NATIONALS REINSTATE RHP STEPHEN STRASBURG FROM DL & ADD SIX PLAYERS TO ACTIVE ROSTER

The Washington Nationals today returned from rehab and reinstated right-handed pitcher Stephen Strasburg from the 60-Day Disabled List, recalled right-handed pitchers Yunesky Maya and Craig Stammen, left-handed pitcher Atahualpa Severino and outfielder Corey Brown from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League and selected right-handed pitcher Brad Peacock and infielder Steve Lombardozzi from Syracuse. Additionally, the club transferred right-handed pitcher Cole Kimball to the 60-Day DL, unconditionally released right-handed pitcher Adam Carr and designated right-handed pitcher Garrett Mock for assignment. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements.

Strasburg is slated to make his 2011 debut tonight vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers, just over a year after undergoing “Tommy John” ligament-replacement surgery on Sept. 3, 2010. The 23-year-old went 1-1 with a 3.54 ERA in six rehab starts this season, posting 29 strikeouts and just three walks in 20.1 innings pitched.

In 12 starts with the Nationals in 2010, Strasburg went 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA and 92 strikeouts. He was selected by the Nationals with the first-overall pick in the ’09 First-Year Player Draft.

The 30-year-old Maya is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA in five starts this season with Washington. In 22 starts with Syracuse in 2011, he posted a 4-9 record and 5.00 ERA.

Stammen is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in two relief appearances this season with the Nationals. The 27-year-old went 10-7 with a 4.75 ERA in 25 games/24 starts in 2011 with the Chiefs.

Severino returns for his third career stint with the Nationals. In 35 relief appearances with Syracuse this season, the 26-year-old went 1-2 with one save and a 4.50 ERA.

Brown batted .235 with 18 doubles, three triples, 14 home runs, 39 RBI and four stolen bases in 124 games this season with the Chiefs. The 25-year-old posted a .330 batting average, .413 on-base percentage and .549 slugging percentage with five home runs and 14 RBI in his final 29 Triple-A games, beginning Aug. 2. A first-round pick (59th overall) by Oakland in the ’07 First-Year Player Draft, Brown was acquired from the Athletics along with right-hander Henry Rodriguez in exchange for outfielder Josh Willingham in December 2010.

An Eastern League All-Star and a participant in this season’s XM All-Star Futures Game, Peacock went 15-3 with a 2.39 ERA and 177 strikeouts in 25 games/22 starts in 2011 with Syracuse and Double-A Harrisburg. The 23-year-old ranks among all minor league pitchers in wins (second), strikeouts (seventh) and strikeouts per 9.0 innings (10.86, fifth). Peacock, who was tabbed the No. 10 prospect in the Nationals’ system entering 2011 by Baseball America, is 34-38 with a 3.93 ERA in 113 games/101 starts during his five-year career. He was selected by Washington in the 41st round of the ’06 First-Year Player Draft.

Lombardozzi batted .309 with 25 doubles, nine triples, eight home runs, 52 RBI and 30 stolen bases in 134 games this season with Syracuse and Harrisburg. The son of former Twins/Astros second baseman Steve Lombardozzi, Sr., the 22-year-old Lombardozzi was selected by the Nationals in the 19th round of the ’08 First-Year Player Draft and hit .298 with 17 homers, 183 RBI and 74 stolen bases during his four seasons in the minor leagues.

Garrett Mock was a big leaguer.

For parts of three seasons, Mock pitched for the Washington Nationals.  Acquired by the Nats with Matt Chico from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Livan Hernandez in August 2006, Mock compiled a 4-13 record with a 5.17 ERA in 55 games, including 19 starts.  He could always strike batters out (career 8.0 K/9), but his control was equally "impressive", walking nearly five batters per nine innings.

Mock won a job in the rotation in 2010 with a good spring training (and precious little competition), but was ineffective in his first start, giving up four hits and walking five in 3 1/3 innings in an 8-2 loss to the New York Mets.  After that game, the Nats tried to send Mock back to the minors, but it was revealed that Mock had sustained an injury to his cervical spine on the right side of his neck, requiring surgery.  He made a few rehab appearances in the minors at the end of 2010, going 1-3 with a 4.33 ERA in six starts across four levels of the minor leagues.

Mock, now 28, was hopeful that an off-season of rest and strengthening would allow him to throw better in the spring and compete for a job with the big league club in 2011 once again.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Ineffective during spring training, Mock was an early cut, optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on March 11.  Mock was terrible for the Chiefs.  In his three starts, he gave up 12 earned runs (9.53 ERA), nine hits and walked an astounding 17 batters in 11 1/3 innings, striking out 10.  Mock was placed on the minor league seven-day disabled list April 22, then reactivated for one start for Class-A Potomac where he pitched well, going six innings and allowing just four hits and two walks, striking out six.

That earned him a trip back to Double-A Harrisburg, where he's been even worse.  In two starts for the Senators, including last night's train wreck, he has pitched 7 1/3 innings total, allowing 11 earned runs on 12 hits and three walks, striking out just five.

In total, he's made six minor league starts across three levels this season.  He's 0-3 with a 8.39 ERA, allowing 23 earned runs on 25 hits and 22 walks, striking out 21.

It appears that the accumulation of injury has taken its toll on Mock, to the point of no longer being able to be effective even at Double-A.  Maybe something else is wrong with him physically.  Maybe it's mental.  Maybe it's nothing more than nature taking its cruel course.  But with the wealth of starting pitchers in the Nationals minor league system right now, Mock is very quickly running out of opportunities to prove he still belongs.

Mock was once a promising prospect and made a handful of starts in the Major Leagues.  We should all be so fortunate.

It was a long day for all involved.

The Washington Nationals played a pair of spring training games yesterday, defeating the New York Mets 6-5 at home and falling to the Houston Astros 6-5 in Kissimmee, FL in the nightcap. 

And although the Houston game was listed as a "split squad" game, several players that appeared in the home game also played in the night game, and skipper Jim Riggleman was at the helm for both.

General Manager Mike Rizzo also attended both, watching from just behind the Nats on deck circle all day.

In the day game, the Nats jumped out to a big lead on the Mets, then held on in the late innings for the win.  Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche both drove in a pair of runs on doubles, and Ian Desmond had two hits and scored twice.

Jayson Werth drove in his first run of the spring with a two-run double in the 6-5 win over the Mets. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

Starter Chad Gaudin certainly helped his cause to make this team, pitching five strong innings, allowing just four hits and one walk, striking out six.  Drew Storen pitched himself into a jam, putting runners on the corners with one out, but after a visit from pitching coach Steve McCatty, struck out the next two batters with wicked breaking balls.

Chad Gaudin delivers in Nats 6-5 win over Mets. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

Tyler Clippard struggled in his appearance, surrendering four runs (three earned) on three hits, striking out two, in the ninth inning.  But he held on to put the Curly W in the book.

The night game saw the Nats score four times in the seventh inning to tie the game, only to have the Astros win in the bottom of the ninth, as phenom right fielder Bryce Harper missed the cut-off man on a hard double to the corner, sending his throw across the infield and up the third base line, allowing the runner to score from third with the winning run.

The play detracts from an otherwise encouraging performance from the 18-year old.  He doubled in his only at bat, hustling all the way on a blooped single to short left center to just beat the throw for the extra base.

Bryce Harper uncorks a bad throw, leading to winning run in 6-5 loss to Houston. (C. Nichols/Nats News Network)

Jerry Hairston went 3-for-3 in the nightcap, Roger Bernadina drove in two with a triple in the Nats four-run seventh, and Brian Bixler tripled and scored earlier in the game.

