Who's On First?

[JoeRudi26]

I've been watching this dynasty from the start, and I still can't believe how good it is. You haven't gotten the attention JoeRudi's Cubs dynasty has, but this is at least as good. Keep up the great work!

I agree, this is an excellent dynasty from top to bottom. Keep up the good work, Iz.

[lz477]

Week 12 Standings and Stats

Player of the Week

Augie Ojeda

.467 AVG, 5 R, 3 RBI for the week.

[lz477]

June 27th

Game 77: Nationals (41-35) at Braves (39-37)

Atlanta Powers Way To Victory

Left: Andruw Jones supplied all the offense Atlanta would need with a two run blast in the first. Right: Tim Hudson picked up his eighth victory of the year, allowing just three hits and striking out 10 over nine innings.

The Braves jumped on Nationals starter, Jason Simontacchi in the first and took a 2-0 lead when Andruw Jones homered to deel left field. That would be all the offense Atlanta starter, Tim Hudson would need as he pitched a complete game shutout for his eighth victory of the year.

Hudson finished the day with 10 strikeouts, three hits allowed and one walk over nine complete innings. The Braves are now 3-0 in games that Hudson has started against Washington this season and he is a combined 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 22 innings of work this year versus the Nationals.

"I don't take anyone I pitch against for granted and obviously considering the success the Nationals have had this year, you certainly don't do so against them," Hudson remarked about his success against Washington this season. "Fortunately for me, I've had a few good outings against them and it's helped out our club."

Hudson's victory couldn't have come without Jones' first inning homer though and Javier Lopez added a third run when he hit a solo shot to deep left in the fifth.

Washington did start a small rally that was quickly snuffed out in the sixth. Andy Abad walked to lead off the inning, then reached third on a single by George Lombard. Abad was then picked off at third and Lombard was thrown out on a steal attempt on the very next pitch. Chris Coste then struck out to end the inning and any chances of a comeback as the Braves would hold on to their 3-0 lead and win by the same score.

Game two of the three game set is tomorrow night. Stephen Randolph (5-2) will make the start for the Nationals, while the Braves will send Chuck James (6-6) to the mound.

Boxscore: WAS 0 - ATL 3

[lz477]

June 28th

Game 78: Nationals (41-36) at Braves (40-37)

Washington Wins Offensive Explosion Against Braves

Left: Andruw Jones lets a base hit by Dillon to get by him allowing Kinkade to score. Right: Chad Mottola is all smiles after he and Scott McClain hit back to back homers in the fifth.

Neither the Nationals nor the Braves struggled to score runs Tuesday night as each team put a combined 17 runs on the board and collected a total of 24 hits in the contest. Washington's nine runs proved to be just enough offense to out do Atlanta's eight for the Nationals to come away with the victory and knot the series at a game apiece.

The scoring got started in the third, when Mike Kinkade singled and scored after Stephen Randolph laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt and Joe Dillon hit a single back up the middle that Atlanta centerfielder, Andruw Jones bobbled allowing Kinkade to score on what would have most likely been a close play at the plate otherwise. Chris Coste followed that with another single, but Atlanta starter Chuck James prevented any more damage as he struck out the next two hitters to get out of the inning.

Washington got on the board again in the next inning, when Chad Mottola led off the inning with a double, then scored on a groundball out to second after George Lombard advanced him to third on a bunt single. Lombard also stole second on the pitch right before Kinkade's grounder, his first stolen base since June 3rd.

In their half of the fourth, Atlanta came right back when catcher, Brian McCann homered into the right field bullpen to put the Braves on the board. Atlanta then took the lead after Chipper Jones and Jeff Francoeur each singled and scored when Javy Lopez hit a towering homerun to deep left field to put the Braves up 4-2.

The Nationals struck back in the fifth, to tie the game 4-4 when Scott McClain homered to left. Mottola, followed that with his 13th long ball of the year to give Washington a 5-4 lead. It was the third time this year McClain and Mottola had teamed up to hit back to back homers in a game this season.

Of course, Atlanta tied it up again in their half of the fifth, when Andruw Jones hit a seeing-eye single back up the middle to score David Eckstein. Marty McLeary then came on to relieve Randolph and threw one pitch to retire Chipper Jones on a ground out. That would be all the work McLeary would put in on the day as he surrendered to a pinch hitter in the next half inning.

In the sixth, the Nationals Danny Ardoin hit a two run single with the bases loaded to take the lead back 7-5. Bob Wickman then came on to relieve James and promptly gave up a double to Scott McClain to score Washington's eighth run. Wickman then intentionally walked the red hot Mottola to load the bases again and then struck out pinch hitter, Andy Tracy to get out of the inning.

Atlanta came right back in their half of the sixth as Lopez smashed a high fly ball to right field that Dillon couldn't catch, putting Atlanta's first baseman on second base and giving him the opportunity to score a single by Matt Diaz and cut Washington's lead to two runs.

In the seventh, the Braves started another rally that ended when Dillon threw a perfect strike to third to get Chipper Jones trying to advance on a single by Francoeur.

Chris Heintz's RBI double in the Nationals half of the ninth gave Washington a 9-6 lead and provided what would eventually be an invaluable insurance run as Atlanta's Brian McCann hit his second homer of the game in the bottom of the ninth, a two run shot to shorten the lead to one at 9-8. Lee Gardner then struck out Andruw Jones and forced a fly ball out from Chipper Jones to end the game and give the Nationals the victory.

Though he only threw one pitch, Marty McLeary was the pitcher of record, getting credit for the win to even his season record to 5-5, after Washington took a permanent lead after he induced a ground ball out to Chipper Jones in the fifth..

"Though no win is ever easy at this level, I'd have to say that was by far the lightest work I've ever had to put in to pick up a W," McLeary said after the game. "I'm just glad I was able to help the team in whatever small way that I did."

The rubber match for the three game series will be tomorrow night. Washington will send Travis Smith (9-3) to the mound, while the Braves will counter with Mike Hampton (3-5).

Boxscore: WAS 9 - ATL 8

League News

Twins trade (RP) Matt Guerrier to Red Sox for (RP) Mike Timlin

Astros sign (RF) Jerome Milons for 3 years at 200K.

