I think I’m moving past the bitter, cynical phase of Nats fandom I experienced most of the summer.  Last night, I would have been frustrated, angry and upset by the 12-0 loss.  Instead, I appreciated the cool breeze that made the game tolerable.  In the sticky humid days of July through rain delays and sunburns, the whole baseball experience was pretty miserable.  Now, despite the team’s horrible record, I think I can enjoy baseball again.

Bergmann, coming off of one of his strongest outings, experienced a total meltdown in front of some 30,000 fans.  In three innings, Bergmann threw 89 pitches.  He walked six batters including pitcher John Maine.  He struck out one.   Combine the walks with 8 hits and a solo shot homer and Bergmann left the game with a 10 run deficit.  Only 6 of those runs were earned thanks to Guzman’s fielding error.  The shortstop has been oh-so-fabulous since signing his extention.  (Zuckerman has the numbers).

It might not have mattered if Bergmann gave up one run.  The offense was again non existent to give the Nats their 18th shut out of the season.  Maine issued 4 walks in 5 innings, but none of those runners could score.  He gave up only one hit.  The Nats would collect three more hits later off of Mets reliever Brian Stokes but all of those runners were stranded.  Milledge did extend his hitting streak to 14 games with a single in the 2nd inning.

The overworked, exhausted bullpen was called upon to throw 6 innings and they responded to the challenge pretty well.  Colome was charged for 2 more runs when recently called up Daniel Murphy hit a 2 run blast.  Ayala worked two scoreless and hitless innings through the most dangerous part of the lineup.  He did walk one, on a call he didn’t like.  Manning and Shell both allowed some hits, but neither ran into any serious trouble. 

Ryan Langerhans was forced from the game after pinch hitting.  He’s day-to-day, which means he’ll probably spend two weeks being day-to-day before they decide he needs 4-6 weeks. 

Both Bud Selig and James Carville were there to witness the massacre, and to experience a beautiful summer night for baseball.

The new Nats may have lost five in a row, but they are still playing better baseball.  I didn’t expect much of anything from the lineup with Santana on the mound for the Mets.  To my surprise, they worked the $137.5 million dollar ace for eight hits, two walks and three earned runs including three doubles (Flores, Harris and Guzman) as well as a pinch hit homer from Ryan Langerhans.  He did strike out six, working seven innings on 94 pitches, but his somewhat early departure put the game in the hands of their struggling bullpen.

Odalis Perez, to his credit, kept up with Santana holding the Mets to eight hits, one walk and three earned runs in six innings of work.  Perez struck out five.  His good effort came undone when Saul Rivera took the mound in the 8th inning.  Two hits and a walk later, the bases were loaded with 1 out in a tied 3-3 game.  With a 2-1 count, Rivera hit Easley, which scored Wright and put the Mets ahead.  Immediately, Jesus Flores protested the call and surprisingly, Manny Acta quickly came out to argue with the umpires.  He fought hard arguing that the pitch hit Easley’s bat and though the call was never overturned, fans and players saw new life from their quiet manager.  Rivera struck out the next two batters including pinch hitter Brian Schneider.

Schneider’s at bat signaled the end of Santana’s night, but the Mets bullpen had no problem keeping the Nats quiet.  Two scoreless frames from Joe Smith and Pedro Feliciano secured Santana his 10th win.

Between Manny’s display of emotion in the 8th and the good effort against a great pitcher like Santana, it was nice to see our Nats working hard, showing heart and hanging in there against the Mets.

Tonight, John Maine (9-7, 4.13) returns from the DL to face Jason Bergmann (2-8, 4.13).  Note the identical ERAs.  Bergmann’s done well against the Mets in the past shutting down Delgado, Reyes and Wright without a problem.  Beltran’s been his only real issue.  Belliard in the past has owned John Maine (career .692, 9 for 13).  Zimmerman, on the other hand, has struggled mightily against the right-hander (4 for 25).

