Nate Karns had to deal with an hour and 21 minute rain delay before making his MLB debut on Tuesday evening, and he’d have to face the Orioles recently called up top pitching prospect Kevin Gausman in front of a near-capacity Nationals Park crowd.

Karns got things started well in his MLB debut as he retired the first three batters he saw in the first inning. He got two batters to ground out to Steve Lombardozzi, and Adam LaRoche made a great lunging grab at first and threw it to Karns to end the inning.

The Nats offense wanted to do its part early to give the young pitcher making his debut some cushion, and they did just that. Following singles by Lombardozzi and Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche hit a home run to right-center field that just made it over the wall and gave the Nats an early 3-0 lead.

The Orioles got one back in the second on a Matt Wieters double that scored Chris Davis. Roger Bernadina misplayed a ball in right on the Wieters double when the ball hit the cutout in foul territory. Wieters still would’ve had a double, but he might have been able to keep Davis from scoring if he anticipated the redirection.

In the top of the fourth inning, Karns got his first taste of how hitters at the major league level don’t make mistakes like they do in the minors. Chris Davis hit his league-leading 17th home run of the year on a line drive in to the Nats bullpen, and two batters later J.J. Hardy put one in the Orioles pen to tie the game up at three.

In the bottom of the fourth, Gausman got the same lesson. LaRoche walked to lead off the inning, which was followed by back-to-back home runs by Tyler Moore and Roger Bernadina, who had both been struggling quite a bit from the plate. Kurt Suzuki singled and scored on a Denard Span double to give them a 7-3 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Nate Karns’ debut ended after just 4.1 innings, but he did his job nicely. He allowed three runs, two of them on homers, five hits, two walks, and struck out three. Zach Duke came in and bridged the gap to the back end of the bullpen nicely in 1.2 innings of work. He allowed just one hit, which was negated on a nice double play started by Ryan Zimmerman.

Drew Storen pitched well in the seventh inning, and Tyler Clippard came in to pitch the eighth. He immediately got himself into a jam, allowing back-to-back singles to start the inning. After quite a few pitches, he was able to retire the next three batters on fly outs to end the inning with no real damage.

The Nats offense wasn’t quite ready to be quiet yet as LaRoche hit his second home run of the game in the eighth inning to pad the lead a bit. Then, Desmond doubled and was driven home on a Bernadina single to make it a 9-3 game. With the large lead, Fernando Abad came in to close out the win.

Karns showed almost exactly what his scouting report indicated we’d see from him. He had an electric fastball, even lighting it up to 97 mph a couple times on the gun early in the game. We saw his changeup sparingly, which wasn’t anything special, and his curveball showed moments of dominance. He helped the Nats get a big win as they move through a tough stretch of games and deal with numerous injuries.

The Nats are now bound for Baltimore for two-games to finish the season series against the Orioles.

Ross Detwiler was unable to recover as expected from his oblique strain, which landed him on the disabled list, so the Nats needed a starting pitcher to replace him in the rotation. Conventional wisdom had either Zach Duke making another spot start or even Chris Young getting a chance despite disappointing numbers in Triple-A, which wasn't exactly going to get anyone excited. Mike Rizzo and Davey Johnson had other plans and decided to give young righty Nate Karns the opportunity for his MLB debut on Tuesday.

Karns, the Nationals 2012 Organizational Pitcher of the Year, was also ranked as the number two pitching prospect and number five overall prospect in the farm system by Baseball America. He will make the jump from Double-A Harrisburg where he's posted a 4.60 ERA, but a much better 3.53 FIP and an extremely impressive 11 K/9 in his nine starts this season.

Karns will go up against Kevin Gausman, who was the number two overall prospect in the Baltimore Orioles organization before being called up last week to make his on MLB debut. Karns has a low-to-mid 90s electric fastball to accompany a strong curveball and below-average changeup. Gausman can light it up to the upper 90s on the radar gun with his fastball, and he has a good slider and above-average changeup.

