Ross Detwiler was certainly less than great in this one, as the young lefty lasted just four and two-thirds innings, giving up four earned runs and a walk on 93 pitches.  The first run scored by the D-Backs came unearned as a pair of errors by Ryan Zimmerman and Kurt Suzuki allowed Paul Goldschmidt to round the bases and put Arizona up 1-0 in the second.  In the third, Detwiler continued to miss his targets when Chris Young pounded a leadoff double to start the inning.  “The National Det” then hit Jason Kubel by a pitch to put runners on 1st and 2nd, and Goldschmidt quickly nailed a bases clearing 2-RBI double to extend the lead to 3-zippo.  Detwiler would give up one final run in the 5th inning after a Young walk and Aaron Hill double put the score at 4-0.

Unfortunately for Nats fans, things would only get worse as Davey then hooked Detwiler and put in the mostly reliable Craig Stammen to hopefully deliver a solid relief outing.  Clearly “Champ of the Game” for Arizona, Mr. Goldschmidt would give Stammen a rude awakening as he laced an RBI single to score Hill from 2nd on the fourth pitch of the at-bat.  Justin Upton then got into the act with an RBI single of his own, and finally, catcher Miguel Montero would put the 7th run on the board for the home team with an RBI double.  Ugh, ugh, and more, UGHHH. 7-0 through six.

Michael Morse (38) continues to contribute positively to each and every Nats game as of late, and this afternoon was no different despite the 7-4 loss. (Image Credit: Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE)

Until the 7th inning, Arizona starter and rookie Patrick Corbin was absolutely sensational.  He gave up just one hit (by Bryce Harper which could easily have been ruled an error) until his last inning and didn’t walk a batter while striking out seven.  It got a little shaky for Corbin when finally the Nats’ bats came alive and Danny Espinosa ripped a double in the 7th to leadoff the inning.  Zimmerman then followed with an RBI single to end the shutout, and later in the inning an Adam LaRoche sac fly would score Cesar Izturis, the recent acquisition who was pinch running for Zimmerman.

Nothing to report for the 8th, but despite the original 7-0 lead, the Nats continued to fight in the 9th when a couple of doubles by Izturis and Michael Morse and RBIs by Jayson Werth and Tyler Moore would bring the tying run to the plate with two outs.  We thought maybe Roger Bernadina aka the “Shark” could deliver a little more late-game magic, but unfortunately the young center fielder would strike out to end the game.

Champ of the Game: For the Nats, this award certainly goes to Michael Morse.  He went 2-4 with a run scored and were it not for those dreaded and lowly Phillies, a 21-game hitting streak would still be intact for the Beast (now officially at 10 games).

For Arizona, Paul Goldschmidt (see above).

Chump of the Game: Gotta go unfortunately to Ross Detwiler, a man who failed to bring his best stuff to the mound today after a terrific outing in Houston August 7.  On the bright side, this is just Det’s second loss since June 29.

For the Diamondbacks, Chris Johnson gets the nod.  The third baseman went 0-4 with two Ks and an error.

Next Game: Monday, August 13 at 10:15PM in San Francisco!  Gio Gonzalez (14-6, 3.32 ERA) returns to the Bay Area to face ace Ryan Vogelsong (10-5, 2.27 ERA).

The Nationals (71-43) batted around in a five-run fifth inning that turned a 1-4 deficit into a 6-4 lead to overcome a poor start by Edwin Jacksonand beat the Diamondbacks, 6-5, for their eighth straight win.

Aug. 11, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Edwin Jackson (33) throws in the first inning against Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand-US PRESSWIRE

Jackson (W, 7-7) turned in an uncharacteristically bad start, allowing five earned runs on three walks and eight hits in 5.2 innings while striking out six. After allowing his fifth run on a Ryan Wheeler double with two outs in the sixth that scored Gerardo Parra, Jackson was lifted for Tom Gorzelanny, who ended the inning by striking out Stephen Drew. Gorzelanny was then lifted for Ryan Mattheus in a double switch that saw Bryce Harper enter the game in center field. Harper was given the night off from starting in order to rest him, as he is mired in a slump that has seen him hit .173 since the All-Star Game. He struck out in his only at-bat in the game. Mattheus closed out the seventh, and Michael Gonzalez threw a scoreless eighth to set up Tyler Clippard’s perfect ninth, where he earned his 24th save of the season and lowered his ERA to 3.04.

