair Jurrjens and the Atlanta Braves, 5-3.

It was the Nats third straight win, raising their record to 52-56, putting them on a 78-win pace for the season, though they remain in last place in the division.

Ankiel, forced into the leadoff spot due to the Nationals shipping Roger Bernadina to the minors to create roster space for Chien-Ming Wang last Friday, went 2-for-4 to raise his average for the season to .242.  Since returning from the disabled list July 1, Ankiel is hitting .338 with four home runs and ten RBIs in 63 plate appearances.  He's gotten on base at a .396 clip.

Manager Davey Johnson credited Ankiel's recent success to getting a chance to play more often, and his offensive production is a boon to a team that is still ranked at or near the bottom in most offensive categories.

"Ever since he's come back from the disabled list he's swung the bat really good," Johnson said from the winning clubhouse.  "He's giving me a little bit more than what you would expect from a leadoff hitter.  It's nice."

Johnson joked that he doesn't expect Ankiel to "hit forty homers and steal forty bases" like Bobby Bonds famously did hitting leadoff for several teams in the 1970's, but he doesn't mind the power Ankiel's generating right now from the top of the order.

"I don't have a problem with a guy that can drive in runs hitting leadoff," said Johnson, who employed Brady Anderson in that role for the 1996 Baltimore Orioles, the year Anderson hit 50 home runs, 35 of which came in the leadoff spot.  "Typical guys have a high on base percentage but I don't have a problem bunting a guy over [with the pitcher's spot] for somebody that can go deep."

The other story last night was the performance of Livan Hernandez.  He rebounded from a couple of tough outings to turn in a very strong performance, going six innings and allowing just one run, the first of two Dan Uggla home runs on the evening.  Hernandez was economical with his pitches, needing just 81 to get through six innings, and he was in command, throwing 55 of his pitches for strikes.  He did not walk a batter, gave up just six hits and struck out three.

Johnson lauded his veteran hurler.  "He was outstanding.  I love to watch him pitch and he seemed to get stronger as the game went on."  Asked what the change was last night in comparison to recent outings when he couldn't get past the fourth inning, Johnson replied, "He was going after hitters more -- he wasn't pitching around hitters and he had good command.  It was vintage Livo."  He even drove in a run in the second inning, pushing a single to right field that plated Jayson Werth with two outs.

So the Nats have kind of turned things around a little bit.  After losing six in a row, they've reeled off three straight wins, all against division opponents.  The playoffs might be out of reach, but once again they're within shouting distance of .500, just four games back of that elusive mark. 

They have two more games at home with the Braves, a team on pace to win 93 games, before going out on a 10-game, 11-day road trip through Colorado, Chicago and Philadelphia.  That trip would be daunting any time of year, much less during the dog days of August.  It will be yet another interesting test for a team trying to find it's personality.

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THE GOOD:  Subbing for Tyler Clippard, who was unavailable last night, Ryan Mattheus pitched a scoreless eighth inning with a strikeout.  He turned the lead over to Drew Storen, who picked up his 27th save of the season, despite allowing Uggla's second home run of the game.

THE BAD:  Storen.  Working his third game in as many days, he gave up a home run for a second consecutive game.  Todd Coffey also allowed a solo home run in one inning pitched.

THE UGLY:  Danny Espinosa.  He went 0-for-4, lowering his batting average to .226.  In fact, Espinosa has now gone 4-of-51 (.078) in his last 13 games and 9-for-73 (.123) in his last 19 games -- all with just two extra base hits and three runs driven in.  He struck out an astounding 34 times in 26 games in July.

THE STATS:  Eight hits, two walks, five strikeouts.  2-for-9 with RISP, five LOB, zero GIDP, three DPs.  E: Espinosa (9).

NEXT GAME:  Tuesday against the Braves at 7:05 pm.  John Lannan (7-7, 3.63) faces Derek Lowe (6-9, 4.52).

NATS NOTES:  After the game, the Nats returned LHP Athualpa Severino to AAA-Syracuse and are expected to recall RHP Collin Balester to serve as a long-man in the Nats pen.  Severino has now been on the active MLB roster twice in his career -- and is still yet to throw his first big league pitch.

Somewhere, probably in northern Georgia, someone is writing about how the plucky Atlanta Braves pecked away in the ninth inning, using steely resolve and courage to defeat an up-and-coming Washington Nationals team with a clutch walk-off hit after two outs.

I suppose that's one way to look at what happened.

