I Usually Don't Get Worked Up Over These Things, But...

Here's a report from Enrique Rojas of ESPN.com on their "MLB Winter Meetings Blog" :

The proposed trade between the Nationals and Rockies involving right-hander Tim Redding and outfielder Willy Taveras fell apart because one of the players did not pass his physical exam.

You mean the Willie Taveras? The same guy who went .251/.308/.296 last season in 470 at bats. Read that middle number again. He had a .308 on base percentage last season. Granted, he led the NL in stolen bases. But you know what the result was? 64 runs scored. SIXTY FOUR.

Willie Harris scored 58 runs in 100 less at bats from the bottom of the order for the most part.

For the SABR inclined reader, his OPS+ was 56. This number is based off how good a player is plus-or-minus 100. Of players with 350+ at bats, Corey Patterson was the worst in the NL at 48. Taveras was bottom ten.

He led off for the bulk of his at bats, and while in that slot OBP'd a cool .299.

Lifetime, his slash stats are: .283/.331/.337 (OPS+ 72). So at age 26, when a player starts to enter his prime years, Taveras had his statistically worst year in the bigs. Oh yeah, as a point of reference, Nook Logan's career OPS+ is 76.

Harris has OPS+'d 94 and 98 the last two years as a part-time player. His lifetime OPS+ is 75.

Of Taveras' 558 career hits, 80 have been of the extra-base variety. He's never had 20 doubles in a season, despite all that speed. His career triples high is five, despite all that speed and playing in Colorado the last two years.

He's had seven career home runs in 1972 at bats.

Now, I'm not going to argue that the Nats shouldn't trade Tim Redding if they get a good deal for a player in a position of need. But Willie Taveras, statistically speaking, was one of THE WORST regular position players in the majors last year. If you have a fantasy team where you need stolen bases and have a bunch of high average guys to cover for Taveras, sure, trade Redding for him. But real baseball doesn't work like fantasy.

Taveras is good for only one thing: Stealing second base when one of his weak ground balls manages to make its way through the infield.

Nats Fall One Loss Away From Ignominy

Washington, DC -- It's not the way Tim Redding wanted to end his mostly positive season. On a chill evening in late September, Redding hoped to preserve his personal .500 pitching record for a team that started the contest a collective 39 games below .500. Unfortunately for Redding and the Washington Nationals, he was not as sharp as he had been most nights previously this season, and the Nats fell to the Florida Marlins 9-4, before 23,299 brave souls remaining to see the end of this disappointing season. The loss is Washington's 99th of the season, as the Nats have lost eleven of their last fourteen games.

Redding's very first pitch to the first batter of the game, all-star shortstop Hanley Ramirez, left the park as Ramirez launched his 33rd home run of the season. Rookie Cameron Maybin followed with a double, and would eventually score on a wild pitch. Before they had batted, the Nats trailed 2-0. Redding escaped the second inning unscathed, but would not last the third.

Ramirez started the damage again with a one-out double. Rookie OF Cameron Maybin sacrificed Ramirez to third, who then walked to home on a Jorge Cantu double to deep left field. OH Josh Willingham and 2B Dan Uggla both earned free passes from Redding which would haunt the veteran starter. OF Jeremy Hermida singled to right field on an 0-2 pitch, allowing Cantu and Willingham to both score. The next batter, 1B Gaby Sanchez, in first his major league start, doubled to the out of town scoreboard in right, driving in Uggla, and mercifully ending Redding's evening -- and season.

Marco Estrada entered and promptly allowed an infield hit to catcher Matt Treanor and Hermida snuck home from third, closing the book on Redding. He finished two and two-thirds innings, surrendering seven earned runs on seven hits and two walks. He struck out four and allowed one home run, Ramirez' solo shot to start the game.

Redding was one of the big stories for the Nats early this season, as he started the season 6-3 with a 3.16 ERA, prompting talk of an All-Star appearance. He didn't get a decision in any of his next nine starts, though, and went 0-3 with a 9.17 ERA over his last four. His season ends with a record of 10-11 and and ERA of 4.95.

"First half, real good," Redding said. "Second half ... not good."

The Marlins collected eighteen hits on the evening, and several new faces for Florida had big nights. Ramirez and Hermida both went 3-for-5 and rookies Maybin and Sanchez each collected three hits as well.

The Nationals batters did not fare as well against Marlins starter Josh Johnson (W, 7-1, 3.61). Johnson missed much of the season recovering from last off-season surgery, but he's quickly proving that he belongs in next year's rotation. He went six innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits and three walks.