[lz477]

June 29th

Game 79: Nationals (42-36) at Braves (40-38)

Braves Take Beating At Hands of Nationals

Left: Scott McClain blasts his second homerun of the game and his third in two days. Right: Andy Tracy hits a pinch hit three-run homer in the eighth.

Washington wrapped up their third straight series win and jumped to the top of the National League East by a half a game, beating the Braves 12-3 Wednesday.

The Nationals scored their first two runs with two outs in the first when Danny Ardoin singled and then scored on Scott McClain's second homerun in as many days to put Washington up 2-0.

Atlanta did manage to tie it up in their half of the first when Willy Aybar scored on a ground out by Andruw Jones and Chipper Jones knocked in Brian McCann with an RBI double.

It seemed like it was going to be another back and forth when Washington took back the lead in the third on back to back solo homeruns by Ardoin and McClain. The third inning drive gave McClain his 10th homerun of the year and his third multi homer game of the season.

Washington continued their feast of Atlanta's pitching in the sixth, when George Lombard plated Scott McClain on a ground out to the second baseman giving the Nationals a 5-2 lead and forcing Atlanta starter Mike Hampton from the game. Bob Wickman came on for relief and intentionally walked Augie Ojeda before giving up an RBI single to Washington starting pitcher, Travis Smith.

The Nationals fashioned the leather in the seventh to prevent any chance for the Braves to get back in the contest when Chad Mottola made a head first catch on a sinking line drive by Matt Diaz and third baseman, Chris Coste followed that with a leaping catch on a line drive off the bat of pinch hitter Pete Orr to end the inning.

A four run eighth cemented Washington's dominance as Luis Figueroa singled in Mottola and Andy Tracy followed with a pinch hit three run homerun just over the wall in left. The pitch Tracy hit out was what Atlanta pitching coach, Roger McDowell called, "An excellent back door slider from Oscar [Villarreal]." "That's just the way it falls sometimes," McDowell said. "Sometimes you make a great pitch and a good hitter can get wood on it and put it in play, even hit it out."

In their last trip to the plate, Washington managed to put two more runs on the board, when Figueroa hit a broken bat grounder to David Eckstein at shortstop with the bases loaded. Eckstein, then made an errant throw to first, allowing McClain to score the fourth time in the game and Mottola the third to give the Nationals a 12-2 lead. McClain reached base that inning by knocking his fourth hit of the day, a single up the middle. Earlier in the at bat though, he barely missed hitting his third homerun of the game when he hit a long fly ball just to the left of the foul pole.

Atlanta did manage to add another run in their half of the ninth, when Chipper Jones doubled and scored on a bloop single by Francoeur. That was all reliever Bryan Corey would allow as he held onto his teams lead to give Travis Smith his tenth victory of the year. Smith ended the day with seven innings pitched, two runs allowed off seven hits and one strikeout.

With the Nationals offense firing on all cylinders the last two games, they will take their hot bats to Pittsburgh to challenge the Pirates at PNC Parkfor a three game weekend series starting Friday.

Boxscore: WAS 12 - ATL 3

[lz477]

July 1st

Game 80: Nationals (43-36) at Pirates (37-42)

Pirates Pull-Out Victory

Left: Doug Clark led the game off with a homerun to left. Right: Jason Bay rounds the bases after bashing a homerun of Kuwata in the fourth inning.

Pittsburgh starter Zach Duke cooled the Nationals red hot offense Friday night, holding Washington to just one run on four hits, while walking five and striking out six over seven innings of work.

It seemed as though the Nationals brought along the hot bats they used to score a total of 21 runs in two games earlier in the week against the Braves, when Doug Clark hit a lead off homerun at the start of the game to give Washington a quick 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, that was all the offense the team would be able to muster, leading one to think they perhaps forgot to pack those hot sticks and left them in Atlanta after all.

The Pirates tied the game in the fourth, when Jason Bay clobbered a change-up from Nationals starter, Masumi Kuwata 480 feet into the left field bleachers for his 17th homerun of the season. Ronnie Paulino then gave Pittsburgh the lead with a solo shot of his on in the fifth.

Washington failed to score in the sixth, despite loading the bases with just one out. A testament to Duke's dominant performance over the Nationals.

Pittsburgh went up 3-1 in the seventh when reliever, Chad Paronto threw a pick-off attempt over Scott McClain's head at first, allowing Paulino to score. The run was charged to Jim Crowell, who exited after giving up a single to Paulino earlier in the inning. Jose Castillo then singled off Paronto, before advancing to third on the pitchers pick-off attempt. Paronto was charged with a run in the eighth when he gave up a solo homerun to Nick Green.

Salomon Torres came on to pick up his 17th save by shutting the Nationals down in the ninth, striking out the first two hitters he faced and inducing a ground ball out by Andy Tracy to end the game.

Game two of the three game set is slated for Saturday night. Washington will send Chris Michalak (5-3) to face the Pirates' (Ian Snell (3-9)

Boxscore: WAS 1 - PIT 4

League News

White Sox trade Chris Widger to Blue Jays for (SP) Chi-Hung Cheng.

Reds trade (SP) Tom Shearn to Indians for (SS) Mike Rose.

Pirates trade (3B) Jose Bautista to Giants for (SP) Jose Acevedo.

Yankees starting pitcher, Mike Mussina out 15 days with pulled groin.

[lz477]

July 2nd

Game 81: Nationals (43-37) at Pirates (38-42)

Snell/Pirates Forced to 'Walk' the Plank

Left: Andy Tracy draws a walk in the fourth, one of eight on the day for Snell Right: Freddy Sanchez makes a diving stop and off-balance throw to get Doug Clark at first.

Pittsburgh starter, Ian Snell lasted just 3 2/3 innings, but still threw exactly 100 pitches, 34 of those in the first inning. Snell's line on the day? 3 2/3 innings, five runs allowed, three earned off four hits, eight walks and five strikeouts. Snell was also charged with his 10th loss of the season.

"Walks killed us today," Pittsburgh manager Jim Tracy said after the game. "No matter how well your offense does, it's hard to win when your starter can't hold it together and only lasts three-plus innings," Tracy added.