Tom Gorzelanny started and got roughed up in his first grapefruit appearance.  He went two and one-third innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks, striking out just one.  He wasn't sharp at all, going to a three-ball count to just about every batter. 

Tom Gorzelanny walked three in his first appearance. (C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

Garrett Mock came on and didn't fare much better, giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk in two and two-thirds innings.

Collin Balester and Cole Kimball both threw an inning of scoreless relief, while Atahualpa Severino took the loss.

The big takeaway from today's games, other than Gaudin's strong performance, was the poor defense in both games.  The Nationals committed three errors in both games and the sharpness that the Nats have carried on defense in the early part of spring training seems to have dissipated. 

In the first game, first baseman Michael Aubrey kicked a routine ground ball, Ian Desmond air-mailed one from short and prospect Destin Hood flat dropped a ball in left field after taking a circuitous route on the deep fly ball in a swirling wind.

Against Houston, Jeff Frazier overran a ball in right that led to a run, Jerry Hairston threw a ball away from third, and Harper's error from right ended the game.

The scored errors are one thing, but doesn't take into account plays that could -- or should -- have been made that don't get counted as errors.  In his last two games, Adam LaRoche had balls go under his glove that might have been playable.

For an organization that has preached all winter about becoming more athletic and better defensively, they still have a ways to go.  Granted that some of these errors were committed by players that are slated for the minor leagues, it's still sticks out that for all the emphasis Rizzo put on the defensive aspect of the game this off-season, his team is still kicking the ball around as much as they are.

NATS NOTES:  Prospects Destin Hood, Eury Perez, Steve Lombardozzi, Stephen King and Matt Antonelli all appeared in both games.  Derek Norris was the DH in the second game.

The Nats were 4-for-18 with runners in scoring position on the day.

Danny Espinosa went 1-for-5 with an RBI in the night game, and played two innings at shortstop late in the game after a bunch of defensive substiutions.

For the first time this spring training, the Washington Nationals looked sloppy at times, had a pitcher blow up, and -- not surprising -- found themselves on the wrong side of the score, falling to the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5, before 3.601 at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, FL.

The Nationals were charged with two errors, but twice let balls fall between fielders and a run scored when Michael Morse, playing first, made a bad throw to the plate.

The Nats also had two runners thrown out trying to steal and one trying to take an extra base.

Yup, today's game looked a lot more like games from last spring than the three previous this season.

Today's starter, Jordan Zimmermann, gave up four hits and walked one in three innings, but did not give up a run.  He struck out one in the effort.  The most important aspect of his game though was just being able to take the hill, throw all his pitches, sit during the Nats at bats, and get back up again without experiencing any discomfort.

He accomplished all those things.  He told reporters after the game, "The big thing for me was the up and downs.  How I was going to feel in the second and third innings - was the arm going to get tight? I felt great. I felt awesome the whole time."

This season will be all about how Zimmermann continues to recover from his Tommy John surgery.  His velocity is back, but he'll need to test the limit of his surgically reparied elbow and regain the command and control that elevated him to the top of the Nationals prospects lists before the injury.

Unfortunately, after Zimmermann left the game the trouble started for the Nats.  Garrett Mock took over in the fourth and couldn't make it out of the inning.  He was victimized by his defense -- Danny Espinosa made an error in the inning -- but Mock didn't help himself with three walks and a wild pitch in a five-run (one earned) outing. 

Shairon Martis didn't help his case for a roster spot either in his inning of work, giving up two runs on three hits and dropping an easy throw while covering first.

Tim Wood, Doug Slaten and Todd Coffey all pitched a scoreless inning of relief.

As for the hitters, Derek Norris clubbed a home run in his only at bat, and Ivan Rodriguez, Wilson Ramos and Alberto Gonzalez all had two hits apiece.

Washington hosts the Atlanta Braves tomorrow at 1:05 pm.

NATS NOTES:  Nyjer Morgan got his first hit of the spring but left four men on base.  He's hitting .100 thus far.

Despite the bad throw to home, Morse did start a 3-6-3 double play, and Coffey made a nice play to start a 1-6-3 in the eighth.

Rick Ankiel was given a nice ovation by Cardinals fans in his first at bat.  He and Espinosa both had stolen bases.

Bryce Harper went 0-for-2 and had a ball fall between him and Espinosa at second.  Harper called Espinosa off though the second baseman was camped under it.

***Quotes for this story were used from published reports.

BULLET-POINT STYLE!

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  Congratulations to 1B Tyler Moore and OF Randolph Oduber for winning MVP honors in their respective leagues.  Moore won the Carolina League MVP, finishing first in that league in homers, RBIs, doubles and extra-base hits.  Moore's 75 XBHs were second in all of minor league baseball.  Oduber won th Gulf Coast League MVP.  He led that league in average (.366), slugging (.569) and OPS (1.002).  Oduber was a 32nd round pick in this year's draft.
  
  
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  Stephen Strasburg undergoes his ligament replacement surgery today, under the direction of Dr. Lewis Yocum in CA.  Nats team doctors will assist.  Best wishes to Strasburg and his family today.
  
  
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  We should hear about any suspensions for Wednesday night's brawl before game time today.  My guess?  Morgan gets 10 games, Volstad gets 10 games, Edwin Rodriguez and Jim Riggleman both get two games, Slaten and Veras both get two games, and Listach gets 3 games.  MLB comes down hard on coaches who get involved in brawls other than playing peacekeeper.
  
  
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  Ross Detwiler went five innings for Syracuse last night.  He gave up three runs -- just one earned -- on five hits.  The lefty walked one and struck out two.  He threw 56 pitches, 39 for strikes.  Garrett Mock goes for the Chiefs tonight.
  
  
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  Finally, Nats News Network will be making the road trip to Pittsburgh this weekend for the games Saturday and Sunday.  We'll be saying hi to anyone wearing the Curly W!

Almost any time someone from the Nationals talks about the rest of the season, they mention the reinforcements coming -- specifically the return of injured starting pitching.  But just how realistic is it that any of the pitchers currently on the disabled list will actually contribute meaningfully this season?

Ross Detwiler:  Detwiler is recovering from hip surgery and is probably the closest to returning to the Nationals.  He was on a rehab assisgnment in Potomac and Harriburg, and last week was activated from the MLB DL and assigned to Harrisburg.  In three games, Detwiler has a sparkling ERA (0.84) but is putting a lot of runners on base (1.594). 

He went six innings his last time out, and officials have described his time in the minors as his "spring training", in order to build his arm strength up.  He could return to the rotation at any time once the team is comfortable that his arm is game ready.  In 15 games last season, Detwiler went 1-6 with a 5.00 ERA and 1.586 WHIP.

FORECAST:  Detwiler will return to the MLB rotation mid-July.

Jordan Zimmerman:  Zimmermann underwent Tommy John surgery and has speadily progressed in his rehab, to the point that the team has slowed him down on occasion, and he has not met any setbacks that are common with TJ rehabs.  He has thrown a couple of simulated games at Nationals Park and is set for his first rehab assignment, this Saturday in Woodbridge for the P-Nats.  He is expected to throw two innings.

He's had good velocity in his simulated games, but the Nats are going to be very cautious with Zimmermann, who they envision to be the No. 2 starter behind Stephen Strasburg in 2011.

FORECAST:  If things progress smoothly through his rehab starts, Zimmermann could make a couple of MLB starts in September.

