The Washington Nationals won yet another one run game, defeating the White Sox in Chicago by a score of 2-1. While the Nationals were able to scratch out only three hits against the Chicago starting staff and bullpen, it proved to be enough to make Livan Hernandez (now 5-8) a winner. He deserved it: the big righty threw 6.2 innings, scattering seven hits and striking out nine.

Washington scored its runs on Danny Espinosa’s 7th inning home run with Michael Morse aboard, giving the Nationals just enough to edge the Pale Hose. Espinosa’s average has been climbing steadily over the last ten games. Chicago’s fans had to be disappointed: Philip Humber threw brilliantly, matching Hernandez pitch-for-pitch and holding the Nationals scoreless through six. Humber held the Nationals to just three hits while striking out four and had a no-hitter through five.

The three game series must have provided a sobering moment for the White Sox whose biggest boppers have not-so-suddenly turned into hitless wonders. The boo-birds were out for Adam Dunn, the off-season mega-bucks free agent (and former National) who’s hitting .019 from the left side of the plate. Dunn is hitting .176 on the season. His four strikeouts today against the Nationals gave him 100 strikeouts for the year. His blood-draining power production (or lack of it) has turned much of the south side against him: he has 40 hits, only seven of which are home runs.

Hernandez was brilliant, but so was the Nationals’ bullpen. Washington’s trio of relievers — Tyler Clippard, Sean Burnett and Drew Storen — held off the Chisox through the 7th, 8th, and 9th, with Clippard and Burnett notching holds, and Storen registering his 19th save. Burnett looked particularly effective, good news for the young lefty who struggled in the early part of June. Burnett has given up no runs and just two hits in his last seven outings. Burnett has lowered his ERA a full point over the last three weeks. The Nationals now head to Los Angeles, where they will duel with the Belinskys.

Pale Hose manager Ozzie Guillen has outdone himself: the outspoken South Side monument, known for his legendary rants, authored yet another one on Monday night — disputing a call from umpire James Hoye that shortstop Alexei Ramirez was out on a grounder. Guillen argued that the ball had dropped foul. This most recent “rant” is well worth watching, as it has Guillen kicking Cubs’ backstop Geovany Soto’s mask into an elegant trajectory, a visual that sparked Chicago wags to speculate that Guillen could be the Bears new punter.

Guillen’s latest antics mask (er . . . veil) his larger frustrations. The White Sox are 35-39 and 5.5 back in the A.L. Central race, and while that’s a damned sight better than they were a month ago, Guillen’s team is among MLB’s embarrassing underachievers. Free agent acquisition Adam Dunn is hitting .178, the pricey Alex Rios is at .210, “next big thing” second sacker Gordon Beckham is at .230, and the pitching staff (non-anchored by the now regularly injured Jake Peavy) is a shambles. Usually Guillen, one of the game’s great on-field captains, knows how to press the right buttons. But this year he seems to have lost his touch.

White Sox rooters have taken notice: South Side Sox is leading the charge against the front office, walking point on fan scapegoat Juan Pierre, whose play in left and on the base paths has been less than stellar. “If the rest of the lineup was doing what they were supposed to do, maybe we could live with Pierre,” the blog opines. “They aren’t though, so something needs to happen. That something is Pierre to the bench, or given his release. Pick one.”

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The Washington Nationals’ bullpen couldn’t hold onto a hard fought Washington lead, and the Nats were downed by a modest but effective late-inning rally in Milwaukee, 7-6 on Tuesday. The loss came at the expense of Nationals’ reliever Henry Rodriguez, who gave up a two out, two strike bleeder down the left field line to Brewers’ catcher Jonathan Lucroy in the 8th inning. “That’s baseball,” Rodriguez said after the game. “You guys saw what happened. It’s part of the game. It was a jam shot, and it fell in.” The hit was just enough for the Brewers to notch their eighth straight victory at home.

The bullpen, which has been stellar for the Nationals this year, looks like it’s starting to fade. Tyler Clippard was ineffective in the 7th, Rodriguez (who came in for Sean Burnett) was ineffective in the eighth — but nearly the entire crew has been struggling of late. Nationals skipper Jim Riggleman noted that the Washington pen has been the team’s highlight reel, but that it was almost fated that it would go through a rough time: “Our bullpen’s done a great job holding leads, and it just didn’t happen tonight.”