Emilio Bonifacio and Pete Orr -- subbing for flu-ridden Ryan Zimmerman -- each had two hits for the Nats. Bonifacio's triple in the third inning led to a run, and he, Orr, SS Alberto Gonzalez and C Wil Nieves each had RBIs.

The highlight of the game for the Nats was LF Roger Bernadina's full-out diving catch onto the warning track just in front of the visitor's bullpen in left field, robbing 3B Jorge Cantu of extra-bases. It was, simply, one of the finest defensive plays you'll see from an outfielder, and gives hope that the young players the Nats are running out there to end the season will one day be part of a winning season, not one that needs to win its remaining four games to avoid triple digits.

Collin Balestar (3-6, 4.83) gets the first chance to keep 100 at bay, as he takes on Anibal Sanchez (2-5, 5.57) in the last game in the inaugural season at Nationals Park, weather permitting, at 7:10 pm.

NATS NOTES: The Seattle Mariners lost to the Los Angeles Angels last night, giving them 100 losses, to stay one game behind Washington for the worst record in the major leagues. Should they tie, Washington will still receive the first pick in next year's amateur draft due to finishing with a worse record the previous season.

GB&U: 99 Losses

RESULT: Marlins beat Nats 9-4. Nats stand one shy of 100.

GOOD: Emilio! went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Pete Orr went 2-for-4 with and RBI. Wil Nieves went 1-for-3 with an RBI.

BONUS GOOD: Roger Bernadina's diving catch in left field was as good as you'll ever see, and rightly earned him the Web Gem on ESPN's Baseball Tonight last night.

BAD: Roger Bernadina. He went 1-for-4 with a strikeout and stranded four base-runners.

UGLY: Tim Redding. Here's a guy that really wanted to end the season on a good note, after all the decent pitching he's done this year, and he just got roughed up last night. Only made it through 2.2 IP, allowing 7 runs on 7 hits and 2 BBs, 4 Ks and 1 HR allowed.

BONUS UGLY: The weather for tonight's game, the last home game of the season. Does not look promising. Let's hope they don't wash the whole thing out. I know, what's one more game? But it's the last one!

NEXT GAME: Tonight, weather permitting, at 7:10 pm from Nationals Park. Collin Balestar (3-6, 4.83) faces Anibal Sanchez (2-5, 5.57). Sanchez has a tweaked hammy though, so if they play in the rain it's questionable if Florida will allow him to go out there on the wet field.

FRONT OFFICE UPDATE: In a response to yesterday's Sporting News article about unrest at the top, Nats President Stan Kasten vehemently denied rumors of his demise to Bill Ladson at MLB.com. Reassuring to hear it straight from the horses mouth. Still, can't help but feel Monday will be an interesting day in Nats history.

FUN STUFF: If you haven't seen it yet, here's video shot by BF Staff Photographer Cheryl Nichols (alias: diehardnatsfan) of the radio guys, Charlie, Dave and Jack, dancing to Wil Nieves' batting song. It's fairly hysterical and Charlie couldn't stop laughing when she showed it to him after Tuesday night's game! We'll still trying to track down the song title and artist so you too can add to your iPod.

Game Photos and Video (c) C. Nichols 2008.

Santana, Schneider Handle Nats Easily 7-2

Washington -- Perennial Cy Young candidate Johan Santana allowed just one run and struck out eight, his catcher, Brian Schneider, hit two home runs in a game for the first time since 2003, and the New York Mets emphatically closed out the four game series with a 7-2 victory over the Washington Nationals before 25,426 at Nationals Park.

Santana (W, 14-7, 2.65) was stellar in his performance as usual, going seven innings and allowing Mets manager Jerry Manual to rest most of his bullpen, after plowing through seven relievers in Wednesday's game. Santana allowed eight hits and two walks, but the strikeouts helped snuff possible rallies all night. Manual still used three more pitchers to seal the deal, but Joe Smith, Scott Schoeneweis and Pedro Feliciano closed the door effectively on this occasion.

The Mets scored runs in each of the first five innings to dominate early. Nats starter Tim Redding (L, 10-10, 4.67) was not sharp, going only three innings and surrendering five runs -- four earned -- on seven hits and a walk. Four of the seven hits were of the extra-base variety, including Schneider's first homer of the evening, a lazy fly ball to right that just kept carrying over the fence and into the Nats bullpen. Schneider, RF Ryan Church, SS Jose Reyes and LF Dan Murphy all had two hits apiece.

Despite pounding out thirteen hits, the Nats could only manage to push two across, and not until the late innings. In the seventh inning, Anderson Hernandez doubled in Wil Nieves, with pinch hitter Luke Montz moving up to third with just one out. But Santana got Cristian Guzman to pop out to second base and Ryan Zimmerman flied out to deep right. One inning later, Elijah Dukes and Willie Harris each reached via single off Mets reliever Joe Smith, and Nieves delivered Dukes on a single up the middle with two outs. Unfortunately, there would be no heroics this evening, as Alberto Gonzalez grounded to third to end the threat.