The Brewers finished off the series sweep this afternoon with a 7-1 victory over the Nats.  The Nats scored just 5 runs in the entire series.  Mock started the game by giving up a lead off homer to Rickie Weeks.  He settled down before getting into more trouble in the 5th.  In 4.2, he gave up 4 earned runs and 2 homers but struck out 9.  Shell and yes, Ayala were effective in their scoreless frames, but Charlie Manning couldn’t find the plate; instead he gave up three walks, three hits and three runs, though he did eventually record three outs.

Milledge continued his streak to twelve games with his hit in the 6th inning.  Zimmerman collected the game’s only RBI (remember to send him your questions!).  Willie Harris went 2 for 5 with a double and a stolen base. 

Good news came during the game when the Nats signed their 3rd and 4th round draft picks.  It was also fun to see Charlie and Dave rotating in and out of the tv booth throughout the game to fill in for Don Sutton.

Bad news also came during the game - both that Alberto Gonzalez is probably headed to the Disabled List, and that a former Nationals scout was heavily involved in an internet gambling organization.  Dave at BottomFeederBaseball has the scoop.  The ESPN story by Mike Fish centers on Frank Falzarano, a part time scout for the Nationals in 2006.  According to ESPN:

“Frank Falzarano, 54, of Long Island, pleaded guilty in April to felony enterprise corruption and gambling charges and is to appear Sept. 24 in Queens County, N.Y., Supreme Court. Falzarano, who is presently free on $200,000 bail, faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.”

It was - in many ways, another typical John Lannan start. He was impressive in 7 innings, striking out eight but giving up a pinch hit home run to Ian Stewart to tie the game. His teammates managed to give him only two runs to work with despite having plenty of chances to bring runners home.

Worse yet, the bullpen took a tied 2-2 game to an 8-2 loss in just one inning. The ugly eighth saw the total collapse of Luis Ayala, Charlie Manning and Saul Rivera. Together, they gave up 6 runs on 2 hits with 4 walks and 2 HBPs. It was a rough night. It could be expected of Ayala given his struggles all season; in fact, he took the loss. He’s now 1-7 this season with a 5.88 ERA (and he’s better than those numbers). But it was totally out of character for Manning and especially Rivera, both of whom have pitched very well this season.

We’re good at giving away hits, walks, wins, millions for being hurt or being just too bad to stay on the team…you know, stuff like that.  We’re a generous bunch.  Except when it comes to draft picks.

Stan says despite allowing Jim to throw away 13.5 million dollars this year on players that have been released, the organization won’t be able to find the cash to sign our draft picks. The Nats fall far behind other teams in locking up draft choices this season. Their only achievement was talking Hood out of football and into a Nats jersey. The plan says we can’t spend on free agents, and apparently, now we can’t spend on draft picks. The only thing we can spend on? Discounted players past their prime.

Congrats to Felipe Lopez for finding a new home with the St. Louis Cardinals. GM John Mozeliak said they considered picking up Lopez BEFORE the deadline but nothing came of it.

If last night’s game had been played in July, there is no way the guys could have come back from a three run deficit.  However, August is clearly a new month, and the new Nationals including Gonzalez and Bonifacio, have sparked some pep, excitement, and clearly a desire to win.  I’m not saying the wins will continue the rest of the season, but maybe…hopefully…we will continue to see some good baseball.

Starter Tim Redding got off to a rough start giving up three runs in the first inning.  Redding acknowledged that he wasn’t feeling right before the game.  He issued a couple walks in the early innings, dangerous in Coors Field, especially with hot hitting Matt Holliday in the lineup.  Redding pitched five innings and gave up four runs on six hits.  His pitch count was pretty high all night (58 pitches after two innings) but he was able to get in a groove and worked three scoreless innings.

