Washington Nationals have acquired CF Corey Brown and RP Henry Rodriguez from the Oakland Athletic in exchange for LF Josh Willingham, General manager Mike Rizzo announced via press release moments ago

Overall last season, Brown, 24, hit .283/.370/.466 with 15 homers and 69 RBIs between Double and Triple A.  He stole 22 bases in 24 attempts.  He bats and throws left-handed.

Last season's Baseball Prospectus described Brown possessing "above average power and speed with the ability to play center field."  Brown had a knee injury in 2009 that hampered his development, but is said to be completely healthy.  He's prone to strikeouts, but "does enough things well that he should be able to carve out a career in spite of his flaws

Brown dominated the prospect-laden Arizona Fall League in 2009, hitting .333 and finishing among AFL leaders with 28 RBI (first), six home runs (tied for second), 65 total bases (second), 15 extra-base hits (tied for third) and 35 hits (fourth).

Rodriguez will be 24 in February.  He is a hard-throwing right-handed reliever that went 1-0 with a 4.55 ERA and 1.373 WHIP in 27.2 IP last season with Oakland.  He struck out 10.7 per nine innings, while his K/BB rate was 2.54.  He averages 98.45 with his exploding fastball, fourth highest in the Majors last season, but has trouble throwing for strikes on occasion

Baseball America called Rodriguez "one of the hardest throwers in the game."  He is currently pitching for Leones in the Venezuelan Winter League, where he has five saves and a 1.77 ERA (27 K/20.1 IP) in 17 appearances.

This is a deal that if it had happened at the trade deadline last season, everyone would have been jumping for joy.  It's hard to see a dependable veteran, especially one as universally liked as Willingham, traded for two young, unproven players

But both players acquired have tremendous skill, if lacking in polish, and are the types of players Mike Rizzo wants to build around

Willingham, due a large raise in arbitration, was not one of those types of players.  While productive, the Hammer was average at best in the field and not a good runner.  This move allows Rizzo to put the faster, more athletic Roger Bernadina in left field, and gives the Nats a legitimate prospect to push Nyjer Morgan in center field, something the Nationals absolutely did not have until this trade

Rodriguez is out of options, so he will have to stay on the big league roster or be subject to waivers, so he's a certainty to make the opening day roster.  He's the prototypical big arm with control issues, but can be flat out dominating when on.  To come in as a 23-year old and strike out over 10 per nine innings is pretty impressive, and his minor league numbers are even gaudier still.

As much as some like the how the Nats bullpen performed last season, relievers are very volatile, and several Nats bullpen guys had career years last season.  Rodriguez brings a big element to the Nats bullpen immediately, and should compete at the back end of the pen for save opportunities.

(D.Nichols/Nats News Network)

Multiple sources have confirmed the Washington Nationals have traded OF Josh Willingham, due for a big raise in arbitration, to the Oakland Athletics for two players, one reportedly to have Major League experience.

We're still working on the details of the deal, as the transaction is pending physicals of the players involved.

Willingham will be 32 at the start of next season.  He hit .268/.389/.459 with 16 home runs and 56 RBIs in 114 games (450 plate appearances).  His season was cut short due to meniscus (knee) surgery.

The Hammer was in line for a big pay raise in arbitration over the $4.6 million he made last season, and the Nats were reluctant to negotiate a long-term deal for the oft-injured outfielder.  Plus, GM Mike Rizzo has made a point of increasing the athleticism on the team, and the most likely plan now is to see Roger Bernadina, a player both Rizzo and manager Jim Riggleman rave about, takeover that spot full-time.

More details as they become available.

(C.Nichols/Nats News Network)

"I was late. That's all I can say there. I was late. That's no excuse," -- Roger Bernadina, picked off second with winning run at the plate.

Roger Bernadina looks for help after getting picked off to end the game.  (Photo by Cheryl Nichols/Nats News Network)

THE RESULTS:  One of Thursday night's heroes for the Washington Nationals, Willie Harris, represented the winning run.  The embattled veteran fought back from a 1-2 count to work the count full with two runners on and two outs, trailing 5-3 to the New York Mets.

What happened next was bizarre and inexplicable, and something that should not happen to a Major League player.

Mets reliever Francicsco Rodriguez -- who was struggling mightily in his appearance -- and shortstop Ruben Tejada put on a "daylight" play, and picked Roger Bernadina off at second base for the last out of the game.

"I don't know if I've seen one end that way," Manager Jim Riggleman said after the game.  "It's painful. But they made a great play and they got him."

The mistake gave the Mets a 5-3 win before 24,410 at Nationals Park, sent the Nats to their 20th loss in their last 29 games, and Nats fans into the streets shaking their heads at the latest ingenious method of demoralizing loss.

Washington's record at the half-way mark of the season is 35-46.

The Nationals trailed by two, so Bernadina's run was not the important one; Ian Desmond at first represented the tying run.  But the outfielder's gaffe took the bat out of Harris' hand, and he never did see the payoff pitch.

