Nats who's hot/who's not-7/3

Photo by USA Today

Record: 3-3

Runs per game: 5.3

Opponent runs per game: 3.8

Team ERA: 3.09

HOT:

Stephen Strasburg, SP - 0-0, 1.29 ERA, 2 ER, 9 H, 12 SO, 14.0 IP

Strasburg has seen the worst run support of any starter in the majors this season and it's not even that close. On Tuesday he turned in another fantastic start, but came away with a no decision. Against the Brewers he pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out eight, lowering his season ERA to 2.24. That's the fifth best mark in the majors and should put Strasburg into prime position for his second All-Star selection, regardless of his record.

Gio Gonzalez, SP – 2-0, 1.35 ERA, 2 ER, 12 H, 11 SO, 13.1 IP

Gonzalez, much like Stephen Strasburg, has quietly recovered from an uncharacteristic start to the season. After sitting with a 4.20 ERA

From elation to frustration in 10 minutes

Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA — As the ball soared toward the right-field bleachers and the previously raucous crowd of 44,990 fell dead-silent, the visitors dugout at Citizens Bank Park sprung to life. In a season with precious few moments of true elation, Chad Tracy's down-to-the-last-strike home run in the top of the ninth Monday night was about as good as it's been for the Nationals.

One pitch away from a ho-hum loss to the Phillies, the Nationals now had new life, Tracy having delivered a game-tying homer on an 0-2 pitch for the second time in 72 hours. The prevailing sentiment in the dugout: This game was theirs now.

"You gotta play the game, but when you tie it up, I think all of us had a feeling," Tracy said. "We expected to win, sure."

A feeling that had vanquished into thin air only 10 minutes later when Fernando Abad surrendered his third single of the bottom of the ninth, this one a soft liner up the middle by Domonic Brown, bringing Ben Revere home with the run that dealt the Nationals a 5-4, punch-to-the-gut loss.

"You tie it up late, and everybody's emotions are running high and everybody's feeling good," Tracy said. "And then they come out and put some good at-bats together at the end and steal it right back from you."
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LHP J.C. Romero opts out of deal with Nats

Photo by the Associated Press

Relief pitcher J.C. Romero has opted out of his contract with the Washington Nationals to leave the organization and seek a job with another team. He had spent the season’s first two months with the Nats’ Triple-A affiliate Syracuse Chiefs.

Romero signed a minor league deal with Washington in late March after impressing at the World Baseball Classic and joined the club in spring training. He had previously been a part of the organization in 2011 for about two weeks before leaving to sign with the Yankees.

In 13 appearances with Syracuse this season, Romero posted a 2.84 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings. After holding a 0.82 ERA in April through his first ten outings, Romero was sidelined for most of May with shoulder stiffness. Before his June 1 opt-out date came around, he had not pitched since May 8.

If it weren’t for the injury Romero may have been given a shot with the big league club in late May. Reliever Ryan Mattheus was sent to the disabled list with a broken pitching hand and the Nats needed help in their bullpen. With Romero out, the Nats called up lefty Fernando Abad. Since his promotion, Abad has established himself with zero earned runs and just one walk in six appearances this season.

Desperation forces bullpen makeover

USA Today Sports Images

Ryan Mattheus broke his right hand after Sunday's game in San Diego.

As if an 8-0 drubbing at the hands of the Giants last night wasn't bad enough, the Nationals now find themselves forced into giving their bullpen a quick makeover just so they can have a few fresh arms for tonight's game in San Francisco.

Ryan Mattheus will be placed on the disabled list after breaking his right hand Sunday in San Diego, an injury that didn't occur during the Nationals' 13-4 loss to the Padres but afterward when the right-hander punched his locker in frustration. Mattheus' surprise injury, combined with the eight innings of work needed out of Zach Duke, Craig Stammen and Henry Rodriguez last night, leaves the Nationals with a serious dearth of healthy relievers at the moment.

So general manager Mike Rizzo will summon a pair of pitchers from Class AAA Syracuse: veteran right-hander Yunesky Maya and left-hander Fernando Abad. Each is expected to be added to the

Two cuts today, Romero going north

Associated Press

GM Mike Rizzo talks on the phone before today's game against the Braves.

VIERA, Fla. -- The Nationals made another round of cuts following today's 11-2 win over the Braves, sending left-hander Fernando Abad and catcher Carlos Maldonado to minor-league camp.

Manager Davey Johnson said he'll send two more players down after tomorrow's Grapefruit League finale: outfielder Micah Owings and infidler Carlos Rivero (who has already been outrighted to Class AAA Syracuse but has remained in big-league camp).

That will leave only 26 active players on the roster when camp breaks tomorrow evening and the team flies north to Washington. And on that flight will be J.C. Romero, who still has a chance to crack the Opening Day bullpen over Henry Rodriguez.

Johnson approached Romero in the clubhouse after today's game and clued the veteran left-hander in on his travel plans without revealing the ultimate answer: where he'll be come Opening Day.
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Beltway Baseball: On Zim and the bullpen

For our first installment of Beltway Baseball this season, Chase Hughes and I discussed the overall quiet nature of Nats camp so far, Ryan Zimmerman's return from shoulder surgery and the wide-open battle for the final spot in the Opening Day bullpen. We'll post another segment tomorrow morning with more impressions from the first half of spring training and then will post our reader Q&A on Friday morning. Enjoy!

Who gets the final bullpen spot?

USA Today Sports Images

Fernando Abad is surprisingly in the mix for the final bullpen spot.

It was perhaps the only spot on the Nationals' 25-man roster that was undecided when camp opened three weeks ago, but even then the options were pretty clear: The final man in the Opening Day bullpen would be Henry Rodriguez if healthy; if not, it would be either lefty Bill Bray or right-hander Christian Garcia.

Nearly halfway through spring training, that spot remains very much up for grabs, except now there's no telling who will emerge from the pack after a combination of injuries and demotions has thrown a wrench into the Nationals' plans.

Yesterday's first round of cuts eliminated three left-handers from big-league camp: Bray, veteran Will Ohman and spring training invitee Brandon Mann. Which, on the surface, would seem to further emphasize the likelihood of the Nationals' opening the season without a traditional, lefty specialist in their bullpen.

Just one problem: The right-handers contending for that spot haven't seen any game action yet due to injuries.