Roster News

Text of press release issued today about Nationals roster moves:

NATIONALS OUTRIGHT RYAN LANGERHANS & LAVALE SPEIGNER TO SYRACUSE, CHARLIE MANNING CLAIMED BY CARDINALS

The Washington Nationals today announced that outfielder Ryan Langerhans and right-handed pitcher Lavale Speigner cleared waivers and were outrighted to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. The Nationals also announced that left-handed pitcher Charlie Manning was claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals. Nationals Senior Vice President and General Manager Jim Bowden made these announcements.

The Nationals now have 36 players on their 40-man roster, not including five players on the 60-Day Disabled List.

Langerhans, 28, batted .234 with three home runs and 12 RBI in 73 games with Washington this season, and hit .310 with three home runs and 31 RBI in 62 games with Triple-A Columbus. Speigner, 28, appeared in seven games with the Nationals, going 0-1 with an 11.25 ERA, and went 4-0 with a 1.82 ERA in a combined 35 games (one start) with Columbus and Double-A Harrisburg. Manning, 29, had a 1-3 record with a 5.14 ERA in 57 relief outings with the Nationals, after beginning the season with Columbus where he had six saves and a 1.95 ERA in 19 appearances.

BOTTOM(FEEDER) LINE: Of course Manning would get claimed. He's left-handed and has a pulse. Langerhans and Speigner are solidly in the category of "organizational depth" right now, and hopefully will have a solid season in up-state New York next summer, because if either one of them are in DC for any extended period of time, that means the Nats have been killed by injuries yet again.

GB&U: Wow. What Else Can You Say?

RESULT: Nats lose 8-7 to Marlins. Losing streak at 5 games.

GOOD: Collin Balestar. The rookie starter took a no-hitter into the sixth, and his line was impressive: 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks.

BAD: The Line-up. Manny decided to go with an almost completely rookie line-up, save for Zim, Langerhans and I guess Milledge doesn't count anymore either. The rooks built a lead that should have held up though, leading 6-1 entering the bottom of the 8th inning.

UGLY: The Aforementioned Eighth Inning. The Nats have had some ugly innings this year to be sure, but tonight probably took the cake. Four different pitchers gave up 7 runs (6 earned) on 7 hits and 4 walks, including back-to-back walks to start the inning by Saul Rivera and Manning's walk of Paul LoDuca on 5 pitches. Then, Hanrahan threw one away when no one covered first base on a bunt hit. The very definition of ugly.

NEXT GAME: Tomorrow night the Nats host the Mets at 7:10 pm. John Lannan (8-13) faces Pedro Martinez (5-4). Come out and boo the Mets with me. Seriously, I know it's football season, but if you're reading this, make the effort to come out tomorrow night. I'll be in Section 131, Row SS right on the aisle with three empty seats. First round's on me.

GB&U: Not Enough In the End

RESULT: Nats lost to Mets 10-8.

GOOD: Anderson Hernandez. Trying to make the Mets regret trading him, Hernandez went 2-for-5 in the lead-off spot with 3 RBIs. Guz went 2-for-5 with a homer and 2 RBIs. He's back up to .311. Zim continues to hit, going 3-for-5 with a ribbie. Zim's up to .286.

BAD: John Lannan. 3 IP, 5 ERs on 8 hits and a walk. Location, location, location. He couldn't hit his spots, and aiming them over resulted in a plethora of hard hits, including 2 of the Mets four homers on the night.

UGLY: Bullpen. Estrada gave up two earned in one-third of an inning. Manning gave up two solo shots in two-thirds. Bergmann gave up one earned in one inning. Not very good.

NEXT GAME: Wednesday at 7:10 pm from Shea Stadium. Odalis Perez (6-10) versus Mike Pelfrey (13-9).

Bullpen Implodes to Waste Lannan's Effort; Nats Lose 8-2

Denver -- For six innings, Washington Nationals starting pitcher John Lannan cruised through the Colorado Rockies line-up like it was a minor league team. He mixed his off-speed pitches with fastballs on the corners to baffle last year's National League Champions. But a mistake to pinch-hitter Ian Stewart, turned around for a game-tying two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, opened the door and the rest of the Rockies came crashing through in the eighth, scoring six runs against three Nationals relievers on just three hits, and Colorado wrested a victory where before it looked like another defeat. The loss snapped Washington's modest four-game winning streak since the Major League trade deadline of July 31.

