Redding Masterful, But Loses 1-0

San Francisco--Tim Redding truly pitched a gem Thursday afternoon at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Unfortunately, Giants starter Matt Cain was just a bit better than that, as he held the anemic Washington offense to four hits, including one by Redding himself, going the distance and beating the Nationals 1-0.

Cain went nine innings, surrendering just those four hits and no walks with four strikeouts. He allowed a two-out double to Ryan Zimmerman in the fourth inning, Redding's single to left in the sixth and Willie Harris' infield single and Cristian Guzman's hard liner double to left in the ninth. With Harris on third and Guzman on second with one out in the ninth, Giants Manager Bruce Bochy came to the mound to settle Cain down and contemplate bringing in All Star closer Brian Wilson. But Bochy remained with his starter, and got Zimmerman to fly out to medium right field and Austin Kearns to fly out to deep right, ending the threat and the game.

"He gave me a pitch to do the job and I just didn't hit it deep enough," Zimmerman said.

The Giants got their lone run in the bottom of the eighth against Redding. Catcher Steve Holm led off with a seeing eye single to left field, and Eugenio Velez, one of the fastest runners in the NL, pinch ran. Cain sacrificed Velez to second, which brought up former World Series hero Dave Roberts. Redding got Roberts into a 1-2 count, but left a fastball up that Roberts fisted up the middle to Guzman's left. The ball barely snuck by Guzman, who was unable to get his glove on it to at least knock it down, and Velez scored without a throw. Jesus Flores threw Roberts out trying to steal and Redding struck out Jose Castillo to end the inning, but the damage was done. Cain cleaned up his own mess in the top of the ninth, and the Nats had been swept by the Giants, not just in this series, but for the season as San Francisco won all seven contests between the two teams.

Cain's only other career shutout came August 21, 2006 against Oakland.

The Nats move down the Pacific coast to start a three-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers Friday night. John Lannan (6-9, 3.29) goes against Chad Billingsly (9-9, 3.32) in the 10:40 Eastern match-up.

NATS NOTES: With the loss the Nats fall to 39-64, 17 games behind NL East leading New York Mets.

After the game, the Nationals activated CF Lastings Milledge (strained right groin) from the disabled list and designated C Johnny Estrada for assignment. Estrada hit .170 in 53 at bats for the Nats, with no home runs and four RBIs. The team expects to eat his $1.25 MM contract.

An MRI exam on INF Aaron Boone's injured left calf confirmed a strain that hasn't completely healed. He's been out since July 7.

Photo (c) C. Nichols 2008

GB&U: Set-Up for Losing

RESULT: Nats lose to Giants 6-4.

GOOD: Ryan Zimmerman. He went 3-for-5. Feels good to type his name again. Jesus Flores. Who else? Homers and drives in two. Leads the team in RBIs. Not bad for a guy who the team felt they had to go out and sign TWO GUYS to block his play. Wee Willie Harris! Just another 2-for-5 day.

BAD: Cristian Guzman. 1-for-5, 1-for-9 since signing his new contract.

UGLY: Luis Ayala. Another 8th inning implosion. Issued a four-pitch walk. Gave up three earned on three hits. Pitching "backwards" and leaving soft breaking balls up and over the plate. Where's his nasty slider? Pitching coach Randy St. Claire doesn't know either.

INJURIES: Sounds like Lastings Milledge will be back this weekend from the groin injury he suffered a month ago. He's been hitting the ball solidly at Columbus on his rehab stint.

NEXT GAME: Today at 3:35 pm, the finale in San Fran. Looking to avoid the sweep, Tim Redding (7-4, 4.17) takes on hard-luck Matt Cain (5-8, 4.08). Boy, are we accustomed to that kind of story.

Ayala Implodes, Nats Lose 6-4

San Francisco--The Washington Nationals took a precarious 4-3 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning against the home-standing San Francisco Giants Wednesday night, and turned the game over to set-up man Luis Ayala as scripted. But as Ayala has done much of the season, he struggled, got behind in the count, walked a man, and surrendered three earned runs to erase the lead and lose the game 6-4.

