John Lannan pitched his second straight victory last night as the Washington Nationals ended a five-game skid, topping the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 at Nationals Park.

The Nationals gave Lannan early run support, poking four singles in the first inning to sneak in three runs against Diamondbacks starter Joe Saunders. The club tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the second as weak hitting Wil Nieves hit just his second homer of the season, a solo shot, giving the Nats former ace a 4-0 lead to work with.

Lannan looked like the pitcher of old Friday night, getting batters to ground out early in the count by keeping them off balance. The 25-year-old allowed only four hits, one walk, and two earned runs while striking out five batters on the night. The victory helped Lannan drop his season ERA to 5.23.

Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider reports that Yunesky Maya, the Washington Nationals recent Cuban free-agent acquisition pitched three hitless innings in his organizational debut for the Gulf Coast League Nationals:

"In his minor-league debut, Maya tossed three hitless innings for the Nationals' rookie Gulf Coast League squad, allowing only one of 10 batters faced to reach base...The 28-year-old starter hit the first Marlins batter who stepped in against him, then proceeded to record eight straight outs on groundballs before striking out the final batter he faced in the third."

Maya recently signed a four year $8 million contract with the Washington Nationals after defecting from Cuba this summer. The starting pitcher is projected to be a number two or three starter.

Analysis:

At 28-years-old, Maya isn't going to be getting any better. His stint with the GCL Nationals was more likely precautionary than anything else. I'd be very surprised to see him in the Nats minor league system much longer unless he runs into some trouble at the higher levels. We should instead probably just view this as almost a rehabilitation

As the future of 17-year-old Bryce Harper remains in limbo until likely the final hours of "signing day" Monday night, the Nationals do have other draft picks who deserve some attention. With the Nationals top-ten picks the club took nine college players, one high school student, four pitchers, three shortstops, two outfielders and one catcher. Here's the list:

1. Bryce Harper | OF | 17 years old | Southern Nevada | Unsigned 
2. Sammy Solis | LHP| 21 years old| San Diego | Unsigned
3. Rick Hague| SS| 21 years old | Rice University| Signed 
4. Andrew Cole | RHP| RHP| 18 years old| High School| Unsigned
5. Jason Martinson | SS | 21 years old | Texas State | Signed
6. Cole Leonida| C |  21 years old | Georgia Tech |Signed 
7. Kevin Keyes | RF| 21 years old | Texas | Signed
8. Matthew Grace | LHP| 21 years old | UCLA | Signed
9. Aaron Barrett | RHP | 22 years old | Mississippi | Signed  
10. Blake Kelso | SS| 21 years old | Houston | Signed

That leaves three of the clubs top four picks to be signed before midnight Monday.

Of those who have signed, here is how they are doing:

Vermont Lake Monsters

Blake Kelso 40 G, .325/.373/.391, 7 errors
Aaron Barrett 6 G, 0-2, 7.59 ERA, 14 K in 10 IP
Kevin Keyes 22G, .203/.337/.290, 1 HR, 20 TB
Jason Martinson 48 G, .237/.330/.322, 12 errors 
Cole Leonida 21 G, .125/.222/.153, Just coming off injury

Hagerstown Suns

Rick Hague  17 games .271/.329/.414, 9 errors

GCL Nationals

Matthew Grace 7 G, 0-1, 7.90 ERA

Washington Nationals fans entered Spring Training 2010 with a lot of hopes and expectations. One of those expectations was likely not that the Nationals would award potential starting outfielder Elijah Dukes his outright release before the season even started. Yet, the club did just that in March and the troubled outfielder could not find a major league team that would even give him a minor league contract.

Seven months into the season and few around Nats Town question if the move was the right decision. Dukes was given several years to develop at the Major League level, and while he had developed as a grown-up, his game showed little progress. In his stead the Nats may have found a gem in rookie Roger Bernadina who is hitting a respectable .270/.331/.418, and the club drafted a corner outfielder of the future in Bryce Harper.

Yet still people have to wonder, what the hell happened to Dukes? How could he go from a potential starting outfielder for the Nationals to not even a minor league player on any other MLB organization? While his behavior had been questionable through his earl career, why did no one even take a chance on his talent?

We may never know.

After initially being reluctant to play in the independent league, Dukes signed with the Newark Bears at the beginning of July. Since he has been on a tear (which I assume is to be expected), hitting .367 with 5 homers and 18 RBI in 25 games. However, what's much more interesting, is the motley crew of former MLB players he joins in Newark:

Manager - Tim Rock Raines

CL - Armando Benitez 22 IP 7 SV 0.82 ERA
1B - Carl Everett .281 BA 9 HR 38 RBI 
OF - Daryle Ward .295 BA 14 HR 71 RBI
OF - Tim Raines JR. .300 BA 
IF - Eric Munson .182 BA, 4 HR 7 RBI

If the Bears are looking for a set up man, I hear John Rocker is available.

