GB&U: Shut Out Again

RESULT: Nats shut out by Braves debut pitcher 2-0.

GOOD: Ronnie Belliard. If indeed his groin injury shelves him for the rest of the season, he went out on a good note, going 3-for-3. For the season he is hitting .287/.372/.473 with 11 homers, 46 RBIs and 3 SBs. Shairon Martis. It may be his only start of the season, but it went pretty well, despite walking the bases loaded in the fourth. His line was 5 IP, 2 ERs, 4 hits, 5 BBs and 2 Ks. The bullpen. Mock, Manning, Shell and (gasp) Speigner combined for three innings of one-hit baseball.

BAD: Cristian Guzman. Even in a great year, you'll have a stinker. Guz went 0-3 with 3 Ks.

UGLY: Belliard's Injury. He's been very dependable this season, and a real trooper playing wherever Manny tells him. He may be the only player in the bigs this year to have player every infield position. Unfortunate his season has to end this way.

INJURY UPDATE: GM Jim Bowden announced 1B Dmitri Young will rejoin the team Sunday and be in uniform Tuesday against the Mets, primarily as a pinch-hitter. He said that before Belliard's injury though. Still, expect to see a lot of Kory Casto down the stretch.

NEXT GAME: Tonight at 7:35 versus the Braves in game two. Jason Bergmann (2-10, 4.83) takes on Jair Jurrjens (11-9, 3.59) from Turner Field.

Belliard Injured; Nats Shut Out by Braves 2-0

Atlanta -- Atlanta Braves rookie James Parr, making his Major League debut, threw six innings of two-hit baseball, and three Atlanta relievers did equally well against the suddenly anemic again Washington offense to defeat the Nationals 2-0 before an announced crowd of 18,708 at Turner Field. It was the 21st time the Nationals have been shut out this season -- leading the majors by a fair margin -- and most in the majors since the 1978 Atlanta Braves team matched the feat.

Parr did an excellent job in his big league debut, walking three and striking out three in addition to the two base hits, both by 1B Ronnie Belliard. Belliard doubled in the second inning with one out, but was stranded there as Elijah Dukes fouled out to first and Anderson Hernandez flied out on a well hit ball to center. In the fourth inning, Belliard reached on an infield single but was erased on a double-play grounder by Dukes. Belliard had another hit in the seventh inning, legging out another infield hit, but this one might have cost him the rest of his 2008 season. Belliard came up lame on the play and was replaced by pinch-runner Kory Casto. After the game, it was revealed Belliard strained his right groin, and was scheduled for an MRI Friday morning.

"I hurt it right then, as I was running to first base," he said. "It hurts." There was no timetable for his return. "He may be down for the year," manager Manny Acta said.

Nationals starter Shairon Martis also made his Major League debut, and was impressive in his own right. He went five innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits and five walks, striking out two. The walks hurt Martis in the fourth inning, as he walked the bases loaded -- including the pitcher -- before allowing an RBI ground out to make the score 2-0. Martis, 21, pitched for the Netherlands in the Olympics and went 4-4 at Double-A Harrisburg this season with a 3.98 ERA in 14 starts, striking out 57 and walking 28 in 74.2 innings.

Besides Belliard's three hits, the only other Nats to reach via hit were Ryan Zimmerman, who doubled leading off the ninth inning and pinch-hitter Roger Bernadina in the eighth.

Mike Gonzales, despite allowing Zimmerman's lead-off double, recorded the next three outs for his ninth save of the season.

Washington faces Atlanta in the second of the three-game series Friday night at 7:35 pm. Jason Bergmann (2-10, 4.83) takes on Jair Jurrjens (11-9, 3.59) from Turner Field.

NATS NOTES: The loss moves the Nats record to 54-87, 25.5 games behind division-leading New York. The Mets have a three-game lead over second place Philadelphia and start a three-game series with the Phillies Friday at Shea Stadium.

C Luke Montz, recalled after Jesus Flores was injured earlier in the week, made his Major League debut as well, going 0-for-3 at the plate and throwing out pinch-runner Josh Anderson at second base.

RHP Shawn Hill was scheduled for arthroscopic surgery Friday morning on his troublesome right elbow by the renowned Dr. James Andrews. No details had been released when this article was published.