The Nationals had to be content taking two of the four games from their division rival, as one team attempts to win the N.L. East and the other is trying to avoid losing 100 games for the first time in franchise history.

Washington hosts the San Diego Padres for a three-game series this weekend, which may decide who gets the #1 pick in next year's amateur draft. Both teams enter play with identical 58-95 records, trailing the Seattle Mariners by one-half game for the worst record in major league baseball. Seattle has equal losses but one fewer win. Friday night's match-up features Nats rookie Collin Balestar (3-6, 4.54) facing the Padres veteran Jake Peavy (9-11, 2.77).

NATS NOTES: Washington is 28 games behind Philadelphia in the N.L. East. The Mets kept pace with the Phillies and remain one-half game behind for the division pennant. New York is one and one-half games ahead of Milwaukee for the Wild Card spot in the National League.

Zimmerman finished the game 3-for-5 after slumping the first three games of the series. Guzman, Dukes and Nieves all added two hits each as well.

Photo (c) C. Nichols 2008.

GB&U: Not Every Day You Beat a Legend

RESULT: Nats beat Greg Maddux and the Dodgers 5-4.

GOOD: Ryan Zimmerman. His first homer since May 17 (really?!?). Guz and Emilio! Two hits apiece from the middle infield. Lastings. RBI and SB. Tim Redding. Despite three solo homers given up, he had a another quality start. Joel Hanrahan. A four-out, one-run save with very little nervousness.

BAD: Saul Rivera. Two-thirds of an inning, one run on three hits and a walk. Joel had to bail him out in the eighth. Signs of wear on Sa-ool recently.

UGLY: Lastings Milledge. Got caught on the oldest trick in the book. After embarrassing Maddux the play earlier by taking third on a groundout when Maddux slipped and was a little bit late covering the base, the 17-time Gold Glover took his revenge.

A combacker took Maddux close to the third base line, and he looked at Milledge, then poised to throw to first to make the play. Milledge broke when Maddux' arm went through, but Maddux held the ball and Milledge was a dead duck. Lastings managed to get into a run-down, allowing Jesus Flores to advance to second, but it was a done deal. Maddux got his.

NEXT GAME: Tonight, looking for the sweep agaisnt the Dodgers. A pair of impressive rookies face off, with John Lannan (7-12, 3.95) on the hill for the Nats, facing Clayton Kershaw (2-4, 4.11) for L.A.

Here's the slideshow from last night's game:



All photos (c) C.Nichols 2008.

Nats beat Phils 4-3; Halt 12 Game Skid

Philadelphia -- For one game, at least, the breaks fell to the Washington Nationals. It was the Philadelphia Phillies reliever that surrendered an eighth inning lead. It was the Phillies shortstop that could not handle a ground ball, allowing a go-ahead run to score. It was the Phillies second baseman that threw a ball away to lose a double play. It was the Phillies first baseman who struck out three times and left four runners on base. And it was the Phillies starting pitcher that allowed one earned run over six and two-thirds innings, only to be victimized by a lack of run support.

Granted, the Nats did a bunch of similar things that kept this game close as well, but on this night they made fewer mistakes than the competition and quietly got back into the win column.

The winning runs scored in the top of the eighth against Phillies reliever Ryan Madson (L, 3-2). Ryan Zimmerman led off with an infield single and Lastings Milledge singled to right field. 1B Ronnie Belliard put down a perfect sacrifice moving both runners up. Nats RBI leader Jesus Flores dumped a ball into shallow center field scoring Zimmerman, and slumping Austin Kearns muscled a ball up the middle for an RBI single, plating Milledge with what turned out to be the winning run. Manager Manny Acta called on closer Joel Hanrahan in the bottom of the eighth, and Hanrahan did his job, pitching two shutout innings to nail down his fourth save of the year.

"It's a big weight off our shoulders," Hanrahan said. "We knew people were writing about it everywhere. Now we want to win a couple more."

Things should not have been that close though. Reliever Saul Rivera had an atypical poor outing in the seventh, giving up two earned runs on three hits, including light-hitting catcher Carlos Ruiz' third home run of the season. The other run came courtesy of Ryan Zimmerman's two base throwing error (sixth of the season) on a Shane Victorino nubber and ground-out RBI by pinch-hitter extraordinaire Greg Dobbs. Rivera (4-5) was credited with his fifth blown save of the season, but was awarded the win as he was the pitcher of record when the Nats took the lead in the eighth inning after he had departed.