Snell walked four in the first inning alone and the Nationals needed just two hits to gather three runs of the Pirates starter. Pittsburgh struck back in their half of the inning when Adam LaRoche hit a deep two-run homerun after Jason Bay doubled. That would be all the runs the Pirates would put on the board though.

Nationals starter, Chris Michalak fared much better than Snell en route to his sixth win of the season, pitching seven innings, giving up two runs off five hits and striking out two.

Washington scored their other two runs in the fourth when Chad Mottola knocked George Lombard in with a sac fly and Doug Clark hit a bloop single to plate Chris Coste later in the inning. Clark's hit knocked Snell out of the game, prompting the Pirates manager Tracy, to send Jose Acevedo and Damasco Marte to shut down the Nationals for the remainder of the contest.

With the victory, the Nationals are now tied with the Phillies for first place in the NL East. Sunday, the Nationals and the Bucs will meet for the final game of the set. Jason Simontacchi (3-4) will try to pick up his first win since re-joining the Nationals rotation and the Pirates Tom Gorzelanny (2-7) will look to stop him.

Boxscore: WAS 5 - PIT 2

League News

Diamondbacks trade (SS) Ronnie Merrill to Athletics for (1B) Matt Padgett.

Cardinals trade © Brian Esposito and (RP) Troy Cate to Athletics for (SP) Kevin Olsen and (SS) Eddie Cornejo.

Tigers trade (2B) Kevin Hooper to Diamondbacks for (RP) Jailen Peguero.

[lz477]

July 3rd

Game 82: Nationals (44-37) at Pirates (38-43)

Plucky Pirates Takes Series

Left: Jason Bay climbs the wall to rob Joe Dillon of a homerun in the fifth inning. Right: Luis Matos slashes his second triple of the game in the eighth.

The Pirates, Tom Gorzelanny and Washington's, Jason Simontacchi had a pitchers duel going until the Nationals Augie Ojeda doubled in the fourth to break a scoreless tie. Pittsburgh came right back though in their half of the inning as Luis Matos hit a two-run triple, then scored on a ground out by Ryan Doumit in the very next at bat to put the Bucs up 3-1.

In the fifth, Jason Bay prevented Washington from scoring, when he made a leaping over the fence grab on a deep drive off the bat of Joe Dillon to rob the Nationals right fielder of a certain homerun.

Bay then went to work at the plate in the next half inning, to score Gorzelany on an RBI double, but centerfielder George Lombard prevented Chris Duffy from also scoring on the play when he fired a one hop strike to the plate that Danny Ardoin caught and then tagged out Duffy.

The Pirates would get that run though, in the eighth after Matos hit his second triple of the game, then scored on a sac fly by Doumit to put Pittsburgh up 5-1. Earlier in the inning, the Nationals manager Manny Acta was tossed out of the game by the second base umpire after he argued a close play that Chad Mottola was called out on, while attempting to steal a base.

Simontacchi would be charged with the loss, giving up four runs off eight hits, while Gorzelanny got credit for the victory, pitching seven innings of one run ball off six hits, striking out seven, while walking two.

After dropping two of three to the Pirates, Acta and the Nationals will almost certainly be glad to get back home to Washington, where they will begin a four game series against the Cubs starting Monday.

Boxscore: WAS 1 - PIT 5

League News

Cardinals trade (OF) Skip Shumaker, (2B) Henry Mateo and (SP) Mike Smith to White Sox for (RP) Vladimir Nunez, (1B) Jeremy West and (OF) Ernie Young.

Cubs trade (RP) Kerry Wood to Braves for (RP) Bob Wickman

Rangers sign (RF) Thomas Collaro for 3 years at 200K.

Padres sign (RP) Nate Bump for 3 years at 600K.

Tigers outfielder, Craig Monroe out 19 days with major wrist tendonitis.

[lz477]

Standings and League Leaders for June (Prior to Pittsburgh Series)

American League Leaders

Hitting Stats

Batting Average

Jason Giambi, NYY - .371

J.D. Drew, BOS - .341

Frank Thomas, TOR - .339

John Buck, KC - .335

Manny Ramirez, - .335

Home Runs

Jason Giambi, NYY - 26

Wily Mo Pena, BOS - 24

Mark Teixeira, TEX - 20

Jim Thome, CHW - 19

Vladimir Guerrero, LAA - 18

RBI

Jason Giambi, NYY - 72

Justin Morneau, MIN - 62

Vladimir Guerrero, LAA - 62

Coco Crisp, BOS - 59

Julio Lugo, BOS - 58

Stolen Bases

Ichiro Suzuki, SEA - 25

Carl Crawford, TB - 20

Chone Figgins, LAA - 18

Kenny Lofton, TEX - 16

Brian Roberts, BAL - 15

Pitching

Wins

John Lackey, LAA - 9

Johan Santana, MIN - 9

Carlos Silva, MIN - 9

Chin Mien-Wang, NYY - 9

5 tied with 8.

Strikeouts

Johan Santana, MIN - 100

Erik Bedard, BAL - 93

Roy Halladay, TOR - 93

Felix Hernandez, SEA - 90

Chien-Ming Wang, NYY - 88

Saves

Octavio Dotel, KC -26

Francisco Rodriguez, LAA - 20

J.J Putz, SEA - 18

Huston Street, OAK - 18

Jonathan Papelbon, BOS - 17

Felix Rodriguez, TB - 17

National League Leaders

Hitting

Batting Average

Todd Helton, COL - .390

Garrett Atkins, COL - .355

Ryan Howard, PHI - .345

Albert Pujols, STL - .339

Carlos Delgado, NYM - 336

Chipper Jones, ATL - .336

Home Runs

Ryan Howard, PHI - 20

Adam LaRoche, PIT - 19

Todd Helton, COL - 19

Carlos Delgado , NYM - 18

Miguel Cabrera, FLA - 18

RBI

Matt Holliday, COL - 64

Ryan Howard, PHI - 60

Adam LaRoche, PIT - 58

Todd Helton, COL - 58

Moises Alou, NYM - 56

Carlos Lee, HOU - 56

Stolen Bases

Juan Pierre, LAD - 27

George Lombard, WAS - 26

Jimmy Rollins, PHI - 23

Chris Duffy, PIT - 22

Hanley Ramirez, FLA - 22

Pitching

Wins

Jason Jennings, HOU - 11

David Wells, SD - 10

Chris Carpenter, STL - 10

Travis Smith, WAS - 10

Greg Maddux, SD - 9

Jake Peavy, SD - 9

Roy Oswalt, HOU - 9

Pedro Martinez, NYM - 9

Strikeouts

Carlos Zambrano, CHI - 98

Jake Peavy, SD - 97

Pedro Martinez, NYM - 93

Tim Hudson, ATL - 92

Roy Oswalt, HOU - 92

Saves

Lee Gardner, WAS - 24

Tom Gordon, PHI - 22

Bob Howry, CHI - 20

Luis Ayala, ATL - 19

Jason Isringhausen, STL - 18

[lz477]

