The whole notion is idiotic. That isn’t to say that Mike Rizzo won’t pull the trigger on a deal for a pitcher, but he shouldn’t. Signing another pitcher is a solution in need of a problem, and adding yet another pitcher to the roster will cause more roster chaos than Nats fans can imagine.

July 10, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; National League pitcher

Hamels is a rent-a-player who will only stay through the end of the season. He has publically said that if he gets traded he is open to resigning with the Phillies next year. Now that the Nats have their foot on the Phillies necks, why would they give any minor league talent to the Phillies that they can use for their rebuilding project, especially to get a pitcher that probably will not stay with the team or who will require a huge contract to sign with the Nats in the offseason? I cannot imagine a worse idea than to help the Phillies get out of the mess they have created for themselves by giving them any talent in exchange for a three month rent-a- player.

Greinke is headed for free agency after this season. His salary for this year is $13.5 million, and the Nats would have to pay at least a third of that if they get him in a trade to use him for three months. There is no guarantee that he would sign with the Nats next year and he will command big dollars in the offseason for whatever team signs him. Greinke’s temper tantrum last week that got him tossed by the umpire in the first inning of his start didn’t impress either.

The Nationals overloaded on pitching this year by signing Edwin Jackson. The signing of Jackson was a silly move at the time and in the grand scheme of things remains inexplicable to me. The Jackson signing was the one move made by Rizzo in the offseason that clunked. At the time he was signed, the Nats had starting pitching of Strasburg, Gonzalez, Zimmerman, Detwiler, Lannan, and Wang competing for rotation spots. Throwing Jackson into the mix meant there were seven starters competing for five spots. With Wang’s spring training injury, it still meant that the Nats had a starter they could not use. Lannan got sent to the minors even though his spring training ERA was lower than Jackson’s.

Jackson’s record with the Nationals this year is 5-4. I seriously doubt that Lannan’s record would be worse if he was the Nats fourth starter. The Nationals spent 11 million dollars to sign Jackson, and are paying Lannan 5 million. Edwin Jackson is not six million dollars better than John Lannan. The demotion to the minors had Lannan requesting that the team trade him, and sent his pitching totally off the rails when he went to Syracuse. Lannan was horrible in his first couple of starts at AAA, but he has righted his ship and his ERA is currently down to 4.60.

What would the Nats do with another starter coming onto the team at the end of July? Strasburg will not reach his innings limit until the end of August or the beginning of September. The new starter will not be taking Strasburg’s place right away. That means someone has to go to the bullpen. Jackson is not a good candidate for bullpen work, because as we have seen this year it usually takes him at least an inning to start pitching well. Jackson tends to give up runs in the first inning he pitches. That does not make him a good candidate for a relief role. Detwiler would probably get sent to the bullpen again. Detwiler can’t be sent to the minors to be parked until needed because he is out of minor league options. If Detwiler goes to the bullpen, which pitcher gets sent down or released? Keep in mind someone is leaving the major league roster when Storen comes back next week. Who goes if Detwiler has to go to the bullpen because the Nats have signed another starter–Ryan Mattheus? Henry Rodriguez? Mike Gonzalez?

When Strasburg has reached his innings limit, Lannan is available to come up and be a fifth starter. About the time Strasburg gets shut down, the rosters will expand and the Nats will be bringing up some young arms to get some major league experience. This year’s Tommy Milone and Brad Peacock are waiting in the wings–but if the Nats already have signed another starter it will be next to impossible to get many starts for the guys added to the roster in September. Don’t forget that last year with Jordan Zimmermann shut down when he reached his innings limit both Peacock and Milone received significant starts where they performed well, and that showcase lead to Rizzo’s ability to pull off the trade with the Athletics to bring Gio Gonzalez to the Nats, sending Peacock and Milone to the A’s.

The Nats don’t need another starter for the postseason. Even with Strasburg unavailable, the team has Gonzalez, Zimmerman, Detwiler and Jackson as a four man rotation with Lannan to use as a fifth starter if necessary. I know the Nats have never been to the postseason, and that may be why the fans and talking heads are forgetting that during the postseason, the fifth starter is rarely used. Teams tend to go with the best four pitchers they have and keep the fifth in reserve for a spot start or for long relief out of the bullpen. Most teams make it through the postseason relying on three or four starters, with the number one and two guys getting the majority of the starts.

