Feast one night, famine the next

Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA — They were tearing the cover off the ball, getting production from up and down their lineup and finally putting to rest any doubt about their ability to score enough runs to win games on a regular basis.

And then they arrived at Citizens Bank Park this week, and now the Nationals seem to be right back where they started.

Back-to-back losses to the Phillies, including Tuesday night's 4-2 defeat, have pretty much killed whatever positive momentum the Nationals had developed during a four-game winning streak. More troubling is the feast-or-famine nature of their offensive output.

Behold the Nationals' run totals for each of the last 10 days: 13, 10, 0, 1, 8, 8, 5, 11, 2, 2. Officially, they've averaged six runs per game during this stretch, but that's an awfully misleading stat.

"We'll get into a game and we'll be in the sixth, seventh inning with two or three hits," first baseman Adam LaRoche said. "Where the night before we had 15 hits. I can't explain it. It's one of those things you try to go out and get 15 hits before you get the first one. And nothing good happens."
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Harper leaves game, status in question

Photo by the Associated Press

Bryce Harper left Sunday’s game against the Phillies in the bottom of the seventh after aggravating his sore left knee earlier in the day when sliding head-first. He banged his knee while stealing third base in the first inning and afterwards walked with a visible limp until he was replaced.

Manager Davey Johnson said he expects the outfielder to miss several days, but when asked about whether he would miss time Harper replied with an emphatic ‘no.’

Harper’s knee was also bothered by a foul ball he hit in the third inning as it tipped right off his leg, a play he called “icing on the cake.” He said the injury is something that may not go away any time soon, and perhaps not until the season is over.

“I probably won’t get better until the offseason,” he said. “So I’ll just have to deal with the pain and try to keep in there every day and we’ll see what happens.”

Instant analysis: Nats 6, Phillies 1

Associated Press

Stephen Strasburg dominated over eight innings to earn his third win.

Game in a nutshell: The highly anticipated Stephen Strasburg vs. Cole Hamels matchup lived up to the billing, with each ace carrying a shutout into the seventh. That's when Strasburg turned things up a notch and Hamels fell back to earth. Strasburg struck out the side in the top of the seventh, then watched as his teammates ambushed Hamels for five runs in the bottom of the inning. That was way more run support than Strasburg needed, enough that manager Davey Johnson didn't need to push his right-hander beyond 112 pitches and let Tyler Clippard close out the ninth. One negative development for the Nationals, though: Bryce Harper's knee (already banged up from his collision with the wall in Los Angeles almost two weeks ago) was barking so badly he had to be pulled for a pinch-runner in the seventh.

Hitting highlight: It was turning into yet another maddeningly frustrating day at the plate for the Nationals, who couldn't get another going against Hamels for six innings. And then, they

Game 50: Phillies at Nats

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

Liking the panorama function on my new phone...

In the wake of last night's frustrating 5-3 loss, the Nationals face something resembling a must-win game today. Obviously, there's no such thing as a true must-win game on May 26, but the last thing the Nationals want right now is to fall back to .500 and into a tie with the Phillies for second place in the NL East.

So the pressure's on Stephen Strasburg to come up big against a Phillies lineup filled with reserves. No Ryan Howard. No Chase Utley. No Carlos Ruiz. Of course, the pressure's also on the Nationals lineup to do something against Cole Hamels, who has been frustrated by his own lack of run support and comes into this game with a stunning 1-7 record.

Updates to come, so please check back...

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, Ch. 9, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500), XM 184
Weather: Sunny, 70 degrees, Wind 14 mph LF to RF

NATIONALS (25-24)
CF Denard Span
RF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche

Around the NL East: Phillies in trouble

Photo by USA Today

Atlanta Braves (26-18)
The Braves have turned in four straight wins after sweeping the Dodgers and taking the first of a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins. They are now 3.5 games ahead of the Nats in the N.L. East as Washington is headed in the other direction with three consecutive losses. Freddie Freeman and Justin Upton have led the way on offense with five RBI each in their last six games. Julio Teheran made two solid starts recently, allowing just three runs through 14 1/3 innings against Minnesota and Arizona.

While they are winning on the field, the Braves were dealt some more bad news regarding their bullpen. Lefty setup man Eric O'Flaherty is scheduled to have Tommy John surgery this afternoon, keeping him out at least a calendar year. They also lost another lefty out of the bullpen in Jonny Venters who had the same procedure last week. Jordan Walden, who would be their next setup option, also remains out with shoulder inflammation.

Player of the Week: 1B Freddie Freeman - 6 H, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 2 R