The baserunning blunder killed the excitment of a mounting comeback.  With one out, Ryan Zimmerman walked against Elmer Dessens.  After a Josh Willingham fly out, Ivan Rodriguez doubled to right, putting runners at second and third.

Mets Manager Jerry Manuel called on his closer Francisco Rodriguez, and Riggleman countered with lefty swinging Bernadina, pinch-hitting for Michael Morse.  The rookie came through with a single to right field, scoring Zimmerman.  Ian Desmond (2-for-4) followed with a single up the middle, bringing in Rodriguez, making the score 5-3.

The battle then ensued between K-Rod and Harris...until Bernadina strayed too far from the second and was nabbed, crushing the comeback.

It was a glaring lack of situational awareness by Bernadina, but par for the course for a team that gives away too many outs on the bases.

For most of the game, the Nats were kept in check by yet another average pitcher.  Jonathon Niese (W, 6-2) went seven innings and gave up just one earned run -- Willingham's 15th home run of the season -- on six hits and no walks, striking out eight.

On the other side of the ledger, Luis Atilano was roughed up, as he managed to just throw 3 2/3 innings and gave up five earned runs on four hits and two walks. 

Pudge Rodriguez consoles Luis Atilano after the destruction in the fourth. (Photo by Cheryl Nichols/Nats News Network)

His defense let him down in the fourth inning, as Ian Desmond made his MLB-high 20th error, and Michael Morse couldn't come up with a fly ball at the wall that went for a two-out, three-run triple.  Niese followed that up with a slicing double to left field, which knocked Atilano out of the game.

THE GOOD:  Willingham.  2-for-4 with a homer.  Nyjer Morgan and Desmond both had two hits as well.  Joel Peralta went three scoreless in relief.

THE BAD:  Adam Dunn, in the three-hole against a left-hander, went 0-for-4 with three Ks.  Morgan was thrown out stealing in the first inning, the MLB-worst 12th caught stealing of the season.

Morgan argues his out call at second. (Photo by Cheryl Nichols/Nats News Network)

THE UGLY:  Bernadina.  Inexcusable.  Indefensable.  Inexplicable.

NEXT GAME:  Saturday, it's the sixth day of Strasmas.  Stephen Strasburg (2-2, 2.27) faces knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (6-1, 2.98) at 4:10 pm.

NOTES:  The Nationals have signed Livan Hernandez' half-brother, Orlando Hernandez, to a minor league contract Friday. 

The elder Hernandez, 44, has compiled a 90-65 record and a 4.13 ERA in 10 seasons at the major league level. He last pitched in the big leagues with the New York Mets in 2007. That season, Hernandez went 9-5 with a 3.72 ERA.

This Washington Nationals team doesn't want to lose.

In what's become a familiar refrain of late, the Nats got good pitching, a timely rally, and shut-down late inning relief to take another win, 3-2 over the Florida Marlins, before 21,299 chilled patrons at Nationals Park on Mother's Day 2010.

With the win, the Nats conclude a 4-2 homestand that runs their record to 17-14, good for a second place tie with the New York Mets in the National League East.

Today's hero was Josh Willingham, who homered in the bottom of the eighth off Florida reliever Clay Hensley (L, 1-1) with one out in the inning.

Willingham was on base three out of four trips to the plate today, but he saved his best for his last appearance.  The "Hammer" hit a 1-1 changeup deep into the Marlins bullpen in left center field, setting off the home run fireworks on this cool, breezy Sunday afternoon.

Willingham was not the only hero of NatsTown today though.

Starting pitcher Livan Hernandez threw another gem, giving up just one run on a solo home run over seven innings, as he continues to lead this team in it's improbable start to the season.

For the season, Hernandez has a 1.04 ERA in six starts.  In 43.1 innings pitched, he's surrendered just five earned runs--three of which came on solo home runs.  He's gone seven or more innings in five of his six starts and allowed one run or less in four of those starts.

The veteran gave up five hits and one walk in his seven innings, striking out three.  Once again, he mixed his variety of pitches to keep the Marlins off tempo and off base all afternoon.  He threw 110 pitches--75 for strikes--and was lifted before the eighth inning.

Asked if he considered sending Hernandez out for the eighth, manager Jim Riggleman said, "You always consider that.  The pitch count with Livan wasn't that high...he's not really affected by it anyway.  I knew that if someone got on I wasn't going to let that part of the order face him again for the fourth time.  I just felt like I'd rather let someone else start the inning clean."

The pitcher he let start the inning was left-hander Sean Burnett, sent out to face lefty swining Chris Coghlan (3-for-4, run).  Coghlan got the better of this battle, lacing his third single of the day back up the middle.

Riggleman then went back to his tried and true formula so far this season.

He called upon Tyler Clippard, who has been lights out for the Nats this year.  But it took a couple batters for Clippard to find his groove, and he allowed a single to third baseman Wes Helms, then walked Hanley Ramirez to load the bases.

Jorge Cantu went 2-0, then swung at two balls outside the strike zone to go to 2-2, before lifting a fly ball to medium-deep left field to plate Coghlan with the tying run.