It will be a fun matchup between these two young players, both in the first full week of their MLB careers, as the Nats try to recover from a Memorial Day loss at home to the Orioles yesterday. There's nothing quite like when two young, top-prospect pitchers have the opportunity to pitch against each other, and it's even better when one is fresh off his MLB debut and the other his making his own debut. This is probably a game you'll want to watch closely, especially in the first two-thirds of the game.

The Washington Nationals (26-24) are coming off their first series win of their last five meetings, and they will need to carry that momentum with them as they prepare to face the hot-hitting Baltimore Orioles (27-23) in the Battle of the Beltways.

The first two games of the home and home series will be played at Nationals Park, and the second two will be held at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

The Nationals went 2-4 against their metropolitan rivals last season, losing both series they played, but they will aim to capitalize on the Orioles’ recent weaknesses to capture a winning record against them this season.

Baltimore is in second place in the AL East – behind a two-way tie between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox – but they have been struggling in May. They had a seven-game losing streak going through the middle of the month, but snapped out of it to win a series over the Yankees and split a four-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays.

O Is For Offense

The Nationals picked the right time to liven up their bats if they want to keep up with the Orioles’ offense. They will take the .324 batting average they put together in their last series against the Philadelphia Phillies to their meeting with the Orioles, a team that is among the leaders of Major League Baseball in almost every offensive category.

The Orioles have the highest slugging percentage of all major league teams (.460), the second-highest batting average (.273), the second-most runs scored (253), the second-most stolen bases (38) and the most doubles (113).

The Nationals’ offensive numbers do not come close to Baltimore’s, though recently they have been doing better with situational hitting. Even so, the Nationals are going to need to come out with bats blazing to out-score the Orioles, who are averaging 5.06 runs per game, while the Nationals are averaging 3.46.

Most notable of their offensive accomplishments, the Orioles also lead the majors with 69 home runs, coupled with a shockingly low number of strikeouts for a team of power hitters (319 – third lowest).

Chris Davis leads the majors with 16 home runs, and he hit four in the past week. All but one of the Orioles’ qualified hitters has hit a home run in the last seven games. The outlier is third baseman Manny Machado, who at 20 years old has the second-most hits in all of baseball (72), and the most doubles (22).

The O’s are one home run shy of having hit double the home runs the Nationals have hit in May (37 to 16), although the Nationals’ home runs recently set a franchise record. When Adam LaRoche hit one out of the park on Saturday, the Nationals had hit at least one home run in their last 72 consecutive series, going back to 2011. The only other team that has a longer streak is the Texas Rangers, with 81 consecutive series with home runs.

Despite their strength in the batter’s box, the Orioles’ pitching staff has given up almost as many home runs as their offense has hit. Their 62 home runs allowed is fourth in the majors, compared to the Nationals’ 41, which is tied for fifth lowest. In 2012 the Nationals allowed the second-fewest home runs all season, and they have continued that trend of limiting home runs in 2013.

The matchup of power hitting and power pitching will make this an interesting series to watch, as it will be seen if Baltimore’s sluggers or Washington’s pitchers prevail in the battle of the long ball.

Pitching Notes

The Nationals will face right-hander Kevin Gausman, who was selected fourth overall in the 2012 draft, on Tuesday in what will be the rookie’s second Major League start.

In his first start against the Toronto Blue Jays he pitched five innings, and allowed four earned runs on seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts. However, as the Orioles’ number two prospect rising through the minors, Gausman was exceptional. In eight starts at the Orioles’ Double-A affiliate, Gausman threw 46 1/3 innings for a 3.11 ERA with 49 strikeouts and only five walks.

The Nationals will not only have to worry about rookie power during the four-game set, they will also have to stand up against a veteran pitcher who has an outstanding record against them: Jason Hammel. In seven starts against Washington, Hammel has a 5-0 record, and has held the Nats to a .253 batting average with 20 strikeouts.

However, Hammel has had spotty success this year. He has not pitched a complete seven innings yet this season, and has a 5.37 ERA and a 1.86 WHIP.

