GB&U: Cubs Take Rubber Match

RESULT: Nats lose 6-1 to Cubs.

GOOD: Austin Kearns. Put the Nats on the board with his 7th home run of the season. Want to know why the Nats are so bad this year? Check out this analysis on Runs Created by Fire Jim Bowden. Excellent work.

BAD: Jason Bergmann. 6.1 IP, 4 ERs, 4 hits, 4BBs, 6 Ks. He's a reliever. Get over it.

UGLY: Only 4 hits and one walk yesterday off Rich Harden, Carlos Marmol and Jeff Samardzija. In fact, the Nats got Harden into exactly ONE three-ball count before the 7th inning. That is not winning baseball.

INJURY UPDATE: Good news: Elijah Dukes is rehabbing in Columbus. Bad news: He was ejected for arguing balls and strikes yesterday.

NEXT GAME: Off-day Monday. Tuesday starts a three-game series with the Los Angels Dodgers. Collin Balestar (2-6, 4.99) takes on Derek Lowe (0-10, 3.89) for the Dodgers.

GB&U: Back To Your Regularly Scheduled Programming

RESULT: Nats beaten by Cubs 9-2.

GOOD: Ryan Zimmerman. Zim had three singles on the day. That has to count for something. I guess asking Zim to hit a home run once in a while would be out of the question though.

BAD: There was enough to go around. Perez was stinky, giving up 5 runs -- 4 earned -- in 4.1 IP on 10 hits and 4 walks. How did he only give up five total? Marco Estrada was not nearly as successful as he was in his debut the other night, giving up three earned on Ramirez' second homer of the day.

UGLY: Today's RBIs? From Emilio! and the Man With Two Last Names. Enough said.

NEXT GAME: Sunday in the sunshine from Wrigley. Jason Bergmann (2-9, 4.50) versus Rich Harden (8-2, 2.04). Who do YOU like in that match-up?

Cubs Follow Script; Pound Nats 9-2

Chicago -- A day after the Washington Nationals had their way with the N.L. leading Chicago Cubs, the Cubbies returned the favor, riding the strong right arm of all-star Ryan Dempster and two home runs by slugging third baseman Aramis Ramirez to defeat the Nats 9-3 before 40,000-plus at Wrigley Field Saturday afternoon.

Dempster scattered eight hits in his seven and one-third innings, but gave up just one run -- on an RBI single by Anderson Hernandez -- notching his 15th win of the season against just five losses, setting a career-high mark for victories in one year. He walked just one batter and struck out four along the way. "I don't know. I'm not worried about that. It's a great personal accomplishment, but my motivation is one reason and one reason only and that's to get to the playoffs and win the World Series," Dempster said. "I will take 15 wins and a World Series and I'd be the happiest player in baseball."

Washington starter Odalis Perez was not nearly as sharp. He battled constant trouble, and allowed four earned runs -- all in the fourth inning -- on ten hits and four walks in four and one-third innings. Perez put multiple runners on each of the first three innings but remained unscathed -- until the Cubs finally made him pay in the fourth.

Perez got Dempster to ground out to start the inning innocently enough, but then walked OF Alfonso Soriano, no small feat. 2B Ryan Theriot followed with a single to center field, and Derrick Lee smacked a ball up the middle that scored Soriano. That brought Aramis Ramirez to the plate, and he deposited a 1-2 fastball over the ivy in left field for a three-run home run, all the offense the Cubs would need on this day.

"You can only work out of so many jams against such a good ball club," Nationals manager Manny Acta said.

Perez (L, 5-10, 4.21) found himself in another jam to start the fifth. OF Kosuke Fukudome reached on an error by second baseman Hernandez, and after Dempster sacrificed him to second, Fukudome scored on a Soriano double to left field. That extra base hit sent Perez to the showers, his day -- and that of the Nats for all intent -- over.

Ramirez would add another three-run home run off reliever Marco Estrada in the eighth inning, his 22nd of the season. Theriot reached on an infield single, Daryle Ward walked, and Ramirez drove another offering over the ivy, this one to right field. Mark DeRosa added his 17th homer of the season as well for Chicago.

Ryan Zimmerman had three singles in four trips to the plate, but could not find a batter behind him to drive him in today. Maybe the Nats should have saved a couple of those extra runs they scored Friday afternoon for this contest.

The series wraps up Sunday at 2:20 pm. Jason Bergmann (2-9, 4.50) matches up with Rich Harden (8-2, 2.04) for the Cubs.

NATS NOTES: The loss lowers the team record to 46-84, 26 games behind division leading New York. The Nats have lost thirteen of their last fifteen games.

OF Lastings Milledge took a Dempster fastball off his left hand late in the game, but seemed to be fine, despite some nasty bruising. "I'll be all right," said Milledge, who remained in the game but didn't have to bat again. "It's a little sore, but I've got to play."

OF Elijah Dukes, on the DL with a right calf strain, homered Friday night during his rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus. The Nats hope he can rejoin the team next week

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.