The game was scoreless through five innings, as veterans Tim Redding and Jamie Moyer matched each other pitch-for-pitch. Neither hurler factored in the decision, but both took advantage of slumping offenses to keep their respective teams in the game. Redding finished six innings, allowing one earned run on three hits and one walk, striking out five. He gave up a run in the sixth when OF Jayson Werth double to deep right field, and all-star 2B Chase Utley drove him in with a single up the middle.

Moyer was just as good, going six and two-thirds innings, allowing two runs -- one earned -- on five hits and three walks while striking out four Nationals. He was, however, victimized by his defense. Nats 2B Anderson Hernandez and SS Christian Guzman started the sixth inning off with back-to-back singles. After Zimmerman struck out, Milledge hit a would-be double play grounder to third, but Guzman made a hard "take-out" slide into second, and on the turn Utley fired the ball down the first base line, drawing 1B Ryan Howard off the bag for an error. Hernandez scored without a throw for an unearned run. In the top of the seventh with one out, Moyer walked Kearns and gave up a single to Willie Harris. After pinch-hitter Aaron Boone popped out to Howard, Hernandez pushed a ball up the middle that Jimmy Rollins got his glove on, but then lost in the transfer from glove to throwing hand. It was officially scored a hit, but the Phillies faithful scored the play an error and rained boos down on 2007's N.L. MVP, who is also in the midst of a 3-for-33 slump at the plate.

Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. After twelve straight losses, the Nats were perfectly happy that the boos were coming from the other side of the field last night.

Washington faces the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field for the first of a three-game series this afternoon at 2:20 pm. John Lannan (6-12, 3.81) takes the mound for the Nats against Jason Marquis (8-7, 4.67) for the first place Cubbies, who own the best record in baseball.

NATS NOTES: The win raises the Nats record to 45-83. They trail the New York Mets by 26 games in the N.L. East.

SS Cristian Guzman made his first start after missing six games with an injury to his left thumb.

GB&U: One In A Row

RESULT: Nats beat the Phillies, 4-3. They stop the losing streak at 12.

GOOD: Tim Redding. 6 IP, 1 ER, 3 hits, 1 BB, 5 Ks. Joel Hanrahan. 2 IP, o runs, 2 hits 1 BB, 2 Ks. Anderson Hernandez played second, went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Guz went 2-for-5. Zim went 2-for-5. Kearns bounced one up the middle for an RBI.

BAD: Saul Rivera. He was awarded the win, but was the least effective pitcher of the night for the Nats. He gave up two earned runs on three hits and a walk -- surrendering Carlos Ruiz' third homer of the year -- in his lone inning pitched.

Zim threw one down the line in the seventh allowing Shane Victorino to go from first to third, and scored on a ground out by Greg Dobbs before the Ruiz homer.

UGLY: Philly Phans. They booed Howard when he struck out. They booed Rollins when he ranged for a ball but couldn't come up with a throw. They said something nasty to Willie Harris in the left field corner after catching a fly ball by Pat Burrell.

NEXT GAME: Tomorrow afternoon at 2:20 pm at Wrigley. John Lannan (6-12, 3.81) takes the hill against Jason Marquis (8-7, 4.67).

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).

Nats Stay Hot In Colorado; Beat Rockies 9-4

Denver -- Despite not feeling his best, Washington Nationals pitcher Tim Redding found a way to keep his team in the game and hung around long enough that his teammates picked him up with a four-run fourth inning as he earned the victory in a 9-4 win over the Colorado Rockies before 33,143 purple-clad fans at Denver's Coors Field. The Nats pounded out 14 hits, including five extra-base hits, to chase all-star starter Aaron Cook and three Rockies relievers.

It was the Nationals fourth win in a row since August 1, the day Washington released veteran C Paul LoDuca and INF Felipe Lopez and traded for SS Alberto Gonzalez and activated 2B Emilio Bonifacio from the minor leagues.

Redding was a bit under the weather to start the game and he got roughed up in the first inning, allowing Matt Holliday's RBI double and Brad Hawpe's two-run single, all with no outs. But Redding, the team's de facto ace, bore down and retired the next three hitters to limit the damage and give the Nats a fighting chance. Redding (W, 8-6, 4.44) ended up going five innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits and three walks. He also struck out six Rockies, which was his saving grace on a night where he just wasn't as sharp as he would have liked. He even added a single, scored a run and made a nifty behind-the-back grab of a one-hop grounder by slugger Matt Holliday. The win was Redding's first since beating Houston on July 10. He had lost four straight starts since.

"After the first inning, and after the way we had been playing the last weekend, I knew if I kept the game relatively close we would come back and win," Redding said.

