National Record

The Skinny:  The Washington Nationals avoided a sweep in Houston by winning 8-3 on Thursday night.  After losing the first two games in Houston by one run in each game, the Nationals game out swinging to improve their record to 15-20.

The Pitching:  John Lannan was sharp once again in a start for the Nationals.  Lannan went six innings and gave up only one run on seven hits to get his third win of the season.  Lannan also struck out three Astros while walking only one.  Luis Ayala made it interesting by allowing two runs, but Jon Rauch threw a scoreless ninth inning to close out the win.

The Hitting:  Ryan Zimmerman continued his hot streak with three hits, scoring twice.  Zimmerman now has eight hits in his last fourteen at bats and has his average all the way up above .250.  Cristian Guzman also had two hits for the Nationals.  One low light for that Nationals was that they did strike out eleven times in the game.

What’s Next?:  The Nationals will leave Houston to head back home to take on the Florida Marlins for a weekend series.  The three game series will kick off on Friday at 7:35pm.

The Skinny: After a recent hot streak, the Washington Nationals dropped a pair of one run games in Houston to the Astros.  They dropped the game on Tuesday, 6-5 and lost on Wednesday by the score of 4-3.  The Nationals are now 14-20 on the year.

The Pitching:  Shawn Hill started for the Nats on Tuesday and lasted only 5.1 innings.  In his five innings of work he gave up three runs but was in constant trouble as he walked four batters and allowed eight hits, it could have been worse for him.  However, the Nats offense kept them in the game until Luis Ayala coughed up two runs in the 8th inning.  The Nationals started Odalis Perez on Wednesday as he was still looking for his first win of 2008.  Perez threw five innings and gave up three runs before getting pulled and receiving a no-decision.  Joel Hannrahan would get the loss as he threw 2.1 innings of no-hit relief.  The problem is, he gave up five walks and the Astros would score on a walk off single in the bottom of the ninth.

The Hitting:  Ryan Zimmerman and Austin Kearns each had two hits on Tuesday night.  Nick Johnson hit a solo home run in this one and then was walked in all three of his other plate appearances.  Kearns hit a solo shot in the 8th inning to give the Nationals a 5-4 lead, however, the bullpen could not hold the lead.  On Wednesday, Zimmerman provided all of the Nationals offense as he went 3-4 with two HR and three RBI.  Zimmerman was given a day off last weekend and it really has appeared to have helped him get his stroke back.

What’s Next?:  The Nationals will try to salvage one game in this series on Thursday night.  John Lannan will get the start for Washington.  Game time is 8:05pm.

The Skinny:    The Washington Nationals stayed hot as they won for the sixth time in seven games against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Washington won today behind the pitching of Tim Redding by a score of 5-2.  They upped their record to 14-18 on the season.

The Pitching:  Redding started for the Rays and continued to be one of the biggest surprises of the spring.  Redding pitching into the seventh inning, going 6.1 innings and giving up only one run and struck out five.  With the win, Redding is now 4-2 on the season.  Saul Rivera, Jesus Colome, and Luis Ayala picked up where Redding left off and closed out the game for the Nats.

The Hitting:  The Nats offense was terrific today, racking up 13 hits while putting five runs on the board.  Ten different Nationals players had hits today, excluding Ryan Zimmerman who was given the day off.  Willie Harris and Wily Mo Pena doubled, while Aaron Boone hit a solo home run off of Pirates starter Ian Snell.

What’s Next?:   The Nationals will have tomorrow off as they travel to Houston.  On Tuesday they will start a three game series against the Houston Astros.  Shawn Hill will start on Tuesday in the series opener.  Game time is 8:05pm.

The Skinny:  Following a loss on Friday, the Washington Nationals got back on track on Saturday with a win.  The Nationals topped the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-8 on Saturday in a bit of a slug fest.  The Nationals win improves their record on the season to 13-18

The Pitching:  Matt Chico started for the Nationals, looking for his first win of the season.  While the Nats did score plenty of runs, they were not able to get Chico his first win.  Chico lasted only 4.1 innings, give up up 4 ER on 8 hits.  He had a tough time keeping runners off base.  Jesus Colome got the win has he threw 1.2 innings of scoreless relief taking over for Chico.  Jon Rauch threw a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his seventh save of the season.

