Perez, Nats Blank Mets 1-0

Washington -- The Washington Nationals are again proving to be the Achilles' heel to the New York Mets in a pennant race. After giving the Mets so much trouble last season during the Mets now-famous collapse to fall out of the playoffs, the Nats are up to it again. Washington has now defeated the Mets two straight games, including Tuesday night's 1-0 shut out by Odalis Perez and company, and have knocked the once division-leadings New Yorkers from first place in the N.L. East. Philadelphia beat Atlanta, moving a half-game in front of the slumping Mets for the first time since August 26.

Perez was simply outstanding on the mound -- and in the batter's box -- for the home team last night. He went seven and one-third shut out innings, allowing only four hits and walking no one, striking out six. The Mets scratched out just four singles, two of which were back-to-back pinch-hits in the eighth inning.

At that point, Manager Manny Acta went to rookie reliever Mike Hinckley, who forced SS Jose Reyes to bounce into a fielder's choice and struck out Ryan Church to end the threat. Hinckley has yet to allow a run in his first nine major league innings pitched. Joel Hanrahan pitched a perfect ninth inning to record his ninth save of the season, striking out two. Perez (W, 7-10, 4.26), the veteran left-hander signed right before the season, retired thirteen in a row at one point and did not allow a runner to advance past second base. It was his longest outing since 2005.

"He had the best command of the season so far," Washington manager Manny Acta said. "He threw every one of his pitches for strikes. He was able to stop the middle of the lineup. He was just tremendous."

Mike Pelfrey (13-10, 3.67) was the hard luck loser for the Mets. He went seven innings, allowing one run on seven hits and four walks, striking out four.

The lone run of the game came in the fifth inning. With two down already, Perez lashed a soft liner to left center field, which LF Fernando Tatis dove for and missed, allowing the ball to get by and Perez to trot into second base with a double. Tatis would stay down in tremendous pain, and was helped off by members of the Mets training staff. He separated his right shoulder on the play, and will miss the rest of the season. When play resumed, Pelfrey walked lead-off hitter Willie Harris. As he's done all season long, SS Cristian Guzman came up with a big hit, delivering a ground rule double into the Mets bullpen to score the only run needed for the evening.

Harris would save that lead in the top of the sixth, as he made an outstanding Willie Mays-style catch with his back to home plate off a drive to left by David Wright with two out and two on. "It was a great play," Wright said. "But we needed to do a better job of putting more pressure on them in more innings, not just having one opportunity and have that make or break the game."

For the Mets, memories of last season's collapse -- especially losses to the lowly Nationals -- have to be creeping back into their consciousness.

Wednesday night is game three of the four game set. Nats rookie Shairon Martis (0-2, 2.70) takes on Mets rookie Brandon Knight (0-0, 6.43). Knight made one start in July for the Mets, and has made two subsequent relief appearances. This is a spot start, as Friday's rainout pushed Johan Santana's regular turn off. Knight pitched for the U.S. Olympic Team in Beijing this summer. Martis makes his third start for the Nats.

NATS NOTES: The win raises the Nats record to 58-93, 26 games behind Philadelphia in the division. The win also moves Washington out of the worst record in the majors, one half-game ahead of Seattle.

Lannan Tosses Gem, Beats Mets 7-2

Washington -- Washington National rookie starter John Lannan has pitched in his share of bad luck this season, considering that he has been one of the better pitchers for a team that is last in most batting statistics. But Monday night, facing a team that currently leads the N.L. East, Lannan took matters into his own hands, allowing only one hit and one earned run over seven innings, and the beleaguered Nationals bullpen suffered no repeat of Sunday's collapse, holding on for the 7-2 victory over the New York Mets before 21,759 patrons at Nationals Park.

Lannan (W, 9-13, 3.97) had struggled a little bit of late, but was sharp from the very beginning on this beautiful evening for baseball. The game time temperature was 77, and dipped to the low 70s with a light breeze by the middle innings. By that point, Lannan was well in control of the game. He scattered three walks, and struck out seven, including all-star 3B David Wright and the resurgent 1B Carlos Delgado twice each. Lannan has three 1-2-3 innings, including the sixth and seventh, showing his team that he does indeed have the strength to pitch deep into a meaningful game. He threw 59 of his 97 pitches for strikes, and left after the seventh to a standing ovation from the Nats faithful.