Chien-Ming Wang:  Wang has been slow to recover from his shoulder surgery, with GM Mike Rizzo describing it to the Washington Post the other day as more of a "football injury".  Regardless, Wang hasn't had any real setbacks, per se, just that his recovery has been slow.

He's been throwing live BP at extended spring training in Viera, FL and is schedueld to throw 45 pitches of live BP tomorrow.  There is no timetable on his return to action of any kind, including a rehab assignment.

FORECAST:  I'll be surprised if Wang makes an appearance for the Nats this season.  I was intrigued by this signing, hoping that Wang could return to the form that made him a two-time 19-game winner for the Yankees.  But every time he is talked about by Nats officials, the plan gets moved back a little bit more.

Jason Marquis:  Marquis played catch in the outfield from 90 feet on the last homestand, and has since returned to his off-season home in New York and the team's facilities in Florida to continue his rehab.

After he has his surgery, the Nats put an August timetable on his return, but considering we're at July 1 and he hasn't thrown from a mound yet, that looks doubtful.

FORECAST:  The first year of Marquis' contract is full-bust.  He might get an appearance or two in September, but significant progess needs to be made in the next couple of weeks or even that is in jeopardy.

Garrett Mock:  Mock was sent to the minors after one start, then discovered a nerve injury in his neck that caused tension in his shoulder.  He had corrective surgery, and had been throwing as late as mid-May.  But considering the dearth of information about Mock's injury and lack of a timeline from team officials, it's hard to be enthusiastic about a return to the majors this year.

FORECAST:  Mock will resurface later this summer and spend the rest of the season in the minors.  Even when he does get healthy, Detwiler, Luis Atilano, Matt Chico and others have stepped in front of him for now.

Scott Olsen:  Olsen went on the DL May 22 with tightness and weakness in his surgically repaired shoulder.  He was undergoing therapy and actually threw 33 pitches in a bullpen session in early June.  But Olsen experienced soreness the next day and was again shut down.

He was sent back to extended spring training in Viera and as of June 22 had just started a throwing program.

FORECAST:  Olsen doens't throw another pitch for the Nationals this season.

John Lannan:  I saved the most frustrating for last.  Lannan, expected to be a major part of the Nationals pitching staff this season, was ceremoniously dumped to Double-A Harrisburg last week after three consecutive miserable starts where he allowed 10+ hits in less than five innings.  He did have a stretch of four games earlier this season where he gave up two earned runs or less in each.

Lannan has had two starts now for the Senators.  His first was sparkling, giving up just one run on four hits in seven innings.  Last night, however, Lannan was rocked for six earned runs on 10 hits and three walks in five innings.  In Double-A. 

Lannan insists that the soreness he had in his elbow, which caused him to miss a start earlier this season, is not troubling him.  Yet, he is confounded why his sinker does not have the life on it that causes him to generate weakly hit grounders.

He does not strike anyone out, and his K rates have gotten worse every year in the bigs, leading Fangraphs to call Lannan the Luckiest Man in Baseball.  This year his walk rates have gone up in addition.

FORECAST:  If Lannan does not have a physical problem, then he really needs to figure out why he can pitch well one game and get hammered the next.  Still, I think we'll see Lannan get his troubles figured out and return to the rotation by August 1.

According to Nationals Insider, the Washington Nationals have sent RHP Garrett Mock to Triple-A Syracuse to open a roster space for today's starter, veteran Livan Hernandez.

Additionally, Mike Morse, who strained a calf muscle making a routine catch against Philadelphia Thursday in right field, was placed on the 15-day DL, and OF Roger Bernadina was recalled from Syracuse.

Mock disappointed the Nationals brass by pitching poorly in his first start of the season.  With a spot in the rotation seemingly his to lose, he did not pitch very well as spring training rolled on, and that trend continued Thursday, as he was roughed up by the Mets.

Despite his early season proclimation that he would go after hitters and be a more agressive pitcher, Mock walked five in his outing Thursday night in three and one-third innings.  He also gave up four hits, including two home runs.

Per league rules, Mock must spend 10 days in Triple-A after his option, unless the team sustains a DL injury.  The Nats don't need another starter until next weekend, but it won't be Mock.

Morse was in obvious discomfort trying to run out a ground ball pinch-hitting in yesterday's game, and the move to put him on the DL after sustaining what was originally described as a minor thing is not a surprise.

Bernadina was one of the last cuts this spring, and he'd gotten off to a quick start for Syracuse (6-for-15 with a homer and two stolen bases) in three games.

Henandez makes his season debut today against Johan Santana and the Mets.

The Nats will be without Ryan Zimmerman, who tweaked his left hamstring in yesterday's 4-3, coming out of the game inthe sixth inning.  Adam Kennedy will start at thrid base with Cristian Guzman manning second base.

by Anthony Amobi, Staff Writer

After a close, but satisfying, win against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday afternoon, the Washington Nationals headed up to the Big Apple – well, borough of Queens – to face their divisional rival, the New York Mets in a weekend series.

The first contest in the three game set started out close; however, the Mets used the long ball late against a shaky Nationals bullpen to earn the win Friday night, 8-2.

Washington’s pitching decided the outcome and the result was not good – especially against a New York team notorious for their lack of power.

The Mets would use four homers – two solo shots from Rod Barajas, plus two from Jeff Francoeur – for their second win on the young season. As well, they would muster twelve hits in a game that lacked any drama on a cool, windy evening.

The Nationals started off strong and took a quick 2-0 lead off Ian Desmond’s two-run triple that plated Adam Dunn and Ivan Rodriguez in the second inning; however, they would quickly have their offense zapped by the Mets’ pitching.

Sadly, Washington would only muster four hits on the night.

Mike Pelfrey (1-0), started the game for New York. Although he looked a tad shaky to start off, he settled in and kept Washington at bay after the second inning. He’d go six innings, give up two earned runs, strike and walk four.

Meanwhile, Garret Mock – who was a surprise addition out of camp in Spring Training – started on the mound for Washington and ran into trouble. He would last only three and one-third innings and give up only two runs.  He threw an astounding 84 pitches (44 for strikes) and seemingly had no command of his pitches. Mock would surrender four hits, strike out three and walk five.

With the number of pitchers in Washington’s minor league system, plus with highly touted prospects Drew Storen and Stephen Strasburg in the wings, the leash on Mock will be short if he doesn’t pick it up in the next few weeks.

The Mets got on the board in the bottom of the second inning as Jeff Francoeur took Mock deep with a solo homer. They would tie the game at two off a solo shot by Rod Barajas.

Barajas would strike again in the sixth with inning another solo homer to put the Mets up 3-2 off National reliever Miguel Batista (L, 0-1).

New York would tag Washington in the seventh inning for three more runs as Fernando Tatis singled in a run and then Francoeur would hit his second homer of the game – a two-run shot. All the runs in the frame were courtesy of relief pitcher Jason Bergmann, who was disappointing once again.

The Mets added another two more runs in the eighth inning to make the score 8-2 on an Alex Cora RBI-single followed by a David Wright infield single that plated Angel Pagan off reliever Tyler Walker.

The two teams will meet up again on Saturday at Citi Field. The game time is at 1:05pm.

The Good: Not much. Ian Desmond does have a potent bat and drove in the only two runs of the game.

Ivan Rodriguez was 2-for-4 and is off to a good start this season with a .462 average.

The Bad: The pitching. Every arm in the game gave up a run. Not good. We’ll assume that the names on the pitching staff with change somewhat as the season goes along.

Washington’s offense didn’t do much as the triumvirate of Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn, and Josh Willingham went 1-for-9. Dunn did walk twice and score a run.