Week 13 Standings and Stats

Player of the Week

Scott McClain

.400 AVG, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R, 2B, 3 BB for the week.

[lz477]

July 4th

Game 83: Cubs (44-37) at Nationals (44-38)

Lilly Dominant In Independence Day Shutout of Nationals

Left: Ted Lilly dominated the Nationals for seven plus innings. Right: Matt Murton raps an RBI single just past Stephen Randolph's glove in the sixth.

Washington starter, Stephen Randolph did his best to keep his team in the contest, pitching six strong innings, giving up two runs off eight hits, but that wouldn't be enough to prevent him from picking up his third loss of the season and the Nationals from dropping the first game of the four game series against Chicago. Ted Lilly, making the start for the Cubs was dominant, shutting Washington out for 7 1/3 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out 11, before surrendering to Bob Howry and Bob Wickman who completed the shutout to insure Lilly's eighth victory of the year. The recently acquired Wickman, also picked up his first save of the season.

The Cubs scored both of their runs in the sixth inning when Henry Blanco hit a line drive just over the wall in right field and Aramis Ramirez followed that with a triple off the right field wall, then scored on a single by Matt Murton in the next at bat. Chicago almost scored in the first frame, when Cliff Floyd tried to score on a single hit up the middle by Cesar Iztruis. Nationals centerfielder, George Lombard fired a one hop strike to Danny Ardoin, who blocked the plate and put the tag on Floyd to keep the game scoreless.

In the fourth, Chicago's Alfonso Soriano was injured while sliding into second, attempting to break up a double play. An MRI after the game came out negative and the Cubs announced he might take a couple of days off after being shaken up on the play.

When Howry came on to relieve Lilly with one out in the eighth, he promptly gave up back to back singles to Matt Erickson and Augie Ojeda, then induced a fielders choice ground ball from Joe Dillon to put runners on the corners. Nationals manager, Manny Acta then pinch hit for Lombard with long ball specialist, Andy Tracy, who hit a 440 foot foul ball before striking out on a changeup on the very next pitch, ruining the chance at a comeback and insuring the 2-0 loss to the Cubs.

Despite the loss, Washington remains in sole possession of first place in the National League East, with the Mets and the Phillies both just one game back and the Braves three back. The Nationals will look to add to that lead tomorrow when they take on the Cubs in game two. Jason Marquis (6-10) will make the start for Chicago and the Nationals will send Travis Smith (10-3) to the hill.

Boxscore: CHC 2 - WAS 0

League News

Dodgers sign (3B) Kevin Howard for 3 years at 100K.

Pirates sign (RP) Jaime Cerda for 3 years at 700K.

Cardinals starting pitcher, Chris Carpenter out 6 days with dislocated finger.

[lz477]

July 5th

Game 84: Cubs (45-37) at Nationals (44-39)

Nationals Can't Compete With Cubs, Drop Third Straight

Left: Jacque Jones touches home plate after he smacked a three-run homer in the third. Right: Andy Abad hits a 440 foot, two-run homerun in the fifth.

The Nationals dropped their third straight game Tuesday night, losing to the Cubs by a score of 5-2. Chicago jumped onto Nationals starter Travis Smith in the third when Jacque Jones hit a three run homerun to give the Cubs all the runs they would need to win the contest.

Chicago added two insurance runs in the fourth, when Felix Pie and Cesar Iztruis teamed up to hit back to back solo homeruns and put the Cubs up 5-0.

The Nationals got on the board in the fifth, when Andy Abad smashed a 441 foot, two-run homerun over the right field wall, but that was all the scoring either team would do from that point on as Jason Marquis pitched six solid innings, giving up two runs off five hits and striking out a season high 12, to pick up his seventh victory.

Washington ace, Travis Smith lasted just four innings, giving up five runs off eight hits, while striking out one on his way to his fourth loss of the year. Marty McLeary and Bryan Corey both teamed up to keep the Cubs scoreless after Smith exited to pitch five shutout innings and allow just three hits.

The Nationals missed out on a great scoring opportunity in the seventh, loading the bases with no outs, but failed to score off Chicago reliever, Neal Cotts. In the eighth, Doug Clark doubled and reached third on a sac grounder, but couldn't score on a failed squeeze attempt by George Lombard, who actually finished the day 3-4 at the plate.

With the loss, Washington is now tied with the Mets for first place in the National League East, with the Phillies just one game back and the Braves two back. The Cubs and Nationals will meet again Wednesday, when Rich Hill (6-5) for Chicago and Masumi Kuwata (3-4) for Washington will head to the hill for their respective teams.

Before Tuesday nights contest, the Nationals sent relief pitcher, Jeff Harris to the White Sox in exchange for starting pitcher Mark Deschenes. In 16 innings pitched at Triple-A Columbus, Harris was 1-2 with a 3.94 ERA with 11 strikeouts and two walks. The Clippers were in need of another starter and felt Deschenes, who was 2-4 with a 4.34 ERA and 36 strikeouts and 24 walks allowed over 50 innings of work at the Triple-A level, was the best fit for them at this time.

Boxscore: CHC 5 - WAS 2

League News

Mariners sign (RP) Mike Adams for 3 years at 700K.

[JoeRudi26]

This is one of the best dynasties out there, Iz. Excellent work. I'm looking forward to seeing how this one ends up.