Clippard (W, 6-0, 0.76) then struck out Dan Uggla and got catcher John Baker to bounce out to second, but the damage was done and the Nats found themselves in a tie game.

All that did was set up Willingham's heroics.

Matt Capps threw a perfect ninth inning to close out the Marlins.

The resilient Washington Nationals now set off on a nine-game road trip, which--believe it or not--may determine whether this team could stick around and be competitive this summer.

The Nats will play three games in New York against the Mets, then four in Colorado and two in St. Louis before returning to D.C.  Nine road games in nine days in three different time zones.  It's a test for any team.

No time like the present to find out what these Nats are really made of.

Monday night, Luis Atilano (2-0, 4.67) takes the hill at Citifield against John Maine (1-1, 5.97).  Game time is 7:10 pm.

NATS NOTES:  Adam Dunn went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

NatsHD, the giant scoreboard at Nationals Park, played tributes by the players to their mothers and wives all throughout the game.

Washington struck out eight times, drew four walks, and left eight men on base.

All Photos 2010 © Cheryl Nichols Photography/Nationals News Network. All Rights Reserved

Livan Hernandez delivers in the first inning against the Braves.  (Photo by Ian Koski/Nats Daily News)

WASHINGTON -- It took veteran hurler Livan Hernandez 41 pitches to get through the first innning.  When the frame finally came to a close, he was a run down and it tooked like this might be the night things finally caught up with him.

But there he was, in the top of the sixth, getting Omar Infante to hit a tapper back to the mound for the first out of the inning.  On the next batter, when his 123rd pitch settled into catcher Ivan Rodriguez' mitt for ball four against pinch-hitter Brooks Conrad, Manager Jim Riggleman turned things over to his bullpen.

Four Nationals relievers did their jobs (for the most part), with Matt Capps recording his 11th save in 11 tries, and the Nats secured a 6-3 win in the first game of a three-game series with the Atlanta Braves before 17,089 at Nationals Park.

Hernandez defied Father Time once again, allowing a total of 10 base runners, but only two crossed the plate.  He struck out just one, and allowed rookie Jason Heyward's mammoth home run--his eighth of the season--to the utility area in straight center field. 

But when he needed to, he got the Braves hitters to chase a variety of pitches on the corners of the plate and kept his team in a close game until the middle innings when the Nats bats could catch up.

Hernandez finished the night with the win, raising his record to 4-1, and kept his ERA under one run, at a cool 0.99.

Riggleman praised his starter's perserverance in the 100-plus pitch effort, "He barely broke a sweat in that, whatever it was, 200 pitches he threw."

In the first, Hernandez gave up a lead-off double to Nate McLouth, then a liner from Martin Prado that right fielder Roger Bernadina flat dropped, leading to the unearend run.

"He was using up a lot of pitches, but Livo pitches like that.  He sees how he wants to apporoach a hitter, naybe someone he wants to pitch around and go get the next guy," Riggleman said  "He tries to find out what's working--in and out...he was just missing a little bit tonight with his pitch count going up.  We made things tough for him in the first inning .  He rebounded though."

The big Cuban was backed by three home runs, one each by Adam Dunn (5), Josh Willingham (4) and Ian Desmond, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

But the story was Hernandez and the bullpen, once again.

After Hernandez left, he turned things over to Sean Burnett, who went an inning and struck out two, allowing a single hit.  Tyler Clippard went an inning and two-thirds of one-hit ball with two strikeouts. 

After a minor blip with Miguel Batista (one run on a walk, wild pitch and a single by Brian McCann), Capps came in and shut things down, firing 94 MPH fastballs to Troy Glaus until he grounded into a 5-4-3 double play, cleaning up Batista's mess and sending the fans home happy.

The win raises the Nats record to 14-12, keeping them one game back in the National League East behind the Philadelphia Phillies.

NATS NOTES:  It was revealed before the game that John Lannan would miss his next start, scheduled for Friday against Florida, with inflammation in his pitching elbow.  The MRI was "clean" according to GM Mike Rizzo, and Lannan hopes that with rest he'll be able to resume a throwing program after the missed start.

The Nats high-definition scoreboard and ribbon boards were out for much of the second half of the game tonight. 

Desmond's throwing error in the fifth ended his streak of 18 games without an error.  He was playing in an exaggerated shift, had to come in for a slow grounder, and then overthrew Dunn at first base.

The Nationals promoted No. 1 overall draft pick Stephen Strasburg to Triple-A Syracuse. He went 3-1 with a 1.64 ERA in five starts with Double-A Harrisburg.  He is scheduled to make his first start Friday against Gwinnett, Atlanta's Triple-A affiliate.

Jim Riggleman went out to visit pitcher Jason Marquis in the fourth inning, ostensibly to settle down his struggling pitcher. 

Behind in the count already to Chase Utley, the veteran had already been issued an automatic ball for licking his fingers, but failed to wipe them on his pants, per new MLB rules.  Utley eventually walked.