Lannan's line for the night tells the story so often repeated for him this season: seven innings pitched, two earned runs on five hits and two walks with 8 strikeouts -- but no decision. It was just another hard-luck game for Lannan, whose record stands at 6-11 with a credible 3.55 ERA this season.

"He's given us a lot of quality starts without much to show for it," manager Manny Acta said. "He hasn't been the beneficiary of a lot of run support."

After Stewart's homer -- his fifth of the season -- things got plain weird for the Nats in the bottom of the eighth. Luis Ayala relieved Lannan and retired Jeff Baker on a ground out to first, but could do no more good. Slugging OF Matt Holliday flipped a double down the right field line that landed on the chalk, 1B Garrett Atkins drew a four-pitch walk and Ayala then hit C Chris Ianetta. Manager Manny Acta had seen all he cared to of Ayala (L, 1-7, 5.81) and called for lefty Charlie Manning. Rockies OF Brad Hawpe met Manning with a bloop single to shallow center that scored both Holliday and Atkins, with Ianetta moving up to second. SS Troy Tulowitzki, batting just .238 for the season, walked to load the bases. Manning managed to strike out Stewart for the second out, and then gave way to Saul Rivera, who had pitched brilliantly the night before. But there would be no magic in his right arm Tuesday night, as he hit OF Willie Tavares, walked Jeff Baker and allowed an infield single to Holiday, each play scoring a single run and further burying the Nats.

The ugly totals for the bottom of the eighth: three hits (none hit hard), four walks and two hit-by-pitches, resulting in six earned runs and one big loss for the Nationals. "You always see something new and I don't remember the last time I saw four walks and two hit by pitches in an inning," Acta said.

The Nats got their runs courtesy of poor defense again by the Rockies. In the second inning, Austin Kearns (2-for-4) singled, took third on an error by Garrett Atkins on a bunt play by Lastings Milledge, and scored on a sacrifice fly by C Jesus Flores. In the fifth inning, Ryan Langerhans led off with a walk, took second on a sacrifice by Lannan, advance to third on an Emilio Bonifacio ground out and scored on a wild pitch by Rockies starter Jorge de la Rosa.

Washington had a chance to increase their lead in the top of the seventh. 1B Ronnie Belliard led off with a single to left field and Langerhans followed up with another clean single, putting men at first and second with no outs. Lannon struck out trying to sacrifice, but Belliard stole third base anyway to get into scoring position. However, in one of the strangest plays in a night of strangeness, Bonifacio hit a one bouncer to third right in the direction of Belliard, who couldn't decide to advance or retreat. Instead, he did neither and 3B Clint Barmes fielded the ground ball, tagged Belliard quickly and threw to first to get the speedy Bonifacio by a step. Just like that, rally over.

And that's when the real weirdness started.

The Nationals go for the rubber game Wednesday at 9:05 eastern, sending Odalis Perez (4-8, 4.16) to the hill against Jeff Francis (3-7, 5.67), making his first start in more than a month on the disabled list with inflammation of his left (pitching) shoulder.

NATS NOTES: The loss drops the Nats record to 42-71, 19.5 games behind division-leading Philadelphia.

Colorado pitcher Manny Corpas pitched one inning, allowing two hits, to earn the win. His record is 2-3, 6.55.

Washington SS Alberto Gonzalez had an MRI on his injured backside. The team announced he has a "contusion" of the hamstring and is day-to-day.

Ryan Zimmerman returned to the line-up at 3B and went 1-for-3. SS Cristian Guzman and OF Elijah Dukes did not play.

Photos (c) C. Nichols 2008.

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.

GB&U: Manning's Time Short?

RESULT: Nats lose to Padres 5-2.

GOOD: John Lannan. Another quality start, although not without it's share of trouble. Lannan wasn't extremely sharp (3 walks in 5 innings), but managed to hold the Pads to just two runs.

