"Zim doing what Zim does. Coming through." -- Willie Harris, Sept. 6. 2009.

BOX SCORE AND RECAP

THE RESULT: Ryan Zimmerman's 28th home run of the season, in the bottom of the ninth inning, made winners of the Washington Nationals, defeating their nemesis, the Florida Marlins, 5-4, breaking an eight-game losing streak in the process, before 22,325 Nats fans on Labor Day Sunday.

Zimmerman's no-doubt-about-it shot fell close to the spot where he defeated the Atlanta Braves on the opening night of Nationals Park last season. The blast was two batters after Willie Harris hit a bomb to right to draw the Nats within one.

The Nationals were the beneficiaries of a strong start by J.D. Martin, on of the few "kid pitchers" still standing at the end of the season. He went six and two-thirds innings, and gave up six hits and two walks for two earned runs. He also struck out four, and made two outstanding defensive plays to help his cause.

There wasn't much offense in the game until the late innings. The Marlins held a 1-0 lead until the seventh, courtesy of a Hanley Ramirez solo home run.

But the Marlins scratched out a pair of singles against Martin in the seventh, and interim manager Jim Riggleman went for the lefty-lefty matchup of Ron Villone against rookie Chris Coghlan. Coghlan greeted Villone with a single to right field, plating Cameron Maybin and giving the Marlins what seemed like an insurmountable 2-0 cushion.

The Nats rally started in the eighth, as utilityman Mike Morse lined a single to center with two outs and the bases loaded. His hit scored Elijah Dukes and pinch-runner Jorge Padilla. The ball got away from the catcher, but there was confusion on the basepaths, and Morse was gunned out at second.

But old teammate Nick Johnson made things difficult for the Nats in the ninth inning. He laced a two-out, two-run single to pad the Marlins lead to 4-2 off closer Mike MacDougal (W, 1-0, 3.43).

With the lead, Florida called upon their current closer, Leo Nunez. But Harris took Nunez' first offering, a 94 MPH fastball, and sent it into the upper section above the Nats bullpen in right field, setting the stage for Zimmerman's dramatics.

THE TAKEAWAY: The Z-Man does it again. When this team gets good, it'll be handy to have an all-star with a flair for the dramatic!

THE GOOD: Elijah Dukes. He continued his current decent run by going 2-for-2 with a walk.

THE BAD: Villone. Brought in for the sole purpose of getting a rookie left-handed hitter out, he failed.

THE UGLY: Nothing really ugly in this one. Big Mac was shaky in the ninth, but it was his first rough outing in a while, as he'd only given up one earned run since the start of August.

NEXT GAME: Nats off today. Tuesday they welcome the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies at 7:05 pm. John Lannan (8-10, 4.09) hosts Pedro Martinez (3-0, 3.52).

"[Hernandez] threw a lot of pitches that were right around the plate that I think he generally would get people to swing at." -- Jim Riggleman, on the small strike zone in the first inning, Sept. 5, 2009.

BOX SCORE AND RECAP

THE RESULT: The Washington Nationals felt like they got the short end of the stick from the umpires all night long. Interim manager Jim Riggleman certainly thought first base umpire Andy Fletcher blew two calls, costing Nats base runners each time.

And starting pitcher Livan Hernandez did not receive any benefit from home plate umpire Tim McClelland, as he walked six and gave up eight base hits in his five innings. The end result was a 9-5 loss to the Florida Marlins, before 18,111 and about 100 dogs on "Pups in the Park" night.

© Cheryl Nichols 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Washington lost it's 90th game of the season against 46 wins. They've lost eight in a row, 15 of their last 18 and 18 of their last 24. It's D.C.'s longest losing streak since last August's 12-game loser. The Nats have been outscored 46-20 in the losing streak.

Riggleman came out to argue a close play at first early in the game, as Ryan Zimmerman ground into a 5-4-3 double play in the bottom of the first. Riggs gave it to Fletcher pretty good as Zimmerman calmly removed his batting gloves just past first base, to no avail.