In the top of the second, Jesus Flores served notice that the Nats hitters would not go quietly on this evening, as he took a 2-1 fastball to deep left field for his eighth home run of the season. But the fireworks really started for the Nats in the third inning against Rockies all-start starter Aaron Cook. Redding himself started the damage, with a clean single to right field. Emilio Bonifacio (3-for-5, RBI, 2 runs) followed with a single of his own to put runners at first and second with none out. Willie Harris attempted to bunt them over, but Cook's throw to third got away, allowing Redding and Bonifacio both to score, with Harris ending up on second base.

"I should have thrown it into the stands; it would have only cost us one run," Cook said. "If I didn't throw that ball down the left-field line we would have been in the game."

Lastings Milledge then singled to left field and Harris moved up to third. Cook (L, 14-7, 3.63) walked Austin Kearns to load the bases, bringing up Jesus Flores. Flores grounded a routine ball to SS Troy Tulowitzki and the Rockies shortstop forced Kearns at second. But Kearns made a hard take-out slide and Tulowitzki air-mailed his throw to first, allowing Harris and Milledge both to score on the play. Just like that, the Nats had taken a 5-3 lead, one they would not surrender.

In fact, the Nats would add to that lead. In the sixth inning, Alberto Gonzalez singled, took second on Redding's sacrifice and third on a wild pitch. Gonzalez injured himself on the slide, categorized as a "foot contusion", and Pete Orr pinch-ran. Bonifacio tripled on the next pitch driving in Orr, and later scored on Harris' single to center. Harris would continue his hot streak, hitting a two-run homer in the eighth inning -- his ninth of the year -- off reliever Matt Herges to close the scoring. Harris finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored.

Washington faces the Rockies in game two of the three-games series Tuesday at 9:05 eastern. John Lannan (6-11, 3.61) faces Jorge de la Rosa (5-6, 6.94) for the Colorado.

NATS NOTES: After their fourth win in a row, the Nats record stands at 42-70, 19.5 games behind Philadelphia in the NL East.

Ryan Zimmerman pinch-hit for reliever Luis Ayala in the ninth inning. Manager Manny Acta hopes to be able to put Zimmerman in the line-up Tuesday night.

OF Elijah Dukes and SS Cristian Guzman both missed the game. It was Dukes' third straight and Guzman's ninth.

SS Alberto Gonzalez is listed as day-to-day with his injury. It is not considered serious.

Photo (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.

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: Cain Shuts Down Nats

RESULT: Nats lose to Giants 1-0; Cain throws four-hitter.

GOOD: Tim Redding. After a couple not-so-good outings, Redding was awesome in an eight-inning complete game. Seven hits, no walks, five strikeouts. And a shortstop with average range would have kept the ball that scored Velez in the infield at least, if not get the out. But nothing can take away from Redding's excellent performance. He even had one of the four Nats hits!

BAD: Tim Tolman. Fastest guy on the team rounding third with two outs, gotta send Wee Willie home there and take your chances. Granted, Zim's fly wasn't the deepest, but Randy Winn has never been confused with Dwight Evans out there either. Send himhome, Tim!

UGLY: Johnny Estrada's exit. Wow, talk about ungracious and classless, not to mention clueless. To read his quotes, you'd think the Nats just cut A-Rod.

"Mentally, I'm ready to go home. It's been a grind for me all season." And "Yeah, it's been frustrating... I still know I have a lot left in the tank, and look forward to playing against the Nationals."

I guess when you go on the DL for four weeks and come back 15-20 pounds heavier, you kind of lose some persepective.

INJURY UPDATE: Estrada was sent packing since the Nats re-activated Lastings Milledge from the DL after the game. Hopefully he's fully recovered from the groin injury and can give the Nats a little spark in the closing two months of the season.

NEXT GAME: Friday night from Chavez Ravine. John "Hard Luck" Lannan (6-9, 3.29) takes on Chad Billingsly (9-9, 3.32) for the Dodgers. Man, I wish this game wasn't blacked out on MLB Extra Innings. Love me some Vin Scully!

Nats Rally For Another Walk-off Win

Washington, DC--Lastings Milledge homered, Elijah Dukes reached base four times and Jesus Flores broke out of a mini-slump just in time, as his line drive in the bottom of the ninth scored Dukes from second and allowed the Washington Nationals to walk-off with a win against the AL West leading Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 5-4.

Flores had gone 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and five runners left on when he came to the plate with two on and no one out against Scot Shields for the Angels. He fouled the first pitch back and took the next two pitches for balls, and on the fourth pitch of the at bat finally found one he liked, drilling it to right center, splitting outfielders Torii Hunter and Rob Quinlan to deliver the comeback victory for the Nats.