Offensively, Washington was paced by 2B Anderson Hernandez' two-run double in the sixth inning and Elijah Dukes' three-run shot in the eighth, his twelfth of the season. Ryan Zimmerman and Aaron Boone both drove in runs, Lastings Milledge went 3-for-4 with two runs and a stolen base, and all-star SS Cristian Guzman added two more hits.

The defense even chipped in with an outstanding diving catch by Willie Harris in left field, robbing OF Fernando Tatis of a hit, and two double plays, none bigger than in the top of the eighth, as Michael Hinckley, who has yet to surrender a run in seven and two-thirds innings since his call-up, got Wright to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to quash any chance of a Mets comeback.

But John Lannan's progression from draft pick to prospect to rotation mainstay was the story of the night. His development remains one of the main topics of what otherwise has been mostly a season of disappointment for the Washington Nationals and their fans as they challenge for the worst record in the major leagues.

The four-game series continues Tuesday night, as Odalis Perez (6-10, 4.48) and the Nats try to play spoiler against Mike Pelfrey (13-9, 3.77) and the Mets, who find themselves perilously close to another late-season division lead collapse.

NATS NOTES: The win puts the Nats record at 57-93. Washington is 26.5 games behind the Mets in the division, who now are only one-half game ahead of suddenly red-hot Philadelphia. The Nats are one-half game "ahead" of both Seattle and San Diego for the worst record in baseball.

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: 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.

Photos of Willie Harris' Great Catch Last Night

Courtesy of Anthony Amobi, fellow DC Sports Box writer, photographer and baseball junkie, here are a couple pictures in succession of Wee Willie's great catch last night. Enjoy...

GB&U: It Comes and It Goes Just as Quickly

RESULT: Nats lose to Brewers 7-1, swept in four-game series.

GOOD: Willie Harris went 2-for-5. Ryan Zimmerman went 2-for-4. Luis Ayala rebounded with a perfect inning pitched. Way to keep your chin up, Luis.

BAD: Garrett Mock. He got pounded in his spot start. 4.2 IP, 4 ERs, 5 hits, 3 BBs, but 9 Ks. That's right, 9 of his 14 outs were strikeouts.

UGLY: The whole darn weekend. Getting swept is never fun, but at least it was against the second best team in the NL and on the road, away from the legions of fans that flock to Nationals Park but apparently don't watch the team on the TV. Plus now the news that a former low-level scout is the head of a major internet gambling ring. Ew.

DRAFT PICKS: At least the Nats inked their third and fourth round draft picks, SS Daniel Espinosa and LHP Graham Hicks, to go along with second round pick OF Destin Hood and recently signed 5th rounder C Adrian Nieto. All that's left is to get the #1 pick, RHP Aaron Crow, to agree to terms. This one's liable to go down to the wire, which is this Friday, August 15, at midnight eastern.

NEXT GAME: The Nats return home to face their division rival New York Mets this week. These are important games for the Mets, who find themselves tied with Florida 2.5 games behind the Phillies in the division and 5.5 games behind Milwaukee for the wild card.

Tomorrow night at 7:10 pm Odalis Perez (5-8, 4.10) takes on Johan Santana (9-7, 2.85) from Nationals Park.

GB&U: Just As Good Second Time Around

RESULT: Nats beat Colorado 6-3 in Game Two of double-header.

GOOD: Odalis Perez. 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 hits, 1 BB, 1 K. Looked as strong as he has all year long. Did he clear waivers? Willie Harris. 2-for-4, double, 2 RBIs. Wil Nieves. 2-for-5, 2 RBIs! EMILIO! -for-5, RBI, SB.

BAD: Kory Casto. 0-for-4, .208 for the year. Pete Orr, 0-for-5. Pew!

UGLY: The Rockies claimed Livan Hernandez off waivers from the Minnesota Twins and expect him to be in uniform Friday. Look, I love Livan as much as the next guy. You gotta appreciate how he takes the ball every fifth day and throws 110 itches. But his shelf life has expired, and the Rockies are simply fooling themselves if: 1) They think he can contribute to a pennant chase; and 2) They think they are IN a pennant chase.