The Nationals don’t need the roster chaos that adding yet another starter to the team will create, nor should they send minor league talent to other teams for a pitcher who may only be with the team for two or three months. The Nationals need to plug their ears with wax and refuse to listen to the siren song that the Cole Hamels and Zack Greinkes of the baseball world will be singing for the next couple of weeks.

Heading into the season Philadelphia was the easy favorite in the NL East, further exemplifying just how disappointing 2012 has been thus far.

Catcher Carlos Ruiz has been tearing the cover off the ball at the plate, one of the lone bright spots to Philadelphia's season thus far. (Image Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE)

Catcher Carlos Ruiz has been the lone bright spot in the lineup, batting .350/.412/.584 with 13 HR and 46 RBI through 289 plate appearances on the year. The should-have-been-starter in the All Star Game has been enjoying a career year despite seeing little help in the lineup around him. Right fielder Hunter Pence has also been a bright spot, hitting .285/.352/.482 in 378 plate appearances while pacing the team with 16 HR and 50 RBI.

Injuries have just one of the problems facing the five-time defending division champions. Up until just a few weeks ago the team had been without two of their most lethal offensive weapons, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.

Utley returned to the lineup on June 27th with a home run in his first at bat against Pittsburgh’s James McDonald, though the Phillies still managed to lose the game 11-7. He’s managed to bat just .235/.278/.412 over 36 plate appearances (10 games) since rejoining the team, having missed most of the first half of the season due to soreness in his knee. Utley’s dealt with chronic leg problems (mostly knee and hip) throughout much of his career, but this was the first time in memory that he missed such a significant amount of time without undergoing surgery first.

The second baseman’s return was vital, given the lack of production the team had been receiving from the position. Rookie Freddy Galvis played well enough in Spring Training to receive the bulk of the at bats in Utley’s place, but he too was lost in early June to a pars fracture in his lower back. To further complicate things, roughly a week later it was announced that Galvis had received a 50-game suspension for testing positive for a performance enhancing substance. Fortunately for the Phillies, a loop hole will allow the 22 year old to serve his suspension while on the disabled list but given the nature of his injury, it’s uncertain how long he will be out. Galvis had batted .226/.254/.363 with 3 HR and 24 RBI in 200 plate appearances (58 games) prior to the injury.

Howard, meanwhile, has been on the shelf since suffering a torn achilles on the final out of Philadelphia’s 2011 season. At the time it was estimated that he’d miss at least the first three months of the season, assuming there were no setbacks in his recovery. The timing couldn’t have been worse, as this year coincides with the beginning of a massive contract extension the Phillies had given him well before he’d reach free agency – not to mention the fact that the injury came during the playoffs, as the team was eliminated by the eventual World Series Champion Cardinals.

Howard has appeared in just two games on the season since re-joining the Phillies, picking up a pair of hits in 8 plate appearances. In his absence, most of the first base at bats went to Ty Wigginton and John Mayberry. The veteran Wigginton has batted .247/.318/.398 on the year, with 9 HR and 35 RBI over 261 plate appearances. He’s primarily been a role player over his 11 year career, a role that seems more appropriate than playing everyday. Mayberry hasn’t faired much better at the plate, hitting just .232/.269/.377 with 6 HR and 23 RBI in 219 plate appearances. He’s been seeing a fair amount of time as the team’s fourth outfielder as well as filling in at first.

Perhaps what’s been most concerning, however, have been the struggles the team’s pitching staff has faced.

Cole Hamels might be unsure what his future holds, but he's pitched well despite the distractions. (Image Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE)

Roy Halladay struggled to a 4-5 record and 3.98 ERA in 11 starts before landing on the DL with a lat strain. The team’s long time ace might be nearing a return soon, however, potentially even by next weekend if things go well through his rehab starts. Meanwhile his rotation mate, Cliff Lee, has been a story in itself for much of the season’s first half. He’s made 14 starts and has matched Halladay’s 3.98 ERA, yet thanks to a stagnant offense has managed just a 1-5 record on the season.

Cole Hamels has been the best pitcher the Phillies have had, going 10-4 with a 3.20 ERA through 17 starts on the year. He’s seen plenty of time in the headlines this year – between beaning Bryce Harper back in April, his impending free agency, and now the possibility that he hits the trade market in the coming weeks. Phillies fans seem generally conflicted on Hamels’ situation, with some believing he should be handed a contract extension while others pining for a blockbuster trade at the end of July. His situation is one that will be necessary to follow in the coming weeks as it could have major implications to the team’s future.

