Garrett Mock outdueled Braves’ rookie Tommy Hanson on Thursday, delivering a six inning, 2-1 performance that marked the Nats’ fourth victory in a row. Reliever Tyler Clippard registered the win, with 2.2 innings of one hit pitching — a stellar, but by now standard, performance. Once again, the Nats won on a late inning hit: this time delivered by former Tomahawk Pete Orr, who singled in the top of the ninth to drive in Ryan Zimmerman with the winning run. This was Mock’s best performance of the year: “With the way my arm feels, my body feels, I felt I made some steps in the right direction,” Mock said after the game. “I wish I had a couple of more starts.” The Braves appeared sluggish, the likely result of being eliminated in the N.L. Wild Card race earlier in the day, when the Colorado Rockies defeated the Brewers 9-2 in Milwaukee.

After a terrible 2008 (72-90) the Braves were philosophical about their failure to make the post-season: “To make that dramatic of a jump gives us a lot of confidence, and it should give Braves fans a lot of confidence that next year we can contend,” Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said before the Nats-Braves tilt. “I don’t think there’s any doubt in anybody’s mind in here that we can be a playoff team next year.” As it was, the Braves had a late-season rush that compares favorably with the streaky Rockies, winning fifteen of their last seventeen games. Just two weeks ago, the Braves trailed the Rockies by 8.5 games in the Wild Card standings. Braves pitching carried the team to the near-Wild Card triumph — with one of the best starting rotations in baseball. The N.L division and Wild Card champions are now decided (the Dodgers, Cardinals, Rockies and Phillies), but the Minnesota Twins remain alive for the A.L. Central Division crown — and take on the Royals today in Kansas City. The Twinkies will need help from the White Sox (who play the Tigers in Detroit) to have any chance of catching the Kalines.

The San Diego Padres capitalized on four Washington Nationals’ errors Friday night to take the first of a three-game set from our Anacostia Boys, 6-2. After taking two of three from the Mets, the Nats reverted to the sloppy defense that had characterized the first part of their season: two errant throws to first base, a dropped pop-up in foul territory and the misplay of a rolling double in the left field corner. That’s one error on Garrett Mock, one on Jason Bergman, one error on catcher Josh Bard and one on left fielder Adam Dunn. “It was just a bad effort,” interim Manager Jim Riggleman said after the game.

Trade Winds: The St. Louis Cardinals got their man, trading three prospects to the Oakland A’s for outfielder Matt Holliday. The key to the trade for Oakland was the acquistion of third baseman Brett Wallace, who may eventually end up at first for the white elephants. The former Rockie, Holliday paid immediate dividends for the Redbirds, going four for five with one RBI in the Cardinals 8-1 win over the Phillies. Beset by uncertainty over their own financial situation — and with ownership of the ballclub undetermined — the Cubs will have difficulty matching the Cardinals’ upgrade. The Holliday trade reflects the kind of mid-season moves that both the Cards and Cubs are noted for: needing a big bat in May of last year, the Cubs signed free agent Jim Edmonds — a move that fueled their run to the NL Central flag. This year, it’s the Astros who need the bat, particularly after it was announced that Astros’ first baseman Lance Berkman was being sent to the DL for a calf strain.

 

New Redbird Matt Holliday Went 4-5 Friday (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

The news in the NL Central will have an immediate impact on the Nats: it effectively takes the Cardinals out of the running for Adam Dunn (whose availability they reportedly inquired about this last week), while Berkman’s injury puts Nick Johnson on the table for the Astros. Houston called up Edwin Maysonet from triple-A Round Rock to take Berkman’s place, but he’s not the answer at first. The regular first base backup is Darin Erstad, but he’s also injured. Johnson seems a perfect fit for the Astros, with his high OBP and good glove. Astros’ players say they will “step up” to replace Berkman, but it will be difficult to replicate his numbers. ”I’ll just say Lance, being honest and sincere, is a piece of our team that is going to be difficult to replace,” Astros’ outfielder Carlos Lee, who leads the team in RBIs, said. ”The quality of player and what he means to this lineup, it’s going to be difficult to replace Lance. I think we’ll have to get it together and carry all the weight.”