Those Are The Details, Now For The Headlines: It doesn’t look good for Adam LaRoche. Bill Ladson writes that the first baseman has major shoulder issues and could face surgery — but first he’ll rest his arm, which includes at least two weeks of not touching a baseball . . . Michael Morse is swinging the bat. After a great Spring Training, Morse had trouble out of the gates. His grand slam home run last night is evidence that his power swing is back, but he’s also hitting for average. In mid-May he was hitting .235, he exited last night’s game at .282. He’s hitting over .400 in his last ten games . . .

It’s funny the way things happen. Over the winter, some Nationals fans were urging Rizzo, Riggleman & Company to forego a free agent contract for a first base replacement for the departed Adam Dunn (who’s hitting all of .192 in the Windy City) and put Morse at first base. Part of the argument was that the Nationals could spend their money more wisely on an outfielder with a good bat: to replace the departed Josh Willingham (who’s hitting .233 for the White Elephants). Now they have their wish. It looks like the Nationals are about to go with a set line-up of Rick Ankiel in center, Roger Bernadina in left — and Morse at first. That’s not bad, except that Morse will not only have to keep hitting, but step up his defensive game. Adam LaRoche was a wizard at first, and his glove will be missed . . .

One of our more regular readers and a CFG fan (here he is), sent along a piece from Wired magazine (that’s a first, because most of our readers read Maxim) noting the May 24 anniversary of the first baseball game played under the lights. It’s a pretty good read, and notes that erecting lights at Crosley Field was part of a desperate measure to keep the Reds in the Queen City (that would be Cincinnati of all places). Lights caught on around the rest of the league, the article noted, except in Chicago, where lights (and winning) were a late addition . . .

And speaking of firsts, if you haven’t read the article on the New York Mets ownership (and the Fred Wilpon-Bernie Madoff fiasco) in the New Yorker you should. The article is long, but you can do it (and you’re all grown up now, and it’s time), and it gives a fair and even sympathetic picture of the Mets’ owner and his struggles to keep his team. We were all set to dislike the guy (as with everything else blue and orange), but ended up thinking that, despite all of his problems with financing, Wilpon not only seems like a good sort, but (surprise, surprise) knows his baseball . . .

Cole Hamels pitched his first complete game of the season, shutting down the Washington Nationals and besting Livan Hernandez, giving the Philadelphia Phillies a 4-1 victory at Citizens Bank Park. The sole run scored by the Nationals came off the bat of Michael Morse, who put a Hamels’ offering into the right field seats. Hamels was the Philadelphia hero on a night when Phillies fans welcomed Jayson Werth back to Philadelphia with a mix of cheers and boos.

The Hamels masterpiece should not have come as a surprise. The Phillies’ lefty is 9-0 in his last nine starts against the Anacostia Nine, with a 2.73 ERA. “Hamels was the story, he was really good again, hitting his spots with his fastball,” Nats’ skipper Jim Riggleman said following the game. “It’s a good fastball, but he had a good changeup, as he always does.”

In The Valley of the Lost Bats: For the first time this season, MASN commenters F.P. Santangelo and Bob Carpenter wondered aloud what would happen to Danny Espinosa if his struggles at the plate continue. It’s possible that Riggleman could sit the second sacker, putting Jerry Hairston at second. Espinosa is hitting .219 and has struck out ten times in the last 10 games . . . The comment was telling. Back on April 22, Carpenter was asking where the Nats’ offense would be without Espinosa. Now he’s wondering if the kid can get back on track . . .

But if you’re going to sit Espinosa, you’d also have to sit Adam LaRoche, whose troubles at the plate make Espinosa look like Ruth. LaRoche is 0-17 in his last six games, his last hit coming on April 27 against the Mets. Then too, if you’re going to sit Espinosa, you’d have to swallow hard in defending Jerry Hairston as the heir — Hairston is not exactly hitting the ball on the screws: he’s  7-33 in the last ten games. Hairston is a good ballplayer, but he’s not DiMaggio. His lifetime BA is .256 . . .

And while we hate to say “we told ya so,” a little Alberto Gonzalez medicine would look good right now. The MASN boys regularly laid into Gonzalez for not being able to put the bat on the ball, but last year he hit better than either Desmond or Espinosa are hitting right now. Sure, Alberto didn’t like his part time gig in D.C., and it was time for him to head out. But it would be nice to see him at third now that Ryan Zimmerman is down. Then again . . . Alberto isn’t hitting the leather off the sphere for the Friars. After a good start, he’s hitting a torrid .172, and the Padres have settled into an infield of Jorge Cantu, Jason Bartlett, Orlando Hudson and Brad Hawpe, with Alberto on the bench . . . San Diego’s infield is (admittedly) mere filler, but not all that bad when you think about it . . .