Perhaps Riggleman was just taking his frustration out on the first base ump that should have been reserved for McClelland behind the plate.

Eight of Hernandez' first 10 pitches were called balls. Most of the pitches were just off the corner or hit catcher Wil Nieves' mitt where he called for it, only to be brushed aside by McClelland. The result was three runs in the inning on a double by Jorge Cantu and two-run single by Cody Ross.

Hernandez (L, 7-10, 5.44) left after five innings, trailing 6-1. He threw 107 pitches in his five innings. Victor Garate made his major league debut in the sixth, and was rudely greeted by pinch-hitter Brett Hayes, who hit his first major league home run.

© Cheryl Nichols 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Marlins starter Josh Johnson only went five innings as well, but his night was a little easier than Hernandez. The Cy Young candidate earned his 14th win against four losses, and lowered his ERA to 3.04. He gave up just two hits and one earned run, walking three and striking out just one.

THE TAKEAWAY: Gotta give the Nats credit: they did not quit. They scratched out three runs in the bottom of the seventh and got another one in the ninth. With players fighting for their opportunities, they kept swinging.

Wil Nieves singled up the middle with two on in the seventh, scoring Elijah Dukes, and Josh Bard pinch-hit a double that scored Pete Orr and Nieves.

In the ninth, Justin Maxwell (.139) doubled to deep left center, and his teammate in Syracuse for much of the season, Mike Morse, punched him in with a single.

THE GOOD: Adam Dunn. He went 2-for-4, the only Nat with multiple hits.

THE BAD: Ron Villone. He gave up a run in two-thirds of an inning late. In ended up inconsequential, but how can you mount a comeback if your relief pitchers keep giving up runs?

THE UGLY: Cristian Guzman. He went 0-for-4 with two men left on. He saw 11 pitches.

NEXT GAME: Sunday's matinee is the finale to the three-game set with Florida. J.D. Martin (3-4, 4.60) hosts Anibal Sanchez (2-6, 5.01) at 1:35 pm.

J.D. Martin delivers in his first major league win.
Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"We were outplayed. They beat us." -- Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch, August 9, 2009.

THE RESULTS: Adam Dunn hit his 30th home run of the season, Ryan Zimmerman added three hits, and Elijah Dukes drove in three as the Washington Nationals took a tight game and turned it into a laugher, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-2, for their eighth straight victory, the longest such winning streak since June 2005.

The Nats also registered their 40th win of the season, officially terminating my book deal.

On a miserably hot and humid day, J.D. Martin toiled for 86 pitches in five innings, notching his first major league victory, and earning a shaving cream pie in the face by "ace" John Lannan. It was the second consecutive day for such hijinks, as Garrett Mock got his Saturday for his first win as a starter in the bigs.

Martin (W, 1-2, 5.91) allowed just one run, a solo shot by Trent Oeltjen to lead off the game. He gave up five hits and a walk, and struck out just one. Martin got 10 fly ball outs compared to just three ground outs and threw 52 of his 86 pitches for strikes.

The bullpen once again got the job done, despite putting a few runners on base. Jorge Sosa notched his second save in as many days, pitching the last two and one-third innings.

D-backs starter Yusmeiro Petit (2-6, 5.87) took the loss.

Five Nats had multi-hit games, totalling 16 hits and four walks in all. The team scored nine runs, but also left 10 men on base. Zimmerman continued his hot streak, going 3-for-5 and scoring three times. He has now hit in 13 straight games and continues his stellar defense.

"You're confident -- no matter what part of the game it is," Zimmerman said. "It's a good feeling. It's contagious just like everything else."

Nyjer Morgan, Cristian Guzman, Elijah Dukes and Alberto Gonzalez each had two hits apiece in the attack.