Another of Baltimore’s pitchers who has had less than expected success is closer Jim Johnson. Though Johnson led the majors last year with 51 saves in 54 opportunities, he has converted only one save in his last five attempts since May 14. He has given up 12 earned runs, two of them home runs, in that span with three walks and two strikeouts in a total of five innings pitched.

The Orioles’ pitching is not their strength. Their 4.44 ERA ranks 25^th in the majors. So if the Nationals can take advantage of their weaknesses on the mound, they will have a chance at overpowering their strong offense and winning the series.

It was a pitchers’ duel at its finest. Stephen Strasburg battled Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies through a six-inning staring contest, each waiting for the other to blink first.

Ultimately, it was the Washington Nationals’ hitters who clapped in Hamels’ face, as they propelled the Nats to a 6-1 victory after an explosive seventh inning.

It was a DIY offense day for the pitchers for the first six innings, when Hamels and Strasburg together accounted for three of the five hits through that point in the game. Strasburg went 2-for-2 against Hamels, while the rest of the Nationals’ offense went a combined 3-for-24 against him before the seventh inning.

But it was during the seventh when the bats woke up.

They say baseball is a game of momentum, and the Nats certainly made a case for that in the seventh frame, when after being silenced all day, the offense started making noise to the tune of four hits, two walks and five runs scored.

Ryan Zimmerman led of the inning by legging out an infield single, and Adam LaRoche, who went 2-for-4 on the day, followed him with a single of his own. After an Ian Desmond sacrifice and an intentional walk to Tyler Moore, catcher Jhonatan Solano hit a dribbler that was misplayed by Phillies third baseman Michael Young to bring home the first two runs of the day.

Steve Lombardozzi then brought home two runs on his own, as he flew around the bases for a double, which was enough to knock Hamels from the game. Denard Span followed with another double to score Lombardozzi, before Zimmerman struck out to end the inning, marking the first time the Nationals had batted around the order since last September.

The Nationals’ six runs were the most they had scored in their last seven games, but just two would have been enough to win it after a dazzling performance by Strasburg.

Strasburg looked the part of the Nationals’ ace as he threw 112 pitches in eight complete innings, allowing one earned run on five hits and no walks with a season-high nine strikeouts. The only black mark on his otherwise spotless performance was an eighth-inning balk, the first of his career, which brought home the Phillies’ lone run.

Hamels continued his trend of pitching well but not getting any credit for it, as his record fell to 1-8 with the loss. He was nearly perfect for six innings, holding the Nationals to three hits and zero runs, but after losing his touch in the seventh he ended with a final line of six hits, five runs (three earned) with six strikeouts on 111 pitches.

The Nationals had not won any of their last four series, so winning this one against a division rival was a step in the right direction toward their aspirations for success.

Last year, much of their success was accomplished by the ability of their bench players to be more than competent replacements as they dealt with a myriad of injuries. Through two months of the season that support from the bench just wasn’t there, but in this series it made a comeback with big contributions from Lombardozzi and Moore.

Lombardozzi has been great for the Nationals in Danny Espinosa’s absence, going 5-for-12 with two doubles in the series, and Moore has been feeling more and more comfortable filling in an outfield spot for Jayson Werth. Moore went 3-for-9 with three walks in the series, and his RBI single in the eighth inning on Sunday was his first RBI in his last 45 plate appearances.

The bad news of the day came when Bryce Harper exited the game in the seventh inning, limping off the field with a lingering injury to his left knee that had clearly been bothering him the whole game. Manager Davey Johnson said Harper might miss a few days as he deals with the pain. Johnson also said Ross Detwiler would be sent to the disabled list after Sunday's game and would not make his next start as the Nationals had hoped as he continued to deal with pain in his oblique. 

The Nationals will play the Baltimore Orioles next, and if they can continue pitching and hitting to the potential they showed during this series despite the injuries to key players, they might be back on track to playing like the team that was so exciting to watch in 2012. 