GM Jim Bowden issued a statement that 1B Dmitri Young would rejoin the team Sunday night and would be in uniform for Tuesday's game in New York.

GB&U: Big Willie Style!

RESULT: Nats beat Cubbies 13-5. Two wins in a row.

GOOD: Big Willie! Two homers, six RBIs. Nuf said. Ronnie Belliard, hitting in the five hole, went 4-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs. Lead-off hitter Emilio! Bonifacio went 2-for-5 with two runs, Jesus Flores went 2-for-2 after pinch-hitting.

BAD: John Lannan. He earned the win, but was not sharp. He pitched six and one-third innings, allowed five earned runs on seven hits and three walks, and struck out just three. He's had plenty go the other way though, so he gets a pass for today.

UGLY: Zim. 0-for-4.

NEXT GAME: Little late getting this posted, so the next game is the current game. Nats currently losing 9-1 in the eighth. Ugh.

Cubs Can't Stop Willie; Nats Beat Cubs 13-5

Chicago -- The Cubs intentionally walked Willie Harris, for good reason. In a career day, Harris went 2-for-4 with two home runs, six RBIs and three runs scored, and the aforementioned intentional walk, the second of his eight big league seasons. Harris' big day carried the Washington Nationals over the Chicago Cubs, owners of the best record in Major League Baseball,13-3 before 40,513 sun-drenched Cubs fans at Wrigley Field.

The Nationals had a field day against four different Cubs pitchers. 1B Ronnie Belliard, hitting in the five hole, went 4-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs, lead-off hitter Emilio Bonifacio went 2-for-5 with two runs, Jesus Flores went 2-for-2 after pinch-hitting, and Aaron Boone had abases-clearing 3-run double pinch-hitting in the eighth inning.

The Nats fun on the base paths didn't start until the sixth inning, after the Cubs got up to a 4-0 lead. Cubs starter Jason Marquis lost control of the strike zone, walking Cristian Guzman and Ryan Zimmerman after allowing an infield single to Bonifacio. Lastings Milledge drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly, followed by a two-run double by Belliard. Austin Kearns walked and Harris hit his first homer of the day.

In the seventh, Bonifacio reached via infield hit again, stole second and scored on Guzman's base hit.

In the eighth inning against reliever Chad Gaudin, Belliard hit his second double of the day, Harris earned his intentional pass, and Flores muscled a single out to left field, loading the bases. Boone pinch-hit for reliever Steven Shell and delivered a double to deep center field, clearing the bases. The ninth inning provided some fireworks as well, with Belliard and Harris both going deep with the wind blowing out to left field.

John Lannan (7-12, 3.95) earned the win despite having rough patches of his own, but he's had plenty go the other way this year. He pitched six and one-third innings, allowing five earned runs on seven hits and three walks,striking out three. Shell, Saul Rivera and Jesus Colome kept the Cubs off the scoreboard the rest of the way.

Neal Cotts (0-2) took the loss for the Cubs. Game two of the three-game series is today at 1:05 pm. Odalis Perez (5-9,4.06) faces all-star Ryan Dempster (14-5, 2.92) for the Cubs.

NATS NOTES: The Nats meager two-game winning streak pushes their record to46-83, 26 games behind the division-leading New York Mets.

GB&U: I Don't Have It In Me to be Funny Today

RESULT: Nats lose to Philies 4-0, loss number 12 in a row, shutout for the league-leading 19th time this season.

GOOD: Ronnie Belliard. He went 2-for-4. New bullpen fodder Marco Estrada pitched two scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and get this: NO WALKS! Keep it up, kid! EMILIO! 2-for-4 with a stolen base. Anderson Hernandez, making his first appearance as a National, went 3-for-4 hitting in the 8 hole.

BAD: No power! Nine hits, but only one extra base hit. Hard to go score when you need to string three singles together in one inning.

UGLY: Austin Kearns is almost an automatic out these days. Since his season high batting average mark of .231 (!) on August 5, he's gone 6-for-47 with one home run and 3 RBIs (both on that HR). His season numbers: 302 ABs, .215/.306/.305 with 6 HRs and 30 RBIs.

NEXT GAME: Another one today against the Phils. Tim Redding (8-8, 4.66) faces ageless Jamie Moyer (11-7, 3.64) at 7:05 pm from Citizen's Bank Park.

