The combination of Justin Verlander, Brandon Boesch and a poor effort by Livan Hernandez led to the demise of the Nationals tonight, falling 8-3 to the Detroit Tigers.

Livan Hernandez had his poorest outing of the year thus far for the Nationals by doubling his season-high in earned runs allowed in a single start tonight. Hernandez lasted into the seventh, giving up eight earned runs only seven hits on the evening. However, he also walked a season-high six Tigers, contributing greatly to the eight runs he surrendered.

However, the play to keep Livan in for the seventh inning is one that manager Jim Riggleman even questioned himself. Entering the inning, the Nationals were trailing 5-3. Livan quickly got two outs in the inning, forcing Don Kelly to ground out and Johnny Damon to line out to second. Facing the heart of the order with two outs and nobody on, Hernandez gave up back-to-back singles to Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera. Rookie phenom Brandon Boesch capitalized, scorching a bomb to right field for a three-run home run and to break open the game.

To complicate matters, Justin Verlander was on his game tonight. Verlander lasted eight innings tonight, striking out 11 without giving up a walk. He gave up three runs, two of which came in the form of solo home runs from Adam Dunn and Roger Bernadina. The old adage is good pitching will beat good hitting any day, and on this night, Verlander was just better than the Nationals offense.

The Nationals remain in last place, falling seven games behind the Braves and Mets in the loss column. The team is 4-6 in their last 10 games, and 5-9 in the month of June. However, after their day game tomorrow against the Tigers, the Nationals have nine consecutive games against lower American League competition in the form o f the White Sox, Royals and Orioles.

ANALYSIS:

I said in a recent post that Livan Hernandez was going to come back to Earth after his hot start, but this was not exactly what I meant. In all honesty, I believe realistic Livan is somewhere in the neighborhood of his first six innings of work tonight. He will always pitch to contact, maybe walk a few hitters along the way, but not six in one game. Typical, reliable Livan should sit somewhere between 5-7 innings and surrendering 2-4 runs a game. Those numbers will keep the Nationals in the games deep, which is all you can ask for when the heart of the order is clicking.

At 31-35 and struggling in June, things aren't looking promising tonight. But, like I mentioned, easier competition the Nats should be able to beat up on is forthcoming. Tomorrow afternoon, the Nationals look to avoid the sweep with Luis Atilano (5-3, 4.34) facing off against Jeremy Bonderman (2-4, 4.21).

With Beltran being sidelined for so long paired with the fantastic play of Angel Pagan filling in for him, I forgot Carlos was even still on the team, and I'm having a hard time imagining him bringing any success to the club when he does return. Unfortunately, no matter how well Pagan plays, he will most likely surrender center field to Beltran when he comes back, but Pagan has proved that he can be an everyday player with the Mets, so hopefully they can find a spot for him. Beltran is a great player, he had an MVP type year in 2006 and made some amazing plays in the outfield, but now I can't stop associating him with the Mets failures from the past few years. Beltran was the one who left the bat on his shoulder in Game 7 as a rookie named Adam Wainwright spun a curveball for strike three. He has also been having these knee problems for quite sometime and in the field it always looked like he was playing at 80%. The 33-year-old looks to be breaking down, and I'm just tired of dealing with it. The 2010 Mets seemed to have put their dark past behind them, but Beltran's return is an inevitable conflict the team will need to address.

Despite an impressive eight innings by Jamie Moyer last night in a win over the Yankees, the overall mood in the Phillie clubhouse is not where they'd like it to be.

Unfortunately for Philadelphia, this is the team they are going to have to rely on down the stretch. They can't use Jimmy Rollins as an excuse anymore (not saying that they have); it is time to accept the fact that Juan Castro is going to be their everyday shortstop until further notice. Even without Rollins, the Phillie lineup is still terrifying for opposing pitchers with players like Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, and Chase Utley all threats to hit the long ball. Somehow, someway, they need to get on the same page, and that is where Charlie Manuel comes in. Have a team meeting, make a bold move at the deadline, just do something to put some energy back in this lifeless team.

ANALYSIS:

Strasburg proved that he was more than ready for the major leagues with last weeks performance. When everyone in the baseball world was tuning in to his start against the Pirates, he rose to the occasion and then some. The poise and maturity he showed in Cleveland, a start in which he was having mound problems that affected his control, Strasburg still managed to strikeout eight Indians in just 5.1 innings.

There are still some who say they are not convinced because Strasburg was pitching against two of the weakest lineups in the league. That is a valid point, at this point, who wouldn't want to see him go up against the Yankees or Red Sox, but the fact remains that the Pirates and Indians are major league teams that Strasburg had little problems with. He has dominated at every level and it is hard to imagine him having any extreme difficulties in his transition to the bigs.

The Washington Nationals (31-34) built and subsequently surrendered leads in the first and third innings as they fell to the Detroit Tigers by the final of 7-4. Detroit (34-29) was lead by multi-hit games from centerfielder Ryan Rayburn, right fielder Magglio Ordonez, and catcher Gerald Laird. The Tigers' multiple comebacks came at the expense of Nationals' starter John Lannan, who yielded seven runs (six of which were earned) on ten hits in just 4.1 innings pitched. He also walked four batters in his second straight poor outing, raising his ERA to 5.45. The Nationals' bullpen did perform quite well when called upon for extensive service, as Tyler Walker and Sean Burnett combined for 3.2 innings of two-hit baseball while walking no one and keeping the Tigers stuck on seven runs.