INJURY UPDATE: Guz pinch-hit and played short in Game 2, so it looks like he's back. Zim was 1-for-4 in the nightcap. Alberto Gonzalez still not playing. Tim Redding was hit by a ball in the leg during BP. Hopefully he can out unscathed.

NEXT GAME: Tonight at 8:05 eastern against Milwaukee. Collin Balester (2-3, 4.55) versus C.C. Sabathia (11-8, 3.28). This, my friends, is known as a "reverse lock".

Photo (c) C. Nichols 2008.

GB&U: Breaking Rocks All Day...

RESULT: Nats beat Rockies 9-4.

GOOD: Remember back to, oh, I don't know, middle of last week when it was hard to find a "Good" and limitless on the "Bad" and "Ugly"? Nah, me either!

Emilio! Remember, one-name nickname, like the Brazilian soccer players. 3-for-5, RBI, 2 runs. Another triple. He's fast. Wee Willie! 2-for-5, 3 RBI, 2 runs, home run (9)! Jesus Saves! 2-for-5, homer, 2 RBIs. Boy oh boy Alberto! 2-for-3 before contusing hit foot (day-to-day).



BAD: Ryan Langerhans. 0-for-4, 4 LOB. Someone's gotta do it.

UGLY: Rockies' defense. What's up with the poor D??? The Reds kicked it around like it was a kickball game, and the Rockies can't throw to the bases! I'll take it, but it goes to the deterioration of the game at large.

INJURY UPDATE: Zim pinch-hit, Mannny says he'll be back, maybe today. Guz (9 games) and Dukes (3 games) still sit.

NEXT GAME: Tonight at Coors Field, 9:05 eastern start. John Lannan (6-11, 3.61) takes on Jorge de la Rosa (5-6, 6.94) for Colorado.

Photo (c) C. Nichols 2008

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.

GB&U: Nats Fall and Can't Get Up

RESULT: Nats lose to Giants 6-3.

GOOD: Wee Willie Harris. 2-for4 again. Homered again. Maybe Bowden will reward him with a 2-year, $16 MM contract? Paul LoDuca. As much as it pains me, Cap't Red-Ass came through when he had the chance with a ground-rule double, infield single and 2 RBIs.

BAD: Jason Bergman. You can't put your team in a hole early, and Bergy just wasn't ready to start this game. Lead-off homer to Fred Lewis. Tow-run shot to Bengie Molina. Down by three after one. That's a death sentence to this team.

UGLY: Jim Bowden's propensity for handing out "reward" contracts. Look people, I admire as much as anyone what Guzman's done this year. Remarkable really. But making a guy with a lifetime .305 OBP your highest paid player? Really?? Bowden said yesterday that Guzman did the team a "favor" taking into consideration his last bloated contract and how he spent 4/5 of it not earning it.

FAVOR? Giving a pudgy shortstop who is allergic to walks $16MM for two years is a favor. Great that it's not a longer deal. But it's $2-4MM more PER YEAR more than he would have gotten on the market, which makes up for those extra year or two he may have gotten. It will be real interesting to see what Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson get as free agents this off-season. That's when we can really determine how lousy a deal this is.

Also, Bonifacio better be ready, as JimBow and Rizzo think. Because if Guz has to lead-off again, it's that much worst. Guz is a #2 or #8 hitter. That's it.

Another also: Closers grow on trees (see: Rauch, Jon). Stop worrying about it. The trade was a good one. I don't agree with Bowden often, but he got this one right:

"You have to trade a reliever when you have the chance to get an everyday position player who's 23 years old. You have to do it."

He's the fastest guy in professional baseball. He was MVP of the Dominican League last winter. He can hit and is learning plate discipline. He's 23! Again, this was a good deal. Stop worrying about trading "the closer". If he were still setting up Cordero, people would be throwing Bowden a parade today, getting a potential 40-steal guy for a set-up man. Closing is all about opportunity, nothing else. Now Hanrahan has that opportunity. A star is born. Rant over.