GB&U: This One Goes to Eleven

RESULT: Nats beaten by Phillies 5-4, losing streak at eleven games.

GOOD: Ronnie Belliard. The Nats "slugging" 1B went 4-for-4 (with zero runs scored). Wee Willie Harris went 2-for-5 with his 10th home run. Jesus Flores. He played!

BAD: Emilio! 0-for-5, .216 for the season. Demonstrating the old axiom that you can't steal first base.

UGLY: Nothing particularly ugly, unless you count the awkward steal of third by 30-something journeyman 3B Greg Dobbs off Bergmann/Flores.

INJURY/ROSTER: Guz didn't play but the team assures us he's only a "day or two" away. Casto sent down to Columbus to make room for the "Man With two Last Names" Anderson Hernandez.

NEXT GAME: The misery continues tomorrow against the Phillies. Collin Balestar (2-5, 5.06) faces Brett "The Boxer" Myers (5-10, 5.02) at 7:05 pm from Citizen's Bank Park.

GB&U: Number Nine, Number Nine...

RESULT: Nats lost to Rockies 13-6, ninth consecutive defeat.

GOOD: Ronnie Belliard. He went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and played SS/1B. Lastings Milledge. Despite another error in CF, he went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

BAD: John Lannan. For what it's worth, that was his worst outing as a big leaguer. We sat real close to home plate, and he had nothing. From the first pitch of the game you could tell. He had no location, no movement, nothing. Final line: 4 IP, 8 ERs, 7 hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks. Throw this one out.

UGLY: Tim Tolman. Sending Jesus Flores home in the sixth inning was unconscionable. He's arguably the slowest guy on the team, there's only one out, you've got the opposing pitcher on the ropes. Hold him and you've got second and third with one out. It's smart baseball. Tolman made a very poor decision, and now Flores -- the team leader in RBIs -- is day-to-day with a strained calf. It just keeps getting worse.

100-LOSS WATCH: 20 to go with 38 games remaining.

NEXT GAME: Today to close out the series with Colorado. Odalis Perez (5-8, 4.12) versus all-star Aaron Cook (14-8, 3.87).

Photo (c) C. Nichols 2008.

GB&U: Muscled Out in Milwaukee

RESULT: Nats fall to Brewers 5-4 in 13 innings.

GOOD: John Lannan. Six innings of one-hit ball. This guy can't buy a break.

Lastings Milledge. He's been on a tear this week. Sunday he went 3-for-6 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Ryan Zimmerman went 3-for6, Ronnie Belliard went 2-for-5 and Cristian Guzman went 2-for-6. Austin Kearns hit his monthly home run.

BAD: Emilio! Bonifacio went 0-for-6 and is hitless in his last 17 at bats. Also, our pinch-hitters went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

UGLY: Luis Ayala. Now that Wily Mo is gone, do we need to re-name the "Ugly" award? One batter faced. One home run allowed. One Loss. ERA stands at 6.04. This is what his manager had to say about him after the game:

"We can't even hide him now," Washington manager Manny Acta said. "He comes into situations like this and he's just not making pitches."

That ain't good.

NEXT GAME: Nats try to avoid the 4-game sweep at 2:05 eastern, Garrett Mock makes the start (0-2, 4.91) facing David Bush (6-9, 4.50)

GB&U: Shooting Blanks

RESULT: Nats shut out by Brewers, 6-0.

GOOD: Ronnie Belliard. Only Nats to have more than one hit in Ben Sheets' 5-hit shut out.

BAD: Nats Bats. They've all gone quiet against two of the top starters in the N.L. the last couple of days. Really shows the value of having legitimate Number One starters, especially if you've got two of them. If the Brewers hang on and make the playoffs, they'll be tough.

UGLY: Tim Redding. Redding has been the rock of the Nats staff all year, but this one was a stinker. 5 IP, 5 ERs, 7 hits, 5 BBs and three home runs. Redding's not the type of pitcher that can play around with walking guys. He did not have his "good stuff" tonight.

NEXT GAME: Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee. Hard-luck John Lannan (6-11, 3.55) faces Manny Parra (9-5, 4.18).

GB&U: Blanked in Beer City

RESULT: Nats shut out by Brewers 5-0.

GOOD: Not much. Lastings Milledge went 2-for-4 with a stolen base. Jesus Flores went 2-for-4. They combined for four of the team's five hits against Brewers starter C.C. Sabathia.

