Well that one got out of hand fast...Just as the Nationals did the game following Livan Hernandez's stellar four hit shutout, Washington allowed 10 earned runs early Tuesday night to the Rockies following Craig Stammen's eight inning performance on Monday.

Olsen's start was disappointing to say the least. The left-hander had a solid outing in his first start against the Phillies, pitching 5.2 innings, allowing only five hits and four earned runs with five strikeouts. For a guy who was disappointingly left off the opening day roster, it was good to see him assert himself after only a few weeks in the minors. Yesterday, however, we saw significant regression from a pitcher who has seemingly only regressed since his strong rookie campaign for Florida in 2006.

Olsen struggled early and often in the 10-4 loss. In just two innings on the mound he allowed six earned runs on seven hits and a walk. After a quick first inning where he retired the side in order, he allowed two in a shakey second before failing to record an out in the third before getting yanked. The Nationals attempted to mount a comeback in the fifth and sixth innings but even with a two-run homer from Ryan Zimmerman and two runs singled in by Desmond and Guzman were only able to raise their win expectancy to 2.6%. The Nationals simply build too big a hole for themselves, and despite extending their streak of scoring at least four runs in 10-straight-games.

The Nationals were able to stop the bleeding after the third, not allowing a single run in the final six innings. Jesse English, Brian Bruney, Sean Burnett, and Tyler Clippard each pitched a scoreless frame combining to strike out four and allow only two hits.

At the plate Cristian Guzman had himself a great night going 4-5 with a run and an RBI. Zimmerman followed closely behind going 3-5 with a two-run homer, and Ivan Rodriguez and Justin Maxwell both had two hits each.

To help us better know our current opponent the Colorado Rockies, I sat down to talk to David Martin from Rockies Review, one of the best Rockies blogs on the net. Here is what he had to say.

TNB: Tell us a little bit about the no hitter last week and what went through your mind as you watched it?

Rockies Review: For anyone who has been a long-term Rockies fan, the emotions were incredible. It was another confirmation that the club's "build from within" mentality is paying off in a huge way. There were some tough years for Rockies fans, for those fans who made it through those years seeing the team accomplish something like a no-hitter is an amazing feeling of vindication.

TNB: What has Todd Helton meant to the Rockies franchise, and to you as a fan, throughout his career?

RR: Todd Helton is the Rockies franchise. He is everything that sports fans today want in their hero. In the middle of the rebuilding process, he could have easily told the club that he wanted out. There were plenty of clubs that would have loved a 1st baseman who has a career average above .325, but he stayed. He said that he loved the fans, and loved Colorado and did not want to go anywhere. He is not a guy who likes the spotlight, but still does things that many athletes only do when the cameras are on. I talked to a college student in St. Louis, who was in the hospital five years ago with cancer. Helton came and visited her, never telling her who she was, only asking questions about her. She didn't find out that he was a baseball player until she turned the game on later that night and saw him on TV. There is no ego with Helton. His leadership sets the tone for the Rockies. Many players have said that his "team first" mentality is a huge reason why the Rockies have such a tight-knit clubhouse that plays well together.

TNB: Do you think the Rockies will make the playoffs again this season?

RR: I think that the Rockies have the most talented team that they have ever fielded. However, winning in the National League West is no easy task. While the Dodgers didn't do much to better themselves in the offseason, they still have a powerful lineup and two great starting pitchers. The Giants have a starting rotation that is as good as anyones in the league. If the Rockies can do the little things right like playing good defense and attacking the strike zone on the mound, they have a good chance to win their first ever National League West title.

TNB: Tell us about a Rockies prospect we will see coming up this season.

RR: The Rockies have several prospects in their system that are worth watching. Jhoulys Chacin (pronounced JOE-lease Shasheen) made one start for the Rockies last season after being promoted from Double-A. He has the stuff to be a front-line starter in the big leagues. His slider is as good as anyones in the league. To be effective, the 23 year-old needs to be able to command his fastball so that he can set up his slider.

TNB: What does Jim Tracy bring to the table that Clint Hurdle didn't?

RR: I loved Clint Hurdle. I think he was the perfect fit for the Rockies when they were young and finding their way. However, as a hitting coach for most of his professional coaching career, I don't think that he understood how to manage pitchers. Guys in the bullpen never had set roles and starters were essentially pulled after 100 pitches, regardless of the situation in the game. On the offensive side, Hurdle was too discipline oriented. Slumping hitters would often take seats on the bench, not because a day off would help them, but because they were being punished. It got a little ridiculous in the end. Jim Tracy brings stability and allows players to know where they stand. I think he brings a calming nature to the clubhouse.

TNB: The Rockies are known for having some great commercials, what's your favorite?