After pounding arguably the N.L.'s best pitcher in the first half of the season, surviving a melt-down of epic proportions from a formerly-trusted set-up man, and enough base-running blunders to make Lou Brock cry, the Nationals still found themselves in position to beat the 96-win pace Braves and take two out of three from them to start the second half.

But instead of turning to his closer in a tied game, manager Davey Johnson gave the ball to rookie Ryan Mattheus, a veteran of just 15 Major League innings pitched.  Mattheus walked the first batter he faced, and the rest, as they say, was history.  In this case, history will say the Braves beat the Nats 9-8 in their final at bat.  But as with all history lessons, there was much more to the story than meets the eye.

All Drew Storen, who has pitched one inning since July 10, could do was watch things unfold from his perch in the bullpen.  He warmed up along side Mattheus, but since the Nats could not take the lead in the top of the ninth, Johnson managed to a statistic, going with Mattheus in the non-save situation.  It cost him the game.

Mattheus issued a five-pitch walk to pinch-hitter Brooks Conrad, missing the strike zone by a mile with his last pitch.  The Braves bunted Conrad up to second, giving the Nats an out, and when Martin Prado grounded to short, Conrad inexplicably tried to advance and was gunned out by Ian Desmond, one of several fine plays the shortstop came up with in the series.

The Nats then allowed Prado to take second without a throw, and Johnson called for Mattheus to walk All-Star catcher Brian McCann, who had already homered off Sean Burnett earlier.  At that point, Mattheus put away his best pitch, a 94-MPH four-seam fastball, and threw two sliders to fellow rookie first baseman Freddie Freeman.  Freeman laced the second one he saw to right field, driving in Prado from second.

The final was the culmination of a game of mental and physical mistakes for the Nats.  They finally got their bats going, clobbering All-Star Jair Jurrgens for six runs on eight hits and two walks in five innings, giving the burgeoning superstar his worse beating of the season.  But they also had two runners make outs on the base paths immediately preceding scoring hits and lost their starting pitcher to an injury when he ran into the catcher trying to score. 

Combine that with a throwing error by backup catcher Jesus Flores and four stolen bases against, and this was an ugly game regardless of the outcome.

Perhaps the ugliest part of the game came in the bottom of the fifth, when the Braves scored five runs off relievers Henry Rodriguez and Sean Burnett.  Rodriguez cruised through two innings of work in relief of Tom Gorzelanny, who left after two innings after injuring his ankle in a collision with McCann scoring on Roger Bernadina's triple.  Gorzelanny was not effective anyway, giving up two runs on one hit, three walks and a wild pitch.

Sent out to start a third inning of relief, Rodriguez lost his stuff.  A double, hit by pitch and infield single scored a run and brought up left-handed hitting McCann.  Johnson summoned his only left-handed reliever, Burnett.  On his second pitch, McCann punished a 91-MPH sinker, and three runs scored, which tied the game at six.  A walk, hit and ground out produced another run for Atlanta before Burnett could get out of the inning.

Burnett was arguably the Nationals best pitcher last season, but he's been a liability to the Nats pen this year, with a 5.67 ERA and K-rate less than half of what it was last season.  Unless he's hiding an injury, he's gone from the best to the worst in less than a season, speaking to the volatile nature of relief pitching.

There were a lot of culprits in this game for the Nats, but right up until Freeman laced one into the corner with two down in the ninth the Nats were in position to win.  I'm not sure if that's good or bad right now.

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THE GOOD:  Danny Espinosa was a double short of the cycle, with three hits, including his 17th home run.  Roger Bernadina went 2-for-4 in the leadoff spot, scored three times and stole two bases.

THE BAD:  Jayson Werth.  He went 0-for-5 with a K, the only Nats starter to not get a hit.  He left four on base.

THE UGLY:  Sean Burnett.  The guy is simply not doing his job right now.

THE STATS:  11 hits, three walks, 10 strikeouts.  3-for-10 with RISP, six LOB, zero GIDP.  E: Flores (1)

NEXT GAME:  Monday at Houston Astros at 8:05 pm EDT.  Jason Marquis (7-4, 4.05) faces Jordan Lyles (0-4, 4.60).

NATS NOTES:  Jerry Hairston, Jr. will be activated off the Disabled List for Monday's game in Houston.  Brian Bixler was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse after the loss to make room on the active roster.

The Nats loss drops the Nats back under .500 at 47-48, a half-game behind the Mets for third place in the N.L. East and one game ahead of streaking Florida for last place in the division.

Washington Nationals pitcher John Lannan's last start ended when a line drive caromed off his right cheek and into center field.  Suffice to say, he's happier and healthier following last night's 5-2 win over the Atlanta Braves.