Overpriced free agent signing Jonathan Papelbon has been reliable at the back end of the bullpen, saving 18 games with a 3.34 ERA over 33 appearances, but he’s been the group’s lone consistent option this year. Antonio Bastardo has struggled to locate the plate and the team has lost David Herndon (Tommy John Surgery) and Jose Contreras (torn right UCL, surgery has yet to be scheduled) to season-ending injuries. Rookie left-hander Jake Diekman has been a nice surprise since joining the bullpen, pitching to a 3.57 ERA with 13.2 K/9 (though he has walked 5.6/9) in 19 appearances.

It’s likely too early to count the Phillies completely out of things in the NL East, but the chances that they can come back from a 14.0 game deficit are slim. The Phillies and Nationals will play twelve more times this year – three in Washington between July 31st and August 2nd, three at Philadelphia from August 24-26, three at Philadelphia from September 25-27, and then a season-ending series at Washington October 1-3.

Courtesy of 8 shutout innings by Cole Hamels, the Nationals were unable to get their first series sweep of the year, falling to the Phillies by a score of 4-1. Both the pitching and the bats were unable to keep up with that of the Phillies, costing the Nats a shot at taking 3 games on the road from an NL East rival. But the sweep was not the main thing on everyone’s mind.

Rick Ankiel walks to the dugout after one of eight strikeouts by the Nationals. Mandatory Credit: Brian Garfinkel - GETTY IMAGES

Along with being the third game of the series, tonight was also the first time that Hamels would take the mound against the Nationals since intentionally drilling Bryce Harper in the back with a first-pitch fastball back on May 7. Hamels would later confess that the “nailing,” as it were, was on purpose, and would go on to serve a 5-game suspension.

Unfortunately, Harper was unable to get back at Hamels in the first inning of tonight’s game, flying out to deep left field and just missing his third career home run. Ironically, Harper was also the final out of the game. However, he would go 1-3, reaching base twice on a single and a walk.

It would be yet another start of highs and lows for the man who has gotten a no-decision in each of his last 5 starts. After pitching a scoreless first, Edwin Jackson would give up runs in each of the next 2 innings, giving the Nats an early 2-0 deficit headed into the top of the 4th. After calming down and retiring 6 straight in the next 2 innings, Jackson would make another mistake, throwing a meatball to Carlos Ruiz, allowing him to hit a double. Luckily, Jackson was once again able to settle down, retiring the next 3 batters in order and not allowing Ruiz to score.

It wouldn’t be until the 7th inning when Jackson would finally give up his third and final run of the night, allowing Mike Fontenot to hit a one-hopper off the right field wall for a leadoff double. After being sacrificed over to third base by Hamels, Fontenot would score on a suicide squeeze by Juan Pierre, making the score 3-0 in favor of the Phillies.

Philadelphia would then tack on one more run in the 8th inning on a Shane Victorino homer off Henry Rodriguez, giving them plenty of cushion to withstand the Adam LaRoche solo shot in the top of the 9th, giving Hamels his league-leading seventh win, as well as handing Jackson his second loss.

Champ of the Game: Adam LaRoche takes the cake tonight, as his 9th-inning solo shot plated the only Nationals run of the evening.

For the Phillies, Cole Hamels is well deserving, as he pitched 8 shutout innings and took a no-hit bid into the 6th.

Chump of the Game: For the first time ever here at District On Deck, someone has won 2 of our 3 post-game awards. LaRoche also wins the Chump of the Game award because although he did hit the home run, he also stranded a team-high 4 runners.

Ty Wigginton gets the nod for the Phillies for the same reason. Though his mistakes did not lead to a defeat, Wigginton also stranded 4 runners. In addition, Wigginton failed to reach base even once, and also struck out.

Unsung Hero: Jesus Flores quietly had another solid night behind the dish tonight, blocking several potential wild pitches. Flores also went 1-2 with a triple and a walk.

For the Phightin’ Phils, Carlos Ruiz gets the award simply because he didn’t earn Champ of the Game. Had Hamels not performed so admirably on the mound, Ruiz would certainly have deserved recognition, as he went 3-4 with 2 singles and a double.

Next Game: Friday, 7:35 PM, Nationals v. Braves in Atlanta. Detwiler (3-3, 3.65) v. Hudson (3-1, 3.03)