RR: The Rockies marketing department is phenomenal. Their commercials never get old, even after 150 games on TV per year. There have been several commercials that I really like, I think the Twitter commercial with Todd Helton and Dexter Fowler might be my favorite...that or 2009's "product endorsement" commercial featuring Ubaldo Jimenez saying "If Ubaldo...try Hair Be There."

Following a start that saw him only pitch 1.1 innings and allow seven earned on seven hits, it's safe to say that sophomore starting pitcher Craig Stammen had been waiting anxiously for his start last night. The 26-year-old made the most of it, tossing eight innings of five-hit baseball, striking out five while allowing only two runs en-route to a 5-2 Nationals victory.

The righty dominated the game, never giving Colorado a chance to come back. Following Willie Harris's second inning home run (.211 WPA), the Rockies never had a win expectancy higher than 35.8 percent. Colorado's best chances came when Ian Stewart and Clint Barmes hit back-to-back doubles (-.144 WPA) and scored a run, a rally quickly extinguished when Stammen retired the next three; and when he loaded the bases on a walk, a double, and a single, but only allowed one run on a fielders choice to remain unscathed.

Despite going eight strong innings Stammen tossed an efficient 94 pitches in the outing, 63 for strikes. It was by far his most controlled outing of the season, which reflected far and away the best results. In his first two starts Stammen struggled to find control of a new pitch that he has been trying to implement this year, a slider. Last season he only threw his slider 1.7 % of the time but this year he has thrown it with 23.6% of his pitches. The problem though has been commanding the new "nickel-curve." In Stammen's first outing he tossed it 18 times for six strikes, in his second outing he tossed it 12 times for only seven strikes, in this outing, however, Stammen attacked the strike zone with the slider, tossing it 26 times for 18 strikes.

The result of an effective slider was noticeable. When a pitcher can't throw a breaking pitch for a strike batters will simply ignore it and not swing at it, and then destroy the fastball when it crosses the plate. This is evidenced by Stammen only registering five swinging strikes in his first two starts combined. However, with command over his breaking pitches he had 13 swinging strikes last night alone (eight of which came off his slider). The ability to locate the slider also makes his other pitches better. By creating a threat out of the pitch, it makes it that much harder to anticipate which pitch will come, therefor making his fastball and curveball more dangerous.

Not only was his performance important for the Nationals who improved to 7-6 on the young season, it was important for a young pitcher who projects to be, at best, a third starter on a winning ball club. While the Nationals rotation is slim-pickings now, by the end of this year he will be competing with Stephen Strasburg, Ross Detwiler, Jordan Zimmermann and Chien-Ming Wang for three spots in the Nationals rotation. The first three of those starters have projected top of the rotation talent while Wang is a former ace of a playoff ball club. If Stammen wants to be on this team come September, he needs more outings like the one he had tonight.

Notes:

-Adam Dunn got on base three-out-of-four plate appearances with two walks and a hit. He scored two runs.

-Willie Harris drove in four runs on two hits.

-Miguel Olivio tossed out two of the faster runners in the game in Nyjer Morgan and Willy Taveras, both attempting to steal second base. Justin Baxwell was picked off first by former National Joe Biemel.

-Matt Capps pitched a scoreless frame to earn his MAJOR LEAGUE LEADING sixth save of the season.

Looking back at the first two weeks of a season that includes a 17-2 loss to the Padres and being no-hit at home by the Rockies, but still had them bounce back to see their young phenom get a walk-off single the next day, Talking Chop has only one word to describe the Atlanta Braves. Resilient.

When the Braves lose, they lose BIG. It is hard to believe that despite losing 17-2 in San Diego and being no-hit by the Rockies Ubaldo Jimenez, Atlanta came back to take the last two games to win the series. It is so easy for a team, especially this early in the season and with such a young team, to throw in the towel and give up but they somehow overcame these devastating loses to win in sometimes dramatic fashion. This may be a blessing in disguise by giving this young Brave team a huge boost of confidence knowing that they can put any loss in the past and come out the next day knowing that they can win. Having a short memory is so important in baseball not just with pitchers but for teams as well, and there is no better team at this right now than the Atlanta Braves.

Marlin Maniac recaps the decision to put Cameron Maybin in the leadoff spot and drop Chris Coughlin to the two spot in the order.

I have always envisioned Maybin as a leadoff hitter and I think that is where he will eventually belong in the league so maybe this is the first step. He is young, athletic, fast, and finally finding a way to get on base, which prompted Florida manager Freddi Gonzalez to make the move. If Maybin does succeed in the leadoff spot, he has the potential to have a "Jose Reyes" type impact on the bases with his speed, which Coughlin could use to his advantage if Gonzalez decides to utilize the hit and run option. At this point it may be Maybin's job to lose, if he flourishes in the role there should be no reason why he would ever be stripped of the duty. So now the question is will he be able to continue his impressive start and at what point would Gonzalez feel it necessary to pull him out of that role?