Trade rumors involving Nationals’ players have escalated over the last week: the Phillies are said to be interested in Josh Willingham, the Tigers in Willingham and Dunn and, most recently, the Rangers have reportedly sent scouts to look at Nationals’ hitters. The Nats are said to be looking for “prospects” — primarily pitchers. The trade of Willingham to the Phillies becomes less likely if the Phuzzies pony up a handful of their best prospects (and pitcher J.A. Happ) to Toronto for Roy Halladay. And shipping Dunn or Willingham to Detroit (where the Nats are said to be scouting the Tigers’ double-A affiliate) seems perverse — trading players who are actually performing for a bunch of 21-year-olds who might (or might not) turn into major league players. That we got. Then too, a trade of Willingham to either Philly or Detroit means that we will be forced to watch a struggling Austin “Mendoza” Kearns (.198) learn how to hit. A good decision — but only if you want to drive what’s left of your fanbase out of the ballpark.

SI’s Jon Heyman has weighed in with a detailed look at what MLB ballclubs need as teams assess their mid-summer runs. A lot of this is guesswork and some of it likely to be wrong (who would have thought that the Pirates would trade Nate McLouth for a bunch of no-names), but some of Heyman’s speculations sound about right. Heyman says the Nats are gaining the attention of teams in need of hitting to keep them in a pennant race or to replace a suddenly injured star. The Red Sox are a clear example. “The Nation” is worried that David Ortiz’s struggles at the plate are permanent. Eventually, they’ll have to admit that, and search for a bat to fill his place in the line-up. That list could include Nick Johnson, Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham. “The Nation” has a handful of impressive young arms to offer in return, including Justin Masterson and Michael Bowden. Sadly, the one “can’t miss” pitcher that a lot of teams want — Clay Buchholz – is probably untouchable.

What is notable about Heyman’s post, however, is not his speculation on Johnson, Dunn or Willingham — it’s his silence on Austin Kearns, who continues his career-long slump at the plate. You have to believe that the Nats would much sooner give up Kearns than part with Josh “The Hammer” Willingham, who is not only a Kearns-like good citizen, but who’s recent turns at the plate are as close as the Nats can come to a power surge. Willingham has started to resemble the Ryan Zimmerman of two weeks past: he’s seeing the ball well, hitting it hard and putting it over the fence. To put this as plainly (and uncomfortably), as possible: the reason that Kearns won’t get traded is not because the Nats don’t want to give him up (they do), but because other teams don’t want him. That’s not true for Willingham.

But then, who wouldn’t want Willingham? The hammer’s 30, healthy, hits for power and plays hard. There’s an argument to be made that his size and abilities have been consistently underrated — both here, and when he was with the Marlins. He has nine home runs this year in only 111 at bats. There’s no reason to believe that he would hit as well over a 162 game (and 600 AB) stretch, but he can easily outpower Kearns and he’s a more discriminating hitter than Dukes. Both the Red Sox and Cardinals — who now say they’re also in the market for a hitter — would likely choose Willingham over Dunn, whose big bucks contract and concrete glove out-muscle his obvious power.

Nick Johnson is a different story. When he’s healthy he can hit, has a longer history than Willingham, plays first base better than Dunn, and is known for being intensely competitive. With the apparent injury of Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera (who pulled up lame in the game against the Red Sox), Johnson is just the kind of ballplayer “the Motor City Kitties” will need to claw their way into the post-season. The Leyland’s can’t possibly believe that Jeff Larish is the answer at first when Johnson – a near-Gold Glove and consistent hitter – is available. The Bengals might even be willing to give the Nats one of their young arms in return: someone like (say) Ryan Perry, a former first round pick with a high-90s fastball. The Tigers have bullpen arms to give: Perry, Joel Zumaya (they won’t part with him), Brandon Lyon, Fernando Rodney (they won’t part with him either), and Bobby Seay. That’s five relievers. The Nats have one: Ron Villone.

Agreed: you’d have to think long and hard before you’d give up a 22-year-old who’s pitching like “the terminator” for an oft-injured first baseman, but if Cabrera’s limp is (as rumored) a pulled hamstring, then Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski might have little choice. And if that turns out to be the case (it’s all speculation, after all), interim Nats GM Frank “just pull the trigger” Rizzo should make the trade. Then too, dealing Johnson would clear up a lot of issues: it would put Adam Dunn back at first base (where he belongs) and return “Kentucky” to right field, where he could show off those legendary defensive skills – the skills he loses when he plays center. It would also mean that the Nats could keep Willingham. Fine by me. Sometimes, it’s the trades you don’t make that end up being important.