Unfortunately for the Nationals, their offense ultimately let them down. After scoring four runs in the first four innings, Washington's bats went cold. Though credit is clearly due to Max Scherzer and the Detroit pitching staff, an inability to put the ball in play severely hampered the Nationals' chances. After averaging fewer than seven strikeouts per game entering last night's contest, the Nationals walked back to the dugout on the 13 separate occasions, with four hitters striking out multiple times. When facing a defense as porous as that of Detroit (third in baseball in errors committed), the Nationals needed to force Tigers' fielders to make plays. Washington was unable to fully exploit Detroit's weakness (though Laird did make a throwing error in the first that led to a run), a failure in execution that helped cost the Nationals the game.

ERROR WATCH

The Tigers and Nationals kept pace in their race for the worst defense in Major League Baseball. Each team committed one - Washington second baseman Cristian Guzman and Detroit catcher Gerald Laird both had errors that cost their teams runs. The count is tied at one apiece, but keep an eye on the defense to see how and when it affects this series.

Oswalt is heading to the Rangers...right?

The mid-season trading season appears to have opened in early June, and the first piece moving looks to be Astros longtime ace, Roy Oswalt. It looks like he wont go very far.

The Rangers have been holding onto a half-game lead over the L.A. Angels, two in the loss column, going into action Monday. While the Rangers have no problem striking players out, they ranked as a team 16^th overall in ERA and 15^th in WHIP. To complicate matters, right handed pitcher Rich Harden, who was signed in the off-season, has been placed on the 15-day DL with a strained left gluteus muscle.

The Rangers rotation has been a roller coaster of pleasant surprises and utter disappointments. Colby Lewis, signed in the off-season from Japan, and has exceeded expectations this season with a stat line of 6-4, with a 3.30 ERA and a K/BB ration of 81/33 in 84.1 innings of work. Equally surprising has been reliever-turned-starter CJ Wilson.

However the Rangers season has not been without letdowns on the mound. After a promising season last year, Scott Feldman has taken a few steps backward with his ERA hovering at 5.28. And before Harden's most recent DL trip, his ERA was sitting at 5.68. An ace is what they have surely lacked.

If this trade does go down, which it very well could, Lee would like nothing more to stick it to his former team if they were to match up again in this years World Series. Lee, Sabathia, and Hughes would arguably be the best post season starting rotation ever. But of course, in order for this to happen 1) The Phillies need to start winning some ballgames and 2) the trade actually needs to happen. There is no shot Lee finishes the season in Seattle, the team has been an extreme disappointment and will likely be the focus of many trade rumors come the July 31^st deadline. Why are they even worrying about Lee anyway? Sure it would have been nice to keep him, but now you have someone just as dominant in Roy Halladay, who has just thrown a perfect game in the Phillies uniform. Lee will be on the top of several contenders shopping lists, it will be interesting to see how hard the Yankees push for him.

After being dumped by the Mets three years ago, Heath Bell found a home in San Diego, but would not rule out a return to the team that gave up on him.

It looks like the Padres will be contending for the duration of the season, meaning that they will probably keep Bell for the rest of the year. Bell would be a great fit in New York if he were to return. He has grown a lot the past couple years and it is nice to hear that he still has a soft spot for the Mets. It will be interesting to see what the Mets will do after the 2011 season with Francisco Rodriquez and Heath Bell both free agents. Relievers are difficult to read because their success comes and goes quicker then any other position. Personally, I don't know who I would rather have closing for the Mets in 2011 and beyond, we will just have to wait and see.

With the Braves in first place despite Jair Jurrjens absence, Talking Chop is happy with the performance of the Braves starting pitchers.

Tim Hudson and Chris Medlen have had fantastic seasons and are one of the several reasons the Braves find themselves in first place. Jurrjens is beginning his rehab assignment in the minors now, and will be making his return to Atlanta soon. The Braves staff will be that much better when Jurrjens is ready to go. Derek Lowe keeps picking up wins and Tommy Hanson is tenth in the NL with 80 strikeouts, making Atlanta a team no one wants to face down the home stretch.

As we will do each week of the season, today we will look at Accuscore's playoff forcaster to see how last weeks game influenced the division's playoff race. Not suprisingly, Washingtons percentage jumped 13%, the second best turnaround of the week, and now have a 16.6% chance of reaching the postseason. A 4-2 week and the arrival of Stephen Strasburg was enough to make the team a legitimate contender in the NL, as they hope to build of off last weeks success and carry it with them through the rest of the sesaon.

