As all probably already know, the Nationals lost yet again. And they've lost yet another series. One more meaningless game against the Marlins then an off day. Then three days in Atlanta, then an off-day, and then return to RFK to host the Phillies to end August. Then three Arizona games, three Cardinals games and then back on the road again with Willie Nelson (just for the record, I included the Nelson reference before I noticed the Ring of Fire reference, oh and you can hear the song if you go here, and find Cash's name and then click on the audio symbol).

Right, yesterday's meaningless game and recap: Florida jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, but the Nationals, eventually, came back and tied the game in the top of the third inning. Game tied until 5th, when the Nationals pull out to a 1 run lead, but the Marlins respond immediately in the bottom of the 5th to even up the run total. Back into the lead again for the Nationals in the top of the sixth, only to see the Marlins tie the game again the the bottom of the sixth and then pull out into the lead. To make things interesting, almost, the Nationals then tied the game in the top of the 8th, before the Marlins got tired of all this excitement and scored three runs in the bottom of the 8th to take the game. The Nationals would add 1 more run in the 9th, but that's that.

Reliever Bergmann pitched 6 solid innings, giving up 4 runs off of 6 hits, 2 walks and gave up 2 home-runs. He also struck-out 3 (solid? - he's a relief pitcher). Wagner lost the game by giving up 3 runs, though all were unearned. Judging by the various recap headlines, I expected to see more than just two errors. Two is enough to cost the game. Zimmerman committed his 11th error (fielding) and Lopez committed his 220th error (oops, 22nd error - throw). For two days running, Jackson was, thankfully, not anywhere near the game play. Before the game relief pitcher Hughes was sent down and infielder/outfielder Mateo was brought up (ah, who needs a bullpen? not that I don't mind Hughes demotion, but Mateo? can he pitch?). Mateo entered last nights game and grounded into a double play for Church in the 8th, leaving 2 men on base. Harper started and picked up 2 more hits (his second double), 1 more run, and left 2 more runners on base. Harper is now hitting .429. Instead of a race to see if Harper can be the backup next year, how about having him start next year. No? Oh, and Kearns hit a home-run (his 18th home-run and his only hit in the game), and Johnson hit a home-run (his 19th).

Box Score
Press Release about Mateo joining team
"Nationals' Defense 'Springs a Leak'" - Post recap.

This is how it goes for the Washington Nationals in these long, dreary days of August. Take the lead, then give it right back. Make a good pitch to a savvy hitter, then watch a fielder boot the ball. Tie the score in the top of the eighth inning, then give it away in the bottom half, tossing in a bit of unsightly defense for good measure.

"We seem like we're the kid at the dike, you know?" Manager Frank Robinson said. "Put one finger in this hole, and another one springs a leak. Put one over there, and the other one springs a leak. We're losing ballgames in any way, all ways, that we can. It makes it tough."

"Nationals fall apart behind late errors" - Times recap

The Washington Nationals lived up to their billing last night as baseball's worst fielding team, giving up three unearned runs in the eighth inning of a 7-5 loss to the Florida Marlins before 10,260 at Dolphin Stadium.
The Nationals' poor performance in the field ruined a solid outing by starting pitcher Jason Bergmann and Nick Johnson's big game at the plate.

10,260 attendence at Dolphin Stadium?

" Marlins Capitalize on Zimmerman's Miscue" - AP recap of the game on WTOP.

"Ring of Fire" - "The Curly W"'s take on the game. The game was an old helium balloon. Um, ok. Much better entry than mine, though, as he gives the game and the team the right amount of attention.

Mateo story in the Times

The move comes after Damian Jackson's three-error game Sunday in Philadelphia. With off days tomorrow and Monday, the Nationals didn't need to carry an extra pitcher. And with baseball's rosters expanding to 40 players on Sept. 1, the Nationals think their pitching will hold up until then.
In 113 games this year for the Zephyrs, Mateo hit .254 with two home runs and 35 RBI. Mateo leads the Pacific Coast League with 33 stolen bases and was caught just 11 times.

All about those team unwearable team jerseys Unwearable? Because the jersey has the name of a player no longer on the team.

"Jim Bowden: When a deadline is not exactly a deadline" "Most fans don’t understand waivers. So I’ll explain it to you." - Bowden explains how he was able to trade Hernandez after the trade deadline had passed.

Unconditional release

If a player is placed on waivers with the intention of unconditional release, the other 29 teams can claim his contract for $1. If no team claims the contract, the team who placed him on waivers will continue to pay the player’s contract until he signs with another team. This type of waiver usually applies to players who no longer provide a benefit at the major league level and make too much money to continue playing in the minors — Luis Matos, for example.
Assignment to the minors, without the right of recall

Like the previous condition, the other 29 teams can claim his contract. This time the waiver fee is $20,000. If no team claims the player’s contract, the player reports to his assigned minor league team.

Outright waivers remove a player from the team’s 40-man roster. This type of waiver usually applies to players who do not make as much money and could serve a purpose in a team’s minor league system. One such example is Marlon Byrd, who is now with our Class AAA in New Orleans.

and then there are revocable waivers.

Tonight:
DC United (13-2-6) vs. New York Red Bulls (5-6-9) at 7:30pm.
The game will not be on tv, and no, you will not be able to hear it on the radio. At least according to the official DC United website. You can, though, see it life, as the game will be at RFK (if you live near RFK). This is not a normal game, it is a "Open Cup affair". Read about it at DC United's website.

I read the article. I'm still confused about what's going on at RFK, so I'll turn my attention back to the Nationals:

try to pick up another sport to watch, then that sport suddenly starts doing odd things like play for Cups in the middle of the season (actually slightly past the middle)

Also Tonight:
Tony Armas (8-8, 4.73) pitches for the Nationals and LHP Scott Olsen (9-7, 4.49) pitches for the Marlins in the last game in the series. The series that the Marlins have already won.