Redding was helped by his teammates with some great offense.  Jesus Flores led off the third inning with a solo shot to left field, his eighth home run of the year.  Jesus continues to have solid at bats, waiting for pitches he can really drive.  He also added to his RBI tally last night and went 2-5. 

In the fourth inning, the Nats capitalized on a bunch of Rockies errors and the boys scored four more runs, putting them ahead by two. 

Bonifacio hit his second triple as a Nationals in the sixth inning.  It was a stand up triple no less! I knew he was fast, but it really is exciting to watch him fly around the bases.  Bonifacio went 3-5 with two runs scored, and continued to shine defensively.  Willie Harris’ two run homer in the eighth sealed the deal for the Nats. Solid relief work from Rivera, Ayala and Colome ensured the Nats 9-4 victory. 

The win was nice, but there was some bad news also.  Newbie Alberto Gonzalez slid hard into third base in the third inning on a wild pitch and hurt his glut/hamstring.  He aggravated it again in the sixth inning when rounding first base.  He was taken out of the game.  The team says the injury isn’t serious, but come on when has that been true this season?  He is listed day to day. 

Ryan Zimmerman’s pinch hit last night was a pleasant surprise.  Hopefully he’ll be in the lineup tonight!

What a difference a few days and some fresh faces can make.  This weekend fans got what they’ve been asking for all season:  watchable baseball.  The sweep was just a bonus.  Energized by new faces Bonifacio and Gonzalez, the Nats defeated the Reds in three straight games, including a come from behind late inning win on Saturday night.

What worked? Pretty much everything.

On Friday, Odalis took the mound for 7 and 1/3 innings with a 1 run, 3 hit outing.  On a day when the youngsters took all the headlines, Perez looked excellent. 

The new and improved line-up really backed up his efforts.  The Nats put 2 runs up in the first and another three in the second.  Gonzalez and Dukes both hit doubles, Milledge hit a triple, and Flores hit a 2 RBI single.  Bonifacio also swiped a base.

Saturday was one of the most exciting games of the season.  For the first time, in a long time, fans were excited.  You could just feel it sweep over the park.  Bergmann struggled early, getting rocked in the 2nd inning with 5 runs.  He battled back pitching through six innings.  It was 6-2 when Manny handed the game to his bullpen.  Manning, Ayala and Rivera were stellar in relief, holding the Reds quiet in the late innings.

Their good work was bolstered by game changing rallies in the 6th, 7th and 8th innings.   In the 6th, Gonzalez doubled before Belliard hit a home run.  Bonifacio followed up with a triple (yeah, he’s fast).  In the 7th, a string of singles brought in 4 runs.  Milledge added some insurance in the 8th with a solo shot, bringing the score to 10-6. 

Sunday brought about more good defense, more good work by the bullpen, Joel Hanrahan’s first save and a sweep of the Reds.  In 5 1/3, Balester gave up only a solo shot to Votto.  He struck out five.  Shell and Manning completed their frames without any problems to put the save opportunity into Hanrahan’s hands.  Joel gave up a home run to Patterson but struck out two to pick up the save.

All of the offense came early in the game, jump started by Milledge’s ninth home run.  The Nats capitalized on an Adam Dunn error to bring in 4 runs in the first inning.  That’s all they would need to take the win.

It was a refreshing weekend for fans.  Really, most of us had hit some kind of breaking point in that ugly July.  We all deserved better baseball and an opportunity to get a glimpse of the future in action.

The Nats now head to Denver to take on the Rockies for a four game series.  The probable pitcher is TBA, though it should be Tim Redding to face Aaron Cook (3.53, 14-6).  

It doesn’t seem like the Nationals will get all the elements of the game on the same page this season.  If the pitching is there, the offense sleeps - take last week’s starts from Bergmann and Lannan as an example.  Last night, the guys belted out some big hits, but the pitching and defense couldn’t hold a lead.  It’s a sad state of affairs indeed.  With a current record of 38-69 and last night’s loss meaning eight in a row, losing 100 games is all but certain. Injuries, poor trades, and shotty management have combined to make the 2008 Nationals a difficult team to cheer for. 