BAD: There weren't a lot of hits, but Milledge and Flores were able to get on base. Ronnie Belliard, hitting in the line-up directly behind the two however, went 0-for-3 and left 4 men on base.

UGLY: Jesus Colome. Seems like every time he pitches he gives up a run. No different last night. 2 IP, 2 BBs, solo home run to J.J. Hardy.

NEXT GAME: Tonight vs the Brew Crew at 7:05 eastern. Tim Redding (8-6, 4.44) against Ben Sheets (10-5, 3.14).

GB&U: Day Trippin'

RESULT: Nats beat Rockies 6-3 in Game 1 of double-header.

GOOD: Lastings Milliedge. Two no-doubt-about-it homers and a run scoring single. He's fairly mashing the ball these days. Jason Bergmann! Good Jason shows up in the sunshine. 7 IP, 1 ER (Holliday's homer), 7 hits, 2 BBs and 7 Ks. Good day's work. Emilio!, Zim and Belly all had two hits apiece.

BAD: Kearns, Flores and Guz (GUZ!) all 0-for-4, though Guz walked once and scored in his first start in 11 days. Word has it he needed to introduce himself to Emilio! at second base whenthe Rockies came to bat.

UGLY: Dukes to the DL. I talked about it earlier, but this is really a bummer. The team is going out of its way to say this is a calf strain, but one has to wonder if it's not related to rushing back from knee surgery less than five weeks ago. A lost season for Dukes, too. Would have been fun to watch him develop teh next 45 games. He needs those at bats.

INJURY UPDATE: In addition to the above, Boy oh boy Alberto missed again with his "glute" injury.

NEXT GAME: Already underway! Odalis got the first two, walked Holliday and grooved one to Atkins who didn't miss it. 2-0 Rocks after one full. Ubaldo Jiminez on the hill for Colorado. he needed 17 pitches in the first, so maybe this ends up one of those old fashioned Coors Field football games.

GB&U: The Return of Ugly!!!

RESULT: Nats Lose to Rockies 8-2.

GOOD: Snakebit John Lannan. 7 IP, 2 ER, 5 hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks. Made one mistake to Ian Stewart and it cost him. Other than that, had the Rocks off-balance all night. It's good to know that event he feel-good August Nationals still don't hit for Lannan.

BAD: Ronnie Belliard. Inexcusable for him to get caught at third base on a ball hit right at him. At least break for home and make Barmes throw you out instead of jsut standing there and allwoing yourself to be TAGGED out to start the unconventional 5-tag-3 double play. This just two pitches trying to get thrown out stealing third on a whiffed bunt attempt.

UGLY: Never in the history of GB&U has there been a more appropriate series of events to take this distinction. Last night's eighth inning was ugly in every sense of the word. Three pitchers. Three bloop hits. Four walks. Two HBPs. RBIs on two BBs and one HBP. U-G-L-Y. Wouldn't mind seeing less of Ayala and more of Shell right now.

INJURY UPDATE: Why the hell isn't Guzman on the freaking disabled list?!? Last night was the 11th game he's missed!!! Oh, Zim finally played (1-for-3) and Dukes ran in the OF, but no timetable for return.

OTHER "NEWS": Stan says we aren't signing all our draft picks. He better be talking about draft picks other than Crow. Look, Nieto was never going to sign, it's why he dropped all the way to the fifth round. That's not shocking. But the team and Crow's reps had better come to an agreement, or there will be hell to pay on these here internets.

NEXT GAME: Tonight's rubber game against the Rocks. Odalis Perez (4-8, 4.16) versus Jeff Francis (3-7, 5.67) fresh off the 15-day DL. Look, a team that actually uses it's disabled list!

Nats Win Back-to-Back, Beat Reds 10-6

Washington--Down early against the Cincinnati Reds Saturday night, the Washington Nationals could have rolled over as they had so many times earlier this summer. But as simple as flipping the calendar to a new month, the new-look Nats never stopped playing hard, never stopped trying and eventually wore out the Cincy bullpen and celebrated a 10-6come-from-behind victory in front of 30,970 appreciative fans at Nationals Park.