NEXT GAME: Wednesday night, 10:15 pm. Colin Balestar (1-2, 5.87) on the mound against Kevin Correia (1-5, 5.81). Enjoy. I'll be at Camden Yards celebrating the heroes of my youth, the 1983 World Series Champion Baltimore Orioles. Cal, Ed-die, Palmer, The Earl. Ah, sweet memories.

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

This Just In: Wee Willie Harris Named Player of the Week!

From MLB:

Willie Harris of the Washington Nationals has been named Bank of America Presents the National League Player of the Week for the period ending July 20th. Bank of America, the Official Bank of Major League Baseball, is the presenting sponsor of the National League and American League Player of the Week Awards, which reflect Bank of America’s long-standing tradition of promoting and recognizing higher standards of accomplishment.

Harris hit .583 (7-for-12) during the week and led the N.L. with seven RBI. The 30-year-old left fielder recorded a double, triple, home run, stolen base and five runs scored, while posting a .688 on-base percentage and a 1.083 slugging percentage. Harris collected multi-hit games in each of his three games played, including a home run and five RBI in the Nationals’ 15-6 win at Atlanta on July 20th. The Cairo, Georgia native is the only active MLB player to attend Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia. This marks Willie’s first career weekly award honor.

And the Nationals released some more interesting tidbits about Wee Willie:

*Harris is batting .366 (26-for-71) with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 13 RBI, 12 walks and 3 stolen bags in 23 games beginning June 22. He has posted stellar OBP (.464), slugging (.620) and OPS (1.084) in the same span.

*Harris has started games at 4 positions (2B, LF, CF, RF) for Manny Acta this season. He has also appeared defensively for Washington at 3B and SS in 2008.

*Harris’ 6 home runs this season are not only a career high, they are only one shy of his career total (7) entering the 2008 campaign.

*By winning NL POTW, Harris becomes the first Washington National to earn the citation outright. Two other Nationals shared the award with other players: 1B Nick Johnson (June 6, 2005, shared with STL’s Albert Pujols) and 3B Ryan Zimmerman (August 5, 2007, shared with ARI’s Brandon Webb).

GB&U: Break Up the Nats (Two In A Row!!)

RESULT: Nats beat Braves 15-6, set DC mark for runs scored in one game.

GOOD: Willie Harris! 2-for-3, home run, three walks, five rbis from the lead-off spot. Austin Kearns! 3-for-5, home run, five runs, two rbis. Jesus Flores! 5-for-6, two runs, two rbis. Felipe Lopez?!? 3-for-4, three runs, three ribs. WOW!

BAD: Odalis Perez. It's good to have a bad day when your hitters stake you to a 12-2 lead. Perez surrendered five eraned in five innings, allowing 9 hits and two walks. He struggled just long enough to qualify for the win, though Manny had Shell warming in the 4th in case things got closer than they did.

UGLY: Paul LoDuca. PLoD went 1-for-6, stranding six base runners. I guess he didn't get the memo that today was going to be hit parade day in Atlanta.

NEWS: Meathook indeed went on the DL due to a spike in his blood sugar and overall conditioning. I'm not going to make light of Young's situation, as I am Type II Diabetic myself, so I understand better than most what Young is going through. We wish him the best and hope that someone can convince him that the best way he will get any relief from the symptoms of Type II is to really make a concerted effort to lose some weight. For three years I heard my doctor say "lose weight" and it didn't register. I then actually did lose weight (~50 pounds) and went from taking 7 pills a day to control my diabetes down to one.

But the kicker was JimBow's comments about Young when the announcement was made. Here's part of the statement:

"Well, it's a two-pronged approach. The first part is he's got get his diabetes under control, and you've got to get the blood-sugar levels right. The second thing is, we have to get him into first-class physical shape, the same shape he was in last year when he was comeback player of the year."

"First-class physical shape" like last year? You mean, like in this picture? Is that your idea of "first-class shape" Jim? It's stupid stuff like that that really fuels the fire to get rid of this buffoon. Who does he think he's fooling? And does he even believe the things he says?

NEXT GAME: Tuesday night in San Francisco, home of Huey Lewis, Jerry Garcia and Joe Montana. Jason Bergmann (1-6, 4.03) faces washed up Barry Zito (4-12, 5.62).

Photo (c) C. Nichols 2007