BAD: Wily Mo Pena. WMP went 0-for-3 and struck out thrice. His season average sits at .207. He looked like he was showing signs of making contact on the home stand, but this is getting real old, real fast. Of course, wen you're facing Wil Ledezma, you have to be worried about being over matched. Uh, that was sarcasm.

UGLY: Charlie Manning. One has to feel for a 29-year old getting his first shot in the big leagues, but there's usually a reason behind that. Manning was enjoying some real nice success at Triple-A before the call-up, and that's probably where he belongs. Problem is: if not him, who?

NEXT GAME: Friday night in Arizona. Tim Redding (6-3, 3.59) faces Micah Owings (6-2, 3.73). Gotta watch out for Owings hitting, too. He's hitting .286 (10-for-35) with a homer and three RBIs.

Padres Explode In Eighth To Down Nats 5-2

San Diego, CA--San Diego outfielder Jody Gerut hit a three-run home run off Washington Nationals rookie reliever Charlie Manning in the bottom of the eighth inning Thursday and the Padres held on to win the game 5-2 and the series two games to one. In a battle of two of the lowest run-producing line-ups in the National League, San Diego triumphed by winning the rubber match and sending the Nats to a weekend series in Arizona bruised and feeling like they should have fared better against a team that came into play tied for the worst record in the majors.

When a team is struggling, sometimes one big hit makes all the difference, and the Padres got that hit from forgotten outfielder Gerut. Once a prized prospect in the Cleveland organization, Gerut has fought injuries and bounced to the Cubs and Pittsburgh -- with several minor league stops in between -- before settling this season in the Padres outfield, after a hideous start to the season from veteran Jim Edmonds, which found Edmonds placed on the waiver wire. Gerut hit 22 home runs in his rookie season with Cleveland in 2003 and, now healthy, is starting to produce for the Padres.

The ill-fated inning for Washington started with Saul Rivera on the hill, who had relieved starter John Lannan in the previous inning. Rivera (L, 3-3, 4.64) got the first out as Kevin Kouzmanoff grounded out, but shortstop Khalil Greene got San Diego's rally started with a single to center field. Michael Barrett then singled to right field, moving Green up to second. At that point, Manager Manny Acta went to the pen again, calling on the rookie to face Gerut, making his first at bat of the game after entering as a defensive replacement. Manning has done nothing but struggle since his recall last week, and he would fare no better against Gerut. Manning quickly got ahead in the count 1-2, but Gerut delivered the next offering into the right field grandstand for the 5-2 lead. Manning's ERA now stands at 9.00 after four appearances covering three innings.

The Nationals hitters were held down all day by five Padres pitchers. Starter Wil Ledezma went five innings, giving up one earned run on just two hits and three walks, striking out seven. He was followed by Bryan Corey, Cla Meredith (one earned run on one hit and one walk), Heath Bell (W, 2-3, 2.37) and Trevor Hoffman, who finished up after Gerut's heroics for his eleventh save of the season. Nats starter John Lannan threw six innings and battled some control issues, as he allowed five hits and three walks in five innings of work, but he mitigated the damage and only surrendered two earned runs, when Edgar Gonzalez drove in his little brother Adrian and Kouzmanoff with a bases-loaded single in the fourth inning.

The Nats' two runs were the manufactured kind. In the top of the fourth, Lastings Milledge bunted safely, stole second and third, and scored on an Elijah Dukes' sacrifice fly. In the seventh, Dukes walked with one out, stole second, took third on a ground out and scored on a Ryan Langerhans single.

The Nats were beneficiaries in Wednesday's game of Jesus Flores' grand slam, but when a team is struggling they can't always depend on that "one big hit" surfacing, and it was noticeably absent Thursday in sunny San Diego.

The Nationals travel to Phoenix to play the Diamondbacks Friday night. Tim Redding (6-3, 3.59) looks to get the Nats off on the right foot in Arizona against Micah Owings (6-2, 3.73) at 9:40 pm EDT.

NATS NOTES: With the loss, Washington stands at 23-32, last in the National League East.

Justin Maxwell, of Double-A Harrisburg, will miss up to six weeks with a right wrist injury. The team has released few details, but Harrisburg Manager John Stearns indicated there is concern with "possible ligament damage." Maxwell has been placed on the minor league 7-day disabled list.