Marquis then got behind slugger Ryan Howard, and on a 1-2 count hope plate umpire Paul Schreiber called a borderline low pitch a ball, to the chagrin of the pitcher.  Later in the at bat, Howard flared an RBI single to left.

At that point, instead of sending batting coach Steve McCatty to settle down Marquis, Riggleman walked slowly to the mound.  After a brief visit, Schreiber came out to break up the meeting.  As the umpire turned to head back toward the plate, Riggleman said the magic word, and Schreiber rung him up, allowing the manager the opportunity to really let the umpire know how he left about his strike zone.

Right or wrong, the manager defended his pitcher.

Whether the pitcher deserved the defending is a separate story.

Marquis, for the second start this season, did not pitch like the playoff-seasoned, innings-eating veteran the Nats acquired him to be.  Instead, when the strike zone started to shrink, he did not adjust and got hammered, turning what once was a 4-0 lead into a 7-4 loss, before a sold-out, boisterous crowd at Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia for the Phillies second opening day.

Instead of being bolstered by his manager's visit, the strike zone got even smaller and Marquis fell apart.

Marquis managed to strike out Shane Victorino to start the fifth, but that would be the last out he would record.  Catcher Carlos Ruiz singled on Marquis' next pitch.  Phils starter Cole Hamels then tired to sacrifice, but the bunt went no further than the edge of home plate.

Catcher Ivan Rodriguez pounced on the ball, but made an ill-advised throw to second to try for the lead runner instead of taking the sure out at first.  He wound up throwing the ball behind shortstop Ian Desmond and into center field for an error.

After the game, Rodriguez blamed a sore back for the poor throw, but defended his decision to reporters.  Regardless, the outcome only hindered the effort.

Little-used infielder Juan Castro, subbing for Jimmy Rollins at short (who had been a late scratch due to a calf injury in pre-game warm-ups), doubled to the right-center gap, scoring Ruiz.  Placido Polanco, who hit a grand slam on Opening Day agaisnt the Nats, singled cleanly to center for two more RBIs.

Then Chase Utley put the nail in the coffin, homering to right field to end Marquis' day.

The final numbers:  4.1 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 2 BB and 1 K.  This despite facing the minimum number of batters in the first three innings.  Marquis, the Nats big off-season acquisition, now has a 12.96 ERA in 2010.

There was plenty of complaining about the umpiring.  From Riggleman.  From the television announcers.  From the internet.

But the only man that could control any of it, Jason Marquis, could do nothing about it.  He didn't--or wouldn't--adjust, and paid dearly for it.

Adding to the frustration is that Marquis was cruising through three innings and the Nats got to Hamels for four runs early.

Josh Willingham hit his second home run of the season in the second inning, and the Nats put three more up in the fourth, on Rodriguez' RBI single and Marquis' two-run double.

Tough to squander a lead when your pitcher supplies the power.

The Nats fall to 3-4 with the loss.  They have an off-day Tuesday, and face the Phillies again at 7:05 pm Wednesday, as Craig Stammen faces Kyle Kendrick.

NATS NOTES:  Ryan Zimmerman missed his second game with a tight hamstring.  The Nats hope he can return Wednesday.

Nyjer Morgan went 0-for-5 and is hitting .172 through the team's first seven games.

The bullpen, consisting of Jesse English, Tyler Walker, Sean Burnett, and Miguel Batista, pitched three and two-third scoreless innings, giving up just two hits and one walk.

The Washington Nationals didn't sign Livan Hernandez until Feb. 24, after pitchers and catchers reported for spring training.  He was brought in for insurance, in case several other much younger players could not grasp a job in the Nats' staring rotation.

But as spring training wore on, it was obvious that a rotation spot was Livo's to lose.  He pitched well while others around him did not, and he wound up as the Nats' No. 5 starter.  He wasn't on the Opening Day roster--rather he was left behind in Florida so that the team could carry an extra bullpen arm the first week of the season.

He was finally activated early Sunday, taking the roster spot of one of those pitchers the team hoped would secure a spot, Garrett Mock.  Instead, Mock has already pitched his way off the team as he walked five and gave up four hits in less than three innings in his Friday start.

And in his first start of the season, at Citifield in Queens, Hernandez fairly dominated the New York Mets, throwing seven shutout innings in a 5-2 win.

Josh Willingham drove in all five runs with a first inning grand slam and third inning RBI double off Mets starter Johan Santana (L, 1-1, 4.91). 

The outing was by far the Nats finest starting appearance of the young season.  Hernandez gave up just five hits and three walks in seven full.  He struck out just one batter.

He got in trouble a few times, but was able to work his way out each time.

In the second he got two quick outs, but surrendered a two-out triple to Jeff Francoeur.  But he got Gary Matthews to hit a fly ball to centerfielder Nyjer Morgan on a 2-2 count to end the inning.

In the third, Santana doubled with one out and Jose Reyes walked behind him.  But Hernandez setteld down and and got Alex Cora and David Wright to harmlessly fly out.

