Who replaces Haren in rotation?

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Dan Haren's placement on the disabled list, while not a total shock, does leave the Nationals scrambling to find a replacement starter by the end of the week. That's a short-term problem. Long-term, they also need to figure out what exactly they intend to do with the final spot in their rotation.

Do they give Haren another shot once he's deemed healthy, or have they seen all they need to see out of him? Do they have a viable alternative in-house, whether a journeyman veteran like Ross Ohlendorf or a highly touted (though still really green) prospect like Nate Karns or Taylor Jordan? Or does Mike Rizzo need to go look outside the organization and make a bold deal for another starter before the July 31 trade deadline?

Before we get to the long-term question, let's quickly address the short-term one. The Nationals don't have to make an immediate decision, because they don't need a replacement starter until Saturday in New York at the earliest.

The easiest answer would seem to be handing the ball to Ohlendorf, who has been great in two appearances so far (one start, one

Ohlendorf starts tonight, Karns back to AA

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The Nationals are a couple of days away from getting their entire Opening Day rotation back together. But they're not quite there yet, so tonight they'll be forced to call upon one more fill-in starter to bridge the gap until everyone else is healthy.

With Ross Detwiler set to come off the disabled list Thursday and Stephen Strasburg on course to be activated Sunday, the Nationals will turn tonight to Ross Ohlendorf against the Rockies at Coors Field.

Ohlendorf, 30, is no stranger to the big leagues. He's made 108 appearances, 73 of them starts, over the last six seasons with the Yankees, Pirates and Padres. But it's been a while since he's had success at this level. An 11-game winner with a 3.92 ERA for Pittsburgh in 2009, he's gone 6-18 with a 5.80 ERA in 43 major-league games since, his career derailed by shoulder injuries.

But the Nationals gave Ohlendorf a shot this spring on a minor-league deal and he took advantage of the opportunity at Syracuse. Over his last three starts, the right-hander allowed only three runs

Game 62: Twins at Nats

Photo by the Associated Press

The Nationals blasted the Twins 7-0 in today's first game, the perfect way to kick off a doubleheader. Now they send RHP Nathan Karns (0-1, 6.00) to the mound to try and lock up a series win. Karns is making his third career start, already his second against an American League team after facing the Orioles in his MLB debut. 

Pitching for the Twins is 29 year old Samuel Deduno (2-1, 3.44 ERA). A four-year pro, Deduno has just 103 major league innings under his belt and has yet to face the Nats. He will go up against a Washington lineup fresh off a blowout win just hours earlier. We'll see if their hot bats can carry over into the night.

The updated lineups are below with Denard Span back in the mix and Roger Bernadina batting second. The Twins also have a different look with Joe Mauer and Josh Willingham set to play.

Please check back for updates, and enjoy the game...

MINNESOTA TWINS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500)
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 82 degrees

NATIONALS (30-31)
CF Denard Span
LF Roger Bernadina
3B Ryan Zimmerman
RF Jayson Werth
1B Adam LaRoche
SS Ian Desmond
2B Anthony Rendon
C Jhonatan Solano
RHP Nathan Karns

Nats-Twins opener postponed

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Tonight's interleague series opener between the Nationals and Twins has already been postponed due to the heavy rain that has been sweeping through the area since yesterday and is expected to linger through the night.

The game will be made up Sunday as part of a split-ticket, day-night doubleheader. The original game scheduled for 1:35 p.m. remains unchanged, with tonight's rainout to be made up at 7:05 p.m.

Thus, fans holding tickets for tonight's rainout can either use them for Sunday's 7:05 p.m. makeup game or exchange them for a comparable ticket to any available future home game this season.

The Nationals weren't left with many scheduling options. A Saturday doubleheader wasn't possible because the originally scheduled game is for 4:05 p.m., with a postgame concert by Blues Traveler to follow. Because Fox has exclusive broadcasting rights from 7-10 p.m., the Nationals wouldn't have been able to televise a game in primetime.

Below sea level

Associated Press

ATLANTA — The last place anybody inside the Nationals clubhouse expected to find themselves on June 2 of a "World Series or Bust" season is exactly the place they find themselves today after a 6-3 loss to the Braves: With a losing record.

It doesn't matter how many All-Stars make up their roster, how much experience their manager brings to the table, how many savvy moves their GM has made to address various areas of need. And it certainly doesn't matter how many people predicted this 98-win ballclub from one year ago would take it up another notch this season and experience October jubilation.

You are what your record says you are. And right now, the Nationals are 28-29, a full 6 1/2 games behind the NL East-leading Braves.

"We deserve to be where we're at right now," first baseman Adam LaRoche said. "We've played like crap."
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Instant analysis: Braves 6, Nats 3

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Paul Maholm held the Nationals to two earned runs over six innings.