The Hitting:  After the second inning the Nationals had already built a 5-1 lead.  The pitching couldn’t hold many leads so the hitters had to keep putting runs up on the board.  Cristian Guzman was a one man wrecking crew for the Nationals as he went 4-5 with six RBI.  Guzman had a double and a home run to go with a pair of singles.  Austin Kearns continued to swing the bat  little bit better as he got a pair of singles himself.  Ryan Zimmerman went 0-5.

What’s Next?:  Tim Redding will take the hill for Washington on Sunday afternoon as they continue their series with the Pirates.

The Skinny:  John Lannan, after a few terrific starts got hit hard as they Nationals saw their winning streak come to an end.  Washington lost on Friday night to the Pittsburgh Pirates by the score of 11-4.  The Nationals fell to 12-18 on the season.

The Pitching:  After several great starts, Lannan did not have his A-game on Friday.  He lasted only three innings giving up six runs and taking the loss.  The bullpen didn’t provide much relief as they gave up 5 more runs over the remaining six innings.  Lannan fell to 2-3 on the season, his ERA remains below 4.00.

The Hitting:  Since the Nationals fell down so early, the runs they scored were of little consequence.  Felipe Lopez was the only National with more than one hit as he had two hits and an RBI.  Catcher Wil Nieves continued to swing a hot bat as he slugged a double and had two RBI.  Nick Johnson went 0-4 and his batting average dropped to .202.

What’s Next?:  Matt Chico will start for the Nationals against the Pirates on Saturday afternoon.  Chico is 0-5 on the season with an ERA of 6.68.  The Nationals need him to get on track.

The Skinny:  The Washington Nationals continued their hot streak by winning for the sixth time in seven games.  The Nationals defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon 3-2 to improve to 12-17 on the season.

The Pitching:  Odalis Perez started today looking for his first win of the season.  He didn’t get it.  Perez left the game after seven innings of three hit ball and received a no-decision.  He allowed 2 earned runs (2 solo home runs) and struck out four batters.  Luis Ayala pitched a perfect 8th inning to get the win.  Jon Rauch finished off the Pirates in the 9th to get the save.

The Hitting:  The Nationals and Pirates were tied at two in the eighth inning.  Austin Kearns, who has struggled lately, came through with a clutch single that scored the game winning run.  Kearns had a pair of singles on the game and had a run scored to go with his RBI.  Catcher Wil Nieves had two RBI and one hit.

What’s Next?:   The Nationals and Pirates will continue their four game series tomorrow night at Nationals Park.  Matt Chico (0-5) will start for the Nationals as he searches for his first win on the season.  Game time is 7:35pm.

The Skinny:  The Washington Nationals defeated the Atlanta Braves for the second day in a row.  The Nats one today with two runs in the bottom of the 12th inning to beat the Braves 3-2.

The Pitching:  Shawn Hill made the start on the mound for the Nationals today and pitched a terrific game.  Hill lasted eight innings today and gave up only one run and allowed only six base runners.  The only are where he struggled was in strike outs, he collected only one in his eight innings today.  Saul Rivera came on to pitch the 11th and 12th.  He gave up a run in the 12th that gave the Braves a 2-1 lead.  Luckily the offense rallied and Rivera picked up his third win of the season.

The Hitting:  The Nationals offense was only able to put one run on the board over the first eleven innings but were able to score when it counted the most.  Ronnie Belliard walked with the bases loaded to tie the game in the 12th and Felipe Lopez followed him with a walk off single as the Nats won 3-2.  The Nationals had only 6 hits all day and hit only .162 as a team on the game.  The Nationals offense will need to get the ball rolling here if the Nationals want to continue winning ball games.

What’s Next?:  The Nationals will stay in DC and welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates in for a series starting Thursday night.  Odalis Perez will start for the Nationals in the opening game of the series, still in search of his first win of the season.