[lz477]

This is one of the best dynasties out there, Iz. Excellent work. I'm looking forward to seeing how this one ends up.

'preciate the comment JoeRudi. Coming from the creator of such an excellent dynasty yourself, that means a lot.

[lz477]

July 6th

Game 85: Cubs (46-37) Nationals (44-40)

Chicago Captures Series Win With Game 3 Victory

Left: Cliff Floyd sends Micah Bowie's first offering over the right field wall in the sixth inning. Right: Jacque Jones slides safely into home to score the fifth run of the game for the Cubs.

The Nationals struggles continued Wednesday as they dropped a third straight game to the Cubs and their fourth in a row. Chicago took advantage of sloppy defensive play by the Nationals to come away with the 5-1 victory.

The Cubs got on the board in the first, when Chad Mottola lost a high fly ball off the bat of Jacque Jones in the mid-day sun. Michael Barrett, who had singled earlier in the inning advanced to third on Mottola's error, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Aramis Ramirez. Jones would later score on a single by Cliff Floyd to put the Cubbies up 2-0.

In the third, Derrek Lee scored Chicago's third run after he singled and reached third, then scored when Masumi Kuwata made a wild pickoff throw that first baseman Scott McClain had trouble handling. Kuwata finished the day with three runs allowed, two earned off six hits over five innings.

Micah Bowie came on to relieve Kuwata in the sixth and gave up a leadoff homerun to Floyed on his first pitch of the game to put Chicago up 4-0. In the seventh the Cubs would tack on their fifth and final run when Jones scored on an RBI single by Derrek Lee, his third hit of the day.

Meanwhile, Chicago starter Rich Hill allowed just three hits the first seven innings, then gave up the same amount in the eighth, giving up Washington's first run on a single by Mottola. Neal Cotts then relieved Hill who finished with seven strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings, giving up one run off six hits. With two outs and the bases loaded, Cotts struck out Joe Dillon to end the inning and prevented the Nationals from scoring anymore with a scoreless ninth to insure the Cubs victory.

Washington now drops out of first place as the Mets take over the NL East lead with a record of 45-40. One game ahead of the Nationals.

"There's still a lot of baseball to play and I'd much rather be one game out now and end up in first place come October," Nationals manager Manny Acta remarked about his teams decent in the standings. "Our guys haven't had anything given to them in their time spent in this game and that only makes them stronger." "They know what adversity is and they've been around it long enough to know how to right themselves," Acta added. "I wouldn't count them out just yet."

The fourth and final game of the series is scheduled for Thursday, when the Cubs will send Mark Prior (7-5) to start against the Nationals Chris Michalak (6-3).

Boxscore: CHC 5 - WAS 1

League News

Phillies trade (SS) Daniel Schwartzbaue to Marlins for (RP) Scott Taylor.

White Sox trade (SS) Victor Mercedes to Devil Rays for (2B) Josh Asanovich.

Marlins trade (SP) Glendon Rusch to Tigers for (RP) Jose Mesa.

Dodgers starting pitcher, Randy Wolf out 13 days with sprained right hip flexor.

Astros starting pitcher, Fernando Nieve out 13 days with sprained left hip flexor.

[spicybanana]

That's a tough losing streak, dude. Hope you salvage at least one game against the Cubs. I told you the Mets were gonna creep up, though... ;)

[lz477]

That's a tough losing streak, dude. Hope you salvage at least one game against the Cubs. I told you the Mets were gonna creep up, though...

Yea, I don't know what it is about the central division that gives me trouble. Both the Cubs and Cardinals own me this year. And about the Mets, like I said earlier in the season, they scare me more than Atlanta or Philadelphia do with that wicked lineup of theirs.

Atlanta made that weird trade with St. Louis and have Eckstein and Renteria splitting time at short, plus they traded Wickman to the Cubs for Wood and made him their closer. So far they've been successful, but I still fear the Mets.

[lz477]

July 7th

Game 86: Cubs (47-37) at Nationals (44-41)

Washington Solves Cubs Puzzle, Defeat Prior

Left: Derek Lee Puts the Cubs up 3-0 with a three-run blast in the third. Right: George Lombard takes off on a succesful hit and run by Matt Erickson..

The Nationals finally figured out how to defeat the Cubs, but things didn't start off so well for Washington as Chicago jumped ahead 3-0 in the third thanks to a three-run homerun off the bat of Cubs first baseman, Derrek Lee. The Cubs starting pitcher, Mark Prior also kept the Nationals hitless the first three innings, before Doug Clark led off the third inning with a single.

Clark would then score when George Lombard singled three batters later. Lombard then stole second and scored on a hit and run single by Matt Erickson to shorten the Cubs lead to 3-2.

Washington tied it in the fourth, when Danny Ardoin advanced to third on a ground ball by Chad Mottola, then scored when Chicago shortstop Ryan Theriot made a wild throw to first base without recording an out. With runners on second and third and just one out in the inning, Prior then induced back to back infield pop ups to end the inning with the game tied a three apiece.

Chicago took back the lead in the next half inning when Prior came around to score on a double by Michael Barrett, who was thrown out trying to stretch his hit into a triple.

In the sixth, Andy Tracy hit a 3-0 fastball offering from Mark Prior over the left field wall after Ardoin singled, to put Washington up 5-4 and give them a lead for the first time in the series. Tracy, then added another insurance run his next time up in the seventh, when he doubled in Lombard to put the Nationals up for good with a 6-4 lead.

Chicago had the tying run on second in the eighth with two outs, but Chad Paronto bared down and prevented Chicago from scoring and Lee Gardner pitched a perfect ninth for his 26th save and insure the sixth victory of the year for Marty McLeary, who pitched a scoreless sixth and got credit for the win because he was on the mound when the Nationals took the lead.

The victory was the second for McLeary since moving to the bullpen and when asked whether he would consider making the move a permanent one he responded by saying, "I've enjoyed it the last few weeks, but I don't know that I would say I want to stick with it for good." "I've always been a starter so making that transition is not an easy one, but I just want to do what I can to help this team win, McLeary said.

With the victory and a Mets loss, the Nationals are now tied with New York for first place in the division with just the weekend series with the Brewers left until the All-Star break.