And with two on and two outs in the sixth, the wily veteran coaxed a weak pop up by Matthews to end the threat.

All the offense Livo would need was provided in the first inning by Willingham.  He took a 2-1 changeup to where the left field and center field fences come together.  The ball hit off the top of the wall, where an orange line signifies a home run.

The umpires ruled the ball in play, and as the ball bounced around the outfield, Nationals players were rounding the bases.  The ball was relayed to home, where Adam Dunn ran over catcher Rod Barajas to score.  Santana retrieved the ball and tossed to Barajas, where there was another collision with Willingham.

But it was all for naught, as manager Jim Riggleman immediately came out to protest the play.

It brought to mind a game last April, where then-manager Manny Acta did not protest a questionable home run call in the difficult to read Citifield outfiled walls.

After a very quick review, umpire Daryl Cousins declared Willingham's ball did indeed hit past the orange line, and the play was ruled a home run.

The Hammer also knocked in Cristian Guzman in the third with a double.

Tempers flared in the top of the ninth after Francisco Rodriguez hit Willie Harris with a pitch.  Harris yelled something after being hit, and Rodriguez thought he was yelling at him, and took exception.  The benches emptied, but cooler heads prevailed.  Harris stated afterward he wasn't addressing Rodriguez.

The win evened the Nats record at 3-3.

The Nationals travel to Phialdelphia to face the Phillies in their home opener tomorrow at 3:05 pm.

NATS NOTES:  Closer Matt Capps had a 1-2-3 ninth inning for the save, his third of the season.

Brian Bruney, however, did not fare as well.  He gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning, surrendering Mike Jacobs' first homer of the season.  Jason Bergmann came on to end the inning with a strikeout.

The Nationals 2009 No. 1 overall draft pick, Stephen Strasburg, made his professional debut today for the Harrisburg Senators. He went five innings against the Altoona Curve, giving up one earned run (four total), on four hits and two walks, striking out eight on the day. He added an opposite field RBI double, his first professional hit. He threw 82 pitches, 55 for strikes.

The Nats' other first round pick from last season, Drew Storen, pitched the final inning for the save in the game.

Jason Marquis was an all-star last season with the Colorado Rockies.  He won 15 games with a 4.04 ERA.  He was the Nationals' premier free agent signee, brought in to stabilize a rotation that was supposed to be full of youngsters on a two-year, $15 million contract.

In his first appearance in a Washington Nationals uniform, however, he was the one in need of stabilization.  For a second day in a row a veteran starter was hit hard by the Philadelphia Phillies as the Nats lost 8-4 before a more moderate crowd of 27,240 at Nats Park.

Marquis surrendered six earned runs on eight hits and three walks in just four innings of work.

His performance this evening continued a string of poor outings that dogged him during spring training, where he had a 9.10 ERA with 10 walks in five starts.

Right off the bat, Marquis was shaky.  He walked Jimmy Rollins, the Phils' leadoff hitter, and then hit Placido Polanco.  A single by Chase Utley loaded the bases for Ryan Howard. 

Marquis coaxed a double-play ground ball from the big slugger that scored a run and Marquis looked like he might get out of the inning in decent shape.  But Marquis could not profit from prosperity and walked Jason Werth, before uncorking a wild pitch to Raul Ibanez, which scored Polanco from third.

So in his first Nats' start he put two runs up on the board via walks and a wild pitch before his team even came to bat.

Later, he'd give up a home run to Ryan Howard that went well into the second deck to deep right center.  At that point, manager Jim Riggleman came out and put Marquis out of his misery.

Washington got to Phils' starter Cole Hamels a little bit in the third, as Ian Desmond homered to straight-away center and Josh Willingham plated Ryan Zimmerman from second base.

Both hitters had good nights, as Desmond finished 2-for-5 with the homer and an RBI double, and Willingham went 3-for-4 with a walk.

But Hamels (W, 1-0, 3.60) would settle down and stick around long enough for the decision.  He was not sharp, but managed to get the outs he needed.  He gave up five hits and four walks in five innings, but also got five strikeouts. 

He also had a run-scoring single to help his own cuase.

So the Nats will turn to Craig Stammen Thursday to be the stopper, in a businessman's special finale of the three-game series against Kyle Kendrick.

He'll only need to stop the defending N.L. champs, who have bludgeoned his teammates pitching to the tune of 19 runs in two games.

NATS NOTES:  Tyler Walker, much maligned during spring training, pitched two perfect innings, striking out three in the process.

Matt Capps, however, did not fare as well.  Brought into a three-run game in the ninth, he allowed a run on a hit, an error (Desmond's second in as many games) and two walks.

Mike Morse, who started in right field, strained a calf muscle after catching a sacrifice fly and trying to make the throw to home.  Riggleman said Morse might miss a couple days.

The ratio of Nats-to-Phillies fans were much more proportionate compared to Opening Day.

Three members of the Eastern Conference Champion Washington Capitals were in attendance, goalie Jose Theodore and centers Nicklas Backstrom and Eric Belanger.  Theodore was there for a pre-game presentation on behalf of his charity "Saves for Kids".