The Nats got off to the early lead courtesy of Milledge. In the bottom of the first, Cristian Guzman led off with a walk, only his twelfth in over 350 plate appearances. One out later, Milledge (2-for-4) hammered an Ervin Santana offering deep to straight center field and the ball landed in the utility area beyond the deepest part of the playing field. It was Milledge's seventh home run of the season and broke an 0-for-13 skid. Santana, one of the AL's leading pitchers this season, was not particularly sharp Wednesday night allowing four earned runs total on four hits and five walks in six innings.

The Angels would scratch out single runs in the second and third innings against Nats starter Tim Redding. In the second, Hunter led off with a single, took second on a ground out and scored on Gary Matthews double to deep left field. In the third, Erick Aybar singled with one out and took second on Garrett Anderson's single. Hunter reached on an infield single to load the bases and first baseman Casey Kotchman singled to short right plating Aybar. The damage could have been worse, but with the bases loaded Howie Kendrick flied out to medium-deep right field and Anderson broke for the plate. Elijah Dukes fired a one-hop strike to catcher Jesus Flores, who cleanly applied the tag for the double play, letting Redding escape big damage in the inning.

The Nats took back the lead in the sixth. They loaded the bases against Santana with a walk to Dukes (2-for-3, 2 runs, 2 BBs), a single by Milledge and an intentional pass to Dmitri Young. Ronnie Belliard then drew a walk with the sacks full to force in a run, and Wily Mo Pena (2-for-3) snuck a ball through the right side to drive in another. But the Nats could not finish of the Angels, as Willie Harris popped out and Kory Casto struck out to end the inning.

The 4-2 lead would be short lived though. In the top of the eighth, with Luis Ayala pitching, the Angels would stage their rally. Aybar singled to start the inning and Anderson reached on defensive replacement Pete Orr's error. Kotchman doubled on a ball to the wall in right, scoring Aybar and moving Anderson to third. Ayala has given up more runs than innings pitched in three of his last six opportunities, driving his ERA up to 5.54.

Jon Rauch was summoned to try to save the game, but he let Kendrick loft a fly ball to center that brought Anderson home to tie the game. Nats fans have time and again seen the bullpen surrender leads, and tonight's game looked to be following that script. But the Nationals have also crafted several walk-off scenarios at home, and the disappointment of losing the lead would soon be replaced by the "bang-zoom" of victory fireworks.

Rauch retired the Angels in order in the ninth, and as pitcher of record earned the win (4-1, 2.29) despite the blown save. Redding (6-3, 4.05) finished with six innings pitched, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and one walk, striking out two. Redding now has seven consecutive starts without a decision. Shields (3-2, 2.53) suffered the loss for the Halos.

The Nationals have a day off Thursday to savor their win. Friday marks the beginning of part two of the "Battle of the Beltways", as the Baltimore Orioles visit Nationals Park for a three-game series to conclude interleague play. Odalis Perez (2-5, 4.09) will come of the disabled list to face Daniel Cabrera (5-3, 4.46) for the O's.

NATS NOTES: With the with, the Nats record stands at 31-49, twelve and one-half games behind division leading Philadelphia. Washington's last four victories at home have come in its last at-bat.

With an infield single in the seventh inning, Aaron Boone reached 1,000 hits for his career. He is the fourth person in his family to reach that plateau in the major leagues, following grandfather Ray (1,260), father Bob (1,838) and brother Bret (1,775).

The Nats placed RHP Shawn HIll on the 15-day DL Thursday to activate Perez for Friday's game. Hill was examined by specialists at the Mayo clinic, and for now, rest and therapy were prescribed for his painful forearm.

Photos (c) C.Nichols 2008

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

GB&U: Double-header Style

RESULTS: Nats split with Cardinals; lose game one 4-1, win the nightcap 10-9.

GOOD: Game One: John Lannan. On his bobblehead night (just kidding, it's supposed to be Zim), Lannan was his usual solid, going 6 innings, allowing just 2 earned on 4 hits and 4 walks.

Game Two: Elijah Dukes. He needed this one. 4-for6, walk-off two-run job. He fell just a double short of the cycle.

BAD: Game One: Joel Hanrahan. Two IPs, 3 hits, a walk, two earned, including Pujols pinch-hit blast.

Game Two: Jon Rauch. He's been great so far in the closer role, but giving up extra-bats hits to slap hitters Brendan Ryan and Skip Schumaker is pretty terrible.

UGLY: Game One: The fans. Wow, so this is what happens when you hold a major league baseball game and no one comes. The only fans in stands were the people that were in from out of town to see the Cardinals. Oh, and some crazy folks in the right field corner.

