Didn't the season already end with Justin Maxwell's walk-off HR?  What, more games?  Oh well.

Oh well was how the Braves played Thursday night, hours after being eliminated from the playoffs.  And the Nats -- read: Ryan Zimmerman -- took advantage of the deflated Braves to eke out a 2-1 win.  Garrett Mock finished his season strong (6 innings, 1 run).  Tyler Clippard looked awesome (2 2/3 innings, no runs).  And Pete Orr came through with the go-ahead RBI in the 9th.

In one of the more amusing plays, Adam Dunn failed to score on a Zim double early in the game, choosing to hold up at 3rd.  Could it be that the two are locked in competition for the team's most RBIs?  Hmmm.  Zim moved ahead anyway, 105-104.

To read more, see the gamers in the Post, Times, MLB, AP and Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 

Dunn has been mired in a terrible slump, going hitless in his last 7 games and homerless in his last 8.  A couple weeks ago, notching his sixth consecutive season of 40 or more HRs seemed like a sure thing.  Now, still stuck at 38, Dunn has just 3 games left to get the last 2.  Tick tock, Adam.

      

Sigh.  Another Nats game.  Another Nats loss.  9-6 to the Marlins.  Well, at least the weather was nice. 

This one had its moments.  The power hitters -- Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham -- provided a lot of power (7/13, 1 HR, 4 RBIs).  And the Nats could have scored a lot more had not they left a stunning 23 runners on base.  Josh Bard alone left 10 men on!  But the real undoing was a terrible outing by Garrett Mock, who lasted only 3 innings and gave up 6 runs.

Read the gamers from the Post, Times, MLB, AP and Miami Herald.

Last night aside, Mock has been one of the brighter spots for the Nats since the All-Star break, when he was converted to a starter.  He has suffered endurance problems.  But he pitched well in August (3-2, 3.31 ERA), offering hope to a rotation felled by injury (Zimmermann, Stammen) or poor performance (pick 'em).  

If he can make last night an aberration and finish strong, then Mock will stake his claim to the 2010 starting rotation.  If not, then it might be back to the revolving door of AAA.  One of the things to watch for in this last month of the season.

      

One night after being shut out by the Reds, the Nats returned the favor.  The 2-0 win ended a 3-game losing streak and, with a win today, gave the Nats a chance to capture at least a split in the 4-game series.

Garrett Mock (2-4, 5.27 ERA) impressed again by pitching 6 innings of shutout ball. He wasn't terribly efficient (6 hits, 4 walks, 101 pitches).  But he showed some guts by pitching out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth.  While he has allowed just 2 earned runs during the past 2 games, Mock has tired in the sixth inning of both of them. To hold on to a spot in the rotation, this year and next, he will have to break through that wall and go deeper into games.  

Still, another good performance by the pitchers, including Jason Bergmann (1 inning, no walks) who closed the door to a possible rally.  The only downside:  Ryan Zimmerman's consecutive-game hitting streak came to an end at 17.  

Read the gamers in the Post, Times, MLB, AP and Dayton Daily News.  

      

During the current winning steak, the only weakness has been starting pitching.  But last night, Garrett Mock finally broke through -- going 6 innings and allowing just 2 runs -- as the Nats played a flawless game to defeat the D-Backs, 5-2.  The game extended the Nats winning streak to 7 games, and gave the Nats yet another series.  Since the All-Star Break, the Nats have gone 13-11 in games and 4-1-2 in series.  

On Adam Dunn bobble head night, it was Josh Willingham who provided the big hit, a 2-run HR that erased an early deficit.  Nyjer Morgan continued to impress, chasing down several balls that were seemingly uncatchable. Zim added a few twirls of his own to prevent base hits.  Mock pitched well, and Sean Burnett was lights out with 2 scoreless innings of relief.  The Rizzo trade for Morgan and Burnett is looking better with each passing day.

Perhaps most impressively, the bats put up 5 runs against Dan Haren, who had the fourth-best ERA in the National League (2.38).  It's one thing to beat beatable pitchers.  But in this streak, the Nats have gotten the best of two elite pitchers: Haren and Josh Johnson (10-2, 2.98 ERA) of the Florida Marlins.  

That's making a statement.

Read the gamers for the Post, Times, MLB, AP and Arizona Republic.

      

Who are these guys?

Fall way behind early.  Come roaring back to take the lead.  Hold on for the win. 

Didn't we just see that Thursday?  Well, it happened again on Friday, as the Nats, down 5-0, staged their second consecutive comeback win, this time against the D-Backs, 7-6.  The victory extends the winning streak to six and gives the Nats a winning record since the All-Star Break (12-11).  

Once again, Zim (1/3) powered the comeback with his fourth HR in four games.  Dukes (1/3) continued his transformation into an RBI machine, this time with three.  But it was Willingham (3/4) who delivered the clutch, go-ahead hit in the seventh.  Josh has produced All-Star stats this year: .309/.420./589, making his acquisition Jim Bowden's last (only?) brilliant move. 

Once again, though, the starting pitching faltered, with Balester going just 4.1 innings, which has been the rotation's average during the streak.  In other words, the bullpen really needs a break.  But it might not get it tonight, given the match-up between Dan Haren (11-6, 2.38 ERA) and Garret Mock (0-4, 6.75 ERA).

Still, six in a row.  I'll take that.

Read about in the Post, Times, MLB, AP and Arizona Republic.  

      

This makes sense for a couple reasons.

Detwiler has struggled in recent starts, appearing to be overmatched at times.  Still, he over-performed as a spot starter -- essentially bumping Sharon Martis from the rotation -- and can now develop a bit more in AAA, which is still an upgrade from where he was before (AA).

Mock has been horribly misused by the Nationals, forced into a relief role for which he had not been accustomed.  Now we'll get to see him in his natural role as a starter.  I'm looking forward to that. Remember, Rizzo traded for him (and Matt Chico) a couple years back, sending Livan to the D-Backs.  And spotting talent has been Rizzo's strength.  

Much of the second half will involve innings management for the young pitchers (see Zimmermann, Jordan). So, adding Mock now is a good move.