Alberto Gonzalez isn’t the only former D.C. batsman who’s struggling at the plate. Pale Hose acquisition Adam Dunn has been almost embarrassing in Chicago, where he’s having problems acclimating himself to his role as a designated hitter. “What’s Wrong With Adam Dunn?” FanGraphs asked yesterday. Dunn is hitting a measly .157 in Chicago and looks terrible at the plate. Last night, he was the final batter faced by Francisco Liriano in his no hitter, lining out to end the game. “There are three reasons why Dunn is struggling so far,” FanGraphs says. He is having bad luck, “he has not found his power stroke,” and “his strikeouts are up.”

We love FanGraphs, but that doesn’t tell you a whole lot: the reason Adam Dunn is hitting poorly is because he’s hitting poorly. Right. The question is: why is he hitting poorly? The answer may well be that Dunn has not mastered the intangibles of the D.H., which requires you to be in the game and ready to play despite the fact that you sit the bench. D.H.-ing is a lot like entering the line-up as a pinch hitter four times a game; it takes real discipline to do it well. Dunn hasn’t developed that discipline yet, or he wouldn’t be hitting .157 — and the Chicago South Siders would look like contenders, instead of bums. Which, at 11 and 20, is . . . what . . .  they . . .  are.

The Washington Nationals have signed Adam LaRoche to a two year contract, solidifying the Nats’ infield for 2011 — and upgrading the team’s defense. The official announcement of the signing is expected to come on Wednesday at Nationals Park. The signing was first reported by Peter Gammons on Twitter, who stated that the “aggressive” Nats had agreed to terms and that LaRoche’s physical would take place on Thursday. According to Mark Zuckerman, LaRoche will be paid $7 million in 2011, $8 million in ’12, with a mutual option worth $10 million (with a $1 million buyout for the Nats) in 2013. LaRoche was widely believed to be asking for a three year deal, but when Derrek Lee signed a one year contract with the Showalters, LaRoche’s options began to disappear, though he had been on the Nats’ radar from the moment that Adam Dunn signed with the Pale Hose.

How good is LaRoche? The lefty first sacker had a good year in Arizona, hitting 25 dingers and driving in 100 runs — and his glove at and around first is a step (or two, or three) above Dunn’s. LaRoche’s UZR at first base is third in the majors and he’s reportedly good in the clubhouse — which could help salve Ryan Zimmerman’s irritation that the front office did not make a more credible play for Dunn. Adam Kilgore, in The Washington Post, quotes Matt Capps as saying that LaRoche is “a great fit” in the clubhouse: “If you can’t get along with Adam LaRoche, you probably don’t have a heartbeat,” Capps is quoted as saying. “He plays hard and gives everything he has every night. What you see is what you get.” LaRoche is a great addition; the only question is whether his .260-.270 BA will be enough for the Nats in the middle of their line-up — a concern for the team, even after the signing of Jayson Werth. The signing of LaRoche does not mark the end of Mike Rizzo’s shopping spree; the Nats still need a front line starter and could use a bat coming off the bench.

Those Are The Details, Now For The Headlines: Ben Goessling says that the Nats are still in the hunt in the Carl Pavano sweepstakes, but the trail strikes us here at CFG (here’s our mascot, for you newcomers, in her winter duds) as getting distinctly cold. Which is only to say, Pavano looked a hell of a lot better in (say) October than he does now. On any given day, Pavano can be an ace, but in any given year he can have his arm surgically removed for . . . whatever. With apologies to our female readers, this is a lot like going out with the prettiest girl in the school — you’re bound to be disappointed. (Really, ask anyone.)The upside of Pavano is that he’ll only cost money (that the Nats say they’re willing to spend), while someone like Matt Garza, or even Joe Blanton, will cost the team a gaggle of younger players or prospects — or both.