Game Two: Tim Redding. Sorry Tim, any time you give up a three-run home run to a relief pitcher, your name is going in here. The kid probably hadn't even had big-league batting practice, having just been called up Sunday. Yikes!

NEXT GAME: Tonight, against one of the best pitchers in the National League! WOO HOO!!! Jason Bergmann (1-2, 4.50) hosts Tim Lincecum (7-1, 2.23) and the rest of the San Francisco Giants.

GB&U: Bounce Goes Nats Way For A Change

RESULT: Nats beat Brewers 7-6.

GOOD: Aaron Boone. 2-for-4, 2-run home run and two runs scored. Boone is hitting .324 for the season with 4 homers and 11 RBIs. Boone just keeps producing whenever he is called upon.

BAD: Much of the season, Tim Redding has been the rock of the rotation. But on Sunday, Redding was simply rocked. He allowed five earned runs on 10 hits and one walk. It would have been worse had he not struck out 7 strikeouts.

UGLY: Ryan Zimmerman's shoulder. Is it sore? Isn't it? Paul LoDuca said it was. Ryan said "Eh, not much." Manny Acta is giving Ryan the day of Monday either way. Stay tuned.

Honorable Mention GOOD: Elijah Dukes earned a one out, full-count walk to start the rally in the ninth inning. Dukes is getting beat up a little bit for his low, low batting average. But the truth is that Dukes has more of an idea when he stap into the batter's box than most of the players on this team.

NEXT GAME: Memorial Day, Monday at 1:35. Jason Bergmann (1-1, 5.47) looks to make it three straight strong starts against Brewers' ace Ben Sheets (5-1, 2.92). Take time during the festivities to remember those who served and those that gave their lives for your privilege to enjoy a baseball game on a warm summer afternoon.

GB&U: Redding Owns Phils

RESULT: Nats beat Phils 4-0.

GOOD: Tim Redding hasn't allowed an run--earned or otherwise--to the Phillies this year. The only two times the Phils have been shut out this season have been at the hands of Redding and the Nats.

BAD: Belliard goes on the DL, Kearns' elbow needed x-rays. What next? I'll tell ya. Shawn Hill had a cortisone shot in his right elbow and will miss his next start. Not good. Matt Chico will take his turn on Wednesday.

UGLY: Last night's starting corner outfielders: Wee Willie Harris in left and Rob "Mendoza" Mackowiak in right. Talk about underwhelming. At least they can go catch the ball.

NEXT GAME: Tonight against our neighbors up the road a bit on I-95. Jason Bergmann (1-1, 7.45) tries to follow up his outstanding starting debut against Phils' ace Cole Hamels (5-3, 2.89).

Photo (c) C. Nichols 2008

Redding Strong Again; Nats Shut Out Phils 4-0

Washington, DC--Tim Redding, surely becoming the ace of the Washington Nationals' staff, threw six and one-third shutout innings as the Nats defeated division-rival Philadelphia Monday night 4-0. Redding had assistance by three relievers -- Saul Rivera, Luis Ayala and Joel Hanrahan -- in completing the whitewash of the Phillies.

Redding (W, 6-3, 3.16) allowed his share of base runners last night. He gave up seven hits and two walks, but pitched out of trouble all evening and did not allow a Phillie to cross home plate, as the visitors left nine men on base. Redding extended a scoreless inning streak to thirteen and one-third innings over the Phils this season. Both times Philadelphia has been shut out this season has been at the hands of Redding and the Nats. Phillies starter Brett Myers took the loss (2-5, 5.76), allowing three earned runs on eight hits and three walks, with a surprisingly low total of two strikeouts.

The Nats started their scoring in the bottom of the first against Myers. Cristian Guzman (3-for-4, 3 runs scored) reached on an infield single with one out, and Ryan Zimmerman doubled him to third base. Dmitri Young, in his first game at first base this season, lofted a sacrifice fly to center field that easily scored Guzman, giving the Nats the lead they would hold all night long. In the third, second baseman Felipe Lopez doubled to start the inning and went to third on Guzman's shallow single to center. Zimmerman (2-for-3) walked to load the bases, and after a Young strikeout, Lastings Milledge blooped a double down the right field line that scored both Lopez and Guzman. Milledge went 2-for-4, with two doubles, and two RBIs on the night.

The Nats last run of the contest came in the seventh inning against Phillies reliever Ryan Madson. Guzman -- DC's MVP so far this season -- doubled to lead off the inning, and Zimmerman followed up with his second hit of the contest. Guzman then came home on Young's double play to put the icing on cake.

The game ended with Joel Hanrahan striking out one of the NL's hottest hitters, Jason Werth, who had three home runs in a single game Friday night.