Here's a quick little thing to think about before Saint Stephen takes the mound against a bunch of minor leaguers and has-beens in St. Louis Cardinals uniforms tonight.

With Josh Willingham scratched tonight due to a sore neck, what would happen if, say his back started acting up early in the season requiring him to miss some time?  With Dukes kicked off the island, the Nats are already starting one outfielder that didn't necessarily fit into their plans at the start of spring training.

How would you like to watch a combo of Wee Willie Harris, Nyjer Morgan (hamstrings willing) and Justin Maxwell partol the outfield.

That's an awful lot of speed tracking down fly balls, but none have much of a throwing arm and there's absolutely no power to speak of.

Just something else to think about.  From the team that apparently can just throw away talented but enigmatic 25-year old outfielders.

• Non-tendered RHRP Mike MacDougal and LHSP Scott Olsen.
• Offered arbitration to C Jesus Flores, OF Josh Willingham, C Wil Nieves, RHRP Jason Bergmann, RHRP Brian Bruney and LHRP Sean Burnett.
• Signed RHRP Ryan Speier to a minor league contract.
• Signed LHSP Scott Olsen to an incentive-heavy free agent contract.

There are a couple of expected moves in the above list, and a couple of surprises.

First, the expected.  The Nats' non-tendering of MacDougal and Olsen.  Both players stood to make a pretty big payday with arbitration, and figured they could re-sign both -- if they wanted -- after non-tendering.

They were right about Olsen, as he was a free agent less than one day, signing a $1 million contract, with incentives that could push the total to just under $4 million.  Olsen is coming off of season-ending labrum surgery, and according to GM Mike Rizzo, he is ready to start getting into baseball shape.

Whether Olsen returns from the surgery to be a valuable member of the Nats rotation is a story for another day, though, because we won't know until well into spring training how his shoulder responds to the procedure.

MacDougal has to be considered questionable at this point to return, though MASN.com's Byron Kerr indicates talks are continuing. 

MacDougal led the team in saves last season, and was third in the league in save percentage last year, but his underlying stats tell a different story.  He hard-throwing righty posted a career low K/9 at just 5.6, while his walk rate for the Nats was the same 5.6.  His overall WHIP was 1.520, much higher than one would expect for the No. 3 save percentage closer in the game.

His gaudy save total (20-for-21) though would have driven an arbitration salary through the roof of what the Nats would have wanted to pay him.

And it was completely expected that the Nats would offer arbitration to Flores, Willingham, Bruney and Burnett.

On to the (mild) surprises:  bringing back Nieves and Bergmann, and the signing of Justin Speier.

All off-season, the Nats have maintained their need to upgrade at backup catcher.  Primary to the point, the signing of Ivan Rodriguez.  That the club decided to retain Nieves, a player at a position they were vocal about upgrading from, has to be considered a bit surprising.

The team has been very careful not to name names when talking about addressing their needs at catcher, but Rizzo didn't want to go into the season with Nieves as the main backup again, that much is clear.  But offering him arbitration now indicated to me that he will indeed be the primary backup, this time to Rodriguez, at least to start the season.

Everything the Nats have done at the catcher spot (signing Rodriguez, who made it clear he's ready to play every day, bringing back Nieves and Jamie Burke), indicates to me that Flores is not only not going to be ready in spring training, but probably well into the regular season.

Bergmann's return surprised me as well, his quality down the stretch last year notwithstanding.  Overall, though, his season numbers were less than inspiring, and with his track record with the team, I thought this was going to be the season they let him test the free agent waters. 

But we can now expect Bergy to be one of the known elements to a bullpen in flux going into spring training, along with Burnett, Bruney and Tyler Clippard.

Ryan Speier is an interesting case.  A local kid from West Springfield High, he has a lifetime 3.99 ERA in 90 appearances, all for Colorado.  He doesn't strike a lot of guys out, and puts his fair share of runners on base, but manages to mostly keep them off the scoreboard.

He only pitched five and two-thirds innings on the big league level last season, and wasn't particularly impressive in AAA, but he does have a track record and getting out of the "mile high" air of Colorado could help him out.

THE RESULT:  The playoff-bound Los Angeles Dodgers used the cellar-dwelling Washington Nationals as a punching bag Tuesday night, pounding out 14 runs on 15 hits, five walks and three Nats' errors (though it should have been four) in a 14-2 victory.

The loss drops the Nationals to 51-99 on the season.

Washington was done in by two really bad innings, a seven-run fourth and six-run seventh.  Starter Livan Hernandez (L, 8-12, 5.53) was hammered for eight earned runs on eight hits and four walks in just three and two-thirds innings.  Later, reliever Saul Rivera was beaten up for five runs -- four earned -- on just three hits and second baseman Ian Desmond's fielding error.

The nail in Rivera's coffin was Dodgers starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda's (W, 8-6, 3.65) soft single to right field, loading the bases.  Victor Garate took it from there, and immediately surrendered a single to Rafael Furcal, opening the flood gates again.

