Sports: BaseballUSA: Washington's Nationals peak, drop, 'hangs on for win'

Washington Post Sports (May10,2k11)

Baseball
The author, Adam Kilgore, is one of the best sports writers
in the USA, and covers the "national sport," baseball.  He's
an expert on the National League, especially its East 
Conference, particularly his newspapers hometeam,  DC's 
Nats.  Today the Nats are at the bottom of the five-team
East Conference with the Phillies over the Nats (18 wins, 21
losses).  Which ties Washington with their conf's New York 
Mets.

But that unimpressive score puts both bottom-rung teams in
their conference  h+er in the standings than Central Conf's
Chicago Cubs and Houston, as well as the West Conf's
Arizona and San Diego.  In their league, they're tied with
Central's Milwaukee and Pittsburgh.  Now, I must admit that
I'd choose the Phillies over the Nats any dayt, due to personal
favoritism (I grew up in Philadelphia with vacations in
Connecticut).

For the same reason, in the American League's East Conf, I'd
pick Toronto (19 wins, 20 losses as of today) where I now live.
And in Central and West, I've no favourites but that always may
change as the season continues.

-- Sportikos

Standings from Major League Baseball.

Nationals vs. Braves: Washington erupts, 

then barely hangs on 

for win

ATLANTA — The Washington Nationals finally found the offensive breakthrough they had been waiting for Tuesday night, which in the end mattered more than they hoped it would. They scored more runs in a game than they had in three weeks, and then they ensured, to their temporary horror, they needed every last one.

The Nationals carried a six-run lead over the Atlanta Braves into the eighth inning before escaping with a 7-6 victory at Turner Field. They built their lead on three-run home runs byLaynce Nix and Jayson Werth, who hit his first homer with a man on base this season. They squandered almost all of it with an eighth-inning meltdown. In the end, Drew Storen converted his eighth save — but not without a flyout to the warning track — and preserved the 100th victory of starter Jason Marquis’s career. ....

The Nationals had last scored at least seven runs in a game April 20, and they did not figure to do it against Tim Hudson, the pitcher who had dominated them like no other. In 19 previous starts against the Nationals, he had an 11-2 record with a 1.88 ERA. In his last start, he pitched a shutout.The Nationals had been shut out Sunday  [a week ago] for the fourth time this year. They kept saying their offense would break out, but Tuesday did not seem a likely occasion. ....

But Werth and Nix delivered in crucial spots, and they aren’t giving the runs back.

-- Washington Post matter posted by Sportikos