The Nationals certainly didn’t have a problem creating offense in Saturday, but clutch hits were a different story. Even with a very solid start by Dan Haren, one key member of the Nats bullpen had another bad inning, and the offense couldn’t help the team quite enough in a 5-3 loss.

Dan Haren was dealing through the first five batters, retiring four of those five on strikeouts. The pitch movement that got him that success didn’t quite work with Domonic Brown and Erik Kratz who hit back-to-back home runs off of Haren in the second before striking out Ben Revere looking to end the inning. So despite good stuff early and five of his first six outs being strikeouts, Haren served up some bad pitches to put the Nats behind 2-0 early.

The Nats offense did some of their own damage in the third and fourth innings. Denard Span, who had a remarkable game, scored on an Adam LaRoche single in the third inning, and then Steve Lombardozzi scored in the fourth on a Span single, which tied the game at two. Kurt Suzuki stranded the bases loaded in the third inning, though, blowing the Nats best offensive opportunity of the game at that point.

After the Nats tied it up in the fourth, Haren retired the first two batters of the inning before Phillies starter Jonathan Pettibone hit a double and scored on a Jimmy Rollins double in the next at bat, giving the Phillies a 3-2 lead. The Nats wouldn’t let that stand for long, though. In the bottom half of the inning, Adam LaRoche hit his eighth home run of the season into the opposing bullpen to tie it back up at three.

In the sixth inning, Haren struck out Ryan Howard go earn his 10th strikeout of the evening. He is the only Nats pitcher to have a double-digit strikeout game this season, and it was the 14th game of his career with ten or more strikeouts. It was one of the best starts for the veteran starter in a Nats jersey.

In yet another curious decision by Davey Johnson, Haren was pinch hit for in the sixth inning. He was at just 88 pitches and had allowed just four hits in a tie game. Henry Rodriguez game in to pitch the seventh, causing Nats fans everywhere to hold their breaths. Despite a hit-by-pitch with two outs, HRod was throwing regularly in triple-digits and good command, and he got out of the inning successfully.

Drew Storen came in to pitch the eighth inning, and things went off the rails for him, as it has all too often this season. He walked Michael Young and then gave up a single and double to Delmon Young and Domonic Brown, respectively, to give the Phillies a 5-3 lead.

The Nats got another offensive rally going in the eighth with a gutsy bunt base hit to lead off the inning by Kurt Suzuki. Tyler Moore then walked to give the Nats a two-on, none-out opportunity that was squandered by the next three batters. The Nats had 10 stranded base runners after this latest failure.

A comeback wasn’t in the cards tonight, and Stephen Strasburg will face Cole Hamels tomorrow to try to win the rubber match.

After a long road trip filled with disappointing losses, the Washington Nationals (25-23) celebrated their homecoming with a solid 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Nationals have been waiting for their injury-riddled lineup to come alive, and the bats showed signs of stirring in the 53-degree weather on Friday night. The offense put together 10 hits to score their five runs, and after scoring only nine runs in their last five games, five in one game felt colossal.

Four of those runs were scored in the fifth inning, which tied the Nationals’ season high for runs scored in a single inning. Bryce Harper, Kurt Suzuki and Tyler Moore all singled, but Adam LaRoche and Steve Lombardozzi highlighted the frame.

LaRoche hit an almost home run into the wind, which he stunningly turned into a triple to bring home Ryan Zimmerman and regain the lead from Philadelphia. It was just the 11^th triple of LaRoche’s 10-year career.

After Suzuki’s RBI-single, Lombardozzi claimed the next RBIs of the inning with a two-run double to solidify the Nationals’ lead and bring home all the runs they would need to secure the win. Lombardozzi led the overall offensive charge of the night, going 3-for-4.

On the mound, Jordan Zimmermann continued to dominate, though it wasn’t his most seamless of starts. He threw seven complete innings, and gave up six hits and two earned runs with one strikeout.