Before Thursdays game, Washington traded outfielder J.C Muniz to the Dodgers for outfielder Adam Hyzdu. Hyzdu was placed on the Triple-A Columbus Clippers roster and to make room for him, the organization optioned outfielder Pedro Swann down to Double-A Harrisburg.

Boxscore: CHI 4 - WAS 6

League News

Padres trade (SP) Cesar Carrillo to Tigers for (SP) Andrew Miller

Rockies sign © Justin Elliott for 3 years at 100K.

Orioles sign (RF) Carlos Almanzar for 3 years at 600K.

[JoeRudi26]

Way to pull that one out, Iz.

Great pics as always. :)

[lz477]

July 8th

Game 87: Brewers (40-46) at Nationals (45-41)

Capuano, Cordero Shutout Nationals

Left: Rickie Weeks slides safely into third as a throw gets by Chris Coste, allowing Weeks to score the first run of the game. Right: Danny Ardoin goes down swinging, one of nine strikeouts on the day for Chris Capuano.

Milwaukee starter Chris Capuano held the Nationals to just one hit over 8 1/3 innings, walking four and striking out 9 before handing the ball over to Chad Cordero to close out the 2-0 Brewers victory to allow Capuano pick up his ninth win on the season.

The Nationals starter, Jason Simontacchi was charged with the loss, despite allowing only one un-earned run off six hits over six innings. Milwaukee's lone run off Simontacchi came in the sixth when Rickie Weeks hit a double into the gap in right center then came all the way around the bases to score on a throwing error by second baseman Luis Figueroa that got past Chris Coste at third.

Washington missed a huge scoring opportunity earlier in the game, when Figueroa walked to lead off the third inning, then missed an apparent hit and run sign and was thrown out attempting to steal second. Nationals manager Manny Acta could be seen in the dugout laying into Figueroa shortly after the play. Later in the inning, Augie Ojeda would walk then reach third, when George Lombard picked up what would be Washington's only hit in the game by singling up the middle. Lombard should have advanced to second on the play when the Brewers centerfielder, Bill Hall threw over the second baseman's head, but Lombard stayed on first however, and was then thrown out also trying to steal second moments later.

With Milwaukee up 1-0 after the sixth, all was quiet until the ninth, when Geoff Jenkins hit a solo homerun to deep right field off Marty McLeary, to give the Brew Crew their second and final run. Chris Capuano came on to pitch the Nationals half of the ninth, then exited after striking out lefty Lombard. Chad Cordero then came on to get the next two hitters, both right handed and close out the win and pick up his 13th save.

"Obviously, we made some sloppy plays out there both on the bases and in the field," Acta said after the game. "With the team we have, we can't make mistakes like we did tonight and still compete." "If we play as solid as I know we can things would have tuned out differently out there," Acta added.

The Brewers and Nationals will meet again Saturday afternoon. Jeff Suppan (4-7) will head to the mound to face Washington's, Stephen Randolph (5-3).

Boxscore: MIL 2 - WAS 0

League News

Braves trade (SP) Tyler Bullock and © Paul Chiaffredo to Reds for © Ryan Hanigan and (RP) Kristian Bell.

Angels trade (3B) Freddy Sandoval and © Brent Del Chiarto to Rockies for (2B) Doug Bernier and (SP) Ching Lung Lo.

Braves sign (RP) Orber Moreno for 3 years at 500K.

Reds sign (1B) Matt Craig for 3 years at 100K.

[TwentySeven]

Hey man, how goes it with your dynasty? I was looking forward to the next update!

[lz477]

Hey man, how goes it with your dynasty? I was looking forward to the next update!

Hey, let me apologize for being so long since my last update, but I assure you it was not of my own doing. Apparently, my account was suspended for I assume, "sassing" one of the moderators in the picture of the day forum, though I'm not 100 percent certain of that as I was never notified or contacted of such, despite several messages sent to site administartor on the contact us page.

Regardless, you can rest assured I am back now and my next update should be forthcoming.

[lz477]

July 9th

Game 88: Brewers (41-46) at Nationals (45-42)

Nationals Can't Solve Suppan

Left: Augie Ojeda's throw deep in the hole between short and third, was just in time to get Rickie Weeks at first base.Right: J.J. Hardy's two-run homer in the seventh gave the Brewers the lead for good.

Washington dropped game two of the final three game series of the first half Saturday night falling to the Brewers 5-3.

The Nationals jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the first, when Chris Coste doubled and then scored on a single by Andy Tracy. Milwaukee then tied it in the top of the second after Kevin Mench led off the inning with a solo homerun to left.

Washington took back the lead in the fourth, when Chad Mottola reached base on an error by centerfielder Bill Hall, then came in to score on a homerun by catcher Chris Heintz.

Hall made up for his mistake in the sixth, by smashing his 19th homerun of the year to deep left and trim Washington's lead to one. The Brewers then tied it in the seventh after Craig Counsell singled, stole second and scored on a single by Mike Rivera. J.J. Hardy followed that with a homerun to give the Brewers the 5-3 lead. Chad Paronto then came on to relieve starter Stephen Randolph and eventually got out of the inning, preventing any more damage from the Brew Crew's offense. The damage was already done though, and Milwaukee went on to win the game 5-3, with Jeff Suppan picking up the victory and Chad Cordero gathering his second save in as many days.

When asked whether or not he second guessed himself about leaving Randolph in after Rivera's game-tying single only to watch Hardy give the Brewers the lead when he homered in the very next at bat, Washington manager Manny Acta responded, "I've always said hindsight is 20/20, but I felt like Chris (catcher, Chris Heintz) had a handle on things and would let me know if Steve was in trouble." Not everyone agreed with Acta's estimate of the situation. Outfielder, Joe Dillon, who had a pinch hit single in the game commented that, "To me, Stevo looked done after the sixth, when he gave up that blast to Hall, but obviously I'm not the manager and I don't make those decisions."

Randolph finished the day with 6 1/3 innings of work, giving up five runs off nine hits and was charged with his fourth loss of the year. Milwaukee's starter, Suppan was by no means dominant, but stymied the Nationals bats to pick up his fifth win of the year. Suppan exited after the sixth, with three runs allowed, two earned off four hits, while striking out and walking three.