Game in a nutshell: After a frustrating, 10-inning loss last night, the Nationals knew they needed to win the series finale to take two of three from the Braves, avoid falling below the .500 mark and 6 1/2 games behind their division rivals. But rookie Nate Karns couldn't complete five innings for the second time in as many starts, and Zach Duke poured more fuel on the fire in relief. The Nationals scored a couple of quick runs off Paul Maholm but then were completely silenced after that and limped their way to an uneventful loss. So, for the first time since April 30, Washington is under .500 (28-29) and now faces a season-high 6 1/2-game deficit to Atlanta.

Hitting lowlight: Just when you think the Nationals lineup might get something going, they revert back into their old habits. Despite

Game 57: Nats at Braves

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

The Nats wrap up their series at Turner Field this afternoon.

ATLANTA — Having lost last night's game in frustrating fashion, the Nationals now find themselves in something of a must-win spot this afternoon, desperately needing to take this series and gain ground on the Braves instead of falling to 6 1/2 games back. Which puts some undo pressure on Nate Karns, making only his second career start.

Karns impressed in his debut Tuesday against the Orioles, but he'll need to take it up another notch today against Atlanta, which has had some time to scout the right-hander. The key for Karns: Can he save something in the tank for the second time around the lineup and get through at least five innings?

Paul Maholm starts for the Braves, and he's been great against the Nationals so far this season, giving up two runs and seven hits in 15 2/3 innings. The left-hander will be facing a lineup that today features a 6-7-8 of Tyler Moore, Danny Espinosa and Jhonatan Solano. The rationale for starting Espinosa, despite his struggles: He's traditionally a much better right-handed hitter. The problem: He's hitting .129 from the right side of the plate this year, worse than his .168 average from the left side.

Updates to come, so please check back...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Turner Field
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500), XM 186
Weather: Chance of storms, 81 degrees, Wind 8 mph out to CF

NATIONALS (28-28)
CF Denard Span
LF Steve Lombardozzi
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche

Nats supply Karns with offensive firepower

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Adam LaRoche and Tyler Moore combined to hit three homers in the Nats' win.

Adam LaRoche could tell Nathan Karns was a tad nervous to make his big-league debut when he noticed the right-hander's jersey was soaking wet. This was while Karns was still in the dugout, having yet to face his first major-league batter.

"Like he walked through the shower before he even took the mound," LaRoche said. "That was fun. I'm sure his world was spinning real fast."

Knowing their rookie starter — who only 24 hours earlier was preparing to face the Class AA Akron Aeros — was in a bit of a fog, the Nationals came up with the best possible plan to ease a young pitcher through that pressure situation: They went out and scored a ton of runs.

Behind four homers — two by LaRoche, plus back-to-back shots by struggling Tyler Moore and Roger Bernadina — the Nationals pounded the Orioles and rookie Kevin Gausman into submission, cruising to a 9-3 victory before a boisterous crowd of 35,664 that waited out an 81-minute rain delay to see the two promising right-handers go head-to-head.
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Instant analysis: Nats 9, Orioles 3

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Nate Karns allowed three runs over 4 2/3 innings in his big-league debut.

Game in a nutshell: The evening began as a highly touted matchup of young right-handers, Nate Karns and Kevin Gausman, but was more notable by night's end for the Nationals' rare offensive explosion. Karns did what he needed to do, churning out 4 1/3 solid innings before tiring in the fifth. Gausman, though, was roughed up by the Nationals for three runs in the first, then four more in the fourth before he was knocked out. Adam LaRoche crushed two homers, and Tyler Moore and Roger Bernadina went back-to-back in a rare display of firepower from the reserves-turned-starters. Needing 4 2/3 innings out of his bullpen, Davey Johnson got quality work out of Zach Duke (who was credited with the win), Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard and Fernando Abad. So the Battle of Beltways is now even at 1 game apiece, heading into Phase 2 the next two nights at Camden Yards.

Hitting highlight: The Nationals have been begging, pleading for their bench players to produce with several starters injured. On this night, Moore and Bernadina finally delivered. Back-to-back. Moore,

Who needs to be protected?

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Mike Rizzo has some roster decisions to make today.

One of baseball's many obscure deadlines strikes tonight at midnight, when players eligible for the Rule 5 draft must be added to their club's 40-man rosters or else risk being snatched away by other organizations.

Rarely do these decisions result in total disaster for teams -- how many people even remember the Nationals lost Brad Meyers and Erik Komatsu in last year's Rule 5 draft, and how many of those remember both players were ultimately returned to the organization? -- but there's always a chance a team could make a major miscalculation and lose a top prospect.

So general manager Mike Rizzo and his player development folks have some important decisions to make before the end of the night.

For the uninitiated (or the confused) here's a quick refresher course on how this all works...

-- Any players in the Nationals' organization who signed at age 18 and have played in parts of at least five seasons, plus any who