From the Nationals:

WASHINGTON NATIONALS OUTRIGHT KORY CASTO AND MIKE O’CONNOR TO TRIPLE-A, PLACE TERRELL YOUNG ON 15-DAY DISABLED LIST

The Washington Nationals announced that infielder Kory Casto and left-handed pitcher Mike O’Connor have cleared waivers and been outrighted to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. The club also placed right-handed pitcher Terrell Young on the 15-Day Disabled List, retroactive to March 27, with right shoulder inflammation. Nationals Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo made the announcements.

From the Nationals:

     The Washington Nationals today placed second baseman Anderson Hernandez (left hamstring strain, retroactive to March 27) and first baseman Dmitri Young (hip and back strain, retroactive to April 1) on the 15-Day Disabled List. Nationals Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Hernandez hit .276 with four RBI in 11 games this spring, while Young hit .250 with one home run and three RBI in four Grapefruit League contests.

It comes as no surprise that Shawn Hill has suffered another setback and will not be returning to action this season.  Hill will be examined by James Andrews on Friday.  Hill is still suffering from swelling in his right elbow.

The team has also announced that the Gulf Coast League Nats will be playing in a best of three championship series with the Phillies beginning tomorrow.  It’s the first GCL championship appearance since 1996.  The Potomac Nationals will also be competing in post-season action.

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.”

Elijah Dukes was placed on the DL this morning retroactive to August 3.  Garrett Mock gets the call-up to provide an extra arm in the bullpen.

The Nats face the Rockies in a doubleheader this afternoon starting at 3:05 pm EST.  Bergmann gets the afternoon start and Perez will pitch tonight.

Lots of impressive swings tonight…some from All Star Josh Hamilton…Hamilton hit a record 28 homers during the first round of tonight’s Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium.

…Some from Ryan Zimmerman, making his first rehab start for the Potomac Nationals in Salem, VA.  Ryan, the DH, went 2 for 5 with 2 doubles and a run.  Potomac lost 8-6.  Detwiler started, but received a no decision.  We’re thrilled that Ryan’s on his way back.

News came this morning that the cause for Wily Mo Pena’s shoulder pain will require surgery.  He has a small tear and impingement in his left rotator cuff, as well as, fraying of the labrum in his left shoulder.  Surgery will take place within the next week or so. 

Meanwhile, Nats Farm Authority says that outfielder Alex Escobar was released from Columbus. 

Elijah Dukes and Lastings Milledge are both on the disabled list as well.  Austin Kearns just recently returned to action after over a month on the DL.

A busy weekend of games prevented a full discussion here about the alleged Jim Bowden-Jose Rijo investigation by the FBI.  Nats Farm Authority and Fire Jim Bowden were actively updating and synthesizing reports, while the Post, the Times, MLB.com, The New York Times, the Associated Press and ESPN each had their own take on the situation.  In summary, ESPN says Bowden and Rijo are suspects.  Bowden has and Rijo will meet with FBI investigators but both claim not to be suspected of wrongdoing.  Sports Illustrated revealed that the investigation focuses on the 1.4 million dollar bonus given to Esmailyn “Smiley” Gonzalez in 2006.  Gonzales, heralded as a future star for the organization, is hitting .394 in 17 games this season with the Gulf Coast team.  At the time of the signing, Gonzales made it clear that he was signing with the team because of his special relationship with Jose Rijo, according to Bill Ladson, writing in 2006.  Kasten and Bowden said:

“…there were opposing teams who tried to sabotage them from signing Gonzalez. They would not name the organizations in question, but Kasten said the Nationals are considering taking the matter to the league office. “I don’t know how I’m going to react,” Kasten said. “I wanted [our front office] to keep their eyes on the ball and get the deal done [with Gonzalez].”

We’ll all continue to watch this unfold together.

Also frustrating this weekend were comments made by Mark Lerner about his take on building a successful team. Harper at Oleanders and Morning Glories echoes our sentiments, especially with regard to the Johan Santana criticism.  Since when did wins and losses for a pitcher mean much of anything?  Santana’s doing his job and doing it well.  It’s especially disconcerting that he chose that example because we’ve got a decent rotation that has battled throught the first half remarkably well without a lot of wins or run support to show for it. 

In other news, Bowden was awarded Sports Illustrated’s First Half Worst GM in the National League Award for constructing a team that has “one, maybe two, legit starting position players.”

Ryan Zimmerman begins a rehab assignment tonight with the Potomac Nationals.  He’ll play two games in Salem, VA with the P-Nats before joining the Columbus Clippers.

Austin Kearns will start his rehab assignment on Thursday night, joining the Hagerstown Suns for a 7:05 home game against Delmarva.  It marks the first time the Suns will host a major league rehab assignment since becoming part of the Nationals organization.

It’s Thirsty Thursday and Ladies Night as well as a Summer Beach Party Night for the Suns. In addition to deals on Corona, all domestic 12 oz drafts will cost just $1.25.  Also, all ladies in attendance will have the chance to win great prizes from local businesses.

We missed much of the beginning of the game last night.  Sometimes, it’s better that way.  The Angels batted around in the first, sending 10 men to the plate and securing a 6 run lead.  When they scored 2 more runs in the third, Manny handed the game over to the bullpen.  The combination of Shell, Colome, Hanrahan and Manning put up 6 zeroes with 5 strike outs, 3 hits and only 1 walk.  But the damage was already done.

Errors proved costly in the game and yielded 2 unearned runs to the Angels.  Hill balked and Lo Duca, Young and Harris all had a hard time making routine plays.  Lo Duca’s left field experiment was cut short by a bout of light-headedness.  He left in the second and was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons.  His replacement, Wily Mo Pena, surprised everyone by going deep in his first at bat to give the Nats their first run.  It was only his second home run of the season.  An inning later Elijah Dukes would collect his third, a homer to left field.  The only other run came in the 5th when pinch hitter Kory Casto singled to score Ronnie Belliard.

As if it couldn’t get any worse, there’s more injury news.  Nick Johnson underwent surgery at the Mayo Clinic and will likely be out for the season.  That’s a big loss and very disheartening because he worked so hard to get healthy for this season.  Shawn Hill, who has been experiencing pain all season, will also head to the Mayo Clinic for another evaluation.  Hill will likely end up on the disabled list and probably should have been put on it awhile ago.  We admire his desire to battle but wonder if the Patterson release motivated Hill to fight through the pain more than he should have.  When he’s sharp and effective, he’s a treat to watch.  We wish him a speedy recovery, but you know how those things go.

Some other news:

Zimmerman has a new blog post up, but it’s rather dull.  The team announced a partnership with the Spanish Beisbol Network.  Games will debut on WZHF 1390AM on Friday, June 27.  Select games will be broadcast on WMET 1160AM and XM Radio Channel 174, MLB en Español.  The team also announced plans to build a Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy.  From the release:

In partnership with the District Government, The Washington Nationals Dream Foundation has committed to building a Youth Baseball Academy that will engage inner city youth in the sport of baseball, along with providing after-school educational programs.  Slated as a 12,000 square foot facility with three fields on 10 acres, the Academy will be a year-round youth development program committed to equipping youth with the life skills necessary to succeed in life and to become responsible, productive citizens in their community.

Chico Harlan’s chatting at 2 pm, Mark Zuckerman’s chatting at 1 pm and Jim Bowden’s chat yesterday was utterly useless.

Tim Redding (6-3, 4.12 ERA) takes on Ervin Santana (9-3, 3.17) tonight.