The final game before the all-star break will be Sunday, when the Brewers will send Dave Bush (5-9) to the mound to face Travis Smith (10-4).

Before Saturday's game, the Nationals optioned struggling third baseman, Mike Kinkade back down to Triple-A Columbus and called up utility man, Scott Seabol. Kinkade saw limited action as a fill-in infielder and right handed pinch-hitter for Washington, but was never able to get anything going despite hitting over .360 with the Clippers after he was acquired in a trade with the Cubs in early June. Seabol, whom the Nationals acquired in a trade with the Marlins in early May, was hitting .261 with 4 homeruns and 13 RBI for the Clippers, before his call up.

Boxscore: MIL 5 - WAS 3

League News

Reds trade (RP) Brock Till to Rockies for (LF) Christian Colonel

Mariners trade (2B) Issmael Sala and (RP) Ryan Rowland-Smith to Indians for © Maximiliano Ramirez and (1B) Mark Ori.

Indians trade (OF) Terrence Long to Padres for © Luke Carlin.

Padres trade (SP) Justin Hampson to Orioles for (2B) Cesar Crespo.

[lz477]

July 10th

Game 89: Brewers (42-46) at Nationals (45-43)

Nationals Close Out First Half With Win Over Brew Crew

Left: George Lombard scores the first run of the game, while Chris Coste is right behind him to score the second off Danny Aroin's first inning double. Right: Corey Koskie smashes the Brewers third consecutive homerun in the ninth.

After dropping seven of their previous nine contests and the first two games of the three game set with Milwaukee, the Washington Nationals finally rallied to score eight runs off just seven hits to defeat the Brewers 8-4 to close out the first half of the baseball season on a high note.

Danny Ardoin got Washington on the board in the first inning when he knocked a two run double after the Nationals loaded the bases. The Brewers starter, Dave Bush struggled with his control and threw 25 pitches in the first inning, before recording an out. That out was a double play that Chad Mottola hit with the bases still loaded, scoring the Nationals third run of the inning.

Washington struck again in the third, when Matt Erickson smacked a two run double after Bush walked the bases loaded, to give the Nationals a 5-0 lead. Augie Ojeda followed by drawing a walk, to once again put ducks on the pond for the Nationals. Washington starting pitcher, Travis Smith then hit a deep fly ball that right fielder Geoff Jenkins lost in the mid-afternoon sun and dropped, allowing all runners on base to advance and give the Nationals a 6-0 lead. Brewers manager, Ned Yost obviously had seen enough and brought in Claudio Vargas to relieve Bush.

The two runs that Washington then scored after George Lombard singled of Vargas, were also charged to Bush, ending his day with eight earned runs allowed off just four hits and eight walks, while striking out three over 2 1/3 innings.

Down 8-0 in the fourth, Jenkins got Milwaukee on the board with a mammoth blast that knocked off the right field foul pole. Jenkins then teamed up with Kevin Mench and Corey Koskie to hit back-to-back-to-back homeruns in the ninth. All off Nationals reliever Bryan Corey and all coming with two outs. After a visit to the mound from manager Manny Acta, Corey settled down and induced a ground ball out from Mike Rivera to end the game and the first half for both teams.

Washington starter, Travis Smith finished the day with one run allowed off three hits, while striking out three and walking one over seven innings on his way to a team leading 11th win of the season.

Not only did Washington win, but the Mets also lost in New York to give the Nationals sole possession of first place in the National League East going into the all-star break, with the Mets and Braves just one game back and the Phillies 1 1/2 back.

"It feels good to end the first half with a good win like today," Acta commented after the game. "Especially, after the way we struggled the last couple of weeks."

"We'll start the second half of the season in first place, somewhere not a lot of people, including some in this orginization expected us to be at this point," Washington G.M. Jim Bowden said. "I'm confident that Manny (Acta) and his crew can keep this team firing on all cylinders and giving their all for the rest of the year."

The All-Star game is scheduled for Tuesday night at Commerica Park, in Detroit. The Astros, Roy Oswalt (11-2) will make the start for the National League, while the Twins, Johan Santana (10-5) will start for the home team, American League squad.

Lee Gardner will suit up with the Senior Circuit as the lone Nationals representative. Gardner currently leads the National League with 26 saves, three more than former National and current Atlanta Braves closer, Luis Ayala.

Boxscore: MIL 4 - WAS 8

League News

Royals trade (1B) Graham Koonce to Indians for © Armando Camacaro.

Red Sox trade (SP) Charlie Zink to White Sox for (2B) Jason Bourgeois.

Phillies, (SP) Ryan Madson suspended 8 games.

Mariners, (RP) Mark Lowe out 10 days with minor wrist tendonitis.

[lz477]