Lannan went 5 2/3 innings, allowing just two earned run on five hits, evening his personal record at 6-6 and the Nats season record at 47-47.

After the pounding the Nationals took Friday night, anything would have been better.  But the Nats put three up on the board in the second, courtesy of a Wilson Ramos double and Lannan's first hit of the season (0-for-39 dating back to last season), which drove in two.  That's really all the Nats needed, but they didn't know it at the time.

Things tightened up in the bottom of frame as Alex Gonzalez' two-run homer drew the Braves within one.  That's as close as the second place Braves got.

Ramos gave his battery-mate some insurance in the top of the sixth, drilling his ninth home run of the season, a two run shot that provided the final margin for the game.

In the bottom of the sixth, Lannan ran into trouble, allowing two singles with one out.  After he got Braves slugger Jason Heyward to fly to right for the second out, manager Davey Johnson figured to get his starter some help.  Ryan Mattheus came in and got a ground ball from Gonzalez to end the inning.

The Nats then followed a familiar script, getting another perfect inning out of Mattheus before turning things over to Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen, who both struck out one in their innings of work.  Clippard earned his league-leading 24th hold and Storen his 24th save in 27 opportunities.

When projecting for the future, Lannan sometimes gets overlooked.  But he's quietly putting together a quality season.  As some of the prospects make their way to the majors, there will be stumbling blocks along the way.  The Nats must have some sense of comfort knowing they have a pitcher in Lannan that they can pretty much get what they expect out of him on most nights.  There's something to be said for that.

Lannan's not flashy and won't post gaudy numbers, but he's getting his job done.

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THE GOOD:  Wilson Ramos. 2-for-3, two runs scored, homer, three RBIs.  He's going to have ups and downs with his batting average, but a 15-homer catcher who throws base stealers out is a rare commodity.

THE BAD:  Roger Bernadina.  0-for-5, two Ks, five LOB.

THE UGLY:  Ryan Zimmerman.  0-for-5, two Ks. Please start hitting Ryan.  Please?

THE STATS:  Nine hits, five walks, 13 strikeouts.  2-for-10 with RISP, 10 LOB, zero GIDP. No errors (Yay!)

NEXT GAME:  Sunday at 1:35 against the Braves. 

When Eric Hinske homered for the Atlanta Braves in the bottom of the seventh off Washington Nationals reliever Doug Slaten for an insurance run that gave the homestanding Braves a 3-1 lead, it could have spelled doom for the Nats.  And when the Braves went to closer Craig Kimbel in the ninth for the save, it should have been lights out, as the Nationals were winless this season when trailing after eight innings.

Until last night.

Despite striking out the side, Kimbrel also left a couple of pitches up. Base hits by Laynce Nix and Jerry Hairston set the table, and when Alex Cora snuck a ball back through the middle for a two-run single, the Nationals found themselves in a brand new ballgame.

Then, in the top of the eleventh inning, Ian Desmond doubled to left field to drive in two and Jayson Werth followed by pounding a hanging slider into the left field bleachers for his sixth home run of the season.  Just like that, the Nats had taken the first two games of the series from the Braves, lifting their record for the road trip to 4-4 with one game left and evening their season record at 18-18.

Washington is now 5-1 in extra innings this season.

Drew Storen (3-1, 0.44), with a perfect tenth inning, picked up his second win of the week and Tyler Clippard threw a scoreless inning in the eleventh to finish off Atlanta.

Scott Linebrink (0-1), who gave up four earned runs in the last inning, suffered the loss for the Braves.

The Nats offense, which is last in the league in hitting, came alive a little bit, pounding out 13 hits and walking five times.  Cora, Desmond, Werth, Laynce Nix and Jerry Hairston all had multi-hit nights in the effort.  The team still struck out 11 times, but came thought last night in the later innings despite all the Ks.

John Lannan started for the Nats and provided a quality start, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks in six innings, striking out three.  It was a much needed solid performance for the left-hander, and brought his ERA for the season back under five at 4.79.

Todd Coffey, Sean Burnett, Storen and Clippard provided 4 2/3 shutout innings of relief.

The final game of this brutal 10-day, nine game road trip is Thursday night and the Nats now have a chance to make it a winning trip and return to D.C. above .500, something that probably wasn't considered when they dropped the first three games of the trip to the Philadelphia Phillies in no uncertain terms. 

The trip has been a big test for this Nats team, and it says a lot about this group of players that they didn't let that three-game sweep to their most bitter rival snowball into a bigger losing streak.  This team may or may not go on to be competitive the rest of the season, but for now the Nats are staying respectable record-wise despite being at the bottom of the league in offense and missing their best overall player due to injury.