It just never ends does it? You can't make this up. Seriously, right when you think you've seen it all with the Mets, they do something like this. If this doesn't doom the Mets season, I don't know what will. The team has a real problem on their hands. Just when K-Rod was getting praised for his great outings, this happens. If I were the Mets, I would suspend him for the rest of the season; it doesn't look like they're going to need him in significant runs any time soon. Just get this guy away from the team for the next two months; they don't need any more distractions, on or off the field.

The Phillies Placido Polanco is having one of the best seasons you weren't aware off.

Polanco currently has an impressive .319 average, one of the tops in the NL, but believe it or not, that number isn't even close to the .341 average he posted in 2007. This guy can hit, his .304 career average in 13 seasons speaks for itself. Polanco has been extremely valuable to the Phillies this season, who have been banged up with injuries all season. With Pedro Feliz leaving town, Polanco came back to Philadelphia and has been another solid veteran presence for a team that has overcome much adversity this season.

Chipper Jones has suffered a torn ACL likely ending his season, and possibly a hall of fame career.

If this is the end for Chipper, and I have to think it is, one has to feel for the way he went out, by making a web gem at third place in which he went to his right, snagged a Hunter Pence ground ball turned and fired a strike to first base. Jones hurt himself coming down after the throw on a play that according the broadcasters was similar to the play where he tore the same ACL in spring training back in 1994.

Since centerfielder Nyjer Morgan was forced to the disabled list earlier this month, the Nationals have experimented on a full-time basis with what could be the outfield for the 2011 season. Except for the odd day of rest for each player, Washington has started Josh Willingham, Roger Bernadina, and Michael Morse in left, center, and right field, respectively. With Morgan's abysmal offense (.261/.322/.322) and subpar defensive performance, the Nationals would be wise to try this more potent offensive trio in Morgan's absence.

Morgan's limitations appear to make him better suited as a fourth outfielder; however, it appears that the Nationals may have other plans in mind. Ben Goessling of MASN has reported "strong organizational interest in Carl Crawford, an acquisition that would undoubtedly be viewed as a coup of epic proportions in comparison to Morgan's everyman (or worse) production. Crawford, the Tampa Bay Rays' star leftfielder, is a year younger than Morgan has career averages of .295/.336/.440. Not only does Crawford present better numbers across the board, but he also is an even more accomplished base stealer and defender. Crawford is batting .295, has 12 home runs on the season, and has 39 stolen bases in the exponentially more competitive American League East.

As attractive as Crawford is as a player, if the likelihood of his appearance in Washington seems like a pipe dream, that's probably because it is. Already earning $10 million in salary this season, sources indicate that Crawford could command $15 million annually once his contract expires at the end of the 2010 campaign. With deep-pocketed suitors like the Yankees and Red Sox vying for his services, the Nationals - as was the case in the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes nearly two years ago - seem likely to be on the outside looking in once again.

Stay tuned for more opinions and analysis from The Nats Blog staff.

Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones may be out for the season after suffering a "badly stretched anterior cruciate ligament." In other words, he messed his knee up real bad. The 38-year-old longtime face of the franchise had flirted with the idea of retirement following this season, which means if he is out for the year, Chipper may have played his last inning.

While Jones is under contract through 2012, the former MVP and batting champion is only batting .265/.381/.426 this year with a career low10 homers in 95 games. His poor performance paired with long-time manager Bobby Cox planning to retire at the end of this season had led to massive speculation that 2010 would mark the end of the "Old Guard" in the N.L. East. This injury may have sealed the deal.

Personally all of my memories of Chipper have been negative. When I was a kid in spring training he refused to sign an autograph for me, despite having the time. And as a baseball fan growing up rooting for teams in the NL East, it long became a passion of mine to treat the Braves as the Yankees of the National League, and Chipper Jones was the ring-leader for them. I always made sure whenever I saw him play to jeer his real first name at him, Larry.

However despite my personal feelings towards him, one cant deny the great career Chipper has had. If he retires it will leave a huge hole in not only the Braves infield but all of baseball.