Also, the Nationals were only 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

The Nationals today sent J.D. Martin down to Triple-A, reducing the number of pitchers competing for the final spot in the rotation to two: Scott Olsen and Garrett Mock.

The spring training roster is down to 36.  Final cuts have to be made by Sunday evening.

Mock walked five yesterday in his latest appearance and was knocked around quite a bit, giving up seven hits and the five walks for six runs (five earned) over four and two-thirds innings. He struck out three.

Olsen is scheduled to start on Friday against Boston in his last chance to secure the roster spot. He was mildly effective in his last start, but still has not topped 86-87 MPH with his fastball. He may be "healthy", but also might not have enough arm strength built up to be a contributing member of a MLB rotation.

Today is the deadline the Nats have to release him or be on the hook for his entire 2010 salary of $1 million. So if the axe doesn't fall on Olsen today, he'll remain with the organization in some capacity.

A five-run fifth inning against two pitchers did the Washington Nationals in today as they lost another spring training game to the Florida Marlins, 9-5, at Roger Dean Stadium in Juptier, FL before 3,751.

Garrett Mock and Jason Bergmann allowed eight straight batters to reach in the decisive inning.  Bergmann allowed the first five batters he faced in the appearance to reach until he finally registered the last out of the inning.

Mock likely pitched his way of a rotation spot today.  All but assured of the No. 3 spot in the rotation as recently as last week, a poor outing against some Houston minor leaguers last week and today's bad performance might be enough to open the door for 86-MPH throwing Scott Olsen to sneak back in.

Bergmann didnt do himself any favors, either, giving up five hits while getting just one out.  His spring ERA is 6.23.

The Daily Guz:  Cristian Guzman had the opportunity twice today to prove to the organization that his surgically repaired right shoulder was sound, and he failed on both occasions.

He had a throw to the plate that was described as "weak" by the Florida announcing crew, and had another throw from the hole that didn't have enough gas to get Chris Coghlan out at first base.  Guzman also fumbled a grounder for his second scored error of the spring.

He also went 1-for-4, a run-scoring triple.  And he made his first appearance at second base, sliding over in the eighth inning when Eric Bruntlett came into the game.  He did not handle a chance at second.

WINNERS AND LOSERS

Winner:  Jesse English.  For a kid that's never pitched above Double-A, he might just make this team.  Another scoreless inning, striking out the side.  That's something the Nats just don't have a whole lot of, especailly in the pen.

Loser:  Bergmann.  He's looked terrible threeof his last four outings.  He's out of options, so he might be pitching for his job the next couple times out.

Winner:  Tyler Clippard.  Perfect inning.

Loser:  Garrett Mock.  4.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 3 K.  The walks, which he had avoided so weel so far this spring, really hurt him today.

Winner:  Mike Morse.  3-for-4 with two runs.

Loser:  Nyjer Morgan.  0-for-4, spring average at .235.

Winner:  Ryan Zimmerman.  1-for-3 with a double.

Loser:  Willy Taveras.  0-for-3 with a strikeout.

As is tradition, the Washington Nationals just can't beat the Florida Marlins.  Today's spring training game was no exception, as the Fish beat the Nats 5-3 before 4,237 at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, FL.

Today's biggest news, of course, was the assignment of last year's twin first round draft picks, Stephen Strasburg and Drew Storen, to minor league camp. 

Both players aren't expected to be long for the minors, as they just need some seasoning, and of course, reach the point where they will no longer qualify for "Super Two" status, and should join the big league club around Memorial Day.

But there was a game played today, and it was important to several players, including starting pitcher Garrett Mock.  Mock was the first Nat pitcher to go five innings, and he was relatively effective again today. 

He got into some hot water in the second inning, walking catcher John Baker befor egiving up a two-run blast to Marlins 1B Gaby Sanchez.  Mock was "visibly upset" according to radio play-by-play announcer Dave Jaegler, and the Jaegler opined it was more for the walk than the homer.

Mock settled down after that, though, and completed another steady, if unspectacular performance.

The Nats play tomorrow at 1:05 pm against the Marlins in Jupiter.

WINNERS AND LOSERS:

Winner:  Garrett Mock.  5 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K.  Solid if unspectacular.  Mock has probably moved past Olsen on the depth chart at this point.

Loser:  Shairon Martis.  2 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 0 K.  Martis needed to do something specialto stick around in camp, and he just didn't do it.  He'll probably be inthe next round of cuts.

Winner:  Tyler Walker and Drew Storen.  Both pitched hitless, socreless innings with no walks and a strikeout.

Loser:  Cristian Guzman.  He went 1-for-3 at bat, but had a throwing error, pulling Adam Dunn off the bag, in just the type of play the Nats waned to see him make:  a tough ball in the hole.  He did not make a strong throw, and it could be an indication that his shoulder doesn't have enough strength to start the season.

Oh, and he was caught stealing, too.

Winner:  Ryan Zimmerman.  2-for-3 with another double.  He's hitting .438 this spring.

Loser:  Mike Morse.  1-for-4 and ground into inning-ending double play.

So as the Nats faithful wait patiently for Strasburg and Storen to reach D.C., they can now spend their spring travelling around PA and MD watching the tandem pitch in the minor leagues.  Harrisburg, Altoona, Bowie; here we come!

"[The Nats] were up there swinging, not many foul balls today." -- John Maine, Mets starter on the Nats' effort, Sept. 20, 2009.

THE RESULTS: The Washington Nationals lost a pair of games to the New York Mets over the weekend, following Friday night's victory. The Nats now own a record of 51-98, and are seven games behind Pittsburgh in the loss column for the worst record in the major leagues.

D.C. only scored four runs in the two weekend games.

Saturday they went down 3-2 to old teammate Tim Redding. Washington managed just five hits off Redding and three relievers. The Mets' starter went seven innings, allowing just two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks, striking out four. Sean Green, Pedro Feliciano and Francisco Rodriguez combined for two more scoreless innings.

John Lannan put up a good fight, giving up three earned in seven innings, on five hits and one walk. He struck out three. But it wasn't enough, as the Nats seemed disinterested in even making Redding work for his outs. Redding tossed just 98 pitches in his seven frames.

Interim manager Jim Riggleman started Ian Desmond, normally a shortstop, in right field, and he paid for it. Desmond misplayed a line drive right at him that flew over his head for a David Wright double to start a two-run rally in the bottom of the seventh. Jeff Francoeur followed with a double, scoring Wright. Francoeur scored later on an error at first by Adam Dunn.

"If I had it to do over, I might not send him out there in that inning," Washington manager Jim Riggleman said. "It was a risk. It backfired."

It was more of the same on Sunday.

Five more Mets starters gave up just five hits in a 6-2 win for John Maine, injured most of the season, allowing him to register his first win since May. It was his second start since being activated from the D.L.

Maine (W, 6-5, 4.13) threw 70 pitches in his five innings of shutout ball and Daniel Murphy had two RBI in loss No. 98 for the Nats this season.

"It was just a lackluster performance," Riggleman said. "We can't have that. That's not acceptable. You just can't play with a lack of intensity at this point because it'll show up."

Nationals starter Garrett Mock (L, 3-9, 5.83) allowed four runs and nine hits in seven innings, dropping to 0-4 with a 7.00 ERA in five starts since his last win on Aug. 25 at Wrigley Field.

No D.C. hitter had more than one hit or reached base more than once.

THE TAKEAWAY: Riggleman, and rightfully so, was grilled by the blogs for starting Desmond in right field Saturday, stating a desire to get Pete Orr more at bats. It's bad enough that when Riggleman manages to put Desmond in the lineup, it's usually at second base, keeping veteran Cristian Guzman at shortstop.