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THE GOOD: Drew Storen.  Completely dominated in his one inning of work.  Laynce Nix went 3-for-5 with three ground ball base hits.  Alex Cora went 2-for-2 as a late inning replacement and made a couple of nifty plays at third base.

THE BAD: Danny Espinosa went 0-for-4 and stranded four runners.

THE UGLY: Doug Slaten. He finally gave up an earned run of his own, the Hinske homer, instead of allowing inherited runners to score.  But his job is to get left-handed batters out, not let them hit home runs like he did against Hinske.

THE STATS: 13 hits, five walks, 11 Ks.  4-for-14 with RISP, 10 LOB, one GIDP. No errors, two DPs.

NEXT GAME: Thursday in Atlanta. Jordan Zimmermann (2-4, 4.10) vs. Derek Lowe (3-3, 3.22)

HARPER WATCH: Bryce Harper went 4-for-5 with a grand slam and five RBIs in Hagerstown's 11-5 win over Delmarva.  For the season, the prodigy is hitting .396/.472/.712/1.184 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs with five steals in 31 games.  He also had an outfield error, his second of the season.

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.

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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)

"The game just didn't have the same energy as the last two days.  That's what was disappointing.  I just thought we would have carried a little more fire into this ballgame after yesterday." -- Jim Riggleman

Danny Espinosa had a rough day in the field. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

Washington, D.C. -- The Washington Nationals thought they were over games like these.  Sadly, it was deja vu all over again, as shoddy defense and lousy relief pitching spelled doom for the home team, as the Atlanta Braves turned an early close game into a laugher, winning the series with an 11-2 decision before 22,210 at Nationals Park.

"The game itself was sloppy," manager Jim Riggleman said. "We just didn't play good baseball today."

Though the Nationals were only charged with one error, several other defensive miscues led directly to runs.  And once Nats starter Jordan Zimmerman departed, the flood gates opened for the Braves, as they batted around in the eighth inning off rookie Rule 5 pick Brian Broderick and journeyman Chad Gaudin.

Second baseman Danny Espinosa was one of the sources of bad defense today.  The rookie second baseman had two plays where it looked like he tried to make the switch to his throwing hand too quickly. 

In the first inning, which probably set the tone for the entire game, Espinosa had a tailor-made ground ball clang off his glove, allowing Nate McLouth to move up to second. Espinosa got the out at first, and since the official scorer can't presume a double-play, the result was a fielder's choice -- not an error.  The next batter, Brian McCann, singled McLouth home for the first run of the game.

In the fifth, things went from bad to ugly.

Alex Gonzalez led off wtith a ball to the track in right center that should have been caught by either center fielder Rick Ankiel or right fielder Jayson Werth.  But both appeared to pull up at the last and the ball ticked off Werth's glove.  Both men then deferred to each other to make the throw, and Gonzalez ended up on third with a triple.

Rick Ankiel and Jayson Werth can't come up with Alex Gonzalez' "triple". (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

Again, no error on the play, but clearly a defensive breakdown.

Three batters later, and after a walk to pitcher Tim Hudson. Martin Prado hit a ball to almost the exact spot, and neither Ankiel nor Werth could track it down. Espinosa could not come up with the relay cleanly, and after pausing at third, Hudson walked home with the third run for the Braves.

It was the only played scored an error by the official scorer all day.

The Braves picked up two more in the seventh off Todd Coffey and Doug Slaten, and in the eighth, things just fell apart for the pen.

Broderick, making his Major League debut, gave up four runs on two hits and a walk.  And he balked a man home when his spike got caught on the pitching runner and he fell off the mound.  Gaudin fared no better, allowing two earned runs on four successive hits.

Nats starter Jordan Zimmermann deserved a better fate.  All three runs against him (two earned) were the reuslt of shoddy defense.  He went six innings, allowing four hits and three walks, striking out two.  He wasn't masterful, but was good enough today if his defense had performed their jobs.

On the other side, Tim Hudson mowed the Nats hitters down.  He gave up one run on three hits and one walk, striking out five.  After Espinosa's leadoff single in the second  -- which was erased by a double play -- Hudson retired the next 17 hitters until his departure after the seventh.

This game was eerily reminiscent of so many in the first two months of 2009, when the starter would do his job, only to be undermined by the defense and the bullpen.  The only two relievers that didn't pitch today were Sean Burnett and Tyler Clippard, the two men manager Jim Riggleman depends on to protect leads.