The series continues Tuesday at 7:10 pm with Jason Bergmann (1-1, 7.45) facing Cole Hamels (5-3, 2.89) for the Phillies.

NATS NOTES: The win moves the Nationals season record to 20-26, five and one-half games behind Florida. The Phillies fall to 24-22, and are one and one-half behind the Marlins.

The team announced that LHP Matt Chico will start Wednesday in place of Shawn Hill, who experienced significant discomfort in his pitching elbow after Friday's start against Baltimore. He received a cortisone shot in his right elbow Saturday and will need to skip a turn in the rotation. The team hopes that's all that he will need to miss.

Second Baseman Ronnie Belliard was placed on the 15-day disabled list after then game with a strained calf muscle. It's only the third time in his career that he has had to go disabled. The team will probably recall Chris Schroder on Tuesday before the game to take Chico's place in the pen.

Austin Kearns did not start for the second game in a row due to a sore elbow. He was x-rayed, but the team has released no further information by the time this story went to press.

Redding Strong Again; Nats Shut Out Phils 4-0 also posted at DC Sports Box

Photo courtesy of K. Queen, DC Sports Box

GB&U: Shea Faithful Getting Restless

RESULT: Nats win 5-3.

GOOD: Tim Redding with six innings of two-hit ball. He's given up two or fewer runs in three of his last four starts.

BAD: Austin Kearns. 0-4. .196/.303/.280. He's SLUGGING .280?!?

UGLY: The Mets faithful really let the home team know what they were thinking as the Mets slinked off the field after the decisive seventh inning. Carlos Delgado is hitting .229.

Honorable Mention: Jesus Flores drew more raves from Manager Manny Acta as he fought back from an 0-2 count and came through with a clutch RBI hit while the game was still in doubt.

NEXT GAME: Thursday at 1:10 pm, get-away day against the Mets. Jason Bergmann (0-1) makes his first start of the season versus Mike Pelfrey (2-3).

Nats Spank Mets 5-3

New York, NY--Behind the strong pitching of Tim Redding and another home run by Ryan Zimmerman, the Washington Nationals beat the New York Mets 5-3 Wednesday night, taking game three of this four game series.

Redding threw six innings of two-hit ball, walking four and striking four along the way. He gave up a David Wright single in the fourth inning and Brian Schneider's home run in the fifth, but those were the only Mets hitters to raise their batting average for the evening. Redding pushes his record to 5-3 for the season. He sports a nifty 3.55 ERA and has struck out 34 and walked twenty in 50.2 innings. He was won two of his last three starts and has allowed two or fewer runs in three of his last four starts.

The Nationals hitters did their damage in the sixth and seventh innings, which has been the Achilles' heel for the team all season. Zimmerman hit his seventh home run of the season, a solo shot, against former teammate Claudio Vargas (0-1) in the sixth, and the Nats exploded for four runs in the seventh, nickel-and-diming two Mets pitchers for two walks and three hits.

Outfielder Elijah Dukes coaxed a one out walk from Vargas, ending his night. Aaron Heilman relieved and got Wily Mo Pena to ground out, pushing Dukes up to second. Catcher Jesus Flores then fought back from an 0-2 count to drill a single to left that scored Dukes. Willie Harris pinch-hit for Redding and drew a walk, and lead-off hitter Felipe Lopez followed up with a single to right, scoring Flores and putting runners at second and third for the Nats best hitter in the first half, Cristian Guzman.

Guz fought off several tough pitches before finding one he liked, and he deposited that safely into center field, scoring both Harris and Lopez and giving the Nats a lead they would not relinquish. Heilman and the rest of the Mets left the field after the inning to a cacaphony of boos from the Shea Stadium faithful.

Saul Rivera and Luis Ayala pitched the seventh and eighth (per usual) and Jon Rauch pitched a dominating ninth inning, striking out two, for his eighth save of the season.

The series wraps up Thursday afternoon in New York, as Jason Bergmann (0-1, 11.68) makes his first start of the season against Mike Pelfey (2-3, 4.86).

NATS NOTES: The win raises the Nats season record to 17-24, six and one-half games behind division leading Florida.

Reliever Chris Schroder was optioned back to Columbus to activate Bergmann for the start. Bergmann was 2-2 with a 3.72 ERA in five IL starts. In his final three assignments with Columbus, he went 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA.

First baseman Nick Johnson returned to DC for an examination of his wrist after he sustained injury in his final at bat Tuesday night. The team is listing him as "day-to-day". Johnson said "I hope it's nothing serious, but today [Wednesday] it's pretty sore".

Nats Spank Mets 5-3 also posted at DC Sports Box