Here's a quick look at his accomplishments:

.306/.405/.536 Career line with 436 Home runs and 2490 Hits
1999 NL MVP
6 time All Star
2 time Silver Slugger
Batted over .320 5 times
OBP over .400 10 times 
30 or more homers 6 times
Career WAR of 80.0

So regardless of your personal allegiances, send a tip-of-the-cap to Chipper Jones to what has been a great career.

Bryon Kerr of MasnSports.com reported yesterday that Bryce Harper's college coach, Tim Chambers, is confident that the number one overall pick will sign with the Washington Nationals and not return to school. Chambers said:

"In my opinion, Bryce is the greatest amateur player ever to play baseball, and I am talking Mickey Mantle and others," Chambers said. "He won the Golden Spikes Award. He achieved all of his goals. What else can he do? ... No other human being in baseball could leave high school his sophomore year and do what he did."

Kerr also mentioned in the article that Chambers had said Harper had bulked up from his 208 pound playing weight at College of Southern Nevada to a more professional weight of 225. He also mentioned that Harper is "begging to play."

The Nationals have until midnight Monday to sign the 17-year-old phenom who hit .443/.546/.987 with 31 homers and 28 doubles in just 228 at bats in his first college season. The deal is expected to go down to the wire, just as it did with Strasburg last season.

Analysis:

The Nationals certainly want to get this done, I'm not sure there is any question about that. However the problem that remains with signing Harper is that he has such incredible leverage. At only 17, Harper can go back to college and still re-enter next season as just an 18-year-old with an extra year of college under his belt. Considering the slugger hit .443 in his first season, one would think he would do just as well, if not better next year.

Another aspect which hurts the possibility of this deal getting done is the widely perceived arrogant

What others on the team had to say:

Steve McCatty:

The phenom hit a road bump.

Making his first start since Jul. 21, Stephen Strasburg got chased from the game in the fifth inning Tuesday night after allowing six runs on six hits and two walks.  The 22-year-old only lasted 4.1 innings and struck out a career-low four batters en-route to the worst start in the young pitchers career.

Strasburg and the Nationals chalked the poor performance up to nothing more than a little bit of rust, stating that missing two starts made it hard for the powerful righty to find his spots. However, Nats fans across the DMV have to be feeling a little bit of concern after the seemingly invincible Strasburg first went down with shoulder tightness at the end of July, and in his return looked like a meer mortal on the mound.

Jesus just didn't walk on water.

The most alarming, and perhaps most perplexing thing about Strasburg's start last night is the fact that he threw his changeup so infrequently. The right-hander only threw it four times in 84 pitches last night, a far cry from his 16.9 percent rate he usually throws it. What's so confusing is that the changeup is arguably his best pitch aside of his smoldering fastball. In fact, many consider the 90 MPH changeup he unloads on batters to be unhittible, and FanGraphs backs that claim up showing that it is his second best pitch according to his 3.1 runs above average Pitch Value.

Clearly this wasn't a simple oversight...There had to be a reason Strasburg wasn't throwing his changeup. It could simply be that he was falling behind in the count and didn't want to throw it unless he was ahead...of course it could also have something to do with his shoulder, but there is no evidence of that.

The good news for Nationals fans is that according to PitchFX Strasburg's movement on his pitches was only slightly off last night, and the numbers tend to back up that he, in fact, may have just had trouble placing his spots. He only threw his fastball for a strike 72% of the time, and his two seamer only crossed the plate at 66%. His real loss of command however was on his "off speed"pitches. His curveball only landed for a strike 46% of the time (which may have been by design), and his change only registered as a strike 25% of the time.

A look at his velocity and movement show he was pretty close to normal last night:

Fastball:

Last Night: AVG. SPEED- 97.47 | AVG H-Break -5.26 | AVG V- Break 8.29
This Season: AVG. SPEED- 97.6 | AVG H-Break-5.80| AVG V-Break 7.70

Curve:

Last Night: AVG. SPEED- 82.08 | AVG H-Break -7.94 | AVG V- Break -7.44 
This Season:  AVG. SPEED- 82.30 | AVG H-Break-6.90| AVG V-Break -7.30

Two Seamer:

Last Night: AVG. SPEED- 95.85 | AVG H-Break -8.63 | AVG V- Break 4.71
This Season: AVG. SPEED- 95.80 | AVG H-Break-7.30| AVG V-Break 5.20

Changeup:

Last Night: AVG. SPEED- 89.3 | AVG H-Break -6.38 | AVG V- Break -0.37
This Season:  AVG. SPEED- 89.7 | AVG H-Break-6.90| AVG V-Break 0.1

Strasburg will take the hill again in four days. Based on what we've seen from him in the past, he will come out with something to prove, which should prove exciting to Nats fans everywhere.