But it's indefensible that the field manager is making a legitimate prospect (at least what passes for one with the Nationals) bounce around from position-to-position in deference to a completely replaceable fill-in part who spent most of his season in the minor leagues.

Here's what Riggleman said about Sunday's game:

"We just were flat, and that's not acceptable. We got down a run, and it was almost as if, 'Well, let's see what we can do here to get through it.' You know, I just wasn't pleased with the overall intensity of the game. The thing is, the other guy was throwing a pretty good ballgame; good pitching will make you look flat. But we can't allow that to happen. We've got a lot of guys on this ballclub that are fighting to make an impression for the future, and so I just reminded them that these last couple weeks count. You can't play with a lack of energy. If you do, it's gonna show up in somebody's mind who's gonna be making a decision about your future."

Riggleman is the type to over-praise the opponent when his team fails, a defense mechanism to say to fans, "Look, we're trying but our opponent just beat us." He even does it in the above quote, even when he is publicly calling his players out. It's the field manager's responsibility to make sure his players are playing hard.

All the folks who publicly called for Manny Acta's head earlier this season always cited that he never 'lost the team' and that the team played hard for him regardless of the outcome. That same can't be said about the interim manager, apparently.

THE GOOD: Lannan's start Saturday was good. There was nothing notably good on Sunday.

THE BAD: Zach Segovia. He's fairly proving that being successful at Triple-A isn't necessarily a recipe for being successful in the bigs. Sunday he gave up two earned in two-thirds on an inning. He has given up six earned runs in three innings of work, an ERA of 18.00.

THE UGLY: The hitters were 10-for 63 (.159) with just four walks in the two games.

NEXT GAME: Nats are thankfully off today. They face the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday at 7:05 for the start of the last homestand of the season, with nine games against the Dodgers, Braves and Mets, before finishing on the road versus Atlanta.

"We had a lot of chances. We just could not get the big hit. It was a combination of they made their pitches at the right time and the bullpen threw six innings of one-run ball." -- Nationals interim manager Jim Riggleman, Sept 4, 2009.

BOX SCORE AND RECAP

THE RESULT: The Washington Nationals managed to come back from two four-run deficits, but never could overtake the Florida Marlins, eventually falling 9-6 -- for their seventh straight defeat -- before a small, but vocal crowd of 16,364.

Garrett Mock (L, 3-7, 5.63) was ineffective in his three innings. He gave up six earned runs on seven hits and three walks, giving up two home runs -- to cleanup hitter Jorge Cantu and backup catcher John Baker.

The Nats had plenty of offense early themselves, getting three extra base hits among the seven given up by Marlins starter Sean West. Ryan Zimmerman and Alberto Gonzalez both had RBI triples, and Josh Willingham hit his 22nd home run of the season.

But Burke Badenhop (W, 6-4, 3.84) shut the Nats down and out, giving up just one hit and one walk in his three innings.

THE TAKEAWAY: This could have been a different game had Josh Bard been able to get a hit in either of the bases-loaded situations he had. He went 0-for-5 on the night with three strikeouts, and a whopping 10 men left on base.

The Nats left 11 men on as a team.

THE GOOD: Five hitters had two or more hits apiece. Just a shame they couldn't connect with the bases loaded.

THE BAD: Cristian Guzman. 0-for-5 in the two-hole.

THE UGLY: Bard. Very simply, he didn't come through tonight. You have these nights. The Nats have a lot of them.

NEXT GAME: Saturday at 7:05 pm. Livan Hernandez (7-9, 5.26) versus Cy Young candidate Josh Johnson (13-4, 3.08).

NOTES: The Nationals added LHP Victor Garate to the roster before Friday's game. Garate was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers to complete an Aug. 30 trade for IF Ronnie Belliard.

Washington also activated C Jesus Flores from the 15-day disabled list, but he is still strengthening a right shoulder injury and will initially be limited to pinch-hitting duties.

NATS LOSE TWO STARTERS: Craig Stammen, who was scheduled to start tonight, but was scratched with elbow soreness, will undergo surgery on Sunday to remove a bone spur. Team physician Dr. Wiemi Douoguih will perform the surgery and Stammen will miss the remainder of the season.

Collin Balester has a intercostal strain of his left side. The Nationals have decided to shut him down for the remainder of the season as well.

"The pitch that is just absolutely going to cost me some sleep tonight." -- Garrett Mock, on the 3-2 pitch that Albert Pujols lined to center for the game-winning RBI.

BOX SCORE AND GAME RECAP.

THE RESULT: Albert Pujols hit a go-ahead single in the sixth inning, making a winner out of Adam Wainright for the 16th time this season, as Garrett Mock and the Washington Nationals fell to the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-1, completing a three-game sweep, before 41,083 at new Busch Stadium.

Mock (L, 3-6, 5.01) was excellent, as he gave up just two earned runs on four hits and one walk over six innings, striking out five. Tyler Clippard, Sean Burnett and Mike MacDougal kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard as well.

But Wainwright (W, 16-7, 2.47) was a little bit better. He allowed one earned run on three hits and three walks, striking out seven. Three relievers threw one-hit ball for three innings to shut down any chance of the Nats tying the game.

After the game, the Nationals traded 2B Ronnie Belliard to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league pitcher Luis Garcia and a player to be named later, expected to be another minor league pitcher. The team then recalled OF Justin Maxwell from Triple-A Syracuse to replace Belliard on the active roster.

Garcia, 22, is a right handed reliever, and was 5-3 with five saves for the Dodgers Single-A affiliate, with a 2.92 ERA and 3.67 K/BB rate in 2009. In 78 career minor league games over four season, Garcia is 13-4 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.353 WHIP.

THE TAKEAWAY: Mock is turning into a pitcher before our very eyes. In his last six starts, he's given up more than two earned runs just once. He's struck out five or more in each of his last five starts.

He is 3-2 in August and his ERA for the month is 3.31 with 33 strikeouts in 32.2 IP.

THE GOOD: Mock. A sac fly and hit-and-run were the only plays that resulted in runs scored for the slugging Cardinals.

THE BAD: Whoa, where was the offense? Wainwright is having a tremendous season, and he completely dominated the Nats on Sunday.

THE UGLY: The loss drops the Nats road record to 19-46, and 14-21 in one-run games.

NEXT GAME: Washington (46-85) ventures to San Diego (56-76) for a three-game set with the Padres. Livan Hernandez (7-8, 5.36) makes his second start for the Nats since being picked up as a free agent against Tim Stuffer (2-6, 4.11) at 10:05 pm ET.

"Elijah is a work in progress. .... When he can start laying off the ones low and away that aren't strikes, he's going to be a real force in this league." -- Jim Riggleman, Aug. 25, 2009.

THE RESULT: For the second straight day, the Washington Nationals participated in a six-run inning. But Tuesday, they were on the proper end of things, as the Nats sent nine men to the plate in the fifth inning, including Elijah Dukes' first career grand slam, in a 15-6 drubbing of the Chicago Cubs, before 37,297 int he friendly confines of Wrigley Field.

Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano certainly helped the Nats' cause in the pivotal frame. He issued two walks and hit a batter during the rally, as the Nats scored six runs on just three hits, including the granny.

After the game, the Nationals announced that they had signed RHP Livan Hernandez, recently waived by the New York Mets, and scheduled him to start Wednesday's game.