PLAYOFF SHIFTS WEEK 10

Stephen Oh on the NL East

The Nationals got two great games from Stephen Strasburg.  While the 4-2 week helped them pick up +13 percentage points, the real impact is the one Strasburg has on the Nationals the rest of the season.  With another 19 or 20 starts he could definitely help the team win 14 or 15 of these games vs 9 or 10 without him.  Strasburg could help Washington win 5 more games than they would have otherwise.  The Phillies are crashing in the NL East.  A month ago they were 86.6 percent favorites in the division and now they are just 34.4 percent favorites.  The Braves and Mets also had their odds significantly increase and now all the NL East teams are finishing with an average of 83 to 90 wins.

INTERLEAGUE INTRIGUE

The Washington Nationals (31-33) have had a very up and down June. After losing the final three of a four game series in Houston, the Nationals dropped two of three to the NL Central-leading Reds before sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates leading into their interleague schedule. Their first American league foe was the Cleveland Indians, to whom they lost the first two games, finally winning the last of the three game series. The second American League club on the slate is the Detroit Tigers (33-29), whom the Nationals will face Tuesday in the first of three meetings. The Nationals' hot start to the season has declined into a losing record; however, a strong showing against the Tigers would quickly put them on the right side of .500.

DETROIT STUCK IN NEUTRAL

After shocking the baseball community with a surprising run to the 2006 World Series, the Tigers have slid back to relative mediocrity, a situation in which they remain in 2010. The Tigers have not made the playoffs since 2006 and, though only 2.5 games behind the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins, are certainly behind the eight ball with regard to the powerful division leaders.

The Tigers, like the Nationals, have very little to hang their hats on this season. Both have recently swept the Pirates, though beating the team with the second worst winning percentage is not saying much for any team outside of Baltimore. The Tigers' performance to date has been quite enigmatic, with impressive series wins over Minnesota, the Los Angeles Angels, the New York Yankees, and the Boston Red Sox effectively negated by losing two series apiece to such lowly clubs as the Seattle Mariners and the Kansas City Royals. Detroit desperately needs to improve on its consistency - particularly from its much-hyped offense - in order to challenge the Twins for what is likely to be the sole playoff bid from the AL Central.

WHO'S HOT?

Johnny Damon: 7-11, 2 runs, 2 BB

Brennan Boesch: 5-13, 3 runs, 1 RBI, 1 SB

WHO'S NOT?

Ryan Rayburn: 0-7, 2 Ks

Don Kelly: 0-7, 1 K

PROBABLE STARTERS

Tuesday, June 15: John Lannan (2-3, 4.67) vs. Max Scherzer (2-6, 6.30)

Wednesday, June 16: Livan Hernandez (5-3, 2.28) vs. Justin Verlander (7-4, 3.56)

Thursday, June 17: Luis Atilano (5-3, 4.34) vs. Jeremy Bonderman (2-4, 4.21)

In his second career start, Stephen Strasburg (2-0) defeated David Huff (2-8) and the Indians on Sunday in Cleveland by a score of 9-4. The Nationals are now 31-33 and sit in last place in the competitive NL East, 6 games behind the division leading Braves.

Despite striking out 8 and allowing only 2 hits in 5.1 innings, Strasburg had some issues with his command in the latter part of the afternoon. Strasburg walked 5 batters, all coming in the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th innings. It's easy to blame the mound for his lack on control, as he and David Huff were using the same "landing spot", but this is something Strasburg will just have to get used to, he has the talent to overcome an issue like that. Strasburg's day ended after giving up a single to Carlos Santana, and consecutive walks to Travis Hafner and Austin Kearns, putting his replacement, Drew Storen, in a bases loaded jam with one out to work with. Thankfully, Storen brought the heat and answered the call beautifully getting Russell Branyan to pop out to second on a full count, then getting Jhonny Peralta to swing and miss at a 96 MPH fastball, putting an end to the nerve wracking inning.

In the end, it was another very impressive outing for Strasburg, who proved today that his 14-strikeout game against Pittsburgh was no fluke. His next start will likely be against the White Sox for a weekend series in DC, so start getting your tickets now before its too late.

Austin Kearns hit two home runs and drove in four RBI to lead the Cleveland Indians over the Nationals 7-2 Friday night. After an RBI double by Adam Dunn in the first inning, Adam Kennedy botched a grounder in the bottom half that allowed Russell Branyan to reach base and continue the inning.

Kearns would capitalize, driving a Luis Atilano fastball over the left-field fence to give the Indians a 3-1 lead and they wouldn't relinquish it from there.

Kearns would homer again in the fourth and Travis Hafner would add one of his own as the Indians continued to tack on runs throughout the game. Ivan Rodriguez would add a run in the eighth for the Nats on an error, but that would be all the scoring the Nationals would be able to do for the rest of the game.

On the day, Atilano struggled. He threw 103 pitches in his five-plus innings of work, surrendering seven hits, three earned runs, two walks and two strikeouts. The Travis Hafner sixth inning home run knocked Atilano out of the game.

It didn't help that the Nationals put up a poor effort against sinker-baller Jake Westbrook, who is one of the starting pitching names to watch come the trade deadline. While the top third of the batting order produced a productive 6-11 with both of the Nationals runs, the rest of the line-up managed a meager 1-20. No team will win ball games when over half their line-up accounts for one hit in their 20 at-bats.

ANALYSIS: