Feels good, doesn’t it?  Two series wins in a row - impressive victories over good clubs.  It sure seems like things are finally falling into place, led by a series of strong starts by our pitchers. 

After an off day on Monday, the Nats came back ready on Tuesday.  We beat the Braves 6-3 on the back of Ryan Zimmerman.  The slumping third baseman went 3 for 4 with a home run and a double. 

In the third inning, Glavine gave up back to back home runs to Zimmerman and Johnson to put the Nats ahead 2-1.  In the 6th inning, Chipper Jones hit a home run off of Redding to tie the game.  But the Nats answered back in the bottom of the 7th inning.  Pena singled, Lopez walked and Guzman singled to load the bases.  Zimmerman’s double scored Pena and Lopez.  Then, with two outs, Milledge doubled to left, scoring Guzman and Zimmerman.

Tim Redding went 6 innings with 2 runs on 4 hits.  Rivera and Ayala pitched two scoreless innings before Manny decided to bring in Chad Cordero for the 9th.  It wasn’t a save situation, but it was a cold night.  Chief gave up 2 hits before being taken out with a sore shoulder.  Rauch managed to get out of the inning only allowing one of Cordero’s runners to score.  The celebration was marred by a looming injury to our young closer, revealed today to be a tear in his shoulder adductor.  Chief is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks.  The Nationals have placed Cordero on the DL, but have not yet made a corresponding move to add someone to the roster.

We decided to check out the Red Loft on Tuesday and really enjoyed the spot.  It’s great for catching up with friends and offers a pretty great view of the whole park.  The prices seemed consistent with the rest of the ballpark.  It’s definately a great place to catch a game.

Tonight, the Nats did it again, this time with the heroics of Felipe Lopez.  We couldn’t make the 4:30 start (our first skipped home game of 2008), so we headed to Potomac for the rehab starts instead.  We missed most of the game but were pleased to hear that Lopez drove in the winning run in the 12 inning after Atlanta had gotten ahead in the top of the inning.

Hill went an impressive 8 innings with only 4 hits and 1 run.  Rauch and Ayala pitched well in the 9th and 10th innings.  Rivera’s 11th was fine, but his struggle in the 12th allowed the Braves to score.  The guys fought back hard in the bottom of the inning and Felipe showed us yet again why he belongs.

Tomorrow, the Nats start a series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.  It’s Dmitri Young bobblehead night, so get there early!  Odalis Perez, 0-3 (3.31) takes on Zach Duke, 0-2 (5.34) in the 7:10 start.

The Nationals won their 9th game today, their 3rd win on a Sunday. They also earned their second series win of the season.  Lefty pitcher John Lannan continued to impress by pitching seven scoreless innings and gave up just four hits. Lately, Lannan has pitched more like the ace than a 23 year old who was called up from the minors to work as the fifth starter.

Wily Mo Pena, who has struggled since coming off of the DL, looks like he is getting back into the groove of things. He hit an RBI single in the second inning that drove in Nick Johnson. Catcher Wil Nieves came up to bat next and drove in Pena to put the Nats ahead 2-0. Those were all the runs that we would need to keep the Cubs tame all afternoon. Our pitching staff had a great day with Ayala coming in to pitch a hitless 8th inning, and Rauch did the same to earn his fourth save of the year.

The Nationals have now won four of their last six, which is certainly a move in the right direction. Throughout these last six games, we’ve seen some great offensive performances and we’ve some real disasters, like last night. It’s obvious they are frustrated by these offensive ups and downs. Kearns, who is usually so even keeled, slammed his bat and helmet to the ground after a bad at bat last night. Unfortunately, his frustrations continued today as he didn’t get a hit and left four men stranded on base. Hopefully these guys can get some consistency in their at-bats and stop hacking away at every pitch.

Wil Nieves was called on again to catch for Lannan. The two worked together during Tuesday’s win against the Braves. Lannan has now thrown 19 scoreless innings. They clearly work well together and Lannan’s roughest outing of the year occurred with Lo Duca behind the plate. With Wil doing so well behind the plate and working with one of our strongest pitchers, it’s going to be hard to see him go back to Columbus when Lo Duca comes back.

The boys are off tomorrow, but will take on the Braves Tuesday night at Nationals Park.

The Nationals were shut out for the 4th time this season, and the Cubs walked away with a 7-0 victory. Once again Matt Chico struggled locating his fastball in the first two innings creating an early five run deficit. With the offense performing the way it is, a five run lead is almost impossible for the team to overcome. Chico lasted four innings and gave up five runs on eight hits. After his performance against the Braves a few weeks ago, I thought Chico had turned a corner, but unfortunately I still get nervous seeing him on the mound. It will be interesting to see how long Matt remains in DC.

Once again Chico wasn’t aided by much offense. The Nationals put up just six hits for the night. Felipe Lopez continues to hit well in the lead off spot, and hit two singles tonight. Guzman hit an early double, but no one was able to hit him home. Zimmerman struggled again with runners in scoring position, striking out with two outs and two runners left on base. Austin Kearns looked frustrated with himself also, he went 0-4 again tonight. At least he had a nice catch in right field. To start winning consistent games the heart of the order has got to start hitting. Asking the pitchers to continue to do all of the work isn’t fair.

The bullpen got a work out again tonight. Joel Hanrahan entered the game after Chico, and pitched two scoreless innings. Hanrahan gave up a couple of doubles and two walks, but ended up working himself out of the jam. Chad Cordero pitched a scoreless seventh inning. It looked like Chief was still having issues with his velocity, the scoreboard clocked his fastball at 80 mph. None of the pitches he threw registered anywhere close to the 89-91 balls he usually throws. The Cubs radar however, clocked his fastball at 88, while game day has it listed at 85. Not sure which speed is correct, but hopefully Chief’s throwing program will help him get his fastball back. The team needs Chief in the closing role. Jesus Colome ended up pitching two innings, once again taking a long time to complete the game.  Colome loaded the bases in the eight and then gave up a double adding two runs to the Cubs score.  Colome then pitched a scoreless ninth.

Another frustrating loss last night. Lefty John Lannan takes the mound today. Hopefully we see some good stuff.

Wil Nieves was one of those guys at spring training that walked quietly through the crowds as kids and middle-aged men pushed past him to seek autographs from the star players.  Always with a smile, he’d tease Flores about being a star as he waited for his friend to sign autographs and talk to kids. 

Now, due to injuries to Lo Duca and Estrada, and a plan to keep Flores in the minors, Nieves has been called up to spend some time in the majors and he couldn’t be making more out of this special opportunity.  A good catch and throw guy, a fast runner and a catcher with lots of energy, Wil  deserved his moment in the spotlight last night.

His first ever major league home run came in the bottom of the 9th in a tied 3-3 game against the Chicago Cubs.  With Kearns on first, Nieves drove Bob Howry’s fastball deep to right field for a walk off win over the Cubs in front of 35,000+. 

Perez had another quality start — 6 innings, 2 runs on 5 hits.  Ayala pitched a scoreless 7th before struggling in the 8th and loading the bases with 1 out.  O’Connor was called in and prompty walked Matt Murton to tie the game.  Saul Rivera entered the game and gave us a remarkable 2 outs.  It could have been ugly.  Instead, it was tied.

There’s no guarantee for Wil to stay come next week when Lo Duca is activated from the DL, though he’s certainly left an impression on all of us during his time here. 

What a fun game to watch at the new park and a great night for a big Nats win!  And Felipe was just the guy to do it.  I have to say, I’ve been on this bandwagon for a long time, patiently waiting for him to work through his slump and start to showcase his talent.  Tonight, his moment arrived.  Fighting for a spot in the lineup, switching to left field when the team was down an outfielder and showing a tremendous attitude has really helped Felipe excel in recent weeks and we couldn’t be happier for him.  With a the bases loaded on a 3-2 count and 2 outs, fans throughout the park stood up and the park really (finally) came alive.  Lopez went deep to center/right field to collect his 4th career grand slam.  Lopez went 2 for 4 with a walk, a grand slam and 6 RBI tying a career high.  The stellar night comes just two days after he became John Smoltz’s 3,000th strike-out victim. He has made it very clear that he wanted to make the most of Manny’s decision to give him the opportunity to earn his spot back, saying recently:

“I was like, ‘I got this.’ I just think this team needs somebody that’s going to be energetic and pick up the tempo of the game instead of going through the motions and waiting for somebody to hit a two-run shot.”

Hill had a decent start, but nothing to get too excited about.  He pitched 5 innings and gave up 6 hits, 3 runs (2 earned).  He walked 3 and struck out 5.  His start was supported by a good effort from the bullpen.  Both O’Connor (in the 6th) and Ayala (in the 8th) were lights out.  Rivera gave up a solo shot to Carlos Beltran in the 7th and Jon Rauch gave up another solo shot in the 9th to Marlon Anderson.  After back to back hits by Reyes and Castillo, Rauch buckled down and managed to get out of that inning without too much damage. 

Now, let’s finally talk about some serious offensive production! Guzman, Zimmerman, Pena, Boone and Nieves all collected two hits each.  Good pinch hitting appearances made a huge difference tonight as well.  Belliard’s walk in the 5th eventually led to a run.  Milledge drew an important walk in the 6th to load the bases for Felipe with 2 outs.  Estrada’s RBI pinch hit came at a pivotal moment too in the 7th inning when the Nats came up with 3 more runs.  It was nice to look to the bench for support tonight. 

Kearns, on the other hand, had a really rough night.  He tripped over 1st base for the 2nd time in recent days.  He was 0 for 5 with 2 strike outs and 4 runners left on base.  Also, Milledge was scratched from the original line-up for being late.  Acta, as we know, has no tolerance for these types of things — though Milledge has had a lot of free passes this season on the field.  It’s nice to finally see Manny sticking to his word.

Overall, a great night for our team — the kind of night that hopefully helps to turn the page on the miserable 7-16 start.

After the win, we decided to celebrate at Crystal City Sports Pub.   You should know that the restaurant/bar has half price appetizers before and after Nationals games if you present your ticket.  Additionally, you can save $5 on Nats tickets by purchasing them on their website. They also have a roundtrip $15 shuttle to and from the park for home games.  That’s a lot of things to be happy about.  It’s a lot more hometown than ESPN Zone, where you have to beg them to turn the Nats on.

Photo:  Greg Fiume/Getty Images

In a somewhat surprising move, the Nationals have optioned lefty Ray King to Columbus and called up Mike O’Connor.  King’s had a tough time this season finding his groove.  Again, better defense behind him and some offense would have helped.  King had a 5.68 ERA in 12 appearances this season.  Ben Goessling says that it’s up in the air whether King will accept the assignment.  O’Connor went 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA so far in Columbus and will come out of the bullpen.

Tonight, Wil Nieves gets the start again (interesting, no?) and Johnson and Milledge get the night off.  Boone and Harris will start instead. Shawn Hill (0-0, 7.20) makes his second start of the season against Oliver Perez (2-2, 2.49).  Former Nats catcher Brian Schneider also has the day off.

And if you missed it, Tampa Bay Online has an update on Elijah Dukes.

Every season  fans engage in the debate of which game is better - the AL or the NL. While both have their perks, it’s nights like tonight that I really appreciate the NL game. It can literally turn into a one man show when the pitcher is required to bat instead of having a DH. I love that the pitcher has the power to strike out hitters and score runs for his team during his at bats. It adds a special something to game compared to the DH.

For five innings tonight, fans were treated to a pitchers duel, both on the mound and at the plate. Tim Redding allowed just 2 earned runs in five innings. Even though he gave up some walks in the fifth that came back to hurt him, many of the balls just missed being called strikes. Johan Santana looked sharp through 7 innings, limiting the Nats to 7 hits. In the top of the 3rd, Santana hit a double off of Redding. Not wanting to be outdone, Redding hit a double of his own in the bottom of the 4th, scoring the only 2 runs for the Nats. The ball was close to the 400ft mark and I almost thought it was out of the park.

Redding was taken out in the 6th after the lead off hitter, Beltran, got a single. I somewhat disagree with the decision to take him out at that point in the game. As the Nationals are working through their “plan,” shouldn’t there be a point where we expect our starters to work themselves out of mid-late inning jams? I can’t help but think that perhaps some of the issues with the bullpen this season, stem from their over-use last season. We have seen Lannan, Chico and Redding all work late into a few games this season, but seeing a starter in the 7th is much more of an exception than a rule in the Nationals organization.

The bullpen continued to struggle tonight. King was on the mound for 3 of the runs scored, although one was charged to Redding. Saul Rivera was the bright spot by shutting out the Mets for 1.1 innings. Colome continued to show some inconsistency and was charged with 2 runs in the 9th, which basically put the nail in the coffin for the Nats tonight.

I’m hopeful that the Nats can put everything together tomorrow and finally win one against the Mets. With each game, it’s getting harder to watch Schneider and Church doing so well.

The Nationals battled Smoltz and the Braves tonight and grabbed a much needed win, a 6-0 shut out to be exact. Sure the boys got lucky on a few plays, but it was really stellar pitching and key hits that brought the team a 6th win. All the components seemed to click tonight. Yes, it’s only one game, but hopefully tonight we saw a glimpse of good things still to come this season.

There was a battle on the pitchers mound tonight. Legend John Smoltz was going for his 3,000th career strike out. It came early in the game when he got Felipe Lopez swinging. Nationals John Lannan hung with Smoltz and pitched seven scoreless innings, his longest career outing. Lannan looked sharp tonight, it’s amazing how he keeps his cool in pressure game situations. He and catcher Wil Nieves were in sync all night. They had worked well together during Lannan’s last start against the Mets, and they followed the plan well tonight. Together they seem like a natural battery. I hope they get to work together again (ps-I’m really not missing Lo Duca at all). Lannan out pitched Smoltz tonight, it was pretty cool seeing the past and the future represented on the mound.