The four relievers that Riggleman did trot out there in the decisive innings (Coffey, Slaten, Broderick and Gaudin) faced 18 hitters combined and retired just six.  Three journeymen and a Rule 5 rookie.

After the game, Riggleman said he "didn't want to make excuses" for Slaten and Gaudin, but then did, describing how he had both up several times before bringing them into the game, and how relief pitching is hard.

The Nationals will need to have better production from those guys -- or someone else -- otherwise Burnett and Clippard won't make it until Memorial Day.

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THE GOOD:  Jordan Zimmermann.  Defense really let him down.  Retired 11 out of 12 at one point, but got no offensive or defensive support.

THE BAD:  Ian Desmond.  The shortstop, now hitless in three straight games, went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.

THE UGLY:  We'll give Broderick a pass in his MLB debut, so we'll go with Chad Gaudin.  Four consecutive hits after Broderick got lit up. 

NEXT GAME:  Tuesday at Florida Marlins at 7:10 pm.  Jason Marquis v. Anibal Sanchez.

Braves Dan Uggla makes over-the-shoulder catch of Ian Desmond's flare. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

Atlanta Braves (1-1) v. Washington Nationals (1-1)

Nationals Park, Washington D.C.

Tim Hudson (17-9, 2.83, 1.150 in 2010) v. Jordan Zimmermann (1-2, 4.94, 1.323 in 2010)

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The rubber match of this three game series features perhaps the Nationals most important pitcher of 2011, Jordan Zimmermann.  Now fully recovered from Tommy John surgery, Zimmermann can resume his career path that many in baseball believe could put him in the upper echelon of pitchers in the National League.

Zimmermann, 25 in May, somewhat surprised folks as a second round pick out of University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, not well known for producing big league ballplayers.  But he mowed his way through the minors, with a 3.37 K/BB rate, and made his MLB debut in 2009.

He started 165 games for the Nats in '09 before the team in his elbow was diagnosed, and was then shelved by surgery for almost exactly 12 months, making his triumphant return last August.  He went 12, 4.94, 1.323 with a 2.70 K/BB rate in seven starts, proving his health. 

But recovery from Tommy John surgery is a 12-18 month process, and while the fastball comes back first, the command and control are just as important, and Zimmermann looked strong in spring training, leading to much optimism around NatsTown for the young right-hander.

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BRAVES:  Prado-7, McLouth-8, Jones-5, McCann-2, Heyward-9, Gonzalez-6, Freeman-3, Hudson-1
NATIONALS: Desmond-6, Werth-9, Zimmerman-5, LaRoche-3, Morse-7, Ankiel-8, Espinosa-4, Rodriguez-2, Zimmermann-1

Atlanta Braves (0-0) v. Washington Nationals (0-0)

Nationals Park, Washington D.C.

Tommy Hanson (10-11, 3.33, 1.174 in 2010) v. John Lannan (8-8, 4.65, 1.563 in 2010)

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The second game of this three game series finds the Nationals still looking for their first run of the season, as they suffered a 2-0 loss at the hands of Derek Lowe and the Braves on Opening Day.

 

Washington will trot out the same lineup as Thursday, with the exception of Wilson Ramos taking over at catcher for Pudge Rodriguez.  Manager Jim Riggleman said before today's game that Ramos and Rodriguez will split duties the first ten games of the season.

 

"Ramos is a guy that we really have great expectations for him and I really don't want him to have a situation like we had in the Spring where he would have a couple days off between starts," Riggleman explained, "I thought that he played a lot better in the Spring when he got consecutive days, when he only had a day off, if he had two off, he's a young hitter I think that needs to see some action, so he and Pudge will be splitting it up here quite a bit early."

 

At this point in his development, Ramos needs to be playing on a regular basis.  The Nationals need to find out if he is going to be the player they think he is: a legit No.1 starting catcher.  And you don't find that out by sitting him on the bench in deference to a future Hall of Famer who is now a major liability to the batting order.

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Braves:  Prado (LF), McLouth (CF), Jones (3B), McCann (C), Uggla (2B), Heyward (RF), Gonzalez (SS), Freeman (1B), Hanson (P)

 

Nationals:  Desmond (SS), Werth (RF), Zimmerman (3B), LaRoche (1B), Morse (LF), Ankiel (CF), Espinosa (2B), Ramos (C), Lannan (P)

Atlanta Braves (0-0) v. Washington Nationals (0-0)

Thursday 1:05 pm, Saturday 1:05 pm, Sunday 1:35 pm

Nationals Park, Washington D.C.

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The weather might be more suited for football playoffs than baseball's Opening Day, but they're going to do everything they can to get this one in today.  Game time temperature should be around 45 degrees with a mist or drizzle, and conditions will probably deteriorate during the day.  But it's baseball games that count!