Ayala (1-6, 5.77) was called on to start the eighth inning and had trouble from the start. The first batter he faced, Nats killer Bengie Molina (lifetime .400 hitter against the franchise) lead off with a solid single to left center, completing an 3-for-4 night for him. D.C. native Emmanuel Burriss then pinch-ran for the sloth-like Molina and promptly stole second. Ayala issued a four-pitch walk to first baseman John Bowker, and after a eight pitch at bat, despite falling behind 0-2, Rich Aurilia finally found a pitch to handle: a hanging breaking ball right down Broadway The veteran hammered the offering to straight-away center field for a two-run double, wresting the lead away. Omar Vizquel, hitting just .183 in this, his 21st big league season, followed with his own double to center, and it was all over but the crying for the Nats. Ayala was allowed to remain on the hill to get the final two outs, but the damage was done.

Washington tried to mount a response in the ninth inning as Ryan Zimmerman (3-for-5) singled with one out and Jesus Flores was hit with a pitch with two outs. But Kory Casto, pinch-hitting for Ayala, could not deliver the blow that would tie the game up to force extras, as he struck out against the Giants All Star closer Brian Wilson.

The Nats actually had a late-inning lead to protect thanks to a three-run inning of their own. Against tiring Giants starter Kevin Correia in the sixth, Austin Kearns singled to lead off, and on the very next pitch, catcher Jesus Flores drilled a pitch to the left field bleachers for his sixth home run of the season, and team leading 41st and 42nd RBIs. Several batters later, pinch-hitter Johnny Estrada singled to center, driving in Ryan Langerhans, who was aboard via a double to right field. Red-hot Willie Harris (2-for-5) followed with a single to put two on with two outs, and Manager Bruce Bochy finally went to his pen for lefty Alex Hinshaw. Hinshaw, one of several rookies in Bochy's bullpen, calmly got All Star Cristian Guzman to ground into a fielder's choice to end the inning without further damage. As it turned out, Hinshaw may have won the game right there.

Collin Balestar started for the Nationals and despite some early struggles settled down to pitch fairly well overall. He went five full innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits and two walks, striking out two. Steven Shell, Charlie Manning and Saul Rivera all followed with shutout performances through the sixth and seventh innings before Ayala came on. Giants rookie Geno Espineli, making just his second appearance since his recall last week, pitched two-thirds of an inning to earn the victory, and Wilson recorded his 27th save of the season.

The Nats finish the series with San Francisco, hoping to avoid the sweep, at 3:35 eastern time today with Tim Redding (7-4, 4.17) on the hill. The Giants send out hard-luck starter Matt Cain (5-8, 4.08).

NATS NOTES: Washington has lost two in a row, and are 4-6 in their last 10 games. Overall, their record stands at 38-63, tied for worst in the majors, and 16 games behind Philadelphia and New York Mets, tied for first in the NL East.

CF Lastings Milledge, on the DL since June 28 with a right groin strain, has hit well during his minor league rehab stint with Triple-A Columbus and the team hopes to activate him during the series with the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend.

GM Jim Bowden, on a talk radio appearance and later confirmed by other media sources yesterday, indicated the team would not tender P Chad Cordero a contract at the end of the season. Cordero, who apparently was not made aware of this before Bowden's public announcements, was surprised by the news. Cordero responded, "I'm shocked he would say it now and make it official. It's a bit upsetting. It's early. I understand that it's a business."

Photo (c) C. Nichols 2008.

Molina Leads Giants Over Nationals 6-3

San Francisco--In what was one of the busiest days administratively in the Washington Nationals' history, they also had a ball game to play. Unfortunately, the Nats got out of the gate slowly and never caught back up with the San Francisco Giants as they dropped a 6-3 decision at AT&T Park.