Lannan was finally helped with some offense from his teammates. Lastings hit a double in the second inning, followed by a double by Willie Harris, on which Lastings scored. The Nats led by one for seven innings. The middle of the order struggled again tonight, Johnson went 0-4 and Kearns went 0-5. The Nats had a big chance in the 5th to do some damage. The bases were loaded thanks to an error by Smoltz, but Guzman struck out to end the inning. We did see some great fielding tonight, from Zimmerman and Johnson. Nick’s quick glove saved a bunch of would be hits down the first base line.

Surprisingly, it was the bottom of the order that came through big time tonight. Catcher Wil Nieves recorded his first hit as a National, and then hit another single to right field a few innings later. Lopez is really swinging the bat well and brings the right amount of energy to the lead off spot. It’s nice to see things finally clicking for him. The bullpen slammed the door on the Braves tonight. Ray King faced Jones and Teixeira. He got Jones to fly out and Teixeira grounded out. Ray threw just seven pitches, five of them strikes. Ayala came in to face Francoeur. Ayala threw one pitch, and got Francoeur to ground out to first. It was nice to see the bullpen guys on tonight.

Some added insurance came in the 9th inning. Lastings lead off with another double, and Willie Harris followed with a walk. Nieves hit what would be a double play ball, but the pitcher threw the ball away on an error, and Lastings scored. I was a little nervous to have Mackowiak at bat next, when Manny could have used Belliard or Boone to try to drive in the runners left on base. Turns out I didn’t have to worry as Mackowiak walked to load the bases. Lopez stepped up to deliver another base hit to score Harris, and keep the bases loaded. Guzman, who had a bit of an off night, hit a grounder to second for an out, but Nieves scored to make the game 4-0. Zimmerman came up with two on and two out in the 9th inning, a situation he has struggled with so far this season. Zim finally delivered tonight with a single down the right field line to score both Lopez and Mackowiak. Just like that the Nats were up 6-0. Johnson was intentionally walked, and in typical fashion, Kearns grounded out to end the inning. Regardless, the boys got the insurance they needed and hopefully a little confidence back as well. Rauch pitched the 9th as the Chief is scheduled to visit Dr. Andrews in Alabama tomorrow.

Yes it was only one game, but I think it’s always nice to come back home after a win. Let’s hope tonight game was the spark Manny talked about.

Happy Earth Day! Time to focus on something positive for a change.

Baseball is a social institution with social responsibilities and caring for the environment is inextricably linked to all aspects of our game.  Sound environmental practices make sense in every way and protect our natural resources for future generations of baseball fans.”  — Commissioner Bud Selig

As you may know, brand new Nationals Park was the first major professional stadium to be LEED Silver Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.  HOK Sport, the company that oversaw sustainability efforts for the new park, focused on three many categories to achieve the impressive certification.

First, the park was built on a sustainable site.  Categorized as a brownfield redevelopment, the stadium is expected to clean up the Anacostia Rivera and re-develop land surrounding Nationals Park to anchor urban revitalization.  Additionally, the park is close to public transportation.

Second, the company achieved praise for its use of materials throughout the stadium.  Efficient plumbing fixtures are expected to save 3.6 million gallons of water every year.  Air-cooled chillers instead of water-cooled chillers will save an additional 6 million gallons of water per year.  Landscaping around the park was made drought resistent, which also helps to conserve water. 

The energy efficient stadium lights will save 21% of energy costs over traditional lighting.  Building materials were produced locally, saving on transportation costs and boosting local businesses.  Even the roof materials were made to minimize the heat released into the environment, including a special 6,300 square foot green roof near left field.  Finally, 5,500 tons of construction waste were recycled.

HOK Sport was also very concerned about the stadium’s proximity to the Anacostia River.  As such, they installed an “intricate water filtration system that separates water used for cleaning the ballpark from rainwater falling on the ballpark and treats both sources of water before it is released to the sanitary and stormwater systems.”

“The whole design team went above and beyond the call by achieving LEED Silver Certification – it’s like we asked them for a  for a home run and we got a grand slam.” — Stan Kasten

You can do your part, not just on Earth Day, by recycling at the 100+ bins available throughout the park.

Here’s the sustainability diagram if you’re curious.

Here’s more on MLB’s overall efforts toward making this world a greener place.

You have to applaud the efforts.  We may not have a winning team but we have a first class, environmentally-sound ballpark.  Now, if only Ryan Zimmerman can take one deep on another holiday and Lindsey’s birthday.