Today is the first game in about 100 years that Bobby Cox won't be managing the Atlanta Braves.  Fredi Gonzalez takes over for the legend.  Nationals manager Jim Riggleman starts his second full season as skipper of the the home team.

The Braves and Nats find themselves on opposite ends of the N.L. East, as Atlanta should contend with the Phillies in the East and be in the wild card discussion regardless, while the Nats hope to avoid their sixth straight last place finish in the division.

Enjoy Opening Day everyone!  And stay warm and dry!

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Braves

Martin Prado-7

Nate McLouth-8

Chipper Jones-5

Brian McCann-3

Dan Uggla-4

Jason Heyward-9

Alex Gonzalez-6

Freddie Freeman-3

Derek Lowe-1

Nationals

Ian Desmond-6

Jayson Werth-9

Ryan Zimmerman-5

Adam LaRoche-3

Michael Morse-7

Rick Ankiel-8

Danny Espinosa-4

Ivan Rodriguez-2

Livan Hernandez-1

THE RESULT:  The Atlanta Braves came into D.C. this weekend looking to solidify their chances of making the playoffs, hoping to take advantage of a last-place team.  What they got was two losses out of three games to a young team learning to play, a serious dent in their plans for post-season play.

One of those young players, 25-year old shortstop Ian Desmond, hit a clutch two-out single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning, leading the Washington Nationals to a 4-2 win, before 21,625 at "Jersey Off Their Backs" Day at Nationals Park.

The Nats not only took the series, they also won the season's series with Atlanta, 10 games to eight.  If Atlanta fails to qualify for post-season play, they need to look no further than a losing record against the Nats this season.

With six games remaining, the Nats record sits at 67-89.  It's only numbers, but I think if you talked to anyone involved in the organization, they'd love to hit that 70-win plateau, just as quickly as they would also say they want to raise that bar higher.

Desmond was having a rough day, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, but after two different Braves relievers walked the bases loaded, he drilled a single back through the box to drive in Willie Harris and Danny Espinosa without a throw.

It was that type of day for the Braves, as all four of the Nats runs came after the batter reached via base on balls.

Nats starter Livan Hernandez gave a typical outing for him in his renaissance 2010 season.  He threw six strong innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out three.  He allowed a solo homer to Rick Ankiel in the fifth, and back-to-back doubles that ended his day in the seventh to Melky Cabrera and Ankiel.

Livo did not get the win, however.  That distinction went to Sean Burnett (1-7), who continues to mow down opposing batters.  He threw two perfect innings, striking out three in the process.  And Drew Storen got back on track, striking out two in a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his fifth save of the season.  Storen threw 10 of his 13 pitches for strikes, displaying a wicked slider to left-handed batters.

Burnett has not been scored upon in his last 12 appearances, striking out 13 in 11 2/3 innings.

Washington got out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first two innings.  Nyjer Morgan (1-for-2, 2 BBs) drew a one-out walk, took second on Adam Dunn's walk, and scored on Michael Morse's base hit in the first inning against Braves starter Brandon Beachy.  In the next inning, Ivan Rodriguez lead off with a walk, moved up on singles by Alberto Gonzalez and Danny Espinosa (2-for-3, BB), and scored on Morgan's base hit.

Unfortunately, the Nats could get no more in the second, as the frame ended with Desmond flying out to short center field, and Gonzalez getting nailed at the plate on a great throw by Ankiel.

With the Phillies losing Sunday as well, the Braves magic number to be eliminated from the division race is still one game, and they trail San Francisco by a half-game in the wild card standings.

With a good chance of rain Monday, I think Nats fans wouldn't mind seeing the home game with the Phils rained out and the Braves lose their game with Florida, so the Phillies don't get to publicly celebrate their division title in Nats Park.

THE GOOD:  Sean Burnett.  He's been outstanding, and threw another two dominating innings today.

THE BAD:  Adam Dunn.  He went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts, and committed a throwing error, cleanly fielding a grounder, but then throwing into the back of the runner going to second.  Instead of a double-play, it set up second and third with one out in the fourth.  Livo wriggled out of the jam, getting the next two batters to pop up.

THE UGLY:  The Nats struck out 14 times, nine in the first five innings to Beachy, making the second start in his major league career. 

THE STATS:  14 Ks, 7 BBs, 4-for-10 with RISP, 8 LOB, 0 GIDP, 1 E (Dunn-throw)

NEXT GAME: The Nats start a three-game set with Philadelphia at 7:05 from Nats Park.  John Lannan (8-7, 4.58) hosts Roy Halladay (20-10, 2.53).