The Skinny:  The Washington Nationals won for the fourth time in five games as the continued their improved play.  The Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 6-3 to improve their record to 10-17, they no longer have the worst record in all of baseball.

The Pitching:   The Nationals got another quality start out of Tim Redding who has to be one of the bigger surprises in the league so far this season.  Redding went six innings and gave up only two runs to very talents Braves offense.  Saul Rivera got the win as he threw a scoreless seventh inning.  Jon Rauch came on in the ninth to close out the game and pick up his fifth save of the season.

The Hitting:   Ryan Zimmerman had the sort of games that helps hitters break out of slumps.  The slumping Zimmerman went 3-4 tonight three RBIs and two runs scored.  With the game tied at two in the 7th inning, Zimmerman drove in two runs with a double that put the Nats ahead for good.  The Nats got home runs out of Nick Johnson and Zimmerman.

What’s Next?:  These two teams will wrap up their series tomorrow.  Jair Jurrjens will start for the Braves and Shawn Hill will start for the Nationals.  Game time is 4:35pm.

The Skinny: The Washington Nationals, after a long run of losing, are starting to win some ball games.  The Nats have won three out of four games and four out of six games.  The won today 2-0 behind the pitching of John Lannan.

The Pitching:  John Lannan was the story again for the Nationals.  He improved to 2-2 on the season and lowered his season ERA to 2.64.  Over his last three starts, Lannan has threw 20 innings and allowed only one run.  Lannan lasted seven shut out innings this afternoon, striking out three.  Jon Rauch threw a perfect ninth inning to pick up his fourth save of the season.

The Hitting:   The Washington offense put only four hits and two runs on the board this afternoon, but it was more than enough to carry the Nationals to the win.  That Nats got both of their runs in the second inning off of Cubs starter, Ted Lilly.  Wily Mo Pena and Wil Nieves each hit RBI singles to give them a 2-0 lead that would stand up the rest of the game.  Ryan Zimmerman went 0-4 with three strike outs.

What’s Next?:  The Nationals will take Monday off before starting a brief two game series with the Atlanta Braves.  Tim Redding will start Tuesday against Tom Glavine.

The Skinny:  The Nationals split a pair of game this weekend.  Opening a series with the Chicago Cubs, the Nats won on Friday by a score of 5-3 courtesy of two runs in the bottom of the ninth.  They weren’t as fortunate on Saturday night as they were shutout by the Cubs, 7-0.  The Nationals are now 8-17 for the season.

The Pitching:  On Friday, Odalis Perez started for the Nationals.  He was quite effective.  Perez lasted 6 innings and struck out seven Cubs.  He did walk four as he gave up two runs, he received a no decision.  Jon Rauch threw a scoreless top half of the ninth inning and got the win when the Nats scored in the bottom half.  Rauch is now 2-0 on the year.  On Saturday Matt Chico got the start and gave up five runs over the first two innings.  Chico was pulled after four innings as he fell to 0-5 on the season.  His ERA is now nearing 7.00 and you have to wonder how much longer he’ll stay in the Washington rotation.

The Hitting:  The offense got off to a quick start on Friday against Cubs starter, Ryan Dempster.  Nick Johnson hit a two run homer in the 1st inning to put the Nats up 2-0 right out of the gate.  The two clubs went back and forth until the 9th inning.  With the game tied at 3 and one out, Wil Nieves hit a two run homer off of Bob Howry to win the game for the Nationals, it was his first career home run.  Nieves’ touching of home plate in the 9th inning will be the last run the Nats score until at least Sunday as they were shutout on Saturday.   Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano had the Nationals batters baffled all game.  The Nationals could muster only six hits (two by Felipe Lopez) as they were kept off of the scoreboard.

What’s Next?:   The Cubs and Nats will wrap up their three game series tomorrow afternoon at Nationals Park.  John Lannan will look to continue his hot streak against Ted Lilly and the Cubs.  Game time is 1:35pm.