Admittedly, I might be a little naive and I do tend to hope for the best in almost all situations.  What can I say, I’m a glass half full kind of girl, but when it comes to the Nationals I’m becoming more and more jaded.  Regardless, walking into the stadium a little late last night, but just in time to see the fireworks for Willie Harris’ eighth home run, I held out the slight hope that the Nationals might find a spark and win the game.  When Jesus Flores followed up with another home run in the first inning, a two run shot to put the Nats ahead by one, I was even more hopeful for a win.  Alas, it wasn’t meant to be as Redding struggled through most the game and the boys couldn’t pile on enough run support.  When the Phillies scored five runs in the fifth inning a victory seemed certainly out of reach for the Nats and they went on to lose 8-5.  While it wasn’t the outcome I was hoping for, I know I’ll be back for more this weekend, still holding out the slightest hope that my team might sneak by with a couple wins. 

The Nats are better than the record shows for sure.  It’d just be nice if the guys could get all of the elements working together.  Despite the loss, let’s talk about extra base hits.  The Nats had six doubles and two homers last night. Willie Harris alone went 3 for 5 with 2 doubles and a home run.  Pinch hitters came through big as well.  Casto and Langerhans both collected hits in their only plate appearances. 

 If this season has taught me anything, it’s that I am fan of the game as a whole.  I can appreciate talented players across the league.  For example, Shane Victorino put on quite the show for his fan club in center-field.  Dressed in grass skirts and lays with Phlyin’ Hawaiian signs, the group was delighted with their center-fielder’s 3 for 5 night, including 3 RBI and a solo homer into the Nats bullpen. Armed with a loaded lineup, the Phils did not let up on defense either.  Pat Burrell gunned down Flores with an outfield assist and Ruiz caught Belliard trying to steal second.

We watched the game in the center-field club seats, and were inches from that Chase Utley home run ball.  I had my fingers on it, but the guy next to me prevailed…bummer!  We really enjoyed the seats and the view from center. 

Upon leaving, we were again treated to what is becoming a dangerous and terrible traffic situation near the home plate entrance.  Ample parking awaits across S. Capitol Street, but crossing after a game is becoming impossible.  Several different security guards and traffic cops have been used to control the situation, but not one has brought any order to the chaos.  To make matters worst, last night the power hungry traffic cops really got out of hand.  First, the officer screamed at a woman who was hesitant to turn right (because of oncoming traffic) even though he was guiding her to do so.  We don’t fault her hesitation because the intersection is totally out of control.  After letting three or four cycles of traffic pass through the intersection, pedestrians waiting to cross starting asking the cop when they might be able to.  It was a legitimate question, given the 10-15 minute wait.  His reply?  “You just sat through 9 innings of a baseball game.  You can keep waiting.”  That was pretty uncalled for.  Sometime soon, something dangerous is going to happen at that out of control intersection and something needs to be done to correct it.

In response to the officer in question, I’ve been waiting all season buddy.  Waiting for my line up to hit, waiting for players to learn in the big leagues, waiting for my team to win, waiting for ownership to take some control of the situation, and now waiting to cross the street.  I’m familiar with waiting and I’ve been doing it patiently.

The Nats got a Lannan-esque quality start from impressive young Collin Balester.  With six innings of work, one costly 2 run mistake to Chase Utley and 5 strike outs, Balester took the lost.  Mock, Manning and Hanrahan were impressive in relief.

The Nats extended their scoreless streak to 26 1/3 innings before Harris grounded out to score Guzman.  The unearned run came thanks to Utley’s error a moment earlier.  The Nats collected just 4 hits for the night, one from their pitcher.