Dunn's 30th in the first inning captured the lead for the Nats after Oeltjen's leadoff homer. "I knew we were capable of playing like this," Dunn said. "I wish we would have played this loose and had fun early in the year, and we wouldn't be how many games back."

THE TAKEAWAY: Winning eight games in a row certainly breeds confidence.

The big story from Sunday was the potential claiming of Cristian Guzman off waivers by the Boston Red Sox, as reported in Sunday's Boston Globe.

Should the Red Sox be awarded the waiver claim, the two teams would then have 48 hours to work out a deal, allow the Sox to just assume Guzman's contract, or the Nats can withdraw the waivers.

Guzman is owed $8 million next year on his contract, and that money could go a long way this off-season as the Nats look to get younger in their middle infield, or could go toward a veteran starting pitcher to stabilize a ridiculously young starting rotation.

THE GOOD: Elijah Dukes. He went 2-for-5 with three RBIs. Hes really producing out of the six-spot, driving in 10 runs in the three-game weekend series.

THE BAD: Ron Villone. He did not give up a run, but he tried. The 39-year old veteran gave up more hits (3) than outs registered (2).

THE UGLY: Arizona's defense. Second in the league in errors, the D-backs added three more to their total on Sunday. Sound familiar?

NEXT GAME: After playing 25 straight days, the Nationals mercifully get a day off Monday, as they travel to Atlanta for a two-game series. Games Tuesday and Wednesday are both at 7:10 pm.

Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch argues with first base umpire Jerry Crawford after being ejected.

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"When you win a few in a row, you get some confidence. You feel like you can win every single day." -- Ryan Zimmerman, August 7, 2009.

THE RESULT: The "Comeback Nats" did it again Friday night, spotting the Arizona Diamondbacks five runs in the first two innings, before staging yet another multi-run comeback, as the Washington Nationals won their sixth game in a row, a 7-6 decision before 22,674 extremely happy fans at Nationals Park.

As has been the recipe for this hottest of hot streaks this mostly-dismal season, the starter got beat up, Ryan Zimmerman and Josh Willingham powered the offense, and they got just enough defense at the end to seal the deal.

Friday night, they even got the benefit of a call that in June probably would have gone the other way.

After a 1-2-3 first inning, Collin Balester had a rough go of it in the second. He gave up three home runs in the frame for five runs. Mark Reynolds led off the inning with his 34th homer of the season. Balester then actually got two outs. But more trouble was right around the corner.

Josh Whitesell, a player Jim Bowden flat-out cut from the Nationals in 2007, hit his first major league home run, and after singles by Augie Ojeda (.249) and the pitcher, Jon Garland, leadoff man Stephen Drew hit a three-run shot that made things look bleak.

But these Nats, brimming with confidence of a five-game win streak, obviously thought nothing of a mere five-run deficit, as they came back from being down six just Thursday.

Washington started the comeback in the bottom of the second. Willingham singled to center, but the ball avoided center fielder Gerardo Parra and went all the way to the wall. Willingham took two bases on the error, and the next batter, Elijah Dukes, hit a sacrifice to plate Willingham.

The fourth saw Dukes hit a two-run double and later score on a Wil Nieves sacrifice.

The Nats tied the game in the fifth, when Zimmerman hit his 24th home run of the season to right center. The blast also ties his career high in home runs.

In the seventh, Nyjer Morgan got things started with a bunt single and Cristian Guzman followed with a single up the middle, with Morgan going to third. After Zimmerman popped out, and with Adam Dunn with a 1-1 count, Guzman inexplicably took the bat out of Dunn's hands by taking second base -- without a throw.

Arizona obviously just finished the walk intentionally, bringing Willinham up with the bases loaded. The left fielder bailed out the mistake of his teammate by singling down the line in left, scoring both Morgan and Guzman, taking a 7-5 lead into the eighth.