Standings and League Leaders for First Half

American League Leaders

Hitting

Batting Average

Jason Giambi, NYY - .365

Kevin Youkilis, BOS - .346

Manny Ramirez, - .343

Kenny Lofton, TEX - .341

John Buck, KC - .340

Home Runs

Jason Giambi, NYY - 28

Wily Mo Pena, BOS - 27

Mark Teixeira, TEX - 22

Manny Ramirez, BOS - 21

Vladimir Guerrero, LAA - 20

Jim Thome, CHW - 20

Joe Crede, CWS - 20

RBI

Jason Giambi, NYY - 79

Justin Morneau, MIN - 70

Reggie Sanders, KC - 70

Coco Crisp, BOS - 69

Johnny Damon, NYY - 68

Stolen Bases

Ichiro Suzuki, SEA - 28

Carl Crawford, TB - 23

Kenny Lofton, TEX - 20

Chone Figgins, LAA - 20

Brian Roberts, BAL - 17

Runs

Alex Rodriguez, NYY - 68

Willy Mo Pena, BOS - 66

David DeJesus, KC - 65

Derek Jeter, NYY - 64

Johnny Damon, NYY - 63

Hits

Kenny Lofton, TEX - 119

Jason Giambi, NYY - 119

Alex Rios, TOR - 115

Carlos Guillen, DET - 113

David DeJesus, KC - 113

Doubles

Adam Lind, TOR - 27

Reggie Sanders, KC - 24

Manny Ramirez, BOS - 24

Ryan Shealy, KC - 23

Kenny Lofton, TEX - 23

Triples

Coco Crisp, BOS - 8

Esteban German, KC - 7

Kenny Lofton, TEX - 6

Brad Wilkerson, TEX - 5

Frank Catalanotto, TEX - 5

David DeJesus, KC - 5

Shannon Stewart, OAK - 5

On Base Percentage

Jason Giambi, NYY - .466

Kevin Youkilis, BOS - .456

Frank Thomas, TOR - .449

Bobby Abreu, NYY - .444

Manny Ramirez, BOS - .444

Slugging Percentage

Jason Giambi, NYY - .684

Manny Ramirez, BOS - .620

Willy Mo Pena, BOS - .618

Frank Thomas, TOR - .612

J.D. Drew, BOS - .586

Pitching Stats

ERA

Johan Santana, MIN - 2.30

Carlos Silva, MIN - 2.49

Erik Bedard, BAL - 2.67

C.C. Sabathia, CLE - 2.78

Mike Mussina, NYY - 3.16

Wins

Johan Santana, MIN - 10

Daiske Matsusaka, BOS - 10

Chin Mien-Wang, NYY - 10

John Lackey, LAA - 9

Carlos Silva, MIN - 9

C.C. Sabathia, CLE - 9

Josh Beckett, BOS - 9

Mike Mussina, NYY - 9

Cliff Lee, CLE - 9

Strikeouts

Johan Santana, MIN - 108

Erik Bedard, BAL - 105

Tim Wakefield, BOS - 104

Felix Hernandez, SEA - 100

Roy Halladay, TOR - 100

Innings Pitched

Johan Santana, MIN - 133.1

C.C. Sabathia, CLE - 129.2

Chien-Ming Wang, NYY - 123

Erik Bedard, BAL - 121.1

Roger Clemens, LAA - 121

Saves

Octavio Dotel, KC -28

J.J Putz, SEA - 23

Francisco Rodriguez, LAA - 22

Jonathan Papelbon, BOS - 20

Huston Street, OAK - 19

Mariano Rivera, NYY - 19

Felix Rodriguez, TB - 19

Batting Average Against

Johan Santana, MIN - .212

Horacio Ramirez, SEA - .232

C.C. Sabathia, CLE - .232

Chein-Ming Wang, NYY - .239

Fausto Carmona, CLE - .242

National League Leaders

Hitting Stats

Batting Average

Todd Helton, COL - .372

Garrett Atkins, COL - .355

Ryan Howard, PHI - .343

Carlos Delgado, NYM - 341

Chipper Jones, ATL - .338

Home Runs

Adam LaRoche, PIT - 21

Ryan Howard, PHI - 21

Carlos Delgado , NYM - 20

Jason Bay, PIT - 19

Chris Duncan, STL - 19

Bill Hall, MIL - 19

Todd Helton, COL - 19

RBI

Matt Holliday, COL - 68

Ryan Howard, PHI - 67

Scott Rolen, STL - 63

Jason Bay, PIT - 62

Albert Pujols, STL - 62

Todd Helton, COL - 62

Adam LaRoche, PIT - 62

Stolen Bases

Juan Pierre, LAD - 31

George Lombard, WAS - 31

Hanley Ramirez, FLA - 26

Jimmy Rollins, PHI - 26

Chris Duffy, PIT - 22

Runs

Ryan Zimmerman, HOU - 70

David Wright, NYM - 65

Garrett Atkins, COL - 62

Albert Pujols, STL - 60

Jason Bay, PIT - 60

Hits

Garrett Atkins, COL - 128

Todd Helton, COL - 122

Ryan Zimmerman, HOU - 114

Albert Pujols, STL - 114

John Rodriguez, STL - 113

Doubles

Chris Coste, WAS - 25

Moises Alou, SF - 25

Connor Jackson, ARI - 23

Garrett Atkins, COL - 23

Carlos Delgado, NYM - 23

Adam Dunn, CIN - 23

Triples

Omar Vizquel, SF - 7

Adam Everett, HOU - 7

David Eckstein, ATL - 7

Mark Loretta, HOU - 6

Hanley Ramirez, FLA - 6

On Base Percentage

Todd Helto, COL - .479

Carlos Delgado, NYM - .455

Ryan Howard, PHI - .447

Garrett Atkins, COL - .439

Barry Bonds, SF - .429

Slugging Percentage

Carlos Delgado, NYM - .613

Todd Helton, COL - .607

Ryan Howard, PHI - .600

Jason Bay, PIT - .586

Garrett Atkins, COL - .582

Pitching Stats

ERA

Adam Wainwright, STL - 1.90

Pedro Martinez, NYM - 2.17

Dontrelle Willis, FLA - 2.29

Clay Hensley, SD - 2.31

Roy Oswalt, HOU - 2.63

Wins

Jason Jennings, HOU - 12

Roy Oswalt, HOU - 11

David Wells, SD - 11

Travis Smith, WAS - 11

Bronson Arroyo, CIN - 10

Greg Maddux, SD - 10

Jake Peavy, SD - 10

Chris Carpenter, STL - 10

Clay Hensley, SD - 10

Pedro Martinez, NYM - 10

Strikeouts

Carlos Zambrano, CHI - 116

Jake Peavy, SD - 110

Brandon Webb, ARZ - 109

Pedro Martinez, NYM - 106

Roy Oswalt, HOU - 104

Innings Pitched

Roy Oswalt, HOU - 136.2

Jason Jennings, HOU - 130.1

Dontrelle Willis, FLA - 130

Tim Hudson, ATL - 127.2

Carlos Zambrano, CHI - 127.1

Saves

Lee Gardner, WAS - 26

Luis Ayala, ATL - 23

Tom Gordon, PHI - 23

Bob Howry, CHI - 22

Trevor Hoffman, SD - 21

Batting Average Against

Adam Wainwright, STL - .214

Derek Lowe, LAD - .221

Clay Hensley, SD - .223

Jason Jennings, HOU - .223

Aaron Harang, CIN - .235

Tim Hudson, ATL - .235