The only redeeming quality this game had for Nats fans was Adam Dunn's two-run home run, his 38th of the season.  The shot draws him within two of the magic number 40, and should he reach the mark, he'll join Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa with six straight 40-homer seasons, trailing only Babe Ruth's seven consecutive 40-homer seasons, the major league mark.

THE TAKEAWAY:  Nothing, other than Dunn's homer.  Seriously, this one was ugly and depressing.  Sorry.

THE GOOD:  Dunn.  1-for-1, two-run home run and two walks before being replaced.  He didn't see a strike after the dinger.

THE BAD:  Josh Willingham.  0-for-3 with two Ks and three left on base.

THE UGLY:  Livan.  It's a great story, the veteran hurler returning to the team of some of his best moments, but he's winless in his return, and had nothing in this one.  And it could have been worse, as he pitched to Manny Ramirez twice with runners on base.

Hernandez is 1-7 in his last 10 starts.

NEXT GAME:  Wednesday at 7:05 pm against Los Angeles.  Ross Detwiler (0-6, 5.80) tries for his first major league victory against Chad Billingsley (12-1., 4.05).

"We made too many mistakes. A lot of bad things happened that we can't continue to allow. We've got to do a better job of handling the details of the running game." -- Jim Riggleman, Sept. 16, 2009.

THE RESULT: Poor baserunning, yet another botched squeeze and a meatball from a reliever for a grand slam resulted in the Washington Nationals 95th loss of the season. They haven't all come at the hands of the Philadelphia Philles, but it seems like half of them have.

In reality, it's the 14th loss against just three wins to the N.L. East's leader.

Once again, the Nats had runners thrown out on the base paths. In the second inning, Livan Hernandez bunted -- apparently on his own, again -- trying to bring Ian Desmond in from third, who had doubled and took third on Wil Nieves' infield hit.

The bunt went straight back to Phillies starter Joe Blanton (W, 10-7), who threw to third to nab Desmond.

In the sixth inning, Justin Maxwell drew a walk with one out after Desmond reached on a single. Nieves hit a soft liner to right that Jayson Werth grabbed and caught Maxwell confused and off base for a double play.

Philly's first run came courtesy of a double steal, with Nieves throwing through to second base to try to catch Ryan Howard. Chase Utley practically walked home.

The big blow came in the seventh inning. Tyler Clippard hit Utley with two outs. Sean Burnett came in to pitch to Howard, but Utley stole second, so they put Howard on first with the base open. After a nine pitch at bat, Burnett walked Raul Ibanez, and just like that, without a hit, the bases were juiced.

Of course, Jason Bergmann came in to face Werth, and the right fielder took the fifth offering -- a letter high breaking ball that did not break -- to the bleachers in left center for the grand slam. Ball game.

The victim in all this was Livan Hernandez. He was strong again, going six innings and allowing just two earned runs on seven hits and two walks. The effort lowered his season record to 8-11.

Washington left ten men on base.

THE TAKEAWAY: It's hard to imagine the amount of outs the Nats give away on the bases. It seems like every night that baserunning errors result in shortened innings. Wednesday night, it was Desmond and Maxwell -- two rookies -- to get thrown out in bad plays.

Interim manager Jim Riggleman likes to be aggressive on the base paths, but that philosophy and strategy is proving questionable.

THE GOOD: Desmond and Nieves each had two hits, and Willie Harris reached three times in the leadoff spot.

THE BAD: The 2-3-4-5 hitters. 0-for-15. Not good.

THE UGLY: Cristian Guzman. 0-for-5 and left seven men on base. Special mention to Josh Willingham, who went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

Over the last 23 games, Willingham is hitting .165/.287/.329 with three homers and nine RBI. As hot as he was during the summer is as cold as he's been the past month.

NEXT GAME: Thursday, at 7:05 for the finale of the three game series. Last chance for the Nats to eek out win No. 4 against Philly this season. Ross Detwiler (0-5, 5.10) versus Cole Hamels (9-9, 4.21).

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

Outfielder Josh Willingham will share stories from the clubhouse and answer questions. The event will be moderated by Nationals broadcaster Charlie Slowes and will include the opportunity to win tickets to upcoming games. The Q&A will be followed by an autograph signing for fans.

WHO: Washington Nationals Outfielder Josh Willingham
WHAT: Question-and-answer session; autograph signing at ESPN Zone
WHEN: Thursday, September 24, 2009, 12- 1 p.m.; Doors open at 11 a.m.
WHERE: ESPN Zone, 555 12th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20004

Please Note: This is the last Q&A of the 2009 season.

"The issue is getting picked off, it's not the fact that we got a home run afterwards. We're equally at fault if we get picked off whether we hit the home run next or not." -- Jim Riggleman, on the daily baserunning gaffe that cost the Nats a run, Sept. 1, 2009.

BOX SCORE AND RECAP

THE RESULT: The Washington Nationals managed just four hits off a pitcher that gave up nine hits and six earned runs in his last appearance, as Clayton Richard and the San Diego Padres beat the Nats 4-1, before 15,131 at Petco Park.