All through the comeback, Nats pitchers just kept putting up zeros. Balester settled down to pitch a scoreless third and fourth innings. Saul Rivera, just recalled from Triple-A Syracuse, threw a perfect one and two-thirds, followed by Sean Burnett and Jason Bergmann (W, 2-1, 4.82).

Ron Villone, the fifth National to take the mound, did not fare as quite as well, but did receive the benefit of a close call at first base. Trent Oeltjen (correct spelling) grounded to Guzman at short, and the play at first was called out by umpire Jerry Crawford.

D-backs manager A.J. Hinch was incensed. He started screaming at Crawford before he was halfway to first base, and was tossed quickly. The two then stood nose-to-nose yelling at each other loud enough to be audible in the box seats.

Villone couldn't capitalize on the good fortune though, as he walked the next batter, rookie Whitesell. Ojeda followed with a single, and "interim" manager Jim Riggleman gave Villone the hook, calling on Mike MacDougal for a five-out save.

Big Mac walked his first batter, then gave up a sacrifice to bring Arizona within one. And had this been early-July, it probably would have resulted in a total melt-down. But not with the August version.

MacDougal coaxed a ground ball to end the eighth, and allowed two base runners in the ninth, but managed to close things out without allowing the tying run, for his 11th, longest, and most difficult save for the Nats to date.

THE TAKEAWAY: Wow. Six in a row. Outstanding. That's all I got tonight. It's the longest winning streak since Aug. 26 - Sept. 1, 2008.

The Nats are 12-11 since the All-Star break.

THE GOOD: Josh Willingham. 3-for-4, two runs, two RBIs.

THE BAD: Ron Villone. One-third of an inning, one hit, one walk, one run.

THE UGLY: Jordan Zimmermann had a bullpen session cancelled Friday, and will have an MRI on his ailing elbow. The pitcher still maintains that he can pitch through it, but the club is definitely being cautious.

"He just came in and he just feels a little something there," Riggleman said. "He wants to throw, he wants to pitch, but with where we're at, we're just not going to let him throw."

NEXT GAME: Saturday at 7:05 pm against the D-backs. Garrett Mock (0-4, 6.75) faces Dan Haren (11-6, 2.38).

NOTES: OF Austin Kearns met with a hand specialist Thursday to clean out an injured right thumb after being placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday. He will be out while the incision heals and will return to the doctor Monday.

Here's the press release:

The Washington Nationals today selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Ron Villone from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League and designated left-handed pitcher Mike Hinckley for assignment. Nationals Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Villone, 39, is 56-59 with 85 holds and a 4.75 ERA (591 ER/1119.1 IP) in 654 games (93 starts) spanning 14 seasons with Seattle, San Diego, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Pittsburgh, Florida, New York (AL) and St. Louis. The previous four seasons (2005-08), Villone posted a .203 (76-for-375) batting average against when facing left-handed batters. Villone pitched in 74 games for the Cardinals last season, posting a 4.68 ERA.

Villone signed with the Nationals as a minor-league free agent on April 11. In eight appearances with Syracuse, Villone walked two, struck out 5 and posted a .160 batting average against en route to a 2.35 ERA (2 ER/7.2 IP).

Hinckley, 26, posted a 4.66 ERA (5 ER/9.2 IP) and issued 11 walks in 14 relief appearances with Washington.

While being another old-for-young move, Hinckley played way above his lead last fall. He has to clear waivers to be sent down to the minors, so it's very unlikely some other team is going to claim him at this point. But the Nats have 10 days to do something with him by designating him for assignment.

Villone is old. Like, almost as old as I am. At this stage of his career, he is a classic left-handed specialist. Last year, in 74 games with St. Louis, he held lefties to a .176/.311/.318 line in 108 plate appearances. Right handed hitters went .300/.421/.861 against him in 121 plate appearances.

Hope Manny Acta knows the book on this cat better than Tony LaRussa did.

In other Nats-related news, the Arizona Diamondbacks called up Josh Whitesell and gave him their starting first base job. Thanks again Jim Bowden.