On the offensive side of things, the Nats took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to a Ryan Zimmerman double that scored Danny Espinosa thanks to a Justin Upton error. The Nats then did not score again until the fifth, by when they had fallen into a 1-4 hole. The inning began with a Steve Lombardozzi bunt single, and an Edwin Jackson sacrifice that moved Lombardozzi to second. Lombardozzi then scored on a double by Jayson Werth, who moved to third on a Danny Espinosa double made possible by an error charged to Diamondbacks 3B Chris Johnson. Both Werth and Espinosa then scored on a Zimmerman single, tying the game at four apiece. Zimmerman then advanced to second on a wild pitch and third on a throwing error by the catcher Miguel Montero, and scored on a Michael Morse double to take a 5-4 lead. The fifth run and an ensuing walk to Adam LaRoche knocked Arizona starter Wade Miley, who entered the game with a 2.85 ERA, from the game after just 4.1 IP. The barrage continued after Miley was replaced by Brad Bergesen, as Jesus Flores hit a two-out RBI single that scored Morse before the inning ended with a Lombardozzi popout with the score at 6-4, the Nationals holding a lead their staunch bullpen would not relinquish.

Champ of the Game: Zimmerman, who was 2-5 with two game-tying RBI and a run scored.
For the Diamondbacks, Miguel Montero reached base 3 of his four plate appearances and both scored a run and had an RBI.

Chump of the Game: Jackson, who put his offense in a hole fairly early on.
For Arizona, Miley was the victim of poor fielding but still allowed five runs and only went 4.1 IP.

Unsung Hero: Morse, whose double gave the Nats the lead for good.
Arizona’s bullpen allowed only one baserunner after the first inning and gave their offense a chance to retake the lead.

Next Game: Tomorrow at Arizona, 4:10 PM. Detwiler (6-4, 2.99) v Corbin (3-4, 3.53)

In a game where the Washington Nationals defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-1, their seventh consecutive win, the Stephen Strasburg shutdown debate nearly became more than an artificial sports media-created frenzy. After six somewhat uneven innings, 105 pitches, and an injury to home plate umpire Dale Scott that forced him to leave the game after a 10-minute delay, Strasburg (13-5, 2.90 ERA), had allowed a run and four walks, notched six strikeouts, and permitted a single hit.

Aug. 10, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; (Editors Note: Multiple exposure image) Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg (37) pitches during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE

Had Chris Johnson‘s RBI single in the fourth inning been an out, the Nationals star pitcher would have had a no-hitter, but been on pace to throw more than 130 pitches.

Controversy? Not according to Davey Johnson. He told the press after the game that he would have removed Strasburg even if the hit total read zero. Washington’s manager blamed himself for the one hiccup Strasburg experienced, allowing a walk and Johnson’s single after Scott’s injury. Johnson said the delay, “really affected him and it’s my fault. I feel bad because I should have known it was probably going to take 10 minutes and I let him stand there.”

Strasburg also battled a sore back that flared when he had to reach far to take Adam LaRoche‘s flip at first base in the 2nd inning. The delay made it stiffen more. Strasburg told the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore, “It got a little stiff, especially standing out there for a little bit. It happens. I wanted to go out there and grind through it.”

After battling Arizona’s fine pitcher Trevor Cahill (9-10, 3.85) for four innings and the game tied, 1-1, the Nationals took the lead. Lead off man Stephen Lombardozzi singed with one out and advanced to second on a Bryce Harper (who will sit out today’s game in favor of Tyler Moore) grounder. With two out, Ryan Zimmerman smashed his 16th homer deep into the left field bleachers for a 3-1 Washington lead. Cahill winced as he watched the ball fly.

Then, leading off the Nationals’ 6th, Michael Morse went into his Beast Mode.” He crushed a Cahill fastball deep to right center field. With no Justin Maxwell and Tal’s Hill to contend with, the ball soared well above the fence, more than 445 feet from home plate. According to ESPN’s home run tracker, Morse’s blast is the longest opposite field homerun of the 2012 season.

Aug 6, 2012; Houston, TX; USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Michael Morse (38) hits a single to center field against the Houston Astros in the fourth inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit:

With a 4-1 lead, the Nats added five more, including four in the ninth inning to complete a rare stress free win, their 70th of the season. The Braves won easily over the Mets as well, so the Nationals lead remains 4.5 games, with 49 more to go.

After Strasburg departed, Sean Burnett, Ryan Mattheus, and Craig Stammen pitched three innings of shut out relief. Arizona’s only two hits came against Stammen, who pitched comfortably with an 8-run lead.

The win gives the Nationals five victories to start their 10-game road trip West. The Nationals road record (38-21) is five games better than any other team in baseball. Atlanta, 33-21, is next best.

Champ of the Game: Strasburg, who continues to pitch strong baseball after a normal post-surgery hiccup a few weeks ago.

For the D-Backs, Johnson went 1-4 with an RBI single.

Chump of the Game: Davey Johnson gets the self-appointed nod here for allowing Strasburg to stand on the mound and lose his edge, temporarily.

For Arizona, pitcher Mike Zagurski squashed all hope of a comeback by allowing four 9th inning runs.

Unsung Hero: Lombardozzi, who went 4-5 with a triple and scored four of Washington’s nine runs. He played his lead off hitter role to perfection.

Next Game: Today, August 11, 8:10 ET, Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona. Edwin Jackson (6-7, 3.56) faces D-Backs star rookie Wade Miley (12-7, 2.85).