The team optioned struggling Collin Balester to Triple-A Syracuse, and transferred Dmitri Young to the 60-day DL, to make room for Hernandez, the Nationals leader in wins since the team moved to D.C., on the active and 40-man rosters.

Dukes was understandably excited about it after the game. "I love scoring those guys that get on base and hitting the ball well. RBIs mean a lot to me," he said. "It's not about the average and the home runs, it's getting those RBIs."

Ryan Zimmerman and Josh Willingham both drove in runs during the inning.

Willingham homered twice in the game, and finished the night 4-for-4 with five runs and six RBIs. Dukes went 2-for-3 with a run and five RBIs. Wil Nieves chipped in with three RBIs, hitting in the eighth slot in the order.

The 14-hit attack made a winner out of Garrett Mock (3-5, 5.23). He went five and tow thirds innings, and surrendered four earned runs, on seven hits and two walks. It was not a stellar performance, but he did strike out six, and kept the Cubs down enough as the Nationals batters kept pounding away.

Tyler Clippard and Saul Rivera each gave up a run in relief, but the outcome was pretty much decided before they entered the game.

Zambrano (L, 7-5, 3.80), making his first start since coming off the DL, was better at the plate than on the hill. He hit his fourth home run of the season to go along with his .245 average, but was beaten up on the mound. He went four and one-third, allowing eight earned runs on seven hits, three walks and hit one batter.

"There was nothing wrong," he said. "I made a lot of mistakes. They came ready today. I didn't do my job."

THE TAKEAWAY: Dukes has struggled a bit since his return from minor league exile, but certainly has had flashes of the immense talent he possesses. He had a week earlier where he drove in 10 runs in four days, and last night's explosion give him 51 RBIs in just 261 at bats.

He was extremely hot down the stretch last season, too. Let's see what he does the next five weeks.

THE GOOD: The return of the offense. Willingham's two, Dukes' granny, even Nieves getting in on the show. Everyone is a hitter when the wind is blowing out to center at Wrigley!

THE BAD: Willie Harris. The only starter without a hit.

THE UGLY: Yet ANOTHER botched suicide squeeze. That's three in three weeks. For the love of the game, Riggs, give it up.

NEXT GAME: Toinght at 8:05 pm ET. Livan Hernandez (7-8, 5.47) makes his 2009 Nats debut against Rich Harden (8-7, 4.04).

"[Blogs] are clearly a presence on the Web, which is clearly a presence in our lives. They are out there doing things. I think we're all better served when they have as much good information as they can have." -- Stan Kasten, on the benefit of team access to bloggers, August 23, 2009.

THE RESULT: The Washington Nationals broke a five-game losing streak, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 8-3, before 21,484 on a beautiful sunshiny Sunday at Nationals Park.

The Nats got early home runs from Cristian Guzman, Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn, and solid pitching from Craig Stammen (W, 4-6, 5.08) to notch their 44th victory -- against 80 losses -- this season.

Not included in the attendance totals were 16 members of the Natosphere, invited by the team to cover the Nats on the second "Blogger's Day" this season not from the stands, but from the press box.

As in the first Blogger's Day, the Nats Baseball Media Relations department had a scheduled itinerary for the event, then the Internet writers and bloggers were invited to cover the game from the press box. Team president Stan Kasten offered the use of his suite in the press box, now affectionately nicknamed the "Blogger's Suite", for the event, "the first of its kind," Kasten quipped.

The event kicked off in the main press conference room in the bowels of Nationals Park. Manager Jim Riggleman kept the stage after the official press conference finished up, and he took questions from the invited Internet writers and bloggers as he did minutes earlier from the press corps.

What Riggleman said (though his answers to a question regarding his handling of Kerry Wood when he was manager of the Cubs was particularly instructive) wasn't as important as how he said it. Rightfully so, he treated the meeting with the same professionalism as he did when addressing the assembled media. The questions were pointed -- but professional -- and at some points more pointed than what the regular press would pose, since they have closer access on a daily basis.

If this was going to be some of these folks' only shot at interviewing a major league manager, they weren't going to pull the punches for the opportunity.

When the skipper left to go back into the clubhouse (one place the bloggers and Internet writers were not invited), members of the Game Operations staff briefed the bloggers and took questions, centered -- not surprisingly -- on the Racing Presidents mascots. No, the race outcomes aren't scripted, per se, but simply "bullet-pointed", implied Tom Davis, manager of field entertainment.

At that point, outfielder Josh Willingham and pitchers Garrett Mock and Collin Balester, himself a blogger, came into the press room to take questions. All three were earnest and frank. While some of the questions they fielded were more appropriate for management, they all provided some genuine insight into what makes a major league player.

Next on the agenda was one of the team's Principal Owners, and director of the Nationals' Dream Foundation, Marla Lerner Tanenbaum, who discussed the Foundation's goals, and the impact of the economy on the charity works. The Foundation supports three fundamental goals: the Nationals' youth baseball academy, the pediatric diabetes center at Children's Hospital, and their "Neighborhood Initiatives", supporting the community local to the ballpark.

While grateful that donations to the Foundation were consistent through the rough economy, requests for assistance were up, putting a strain on the amount of projects they could take. Also, the completion of the baseball academy and the diabetes center were -- predictably and unfortunately -- caught up in government red tape, but moving forward.

Assistant Director of Player Development, Mark Scialabba, followed. In what was perhaps the most spirited discussion of the day, Scialabba was peppered with questions about players on all levels of the minor league system. Some of the names discussed were Steven Strasburg (naturally), Drew Storen, Chris Marrerro, Derek Morris, and the quintet of Dominican players recently signed.

Nats Farm Authority also tried to get Scialabba to spill the beans about which players are going to be sent to the Arizona Fall League and the Florida Instructional League. While the names were not revealed, promises that they were "coming soon" and that it would be the "most exciting group" the Nats have sent to the AFL got the group pumped up.

Everyone then headed up to the media center, where we set up shop in the "Blogger's Suite" and grabbed lunch in the press dining area.

At 1:00 pm, Kasten and newly-appointed Senior Vice-President and General Manger Mike Rizzo gave quick remarks, then took questions for about a half hour. No subject was off limits: player news, injury updates, planning for next season, free agency possibilities, the minor league system and many other topics were discussed thoroughly.

The juciest piece of info we got was the repeated message that the team would indeed be pursuing a veteran starting pitcher to help solidify the Nats young rotation. Kasten remarked that it would not be a "Sabathia-type", but a veteran that could help stabilize a rotation full of youngsters still learning how to pitch at the major league level.

Both Kasten and Rizzo espoused the "grow arms, buy bats" theory that Andy MacPhail, G.M. of the Baltimore Orioles, so eloquently phrased.

After the game started, Kasten returned to the box and "hung out" for an inning. He was engaging, personable and relaxed -- maybe for the first time in a while -- considering the events of the last several weeks. It was an interesting conversation with long-time executive who has literally done it all in professional sports.

To cap it off, the Nats pounded Manny Parra and the Brewers!

THE TAKEAWAY: Representatives from Nats News Network, DC Sports Box, Federal Baseball, FJB, Just a Nats Fan, Nationals Review, Nats Fanboy Looser, Nats Farm Authority, Nationals Pride, Nats 320 and Nationals Inquisition were in attendance. It was a good cross-section of the diverse and widely varied blogs and websites dedicated to covering the Washington Nationals.

Mike Gazda, Director of Baseball Media Relations, was our host, along with John Dever, Senior Director of the department, and Bill Gluvna, Coordinator.

