May 15, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Washington Nationals pinch hitter Bryce Harper (34) grounds out in the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers defeated the Nationals 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The most serious news concerns Ramos. As many feared, he pulled his hamstring again. The hamstring caused him to go on the DL earlier this season, and it looks like he will be heading back there. Ramos said he does not want to go back on the disabled list, but understands that the team cannot go an extended period of time with only one catcher. Davey Johnson said he will be “down for a while,” and that the team will likely call up Jhonatan Solano again from AAA Syracuse to join the team in San Diego tomorrow if Ramos is sent to the DL. If these events do come to pass, Kurt Suzuki will reassume his role as unquestioned starting catcher.

Detwiler’s prognosis was not nearly as grim. He suffered back spasms, which made pitching uncomfortable, and will certainly not go on the DL. Postgame, he said he felt “not all that great,” but only time will tell whether or not he misses his next start. It’s anyone’s guess as to who would make the spot start, but MASN’s F.P. Santangelo speculated that it could be Craig Stammen, who allowed just two hits while striking out three in three innings of relief today.

Harper, now beardless, grounded out as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning. Although he was healthy enough to make an appearance, he said he felt “terrible” afterwards. He will see how he feels tomorrow, but could play.

For the High A Potomac Nationals, Werth played in his first game since suffering a strained hamstring. He looked good at the plate and in the field, going 1-2 and making a nice throw to nail a runner at home. He should return Saturday against San Diego, the first day he can come back off the DL.

Apr 13, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos (40) throws out Atlanta Braves left fielder Justin Upton (8) during the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Ramos had been hitting well this season, picking up where he left off after tearing his ACL in May of last season. He was hitting .300 with two home runs in six starts. Kurt Suzuki, hitting .231/.444/.615 with a home run and three RBI, will now be the Nats’ everyday catcher, with Jhonatan Solano being called up from AAA to back him up.

It was a game the Nationals needed in order to wash away the sour taste of Friday’s lopsided loss, the worst since the team moved to Washington. The way it transpired — Washington building a lead, the bullpen and defense failing in the late innings to allow the Reds to tie it, a pair of extra-inning homers to win it — would have been a stellar playoff game. Instead, it merely evened the early-season series between two of the National League’s title contenders.

Washington catcher Wilson Ramos gets congratulations from Denard Span after his 11th-inning homer to help beat the Reds on Saturday. (Image: Frank Victores, USA Today Sports)

The two 11th-inning home run heroes, Ian Desmond and Wilson Ramos, had divergent reasons for enjoying their heroics. For Desmond, the bomb that broke the 5-5 tie against the Reds’ J.J. Hoover (0-2) helped to salve the wounds of a two-error game that cost Washington a pair of unearned runs. Desmond’s shortstop play thus far in the nascent season has been underwhelming, but his home run Saturday was not, rocketing into the second deck.

Two batters later, Ramos hit one just as hard on top of the Reds bullpen in center. It was the catcher’s second blast of the game, following a two-run shot in the sixth inning, and came in the same ballpark where he tore his knee ligaments last May. One year, two surgeries and many long hours of rehab later, Ramos seems poised to regain his status as one of baseball’s brighter young catchers.

The Reds did make it interesting at the end however, as quality teams are wont to do. Craig Stammen, in his second inning of work, started the 11th with back-to-back strikeouts before walking Joey Votto on a close pitch. After Votto took second, Brandon Phillips doubled him home to shave the Washington lead to 7-6. But Stammen (1-0) recovered to fan Jay Bruce and end the game.

From Washington’s standpoint, the game probably should never have reached that point. The Nationals held a 5-1 lead through seven innings, thanks to three home runs. Bryce Harper started the party with his third of the year in the third inning, followed by Ramos’s first blast in the sixth. After Werth hammered a ball to right-center for a solo shot in the seventh, the game looked to be fairly safe in the capable hands of the Washington bullpen in relief of a strong first start of the season by Ross Detwiler.

But Desmond’s second error of the day, coupled with a throwing error by Harper on the same play, opened the door for the Reds to shave the Washington lead to 5-3 in the eighth against Drew Storen, and Rafael Soriano suffered his first blown save as a Nat one inning later. Shin Soo Choo greeted the Washington closer with a home run, and Votto almost followed suit two batters later, settling for a triple. Soriano then uncorked a wild pitch that brought Votto home and sent the game to its extra-inning conclusion.

Washington will send Stephen Strasburg (1-0, 0.00 ERA) to the hill on Sunday at 1:10 PM ET to try for the series win in a stellar pitching matchup against Cincinnati’s Johnny Cueto (0-0, 1.29).