The story of Tuesday night's game was Giants catcher Bengie Molina. Thrust in to the clean-up spot this season after the departure of Barry Bonds, Molina has responded with a career year, and he continued his success against the Nats, homering twice against starter Jason Bergmann and finishing 3-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs. Bergmann was not sharp, especially early, as he surrendered five runs, four earned, and five hits in five innings of work. He did not walk a batter, and struck out only one. The first inning doomed Bergmann, as he allowed a lead-off home run to outfielder Fred Lewis, an infield single to Eugenio Velez, and a two-run shot to Molina, a no-doubt-about-it shot to left center field.

Bergmann settled down for the second and third innings, but in the fourth he was bit again. Molina led off with his second home run, his eighth of the season, and Omar Vizquel, statistically one of the worst batters in the NL this season, doubled to right field driving in ancient Rich Aurilia, who reached on an infield single. Bergmann fell to 1-7 on the season with the decision, and his ERA sits at 4.21.

The Nats hitters kept trying to claw their was back into this one, getting single runs in the second, fourth and fifth innings, but never could catch up. In the second, Jesus Flores legged out his first major league triple, as Giants center fielder Aaron Rowand laid out for Flores' hard liner to right center, but just couldn't come up with it. The ball scooted all the way to the wall in the deepest part of the park, where right fielder Lewis retrieved it and threw late back into the infield. Flores slip into third for effect, as there was no play at the base. The next batter, Paul LoDuca, who was lustily booed by the fans remembering his long-time affiliation with the hated Los Angeles Dodgers, hit a ball into the left field corner that was ruled a ground-rule double, and Flores brought home the first Nats run.

In the fourth inning, Austin Kearns led off with a double and Ronnie Belliard walked against Giants starter Barry Zito (W, 5-12, 5.56). With one out, LoDuca again produced, as he eked out an infield hit and Kearns sneaked home with another run, Belliard advancing to third. But that's where he would stay, as Felipe Lopez struck out swinging, and Bergmann grounded out to end the inning. The Nats final run came courtesy of red-hot Willie Harris, who continues to push his career best home run total higher, as he hit his seventh of the season. Harris finished 2-for-4, raising his season average to .253.

The game marked the return of Ryan Zimmerman to third base for the Nats, as he was activated from the disabled list before the game, taking the roster spot from Dmitri Young, who was DL'd Friday due to complications with his diabetes and conditioning. Zimmerman went 1-for-3 with two walks upon his return.

Washington continues its series against the Giants Wednesday night at 10:15 pm Eastern, with Colin Balestar (1-2, 5.87) on the mound against Kevin Correia (1-5, 5.81).

NATS NOTES: The loss drops the Nats season record to 38-62, last in the NL East. They are 16 games behind division leading Philadelphia.

The Nationals announced before the game they re-signed SS Cristian Guzman to a two-year, $16MM contract.

Also, the team traded closer Jon Rauch to the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league 2B Emilio Bonifacio. Bonifacio was assigned to Triple-A Columbus, but GM Jim Bowden said, "For us, he's going to be our second-baseman long term. That's what he's going to be. We've optioned him to Columbus; we want him to develop. But he'll be up here at some point by the end of the year and he'll be our second baseman next year."

Molina Leads Giants Over Nationals 6-3 also posted at DC Sports Box

GB&U: Giants Too Hot To Handle

RESULT: Nats lose to Giants 6-3.

GOOD: Lastings Milledge. 2-for-4. home run, 2 RBIs hitting in the 3-hole. Just wondering, do you think the Nats envisioned Milledge hitting in the 3-hole in the middle of June when they traded Schneider and Church for him over the off-season? Guzman and much-maligned Wily Mo Pena both had two hits as well.

BAD: Joel Hanrahan. Gave up a massive two-run home run to seal the deal for the Giants in the top of the seventh to John Bowker. Seems like every other time Hanny pitches, he's giving up taters.

UGLY: Saul Rivera. He didn't give up a run of his own, but allowed three to score against starter Garret Mock's record. Rivera entered the game after Mock walked in the Giants first run in the top of the fifth with the bases loaded, and Rivera promptly allowed all three inherited runners to score.

NEXT GAME: Monday's finale against the Giants. Tyler Clippard (just recalled after the game) gets his first start as a National against Matt Cain (2-4, 4.67).

Photo (c) C. Nichols 2008