Perhaps the highlight of the evening happened in the bottom of the seventh inning, while Reds skipper Dusty Baker was waiting for former National Gary Majewski to trot in from the bullpen to replace Mike Lincoln. Lincoln had just been beaten by Alberto Gonzalez' single to load the bases and set up the big inning. After the initial cheer for the base hit died down Baker marched out to retrieve the ball from Lincoln, the Nats faithful rose and delivered an unprompted second ovation to the hard-working Nationals, appreciative of the hustle,spirit and enthusiasm shown since the roster upheaval at the trading deadline.

Trailing 6-2 entering the bottom of the sixth, the Nats clawed their way back into the game, scoring two in the frame. Gonzalez (3-for-5,2 runs) started the rally with a one-out double, ending Reds starter Josh Fogg's evening. Bill Bray entered and one out later, Ronnie Belliard pinch-hit for Nats starter Jason Bergmann and delivered his 10th home run of the season, cutting the deficit in half. Emilio Bonifacio (2-for-5) then tripled to straight-away right field, but was left stranded. The message was clear though: the Nats weren't going away quietly.

Reliever Charlie Manning shut down the Reds 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh and let the bats go back to work. Lastings Milledge led off with a walk and Austin Kearns followed with a single, moving Milledge up 90 feet. Catcher Jesus Flores struck out, but Kory Casto followed up with a single to left field, scoring Milledge and moving Kearns up. Gonzalez' safety then loaded the bases, prompting the pitching change, and the subsequent ovation.

Majewski wouldn't fare any better than his teammate on the mound though, as Elijah Dukes hit a hard grounder that second baseman Brandon Phillips couldn't handle, and Kearns carried the tying run home. Little used utility player Pete Orr was summoned by Manager Manny Acta to pinch-hit for Manning, and he delivered in a big way,with a two-run single to left field, scoring Casto and Gonzalez easily.

The Nationals added two insurance runs in the eighth, as Milledge smacked his eighth homer of the season and Austin Kearns (3-for-5, 2runs, 1 RBI) singled, advanced to third when right fielder Jay Bruce over-ran the ball, and scored on a wild pitch by Majewski. Manning (1-2, 4.01) earned the win -- his first career victory -- with his perfect inning. Starter Jason Bergmann (1-8, 4.33) had a rough night, going six innings and allowing six runs -- five earned -- on six hits and three walks. He struck out only two.

The Nats look for the sweep Sunday against the Reds, sending rookie Colin Balestar (1-3, 5.13) to face fellow rookie Johnny Cueto (7-10,5.02). Game time is 1:35 pm.

NATS NOTES: The win makes Washington 40-70, 20 games behind division-leading Philadelphia.

Cristian Guzman came in to play defense in the ninth inning after Elijah Dukes had a cramp getting out of the box after hitting in the bottom of the eighth. Guzman did not bat.

Ryan Zimmerman sat out his third straight game due to lingering soreness in his right hand.

Photos (c) C. Nichols 2008.

Money for Nothing?

With the Major League non-waiver trade deadline approaching Thursday, there's lots of talk about who could be switching teams int he next couple of days. The Nats have already made one trade: the highly discussed Jon Rauch/Emilio Bonifacio deal. Will there be more? Only Trader Jim knows for sure, but it sure seems like he's trying.

There have been media reports (all taken with liberal amounts of grains of salt) that say the Nats have made just about anyone on the roster over 25 available. But what's really there? And what could Nats fans expect as a return? Let's run down the current, shall we?

Paul LoDuca: Every Nats' fans favorite to be moved. The Yankees and Marlins both have injuries at catcher, making them possible trade partners. LoDuca has made it known that he'd be willing to play in NY or Miami, really anywhere closer to horse race tracks. The returns would be minimal though for a 36-year old catcher who was forced out of playing catcher on the worst team in the National League.

Felipe Lopez: He certainly has position flexibility that contending teams may find useful. Hard to believe the ghost of FLop that Nats fans have watched for the last couple of seasons used to be a pretty decent option at shortstop. Currently hitting .235/.307/.313. If the Orioles weren't desperate enough to trade for him, I can't believe anyone else will be either. First candidate to be DFA'd after the deadline. Bonifacio can't get here soon enough.

Ronnie Belliard: Belly is a streaky hitter, but some team might find his decent pop and position flexibility something to take a chance on for the rest of the season. He'd probably only return a "C" level prospect, but it's players like that the Nats have to bring into the system to take a look-see. Won't cost 'em nothin'.