THE RESULT:  Derek Lowe and his relievers were good.  Yunesky Maya ran out of gas.  That's about it.

Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox became the fourth manager in Major League history to reach 2,500 wins, as his squad shut out the Washington Nationals 5-0, before 23,824 sun-drenched fans at Nationals Park.



Braves Manager Bobby Cox recorded his 2,500th win in his illustrious career. (Photo by Ian Koski/Nats Daily News)

For five innings, this was a nail-biter, with the Braves holding a 1-0 lead, courtesy of some shaky infield defense by the Nats.  But Nats starter Maya ran out of gas in the sixth, giving up four runs, including shortstop Alex Gonzalez' three-run home run, his 23rd of the season.  It would be Maya's last pitch, his 92nd of the day in the heat and extreme sun.

Maya pitched very well the first five innings, including registering two 1-2-3 innings.  He seemed in control and poised to record his first quality start in the big leagues.

Yunesky Maya ran out of gas in the sixth inning, running his record to 0-3. (Photo by Ian Koski/Nats Daily News)

But in the sixth, things fell apart.  He walked leadoff hitter Martin Prado and uncorked a wild pitch, and Derrek Lee's double brought home Prado.  Nate McLouth scratched out an infield single, then Gonzalez took the first pitch he saw to the left field bleachers.

The sun contributed to the Braves first run of the game in a big way.  After Derek Lowe lofted a double to left over the playing-in Roger Berndina, Jason Heyward skied a pop-up to the left side of the infield.  Shortstop Ian Desmond lost the ball in the high sky and all hands were safe.  Two batters later -- with two outs -- Brian McCann hit a grounder to the left side against a pronounced shift.



Nats shortstop Ian Desmond lost an infield pop-up in the sun, leading to a Braves run. (Photo by Ian Koski/Nats Daily News)

Alberto Gonzalez made the pick-up falling to his knees, but in the exaggerated shift, Desmond could not get to second base quickly enough to make the force on Heyward.  Gonzalez tried to get the slow-footed McCann at first, throwing from his knees, but the strong-armed Gonzalez made a bad throw and the ball got past first baseman Adam Dunn, allowing Lowe to score.

Heyward tried to follow Lowe to home plate, but Maya backed the play up well, and threw in plenty of time to nab him at the plate.

Wilson Ramos holds onto the ball despite Jason Heyward's attempt to barrel over the catcher. (Photo by Ian Koski/Nats Daily News)

Maya fell to 0-3 with a 6.43 ERA, with 10 walks and eight strikeouts in four starts.  The four-run sixth continues a trend of opposing teams having one good inning against the Cuban-born right-hander. 

Lowe, the veteran righty, went five innings on the hot day, giving up five hits and one walk, striking out four.  The Nats managed just one hit in four innings against four Braves relievers.

It would have helped Maya, perhaps, if his team's hitters would have shown up for this one.  Washington actually got some runners on base, but as was the case when the team went through it offensive struggles in August and early September, the bats were non-existent with runners on base, going 0-for-10 in such situations.

THE GOOD:  Alberto Gonzalez went 2-for-4.  Craig Stammen, Joe Bisenius and Collin Balester combined for 3 2/3 scoreless relief innings with seven strikeouts.

THE BAD:  Nyjer Morgan, making his return from his eight-game suspension, was inserted right back into the leadoff spot, and promptly went 1-for-5, including going 0-for-2 against left-handed relievers.

THE UGLY:  The Nos. three through six hitters combined to go 0-for-13. Yuck.

THE STATS:  9 Ks, 5 BBs, 0-for-10 with RISP, 12 LOB, 1 GIDP, 1 E (Gonzalez, throw)

NEXT GAME:  Sunday matinee at 1:35 pm.  Livan Hernandez (10-12, 3.75) hosts Brandon Beachy (0-1, 2.08).

NATS NOTES:  The Nationals will make some sort of tribute to retiring Braves manager Bobby Cox in a pre-game ceremony at 1:15 pm Sunday.

Ryan Zimmerman missed his third straight game with a rib cage strain, and before the game Manager Jim Riggleman indicated that it's a possibility that Zimmerman could miss the remainder of the season.

THE RESULT:  Stop me if you've heard this one before:  the Washington Nationals starter rebounded from one bad inning to keep his team in the game, but the offense could not muster an attack -- making the opposing pitcher look like Cy Young, and the Nats were shut out again.