He allowed one earned run in the second inning off a Domonic Brown single, and another in the fifth off an Erik Kratz sacrifice fly. But all five of the other frames Zimmermann pitched were 1-2-3 innings, and he threw a total of only 92 pitches.

Tyler Clippard and Rafael Soriano each had 1-2-3 innings in the eighth and ninth, respectively, to close out the win for Zimmermann, making him the first National League pitcher to reach eight wins.

Despite the encouraging show of offense, the Nats still failed to make the most of certain opportunities they were handed, and left nine men on base. The most egregious offense came in the third inning when they loaded the bases on three walks to Harper, Zimmerman and LaRoche, but failed to fully capitalize, scoring only one run on an Ian Desmond sac fly.

Another unfortunate situation that kept the Nats from scoring occurred in the fourth inning. An error put Moore on second base to lead off the inning, but after Lombardozzi singled, Moore was waved home by third base coach Trent Jewett, and was tagged out after barreling into Kratz, the Phillies’ catcher.

However, overall the Nationals’ bats were much more lively in their home ballpark, and they were able to string hits together in a way they had not been doing much of lately. Maybe the return to the familiar was just what they needed to get their offense back on track.

Note: With Danny Espinosa out of the lineup with a broken bone in his right wrist, the Nationals will need to make a roster move to replenish their already shortened bench. Manager Davey Johnson said they will likely be designating pitcher Yunesky Maya for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster to call up Jeff Kobernus, who is hitting .333 at Triple-A Syracuse. 

The rivalry established between the Washington Nationals (24-23) and the Philadelphia Phillies (23-24) last year is set to heat back up as the Phillies come to Washington for the first time this season. Though with the two teams trudging through the first two months of the season, the rivalry will probably not be as fierce as in 2012 when there were marketing campaigns and stray pitches and stolen bases fueling the fire.

The Nationals are returning home from a disappointing road trip that caused them to slip four and a half games behind the Atlanta Braves, after being just one game behind them before their trip. The Phillies have been playing under .500 since April 14, but are just one game behind the Nats, so the outcome of this series has the potential to change the shape of the NL East, for as much as it matters this early on in the season.

The Phillies are 11-9 in May and have won four of their last six games against the Miami Marlins and the Cincinnati Reds, and they have continued to deal with injuries to the sixth-oldest roster in baseball.

The Nats went 9-9 against the Phillies last season, winning four of six series against them, and will look to carry on their record of success against them this weekend.

Pitch Perfect

The Nationals pitching continues to be what keeps the team afloat during the offense’s struggles, and Jordan Zimmermann, who will pitch the series opener, has been leading the charge. Zimmermann has the third-lowest ERA in the National League and is tied for the second-most wins. He will be given the task of setting the series off on the right note as he faces Kyle Kendrick.

Kendrick has made a strong start to his season. The righty has a career 4.19 ERA through seven seasons with the Phillies, but has opened 2012 with a 2.82 ERA and has been the Phillies’ most effective starter behind Cy Young winner Cliff Lee.

Lefty Cole Hamels, who has a tense history with the Nationals, will close out the series on Sunday. Despite strong outings by Hamels, the Phillies have lost the last four games he has pitched in. He has not pitched with a lead since April 7, and holds a 2.87 run support average, ranking 101^st of 107 qualifying pitchers, according to MLB.com.

Hamels frustration at his team’s inability to win despite his best efforts led him to refuse to speak to the media after his last start. The Nationals will get a crack at facing Hamels – who pitched for a 1.93 ERA with 31 strikeouts in four meetings with the Nats in 2012 – and will see if his frustration spills out of the clubhouse and onto the field.

The Nationals will be doing a little shuffling of their own starting rotation to accommodate Ross Detwiler’s schedule for returning from injury. They will skip the fifth man’s spot in the rotation and allow Stephen Strasburg to face the division rival Phillies on Sunday. Detwiler is slated to return on Tuesday, during the home portion of the Baltimore Orioles series.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

The Nats have an edge over the Phillies in the pitching department, but even with as much as the Phillies have struggled to inspire their offense, they still beat the Nationals in most offensive categories.