"I don't know if we've gone too far or we haven't gone far enough," Kasten said. "All of us in sports are learning, feeling our way through these developments. A year ago we didn't do things like this. A year from now we'll probably have a better fix on what's appropriate or what's not appropriate. We're trying to figure it out."

Kasten's remarks are not only pertinent to the Nationals, but all of baseball. MLB is notoriously protective of their intellectual property. With advances in technology and new media, baseball in general, and the Nats now in particular, are being forced to develop protocol for providing access to on-line journalists in some form or another.

Not all blogs or Internet writers need to have clubhouse access -- though some, including yours truly -- feel that our work can be much more complete and thorough if we had the same access that traditional media does.

The model works. The Washington Capitals credential more than a dozen independent online outlets -- again, including yours truly -- with press box, locker room and press conference access. The online coverage of the team is excellent, with several award-winning blogs counted in the contingent.

Several MLB teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, credential Internet writers as well.

But for most of the assembled blogs and Internet writers Sunday, "Blogger's Day" at the park, or events in similar structure, give them an opportunity to face the players, coaches, and management in person to get a better perspective of the team they passionately cover, and to get the information directly from the sources.

As important, the organization gets to meet and understand the people for whom that passion becomes displayed on the Internet, for all to see, read, digest and comment on.

An old TV ad used to say, "An educated consumer is our best customer." By providing bloggers and Internet writers access to the teams they cover, even on a semi-regular basis, the organization is helping to educate their most loyal and passionate customers.

Who, in turn, educate, enlighten and entertain the rest of the Nationals' fan base. It's only logical that the team would want to provide the necessary information for Internet writers to produce educated, informative and accurate content. As we saw last week, even the pros can get it wrong when they don't have personal access to the organization.

NOTES: Roger Bernadina, the speedy center fielder currently rehabbing a broken ankle, will miss the rest of the season, according to Rizzo. His ankle is not responding to running as the team had hoped, and he will not return to the playing field this season.

NEXT GAME: The Nats finish a four-game series with Milwaukee Monday afternoon at 4:35 pm. Collin Balester (1-3, 6.75) faces Yovanni Gallardo (11-10, 3.56).

All photos 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"I don't know how Dougie [Eddings, the second base umpire] saw that play out there. I guess he was eating his carrots today." -- Nyjer Morgan, on the reversal of a strikeout in the fifth inning.

THE RESULT: Second base umpire Doug Eddings overruled home plate umpire Hunter Wendlestadt, turning a strikeout by Garrett Mock into a foul ball. Carlos Gonzalez blooped the next pitch down the left field line for a double, the Colorado Rockies scored two, two-out runs, and defeated the Washington Nationals 4-1, before 18,036 sweaty Nats fans.

Gonzalez tipped a 1-2 pitch from Mock, and Wendelstadt ruled that catcher Josh Bard caught it for strike three. As the Nats were jogging off field, Eddings called everyone back, ruling from his double-play position that the ball skipped in the dirt before Bard caught it, making it a routine foul ball, do the dismay of manager Jim Riggleman, who argued vociferously to no avail.

There could have been no resolution other than the run-scoring hit on the next pitch.

"When I got to second base, I asked the umpire," Gonzalez related, "and he said he could see the mark in the dirt."

"I think the umpire made the right call," Mock (L, 2-5, 5.10) said. "But regardless of whether he makes the right call or the wrong call, that's not for me to argue or get rattled about."

Colorado got its second run courtesy of Mock's wild pitch to the next batter.

Mock's day ended with the eventual conclusion of the fifth inning, after 91 pitches. He allowed just those two earned runs on three hits and two walks. He struck out eight in five innings.

For all the excitement, it was just a 2-0 deficit. But the Nats on this occasion bats could not get their starter off the hook.

Rockies starter Jason Hammel (W, 8-7, 4.54) was just as good as Mock. He went seven innings, and gave up just one earned run on three hits and two walks, striking out three.

Jason Bergmann, called upon in the eighth inning, couldn't hold the deficit to one run. He gave up two straight two-out hits to the middle of Colorado's order, resulting in a lead the Nats could not dent in their last two trips to the plate.

THE TAKEAWAY: Washington managed just four hits and two walks against the Colorado Thursday night, and the streaking Rockies find themselves just 3.5 games back of the Dodgers at this point.

Right or wrong, the Nationals probably see a lot of themselves in the way Colorado picked themselves up after dismissing former manager Clint Hurdle early in the season, replacing him with old-school manager Jim Tracy, much as the Nats have played better with Jim Riggleman of late.

Whether that improvement is resultant, coincidental, or just regression to the statistically probable, we don't know. One thing we do know is that under Riggleman, the Nats are one streaky team.

They have had winning streaks of four, eight and three games, and losing streaks of five, four, three since the all-star break and currently are stalled in a three-game losing streak.

THE GOOD: Sean Burnett. He went two and one-third innings of perfect relief, striking out three.

THE BAD: Jason Bergmann. He got one out and gave up two runs on two hits.

THE UGLY: Two more errors, one each on Elijah Dukes and Cristian Guzman.

NEXT GAME: The Nationals start a wraparound, four-game weekend series with the Milwaukee Brewers tonight at 7:05 pm at Nationals Park. J.D. Martin (2-2, 4.61) hosts Braden Looper (10-6, 5.03).

NOTES: Washington will introduce first overall draft pick Stephen Strasburg to the media and fans today at 2:00 pm at Nats Park. The Nats are offering $1 tickets to folks willing to go to the box office between noon and 2:00 pm today, and all fans are invited to the conference, a Q&A with team officials following, and watch the Nats batting practice from the stands.

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"I was looking for something middle-away. I knew that I hit it good, but this year, I've hit a lot of balls that stayed in." -- Wil Nieves, on his second career home run, August 14, 2009.

THE RESULTS: Ronnie Belliard and Wil "Who?" Nieves hit solo home runs, and Garrett Mock threw seven solid innings to lead the Washington Nationals over the Cincinnati Reds, 2-0, before 19,606 at Great American Ballpark.

Nieves finished 2-for-4, raising his average to .252 this season. It was the third time this season he's caught a shut out.

Mock (W, 2-4, 5.27) started off a little shaky in the first inning, walking the first batter he faced and throwing 20 pitches in the frame. but he settled down nicely from there, and he scattered six hits and four walks across seven innings. He also struck out six.

Mock threw 59 of his 101 pitches for strikes and recorded two ground ball outs and eight fly ball outs.

Jorge Sosa, Sean Burnett, Jason Bergmann and Mike MacDougal (12th save) finished the blanking of the Red Legs.

There was not much offense to be had, a recurring theme on this road trip that's already seen three losses in a row until last night's achievement. Aaron Harang (L, 6-14, 4.35) kept the Nats at bey most of the night. He gave up six hits and three walks in his seven innings, striking out six.

The two home runs were all the difference in the game.

"I can't make mistakes," Harang said. "The first pitch to Belliard was p. It was a slider that started outside and came back over the plate, and he recognized it. We've got a history."

Belliard is now 9-for-23 lifetime against Harang.

As for the homer to Nieves? "That was a fastball up and out of the zone, and he just got underneath it."

Nyjer Morgan preserved the shut out in the fifth inning, when he threw out Harang at the plate trying to score on a single from shortstop Paul Janish.

THE TAKEAWAY: Mock seems to be getting a little sharper each time out, which is the progress you want to see from a young pitcher. The rest of this season is dedicated to watching the young staff, what's left of it anyway, prove that they are part of the future and belong in the big leagues.

Mock did allow a bunch of base runners, but he escaped trouble whenever he found it. He punctuated the effort with a strikeout of the final batter he faced, rookie catcher Craig Tatum, with the bases loaded.