The Nationals have lost five in a row, are 2-6 on the road trip, and have lost 12 of their last 15.

Richard (W, 8-4, 4.61) allowed only one run, on Josh Bard's solo home run in the seventh inning. It should have been a two-run shot, but Elijah Dukes was picked off at first base on the previous pitch.

Dukes has stolen two bases this season and has been caught 10 times.

The offensive performance detracts from another quality start. J.D. Martin (L, 3-4, 4.60) went six innings, and allowed three runs -- two -earned -- on five hits and three walks. He also struck out five. He needed 104 pitches to set through six innings.

THE TAKEAWAY: This makes three consecutive games the Nats have managed just one single run. Last night, Riggleman tried to shake up the lineup, by batting Justin Maxwell at leadoff and Alberto Gonzalez in the two-hole.

Maxwell has a lifetime MLB OBP of .273 and hit .242/.344/.396 in 448 plate appearances in Triple-A this season. Gonzalez has an OBP of .290 this season in 249 PAs.

Needless to say, the pair combined to go 1-for-7 with one walk, a combined OBP of .250.

Not that the veterans in the middle of the order did any better. The 3-4-5 hitters went 1-for-11 with one walk and five strikeouts, four by Josh Willingham alone.

THE GOOD: Martin. He, and the rest of the "kiddie corps" starters, keep plugging away, giving the team a chance to stay in these games. But with no offense, it's tough to be competitive, especially on the road.

THE BAD: Dukes. C'mon big guy. Cut it out. Stay close to the bag.

THE UGLY: Willingham. Hammer struck out four times last night. As good as he was earlier this season, that's how bad he is right now. Since his averaged peaked at .309 on Aug. 9, he's gone 13-for-69 (.188/.278/.362) in a 20-game span. Ugh.

NEXT GAME: The Nats try to avoid getting swept by a fellow last place team this afternoon at 3:35 pm EDT. John Lannan (8-9, 3.95) faces Kevin Correia (9-10, 4.50).

"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.

Mike Rizzo, "acting" General Manager of the Washington Nationals, taking in the Nats' 5-4 loss to the Colorado Rockies.

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

THE RESULT: For the second night in a row, the Washington Nationals entered the ninth inning trailing the Colorado Rockies by two runs. For the second night in a row, the Nats got a quick run to cut the lead to one.

And for the second night in a row, that's where the comeback ended.

Josh Bard dialed deep to bring the Nats within one run, but when Cristian Guzman grounded out against Colorado closer Huston Street, the Nats had fallen for the second night in a row, and fifth time this season, to the Rockies 5-4.

The bigger news of this night, however, was reported by Bill Ladson of MLB.com, that Mike Rizzo, Assistant General Manager, would be promoted to permanent G.M. of the Nationals at a news conference on Thursday at Nationals Park, according to a baseball source with knowledge of the decision.

After all the confusion of the day about whether Rizzo, who has been "acting" G.M. since Jim Bowden resigned in March or Jerry Dipoto, Arizona's V.P. of Player Personnel would be named permanent G.M. of the Nationals, it now seems that Rizzo finally won the job he's been auditioning for all season.

Several news outlets issued conflicting reports throughout the day, but Ladson's report, along with Chico Harlan's Nats Journal post from earlier in the evening, give us the best information on the status of the position to date.

As for Wednesday's game, it was a rough night for Collin Balester. He lasted just one and one-third innings, allowing five walks and three hits, totalling three earned runs. He also committed an error, throwing a ball away on a pick-off move to second base.

Balester threw just 24 of his 51 pitches for strikes.

Nyjer Morgan, Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn and Josh Bard all had two hits apiece. Bard homered in the ninth inning, and Zimmerman drove in two runs with a double and a triple.

THE TAKEAWAY: If the news about Rizzo is the final decision, then congratulations are in order. With everything in this saga the last two days, you'll forgive me if I'll wait until I get the press release to celebrate, but the reports on MLB.com and Nats Journal seem pretty definitive.

Rizzo certainly passed his audition with flying colors though. After assuming the reigns as "acting" G.M. in March, he's overseen the transfer of the Dominican academy, remade the bullpen (twice), traded for a true leadoff hitter and center fielder, fired a pitching coach and eventually, field manager Manny Acta, conducted a draft, and signed the number one overall pick to a record-setting, but not bank-breaking, four-year contract.

Yeah, I'd say he's passed the test.

THE GOOD: Ryan Zimmerman. He went 2-for-3 with a double, triple, and two RBIs.

THE BAD: Josh Willingham. 0-for-4 with three left on base.

THE UGLY: Collin Balester. He was terrible. One of those nights where not only did he lack command, but lacked any semblance of control whatsoever.

NEXT GAME: Thursday, the finale of the three-game set and conclusion of the season series. It's the last chance this season for the Nats to get a win over Colorado. Garrett Mock (2-4, 5.27) takes on Jason Hammel (7-7, 4.73) at 7:05 pm.