Wee Willie Harris: He's never been hotter in his career, so maybe JimBow can strike while the iron's hot. Willie is a decent defensive player both in the OF and at 2B, and his speed is something that many teams covet. Again, he wouldn't bring a minor league all-star back, but could fetch a low-level thrower that the organization could try to teach to be a pitcher.

Tim Redding: Ace of the Staff. Except for that blow-up in Atlanta, Redding's been pitching very well the last four weeks, and could be a real useful pick-up to a team that is looking to fill a 4 or 5 spot down the stretch. Could the Tigers, Mets or Phillies find him attractive? You bet. His contract is real easy to swallow too. But knowing the way Bowden overvalues his players, it would probably take quite a bit to pry Redding away. All he's done is take the ball every five days for the Nats since he got here and more often than not kept them in the game. He may be more valuable here than the return.

Odalis Perez: Here's a situation where a couple weeks make all the difference. At the all-star break Perez' ERA was around 3.50, now it's at 4.38, and rising every time up. He's lost three of his last four starts, getting hammered in two of them. He's only pitched into the seventh inning once in his last six starts. His window of attractiveness might have already closed. Still, he's a lefty who gets lefties out with a decent K rate.

Austin Kearns: The wildcard. The Mets could use a corner outfielder. Bowden LOVES trading with Omar Minaya. This could be a match in heaven. It would be like Bowden trading one of his own sons, but something tells me he'd even do that if the price were right. Kearns is hitting over .300 since his return from elbow troubles, maybe he could fetch a "B-" prospect out of Omar. C'mon, the Mets have Fernando Tatis and Endy Chavez playing left and right fields. You're telling me Kearns wouldn't be an upgrade there?

Bottom(feeder) Line: At this point, I don't think we're going to see anything of any significant value exchange hands for the Nats this trading deadline. I think the fans can expect more of the same as we've had for a while, with the eventual return of Dukes to the line-up, Bonifacio's call-up and maybe a pitcher or two making appearances after September 1. But never count out Trader Jim Bowden. He knows he's on the hot seat, and he has a propensity for being splashy anyway.

GB&U: I'm Back (and another one bites the dust)!

So what happens when a blogger leaves town for 13 days and only posts two only-tangentially-related-to-baseball posts? Almost everyone stops reading!

Thanks to the few of you who checked in every day only to find: NOTHING! It's nice to know someone was looking for unfiltered content.

Now, back to the grind.

GOOD: Ronnie Belliard! Three homers and 10 RBIs since July 1. Granted, all three homers and 9 of 10 RBIs came in just two games. But still. By the way, if you had Belliard leading the Nats in homers at the All-Star break, come collect your winnings.

BAD: Can I cop out and say "Everything Else"? The Nats are 3-10 since I left for vacation July 1. They were shut out three times in the stretch. Guzman is now hitting in the 3-hole. Wow. The team is hitting .239/.314/.358. Basically, the team's overall average's look a lot like this guy's career numbers. Not good.

UGLY: I don't wish injury on anyone, especially the way this team has lost players. But the latest scheduled surgery doesn't look to affect the bottom line all that much. Wily Mo Pena is scheduled to have rotator cuff/labrum surgery in the next 7 to 10 days. The team will make an announcement along the lines of "Surgery successful, out 4-6 weeks" or some other nonsense, but I imagine we've seen the last of WMP this year, maybe for good.

NEXT GAME: Nats are off for the all-star break until Friday when they start a three-game series with the Braves in Atlanta. I think they, and all Nats fans, can use the break.

GB&U: Ho Hum, Another Walk-Off

RESULT: Nats beat Orioles 3-2

GOOD: Ronnie Belliard. Two-run walk-off home run! Woo Hoo! Roger Bernadina. Base hit in his first major league at bat. And in the outfield, he already looks like a gold glover (all hype intended).

BAD: Kory Casto. 0-for-5, .188 for the year. One day after playing hero, Kory has some really ugly at bats.

UGLY: My tummy. Sorry for the lack of post yesterday and this morning. I've been battling a touch of food poisoning or something, but starting to feel better.

NEXT GAME: Monday versus Florida. Tim Redding (6-3, 4.05) faces Ryan Tucker (2-2, 6.75)

GB&U: Wind Blowing Out In Pittsburgh

RESULT: Nats beat Pirates 7-6.