And props to the little guys, Belliard and Nieves. There were no bigger smiles on the night that Nieves' heading back to the dugout after hitting home plate.

THE GOOD: Wil Nieves. 2-for-4 with his second career home run.

THE BAD: Willie Harris. 0-for-4, six runners left on base.

THE UGLY: The need for Morgan's nice throw to the plate on Harang was a result of one of the uglier plays you'll see. Harang hit a humpback flare to left center, that any one of Morgan, Harris or Guzman could have caught. Instead, none of the three called for it, and it fell harmlessly not 10 feet from any of the three.

NEXT GAME: Saturday night at the Smallpark. J.D. Martin (1-2, 5.91) faces Johnny Cueto (8-9, 4.23) at 7:10 pm.

Garrett Mock gets the shaving cream pie compliments of John Lannan.
Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"Menthol -- sensitive skin." -- Garrett Mock, on the "flavor" of his shaving cream pie, on the occasion of his first win as a starter, August 8, 2009.

THE RESULT: The Washington Nationals, led by starting pitcher Garrett Mock and outfielder Josh Willingham, won their seventh consecutive game, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-2 before 24,551 satisfied Nats fans at Nationals Park. The Nats record is now 39-72.

The seven-game win streak is their first since Aug. 26-Sept. 1 of last season, and the longest since a 10-game streak in June 2005.

Mock (W, 1-4, 6.14) pitched six strong innings, allowing two earned runs -- on a foul pole home run by Mark Reynolds -- on just five hits and three walks, striking out seven D-backs along the way.

It's only the second time in eight major league starts Mock has completed six innings, and it's his first win as a starter, earning him a shaving cream pie in the face by staff ace John Lannan during the post-game interview.

After Reynolds hit the left field foul pole in the fourth inning for his 35th of the season, Willingham answered right back in the bottom of the frame.

Arizona's starter, All-Star Dan Haren, opened the inning by hitting Adam Dunn on an 0-1 pitch. Willingham looked at a strike, then took the next pitch for a line drive into the left field bleachers, retaking the lead, 3-2.

Willie Harris followed with a triple, and scored on Alberto Gonzalez' sacrifice fly.

Josh Bard added a home run in the sixth to close the scoring.

Haren (L, 11-7, 2.57) was not particularly sharp on the warm, muggy night. He gave up seven hits in six innings, surrendering all five earned runs, striking out just four.

Following the recipe of the previous wins in the streak, the Nats once again received tremendous relief pitching. Sean Burnett went two perfect innings and Jorge Sosa threw a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of the season, giving Mike MacDougal a much-needed night off, having pitched in four of the last six games.

Cristian Guzman extended his hitting streak to 14 games. Ryan Zimmerman upped his hitting streak to 12 games, and Adam Dunn took his streak to eight.

THE TAKEAWAY: Despite the humidity, both pitchers worked quickly and there was little offense after the fourth inning, as the game was completed in 2:12, one of the shortest games time-wise of the season.

Mock really needed this outing. It was his fifth, and surely most successful, start of this season. And it was his first start where he's had more strikeouts than innings pitched -- or hits, for that matter.

He threw 55 of his 97 pitches for strikes, and got six ground ball outs and four fly ball outs, to go along with the seven Ks.

THE GOOD: Garrett Mock. Unquestionably. A start to build upon.

THE BAD: Hmm. Every starter contributed to the offense. There were no errors. The pitching was quality. I can't find anything to complain about.

THE UGLY: "There was some concerning facts in our MRI when it was read by our team doctor," acting general manager Mike Rizzo said about the medical attention Jordan Zimmermann has received the last couple of days. The results of said MRI are on their way to the grim reaper of pitchers, Dr. James Andrews.

These are the words no Nats fan want to see associated with each other: James Andrews and Jordan Zimmermann's MRI.

The logical reason to send just the results to Andrews, and not Zimmermann himself for an evaluation, is to confirm their diagnosis that surgery is necessary, and Zimmermann will be lost for the rest of the season.

I hope I'm wrong.

NEXT GAME: Sunday afternoon in the expected blazing heat. J.D. Martin (0-2, 7.16) opposes Yusmeiro Petit (2-5, 5.81).

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"That's not always easy with nobody out and the bases loaded, but I was trying to get a strikeout there. Luckily, it was a chopper back to me, and we were able to turn two, which is way better." -- Tyler Clippard, on the 1-2-3 double play in the fifth inning.

THE RESULT: Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn homered, and Tyler Clippard threw three perfect innings in relief, including escaping a bases loaded, no out jam in the fifth inning, as the Washington Nationals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-4, earning a split of the four-game series, before 11,630 at PNC Park.

Clippard entered the game in the fifth with bases loaded and no outs, courtesy of a single and two walks allowed by starter Garrett Mock (4 IP, 2 ER, 7 hits, 4 BBs, 1 K, 1 HR). Clippard (W, 2-1, 2.52) induced a comeback ground ball from Delwyn Young, he calmly threw to Josh Bard at home to get the force, and Bard relayed to first to complete the double play.

Andy LaRoche then popped up to end the threat.

"That could have changed the game around," Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen said. "That was pretty much the biggest key for us, really. You figure you're getting one run from out of that inning and hope for two so you take a 5-0 lead."

The next inning, Cristian Guzman singled to right field to score Anderson Hernandez from second base, and Dunn hit a three-run home run (27) to take a 4-3 lead off Pirates starter Charlie Morton (L, 2-4, 4.03).

"I was kind of sitting on a pitch, and I got totally the opposite of what I was sitting on," Dunn said. "I have no idea how I hit it out. I just was late; that's why it went over there [left field]. By no means was it a good piece of hitting; it was very good pitching. If I'm not sitting on changeup and I'm sitting on fastball there, I probably pull it into a double play "

Zimmerman hit his 21st home run of the season in the seventh inning off reliever Jeff Karstens, a two-run shot that plated Guzman, who had tripled in Nyjer Morgan the previous at bat.

Elijah Dukes' RBI single two batters later capped the Nats scoring.

McCutcheon hit his fourth home run of the series and four Pirates had multi-hit games.

Mike MacDougal got one out in relief of a struggling Logan Kensing in the ninth inning for his eighth save of the season.

THE TAKEAWAY: The story of the game, despite the offensive fireworks, was Clippard. For the second time in a week, he entered the game early trailing, and pitched multiple outstanding innings, allowing his team a chance to get back in it.

He went three innings and did not give up a hit or a walk, and struck out two. His fastball-changeup combination had the young Pirates batters on their front foot in every at bat.

Mock struggled again, but after giving up three in the first inning, he fought back and stuck around until allowing the first three batters to reach in the fifth. He only threw 46 of his 87 pitches for strikes, and had trouble keeping the ball down all night.

But he avoided what could have been a disaster early on.

THE GOOD: Adam Dunn. 3-for-4 with a three-run home run and a double. He had trouble at first base with some routine plays that would have stood out much more in a loss, but he did what he gets paid to do last night.

THE BAD: Josh Bard. 0-for-5. Six men left on.

THE UGLY: Team defense. Three more errors, one apiece by Dunn and Belliard at first base and a throwing error by Dukes in right.

NEXT GAME: The team returns home for a three-game set with the Florida Marlins tonight. J.D. Martin (0-2, 7.50) faces Josh Johnson (10-2, 2.87) at 7:05 pm.

NOTES: Nick Johnson, traded last week at the non-waiver trade deadline, returns to Nationals Park to face his former teammates for the first time.