Anyone can second guess, but you have to admire a guy like Cards GM John Mozeliak, who had the foresight to trade for Ryan Theriot (for ho-hum reliever Blake Hawksworth), which leaves his options open for acquiring pitching. A guy like Theriot at second or short for the Nats would allow Rizzo a little more flexibility (if you know what we mean) in landing someone like Garza — whose value as a front line starter would outshine anything that either Pavano or Blanton could bring to the mound . . . None of this should detract from Rizzo’s signing of LaRoche: for a minute there (when everyone was abuzz over Carlos Pena), we thought the guy’d lost his touch — Pena cost the North Side Drama Queens $10 million for one year. So here’s our question: What The Hell Were They Thinking?

The Washington Nationals have shocked the baseball world — signing former Phillie Jayson Werth (a top-of-the-heap free agent) to a heart-stopping and wallet-emptying seven year $126 million contract. Don’t even think about the numbers; instead, consider this: reeling from the loss of Adam Dunn and faced with an incipient fan rebellion, Mike Rizzo needed to show everyone from Atlanta’s front office to Cliff Lee and Carl Pavano’s agents that the Nationals are serious about becoming a winning franchise. Acquiring Werth will make everyone stop and think, including agents for top-of-the-rotation pitchers who mumble “forget the Nats” when they snore. This deal is expensive and there’s alot about it not to like (seven years sounds like two years too long and Werth is damn near 32), but Werth gives Washington the kind of baseball credibility that even the sainted Adam Dunn could never deliver (and should silence Ryan’s hints that the Nats coulda, shoulda, woulda and must do better). This is a guy with thirty-plus power with a .388 OBP in 2010. He’s a top-flight ballplayer signed to complement baseball’s best third baseman. He frightens pitchers.

Then there’s this: Werth is one of the most exciting players in baseball, a clutch hitting doubles machine who knows how to win, who’s played in the postseason and has a proven arm and glove — and who will be an immediate impact player even before next season’s first pitch. The Nats can start producing those Werth jerseys now — I’ll buy one, and I won’t be alone. This guy will put people in the seats. If there’s one downside it’s this: the signing of Werth will mean nothing if Rizzo doesn’t now go out and get the kind of pitcher that will make the Werth signing (ah) worth it. The team has the money to do it and the Lerners (and Rizzo) have said they’re serious about building a contender that will compete with the Ashburns, Chokes, Fish and Tomahawks. If this is the end, instead of only the beginning, then Zim and The Messiah will end up toiling alone in an empty park for a fifth place team.

The Chicago White Sox will announce tomorrow that they have signed free agent Adam Dunn. The Washington Nationals’ first baseman has made it clear that he does not want to DH, but his signing with the Pale Hose indicates that he is open to the possibility. His signing leaves the Washington Nationals with a void at first base. The current speculation is that the Nationals will now step up their pursuit of Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Carlos Pena, or perhaps D-Back Adam LaRoche. Of course, it’s always possible that the Nats will decide to use Josh Willingham as their first baseman, or perhaps even Michael Morris — no matter how unlikely those two possibilities may now seem. The departure of Dunn brings an end to the Nationals’ front office debate on whether to keep Dunn because of his bat, or to let him walk because of his defensive liabilities. The Nats chose defense.

Chicago’s signing of Dunn is not a complete surprise. The White Sox have always been interested in the slugger, and the Nationals and Pale Hose were involved in intense discussions on Dunn prior to this season’s mid-summer trade deadline. Now — with Dunn walking — the Nationals will receive a supplementary first round pick and Chicago’s 23rd overall pick in next year’s draft. Dunn, it is reliably reported, will sign a deal with Chicago far in excess of anything that he was offered with the Nationals: four years and $56 million. The Nats were reportedly only willing to offer him a three year contract. The signing of either Pena or LaRoche would be a step-up defensively for the Nationals, though Pena hit an anemic .196 for the Rays, while LaRoche (good around the bag, and with a quick glove), hit .261 — with 25 home runs. Then too, the Nats have got to be thinking that by letting Dunn go, they will be saving salary — which, if they are to believed, can now be spent on a big time pitcher. We’ll see.

Is there a preference between Pena and LaRoche? While Pena is the kind of player who can put up big numbers (though it seems to happen only every other year), LaRoche is a more steady presence. Then too, Pena seems to invite aches and pains — as a kind of, well, Nick Johnson of Tampa Bay. Critics of this viewpoint claim that Pena is, by far, the better player. Really? He’s spotty, unsteady, often injured and unpredictable. Sure, he has a better glove than Dunn and a bigger bat than LaRoche, but you can’t hit in the mid-.250s with 48 home runs if you’re sitting on the DL.