Monday night, the Nats starter was Yunesky Maya, the opponent was Derek Lowe and the Atlanta Braves, and the score was 4-0, the 12th time the Nats have been shut out this season.  It was the Nats sixth consecutive loss, matching a season high, and drops their overall record to 60-84.

Washington has scored just 10 runs in the six game losing streak, five of which came in one game.

Maya's bad frame -- the only inning with any scoring all night -- was the bottom of the second.  First, he lost his control, walking the first two batters of the inning.  Then he lost his composure, with consecutive balks to drive in a run.  A double, triple and single later, and the score was 4-0.

Maya righted the ship and made it through six innings, giving up just two more hits along the way.  Overall, he allowed four earned runs on five hits and three walks, striking out just two.  He called the balks "minor-league stuff" after the game.  His second big league appearance looked much like his first, where he gave up a three-run homer in the first, but settled down to retire 11 of his last 12 batters.

The Nats expect consistancy to come for the 29-year old Cuban veteran once he gets adjusted to pitching in a competitive setting again, as he missed over a year of baseball during his exile.

On the other side, Derek Lowe was simply having his best game of the season, aided by a generous strike zone.  Lowe went eight innings, scattering six hits and not walking a batter, striking out a career-high 12.  He got Ian Desmond four times, throwing his sinker and slider down and on the edges of the plate. 

The Nats hitters just could not adjust to Lowe's strategy.

Adding insult to injury, Billy Wagner struck out the side in the ninth, to cap a 15-strikeout game for the Braves.

THE GOOD:  Ryan Zimmerman went 2-for-4.  Nyjer Morgan went 2-for-4.  Ross Detwiler threw two scoreless in relief.

THE BAD:  Desmond committed his league-leading 33rd error of the season.  He tried to get in front of a grounder that he should have back-handed, and instead it took a funny hop and bounced off his glove.  Tough scoring from a road official scorer.

THE UGLY:  Top of the first.  Danny Espinosa singled to lead off.  With a 3-2 count to Desmond, Manager Jim Riggleman puts on the hit and run.  Desmond strikes out, Espinosa was thrown out.  Two outs with one pitch. 

THE STATS:  15 Ks, 0 BBs, 0-for-3 with RISP, 4 LOB, 1 GIDP.

NEXT GAME:  Tonight at 7:10 pm.  Livan Hernandez (9-11, 3.82) faces Jair Jurrjens (7-5, 4.53).

"That's the main thing for me, going out with confidence and conviction." -- John Lannan, on yesterday's five good innings.

THE RESULT:  John Lannan thinks he's close to returning to his top form.  He turned in a rather Lannan-esque performance Thursday, limiting the Atlanta Braves to two runs over 5 1/3 innings as the Washington Nationals salvaged the final game of the series, winning 6-2 before 15,593 at Turner Field.

The Nats record stands at 52-69 with 41 games to play.

Lannan (W, 5-5, 5.13) spread out seven hits an a walk, striking out five on the occasion.  Both runs came in his final inning of work, as he just can't quite get over the hump of the sixth inning yet.  He surrendered back-to-back singles to Omar Infante and Jason Heyward before striking out Martin Prado looking. 

But the next batter, notorious lefty-killer Matt Diaz, ripped a double to right field to plate both runs.

After Brian McCann walked, manager Jim Riggleman relieved Lannan with Joel Peralta, who got Alex Gonzalez to pop up to first, and Diaz inexplicably was caught off second for the inning-ending double play.

Atlanta would not score again.

The Nats got a solo home run from Michael Morse, an RBI double from Roger Bernadina and a run-scoring single from Ryan Zimmerman before Atlanta's outburst.  Willie Harris closed the scoring with a two-run homer off reliever Kyle Farnsworth in the ninth inning.

Wilson Ramos made his Nationals debut, going 0-for-4 with a couple of good at bats, and made a nice play throwing out the lead runner at third base on a sacrifice attempt.

THE GOOD:  Nyjer Morgan went 2-for-5 with two runs and a steal in his first game back off the DL.

THE BAD:  Adam Kennedy went 0-for-3, but did walk once and scored a run.

THE UGLY:  Tyler Clippard's 8th inning.  He was masterful in the seventh, striking out the side.  When he came back out for the eighth?  Not so much, as he walked two and could not get through the inning.

THE STATS:  10 Ks, 3 BBs, 3-for-5 with RISP, 4 LOB.

NEXT GAME:  Today in Philadelphia against the Phillies.  Jason Marquis (0-5, 14.33) tries to find his touch against Roy Halladay (15-8, 2.24). Game time is 7:05 pm from Citizen's Bank Park.