Zimmerman’s baserunning gaffe in the 7th certainly didn’t help.  As Ryan rounded second, he took off for third with the crowd screaming, “NO.”  He dove back into the bag but was easily tagged out.  The improbably rally was cut short.

All in all, another typical Nats game.  Flores had one of the only hits of the night and he nailed down speedy Victorino early in the game.  Yet, to be sure, Lo Duca is complaining that he’s not behind the plate.   Blaming Flores for stealing back a spot he deserved all along sure isn’t going to help him get traded any quicker, nor is it going to win points with any Nats fan.

In other good news, Dukes is making considerable strides with rehab, already appearing with the AAA Clippers. He went 2 for 3 last night with a run scored.  Post writer Zach Berman went to Richmond last night and caught up with rehabbing Ryan Wagner, who offered this frightening gem:

What exactly is, ‘I’m back?’ You know what I’m saying? As long as I’m able to get guys out, whether I’m throwing 84 or 94, who cares?

It was an extra bases night for the Nats, even though there weren’t enough of them to win.  Jesus Flores hit his first career triple and Willie Harris, who continues his hot streak, went 2 for 5 with a home run.  Lopez, Kearns and Lo Duca all hit doubles.  Lo Duca drove in 2 of the Nats 3 runs.  Newly extended Guzman went 0 for 4 with a walk. 

After a day full of other news, wasn’t it great to see Zimmerman back on the field? (and he already blogged about it!)  Ryan went 1 for 3 with 2 walks but somehow, someway, it seems like the universe is back in order with him on the field.

Bergmann struggled early giving up three runs in the first inning.  Homers to Lewis and Molina gave the Nats an early deficit. The Giants would add 2 more runs in the 4th off of Molina’s second home run of the night and an RBI double to Vizquel.  They added the final run in the 8th off of Saul Rivera.  Aaron Rowand collected the RBI single to bring the final score to 6-3 and hand the Nats their 62nd loss, albeit one overshadowed by much more important news.

It was hard to stay focused on the late West coast game when all the big news broke earlier in the evening.  Rauch gone, Guzman extended, Mock back up and a new second baseman announced for next season. We’re still trying to figure out where we stand on all of that.  Look around the blogosphere for some great research and analysis about the big moves.  One thing we did expect was Joel Hanrahan to get the opportunity to close, and it looks like that will in fact be the case.  Ayala and Rivera will continue to share the 7th and the 8th inning roles.  Ryan Wagner continues to rehab, but will likely join the bullpen soon.  The call-up of Mock is curious too.  Does Jim have a trade in the works for Redding or Perez that will offer Mock a rotation spot?   

Nats 320 celebrates the news about the Weekender Promotion - which is good for you non-season ticket holders.  Half Street Blues echoes the complaints we’ve heard from a lot of season ticket holders who have already spent a lot of money watching this not-so-great team.

Chico Harlan’s chatting at 2pm.

The Columbus Clippers jumped out to an early 3-run lead tonight and hit the visiting Pawtucket Red Sox’s pitching staff hard all night en route to a 4-1 victory.

Jorge Padilla, who went 3-4 with a double, started off the bottom of the first with a single on a line drive to right field.  Roger Bernadina followed with a single and reached second on a fielding error by Red Sox CF Sean Danielson, allowing Padilla to score.  Red Sox starter Michael Bowden’s early troubles continued as Bernadina was then knocked in by Luis Antonia Jimenez who notched a double.

A third run was added in the bottom of the second after Leonard Davis started the inning with a ground-rule double.

The Clippers offense hit up the Red Sox pitching staff for a total of 11 hits - only Yurendell de Caster and Luke Montz failing to hit safely.

Garret Mock pitched a solid 7 innings and earned his 6th win of the season as he gave up one unearned run while notching 6 strikeouts.

Chris Schroder struck out two of the three batters he faced to record the save.

Picture: C Luke Montz had a tough time getting anything going.  He was 0-4 with 2 strikeouts and 5 runners LOB.