The Phillies are hitting .248 in May, which ranks 19^th in the majors, while the Nationals are in last place with a .214 average. Overall they are averaging 3.55 runs per game, which is fourth lowest to the Nationals’ second-lowest 3.38 runs per game.

However, the Phillies’ -31 run differential is worse than the Nats’ -26, even though the Nationals only scored a total of nine runs in the final five games of their road trip.

Injures have speckled both rosters all season, and the most recent blow for the Phillies landed on second baseman Chase Utley, who was a leader of the Phillies’ offense but is now on the disabled list with an oblique strain.

Despite each team’s struggles, one will win this series. Perhaps the Nats’ return to their home ball park against a division rival will be what they need to amp up their competitiveness and walk away with a victory.

The San Francisco Giants (24-20) may be the reigning World Series champions, but as the Washington Nationals (23-21) head to AT&T Park for the final stop of their West Coast excursion, they bring with them a strong record of success against the Giants.

Last year, the Nationals dominated in matchups between the two teams, winning five of six games and outscoring them 45-24. This year, though the Nationals have been a less dominating team overall, the Giants have been experiencing their own struggles as well. San Francisco’s recent slide should make this series an interesting one to watch, considering the impact it could have on either team’s momentum.

The Giants are coming home from a road trip during which they won only one of six games against the Toronto Blue Jays and Colorado Rockies, leading them to relinquish their first-place status to the Rockies after holding it for 25 days of the season.

The Nationals just split a series with the San Diego Padres, putting them at 3-4 on their 10-game road trip as they continue to working on boosting their offensive production. The Giants’ starters put together a 9.82 ERA over their own road trip, so perhaps the Nats will be able to capitalize on their opponent’s current struggle to spark their offense. 

The Problem With Pitching

The Nationals aren’t the only team that has experienced a dip in pitching performance between this year and last. The Giants kept pace with the Nationals as two of the top MLB pitching rotations in 2012, but have sunk dramatically lower in 2013.

Last year the Giants finished with a seventh-place 3.68 ERA, not far behind the Nats’ second-place 3.33 ERA. This year the picture is much different, with the Giants in 20th place with a 4.21 team ERA and the Nationals’ 3.42 ERA in fifth.

There is still a long way to go through this season, leaving ample room for those numbers to change, but it doesn’t help when key players on each team are unable to perform to their potential.

On the Giants’ end, Ryan Vogelsong is their pitching rotation’s biggest weak spot. He pitched for a 14-9 record and a 3.37 ERA in 189.2 innings with the Giants last season, but has been struggling mightily on the mound this year. Through eight starts and 41.1 innings, he has a 1-4 record with an 8.06 ERA, and lasted only 4.2, 4.1 and 2.0 innings in his last three starts. 

Manager Bruce Bochy wants to give Vogelsong more time to work out his problems, according to MLB.com, but there is no doubt his lack of production is negatively impacting the Giants’ success.

Luckily for the Nationals, their pitching problem is likely an easier fix.

Ross Detwiler will miss his regularly scheduled start with an oblique strain, but reports that he is feeling better daily and hopes to be back in the rotation the next time around, according to the Washington Times.

In the meantime, manager Davey Johnson turned to lefty Zach Duke to fill in for Detwiler, despite his recent struggles.

In his last outing, Duke allowed four earned runs on four hits, and made only two outs before being pulled from the game.

This spot start will be Duke’s first start since July 2010, and he hopes to use it as an opportunity for recovery from his poor performance recently, according to MLB.com.

“I have to get out there and give us a chance to win the game and re-prove to the organization and to the guys in this clubhouse that I can pitch and get people out," Duke said.

Duke began his career as a starter, and in 168 career starts he has a 4.59 ERA. He has performed similarly as a reliever with a 4.40 ERA in 30 games.

Duke and Vogelsong will face off in the series opener as each vies for his chance at redemption.