GOOD: Ronnie Belliard. Welcome back!!! His two homers -- and RBI single -- led the Nats to victory. Other homers by Meathook, Flores and of course, the game-winner, from Blastings Thrilledge.

BAD: Luis Ayala. He faced three batters in the bottom of the eighth. All reached, two scored, temporarily allowing Pittsburgh the lead. Look, I love Ayala and Rivera as much as the next guy. Probably more. But with all the over-use, they are spent right now and it's not even the all-star break yet.

UGLY: Wily Mo Pena. I'm not getting off of his back. 0-for-4 lowers his average down to .200. He saw 15 pitches in four at bats, grounding out to the left side three times and weakly flying out to left in his last at bat.

NEXT GAME: Wednesday at Pittsburgh. John Lannan (4-6, 3.47) takes on Ian Snell (2-6, 5.65) in a 7:05 pm game at PNC Park.

Nats Play Long Ball With Pirates, Win 7-6

Pittsburgh, PA--The Washington Nationals were down to their last out, twice. Trailing the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 in the ninth inning after some back-and-forth home run hitting, Elijah Dukes kept hopes alive with a double to center off of Bucs' closer Matt Capps, who had been perfect in save opportunities all season. Lastings Milledge then came to plate, and drove a shot to the left center field seats against Capps, leaving it up to Jon Rauch to close the door, and he did. Just like that, the Nats had ended their four-game losing streak emphatically.

There were seven home runs in the game -- five by the Nats. The Nats had not hit five home runs in the past week. But Milledge, Dmitri Young, Jesus Flores and Ronnie Belliard -- twice -- all provided big flies to pace the Nationals here on the shores of the Allegheny.

The Nats got started late in this one, as Pittsburgh took an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first against Nats starter Tim Redding. Freddy Sanchez grounded to short, scoring Nate McLouth, who had doubled and taken third on Redding's throwing error on a pick-off play. Two batters later, Ryan Doumit hit his first of two homers on the evening, driving in Jason Bay, on base via an infield single. Redding allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings, walking one and striking out three.

Belliard, in his first game back off the 15-day disabled list with a strained calf, started the comeback in the fifth, homering to left center off Pirates starter Paul Maholm. Doumit would answer for the Bucs in the sixth with his second shot of the night, his tenth of the season. But in the seventh inning -- the bane of the team all season long -- the Nats would find a power boost that has been absent all season long.

Dmitri Young led off -- on the first pitch of the frame -- with his second home run of the season. With one out, Jesus Flores popped his third. The next batter, Ronnie Belliard, hit a 3-2 pitch to deep left center, and in the span of four batters the Nats had three runs, drawing the score into a tie at four, all against Maholm. Maholm gave up four runs and ten hits with no walks and four strikeouts in six and two-third innings.

Belliard would break the tie in the eighth, as his single to center scored Willie Harris, who had entered as a pinch-runner for Young, who singled with one out. Harris stole second off reliever John Grabow before Flores walked, and Belliard fought two fouls off Franquelis Osoria before finding one to his liking, lining his single to center plating Harris.

However, the good fortune from the bats would not extend to the relief pitching in the eighth. Luis Ayala failed to retire any of the three batters he faced, allowing a walk, double and single for one run. Charlie Manning managed to strike out Adam LaRoche with a runner at third, but Joel Hanrahan was not as effective, allowing a sacrifice fly to Doug Mientkiewicz, and the Pirates had stolen the lead from Washington, setting the stage for the ninth inning heroics.

Despite allowing the go-head run to score, Hanrahan was awarded the victory, raising his season record to 2-2, with a 4.24 ERA. Jon Rauch earned his thirteenth save, pitching a perfect ninth inning. Capps was the loser (0-1, 2.64).

Wednesday night is game two between these two second division teams. John Lannan (4-6, 3.47) takes on Ian Snell (2-6, 5.65) in a 7:05 pm game at PNC Park.

NATS NOTES: The win lifts the Nats record to 26-40, 13 games behind Philadelphia in the NL East.

Cristian Guzman, Dukes, Milledge, Young and Belliard all had multi-hit games. Guzman is hitting .310 for the season.

Tyler Clippard, Monday's starter, was returned to Columbus to make room for Belliard.

Photos (c) C. Nichols 2008